Thinking on the front line: how creativity can improve self-directed support

摘要

Self-directed support gives service users the power to choose the support services they need. This article first considers the potential obstacles to its introduction. These include society's attitude towards dependence, the organisation's fear of being overwhelmed by the expressed needs, the human tendency to defend against emotional overload if there are inadequate supports and the real complexities of work with vulnerable people. It uses evidence from recent research that looked at factors that supported or impeded the ability of social workers to think about their adult service users. The findings suggest that imaginative, creative relationships are necessary for social workers to extend self-directed support to the very vulnerable. The article then argues that managers and leaders would be wise to develop the five enabling factors evidenced in the research in their organisations: coherent policies, professional development, mental space, autonomy and support structures. It is best to optimise these areas if social workers are to sustain their relationships with service users to implement this policy successfully.View full textDownload full textKeywordsself-directed support, thinking, creativity, social work, managers, organisational dynamicsRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2010.500125