Social model in practice?
Sarah James, Advocacy Policy Advisor
Co-author(s): Myra Hutchings, Social Worker, Essex Social Services
Abstract
This workshop will look at the experience of bringing the Social Model of Disability into Essex. Disabled Peoples' organisations have been demanding both locally and nationally for statutory services to adopt their model of disability and its practice implications. That is the Social Model, Independent Living Principles, and a rights' based approach to working with people with impairments.
Essex County Council has in response to this put together an Independent Living Network team which looks to develop and change the councils and other organisations policy and practice. This team includes two people form the Disabled Peoples' movement. Half of the workshop will examine this experience more closely, including how the team interacts with Disabled Peoples' organisations.
Following a piece of action research undertaken within the Social Services Department, and as a result of the work of the Independent Living Network team, a Social Model Assessment Team composed of social workers and occupational therapists was established. This new team was set up to look at how the social model can be implemented in practice now. Working in this way has implications for the organisational model of the team, the practice of both social workers and occupational therapists in the team and the service offered to its users. The Social Model Team is working in conjunction with a researcher who will be looking not just at the assessment process but also at outcomes for the service users. The other half of the workshop will look at how this has progressed in the 7 months it has been running, looking closely at what is Social Model practice in social care services.