experts by experience xbx our lives, your learning
TRANSCRIPT
Experts by ExperienceXbX
OUR LIVES,
YOUR LEARNING
Our lives – your learning
Who are we?
• People who use services – directly or as carers
• Representatives of groups and organisations for service users
• Social Work students
• Social Work academics
Our lives – your learning
What do we do?
• We meet regularly to think about and plan how we can help social work students be the kind of workers we know we need.
• We help them to learn and assess that learning alongside the academics.
Our lives – your learning
• We get involved in assessing students ‘readiness for placement’.
• We listen to and help to assess their presentations on a range of topics.
• We help to review their Portfolios, especially the parts which show how they understand service users’ lives.
Our lives – your learning
Examples of how people have been involved • Interviewing - Martin
– “I played a part in helping to decide how experts by experience should be involved in interviewing students. I now take part in assessing students’ group discussion, looking at their communication, body language and how they relate to others”.
• Teaching - Sid– “I have taught alongside the academic tutors on the Poverty and Social Exclusion module, helping students to understand how disabled people can be marginalised and excluded by society”
Our lives – your learning
• Preparation for placement –Martin– “I am part of a group which assesses students’ role
plays of practice situations, looking at how well they understand things like confidentiality and the role of a social worker”.
• Assessment – Sid– “I have helped to assess the students’ group
discussion on the Ethics and Values module. I know that my feedback is taken very seriously by the tutors and students and contributes to the grade they get for their work”.
Our lives – your learning
• Portfolios – Prunella– “I have been part of a group that reviews students’ placement Portfolios. Sometimesthis feels like a very big responsibility but I know that with support I have an important role to play”.
Our lives – your learning
• The Centre for the Development of Social Care Practice is committed to providing student support to the XbX group as part of a Practice Learning Opportunity
• The role of the student on placement includes supporting the XbX group and individual members, helping to build capacity and acting as a bridge between the Social Work programme and
the XbX group.
Our lives – your learning
Barriers to involvement • Payment – benefit rules – fitness to work
The government gives the University money to help people who use services to get involved. Other parts of the Government won’t let us earn money for our involvement because of the benefit rules.
• Transport and supportissues for people include getting to the university and their support needs when they are there to be able to participate fully.
Our lives – your learning
What’s in it for me? “Years ago, people wouldn’t even listen to me for free, now they are paying me to talk to them” (Martin)“My involvement allows me to get across my ‘political’ views and help students understand the social model of disability” (Sid)“Being involved in XbX has reminded me that I am a human being. I feel valued, not invalid” (Raquel)
Our lives – your learning
Plans for further research• We now want to find out how
we are making a difference• What do social work students really think about
our involvement?• Have we made a difference to the way they will
be as practitioners?• Will it make a difference to all
our lives?