DASS Service User Group
Service user and carer involvement is high on the practice and policy agenda within social work higher education. A three-year qualifying training period for social workers was introduced in England in 2003. In addition, Higher Education Institutions are now required by government to involve service users and carers as stake-holders in all elements of the design and delivery of social work education, and in the selection process of all new entrants.
Within the new framework, there's a very clear emphasis on practice. Therefore the involvement of service users and carers is key to unlocking this practice potential. Senior Lecturer Nora Duckett, who co-ordinates Service User and Carer work within DASS, said: "Service users and carers are now a significant part of teaching and learning Social Work at London Metropolitan University. Our aim is to continue to develop their involvement in a meaningful way by avoiding tokenism" Nora is also keen for the model of the Service User Group to be applied to other subject areas within the department.
For more information, go to the Service User and Carer Website at /depts/dass/serviceusers/ or contact Nora Duckett at /depts/dass/staff/noraduckett/
