Involving service users and carers in assessing applicants for courses in Social Work and Clinical P

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Involving service users and carers in assessing
applicants for courses in Social Work and
Clinical Psychology cross disciplinary
comparison of practices at the University of
Birmingham

• Elizabeth Mátka, Centre of Excellence in
  Interdisciplinary Mental Health
• Rosemary Littlechild, Institute of Applied Social
  Studies
• Dawn River, Institute of Applied Social Studies
• Theresa Powell, School of Psychology

8 July 2009
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This presentation

• Background
• Admissions in the two departments
• The survey
• Findings
• Discussion impacts on social work education

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Admissions in the two departments 2007-8

• Social Work (BA MA)
• 1187 applicants
• 300 interviewed
• Groups interviews
• ? 131 students
• Service users and carers on panels since 2004-5

• Clin. Psychology
• 380 applicants
• 60 interviewed
• Individual interviews
• ? 21 trainees
• Service users on panel since 2006-7

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The Survey
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Survey Questions

• Whether involvement in admissions is important
• What might be gained by each of the parties
  involved
• (Students and trainees) Whether presence of
  service users (and carers) changed the way you
  felt or responded
• (Panel members) Disagreements and how they were
  resolved

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Main Findings - Importance

• 71 gave practical reasons to do with selection
• Service users have an insight into how they see
  the people who work in the caring professions
  carry out their duties. This insight is utilized
  in these interviews to select workers and
  students who can relate to service users
  appropriately. (social work service user)
• I think it is advantageous as they experience the
  care system and experience social services
  (social work postgraduate student)
• They can provide feedback about suitability that
  clinicians/ academics may not consider. For
  example, service users may value traits such as
  warmth, awareness of impact on others, above what
  professionals might. (clinical psychology trainee)

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Importance continued

• A smaller proportion appealed to matters of
  principle
• It seems important that those who will use a
  service have some say in who will provide that
  service (clinical psychology trainee)
• The mantra, 'Nothing about us without us' sums
  it up. And where better to start than at the
  student recruitment stage? (social work service
  user )
• It sends a clear message to applicants, from
  their very first involvement with the university,
  about the importance of service user and carer
  perspectives. (social work academic)

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Gains for service users and carers

• Gain in emotional terms
• I certainly gained personal self esteem which is
  something which is difficult for me. (clinical
  psy. service user)
• Insight into training and professional
  perspectives
• One of the main points is seeing that future
  professionals are people too It gives some idea
  of limitations and breadth of student studies and
  work. (clinical psy. service user)
• Contribution to future professional development
  and services
• They can help to shape the future qualified
  workforce (social work academic) NB few
  service users or carers said this

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Gains for applicants

• Type of contact at interview was crucial
• Clin. Psy. applicants (individual interview)
  almost all felt a gain
• I found it useful to acknowledge how important
  it was not to be speaking the lingo all the time
  e.g. using terms like 'primary care' may be
  confusing to some people (clin. psy. trainee)
• Half of post-graduate and a quarter of
  under-graduate social work applicants (group
  interview) did not feel they had gained.
• Many cited lack of contact
• Benefits for social work students more general
• Made me more aware of the responsibilities of
  the role and impact it has on people's lives
  (social work postgraduate)

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Gains for professionals

• 16 of 19 felt they had gained from working with
  service users / carers
• Reality check
• The kinds of characteristics valued by service
  users and carers
• Variety of input into the decision making

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Dealing with disagreements

• Very few unresolved disagreements were reported
• Emerging Issues in Social Work
• Judging potential
• Cultural issues
• Final arbiter of decision

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Discussion Issues for the Social Work programme

• This exercise contributes a student perspective
• Review already occurred feedback from panel
  members and discussion in department
• Issues of accountability, responsibilities and
  nature of partnership
• To service users and carers
• To applicants
• To programme
• To profession

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Discussion issues for applicants

• Applicants more mindful at interview
• Involvement in admissions is the beginning of the
  process of modelling best practice in service
  user and carer involvement in social work
  education
• Follow-up survey of post-graduate students

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Conclusions for Social Work Programme

• There are both symbolic and practical arguments
  for involving service users and carers in
  professional education. However, the rationale
  and expectations for involvement need to be
  clearly articulated for all parties involved and
  this needs to be reflected in the mode of that
  involvement.