service user & carer involvement - introduction

People who use social services and their carers need to know that those delivering social services bring with them the necessary skills and knowledge to meet their needs. This section provides an introduction to service user and carer involvement in Learning Network activity - why it's important and how we intend to support engagement.

introduction | our project work - service user and carer involvement | resources

Introduction

Developing user involvement in social service provision is clearly essential to the development and implementation of effective practice. The National Strategy for the Development of the Social Service Workforce in Scotland: A Plan for Action 2005 - 2010 states that a more valued, competent and confident workforce will help users of social services and their carers to feel:

• valued and respected
• part of society
• supported to achieve their goals
• able to make choices
• involved in the selection and training of staff
• and more in control of their lives

The Learning Network actively seeks the involvement of people who use social services and their carers in project work. We value the contribution of service users and carers in project planning and decision making and work to ensure that that such input is mainstreamed in all that we do in order to support social service improvement.