“Needs: the things you must have for a satisfactory life.” Cambridge dictionary [1] “Needs: a catalogue of things that mark you out as not quite human. Nobody else on the planet has these things.” Mark Neary [2] Needs are ‘the things we must have for a satisfactory life’. There are the basic things we all … Continue reading Words that make me go hmmm: Needs
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Rewilding social care
“Nature has the power to heal itself and to heal us, if we let it. That’s what rewilding is all about; restoring ecosystems to the point where nature can take care of itself, and restoring our relationship with the natural world. Reconnecting with what matters.” Rewilding Britain [1] “Relationships need to be tended and nurtured … Continue reading Rewilding social care
Transformation
“Within the world of social care, there has been much talk about the ‘transformation’ of adult social care, but the actual pace of change has been not so much transformational as geological.” Richard Humphries [1] While much of the national narrative around social care is about ‘fixing’, at a local government level there’s a strong … Continue reading Transformation
Words that make me go hmmm: Prevention
“‘Prevention’, along with ‘integration’ and ‘innovation’ is one of the most used and abused terms within public service reform.” Alex Fox [1] Last Wednesday I was in York for a ‘Curious about… prevention’ session organised by the Curiosity Partnership. And I am indeed curious about prevention, and it’s most definitely on my list of words … Continue reading Words that make me go hmmm: Prevention
Love shows up: past, present, future
“Love is a central feature of family life and yet remains invisible in health and social care services, practice and research. Where is the love? And why is this word erased in the professional arena?” Sara Ryan [1] “It was love’s absence that let me know how much love mattered.” bell hooks [2] Last Friday … Continue reading Love shows up: past, present, future
Belonging
“Good social workers will carefully check themselves to make sure that… they aren’t becoming street-level bureaucrats (Lipsky 2010) whose actions to protect people involve taking them away from the very thing that we all strive for: a place where they feel settled, accepted, wanted and loved – a place where they belong.” Elaine James, Rob … Continue reading Belonging
Lasting change
“Despite the urgency, lasting change takes much longer than we appreciate. Darn. One way to counteract our impatience is to shift from ‘Chronos’ to ‘Kairos’ time. Chronos time is sequential time, measured by the clock and which seems to be speeding up. Kairos time bends and stretches, sometimes it even seems to stand still. Chronos … Continue reading Lasting change
Time for change: the language of social care reform
“Change is needed, and it is needed now, to protect some of the most vulnerable members of society.” Care England[1] In his final speech as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson listed “reforming social care” among his achievements[2], a claim quickly and widely disputed and derided. ‘Social care reform’ means different things to different people, and “the … Continue reading Time for change: the language of social care reform
Me time
“…she lived for it. She counted down the days to it. And when she returned it was abundantly clear to those around her – she had loved it… Very few of us would choose it. But crucially, when it comes to what makes people tick, it’s an example of how unique we are, how tailored … Continue reading Me time
Kairos time
“Care is not an activity that can happen by the clock… Care belongs in the world of Kairos time (measured by flow and connection) as opposed to Chronos time (the industrial time measured by minutes and deadlines). Care is not the same as cure – yet it so often seems we have confused these categories. … Continue reading Kairos time
Rewriting social care 