Care experienced social workers as relational activists in the UK

Within this chapter we will explore the role and practice of the care experienced social worker. We will also examine some of the ethical considerations pertinent to care experienced social workers, including inclusion, relational boundaries, and political activism. Finally, we will offer a relational based approach to support the care-experienced practitioner navigate the positional dichotomy of being both a care giver and having been a care recipient. We begin by a providing a brief outline of the relevant history of social work and its relationship to care giving and receiving, moving on to consider the historical roots of stigma and institutional care. We then consider the inclusion of the people we serve as social workers, their voice, the role of participation, and the development of co-production. This leads to a discussion of the 'othering' of people who use services including those who qualify and practice as social workers. We then explore what it means to be a care experienced social worker and look at the contemporary discourse concerning this group of practitioners. A few examples of political activism by care experienced Social Workers in the United Kingdom are considered. We briefly explore the relational boundaries that concern care experienced social workers and offer a model to support practitioners navigate professional relationships. Finally, we look at the benefits of systemic practice for the care experienced social worker and consider the role of several models including Coordinated Management of Meaning, Isomorphism, Open Dialogues, and Social Graces, to support care experienced social workers in their practice. The three authors of this chapter are all care experienced social workers and are actively engaged in research within this area. The sources used for this chapter are drawn from the academic literature and include autobiographical narratives of care experienced social workers.