Personalisation for Social Workers : Opportunities and Challenges for Frontline Practice

“This helpful text represents another brick in the wall for social workers and social work students seeking to make sense of personalisation/person-centred support, personal budgets and the changing role of social work in the future … This book will help all concerned with social work make better sense of what this should look like - if it is to support social justice, inclusion and equality.”
Professor Peter Beresford OBE, Brunel University and Chair, Shaping Our Lives

"This informative text bases the Personalisation discussion on real life examples and perspectives, providing a balanced account of the opportunities and obstacles faced by all stakeholders engaged in this agenda .... The final chapter on managing change provides the reader with an opportunity to step forward in time and consider how Personalisation might be located within the historical timeline of delivering social care and whether concepts of co-production, empowerment and citizenship can in fact become central to this agenda. A book to get you 'thinking' and 'doing'."
Ali Gardner, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

"The authors have written a timely and highly topical book on the impact that Personalisation has and will have upon the world of Social Work. They do so in a very accessible way through highlighting the benefits of the model to all concerned, but crucially they explore some of the many concerns. In particular they address the anxieties expressed by qualified social workers upon their future role.

I shall certainly draw upon the text for my own teaching and learning and will encourage students and practitioners to do the same."
Paul Hollingdale, Course Leader, University of Huddersfield, UK

Personalisation remains a huge talking point in the world of social care. This timely book addresses the tensions, opportunities and challenges faced by social workers attempting to implement personal funding and support. Written by three academics with extensive first hand experience of supporting people in personalised ways, the book highlights the ethical dilemmas and complexities of frontline practice and is grounded in a pragmatic and creative approach to personalisation.

The authors offer an honest representation of positive aspects of personalisation and examine areas that cause concern. The book also:

• Contains scenarios based on realistic examples of supporting service users and carers
• Recognises the political, social, cultural and individual factors that interplay in personalisation
• Provides a balance between an academic understanding of personalisation and application in practice
• Presents a vision for what the future would look like with fully implemented personalisation in adult social care