Relational Care: Bridging the gap between aspiration and implementation

The ideologies set out in policy and legislation lack detail on practical delivery. The language and thinking around care has seen a transition from a medical, paternalistic model which was about protecting people and the duty... [ view full abstract ]

The ideologies set out in policy and legislation lack detail on practical delivery. The language and thinking around care has seen a transition from a medical, paternalistic model which was about protecting people and the duty of care to a more empowering idealistic model focused on wellbeing, sovereignty and rights.
Relational theories have emerged from attempts to understand how to bridge the gap between protecting and caring for vulnerable people and empowering them to have greater choice and control to live the life they choose. Much of the policy related to social care is aspirational but there is an absence of practical guidance on how to turn ambition into reality.
Rather than embracing new, innovative models of care which enable greater independence, the economic crisis in 2008 increased pressure on local authorities to implement government savings against a backdrop of rising demand and an increasing inability to meet that demand. In this context, Care can become a commodity purchased by commissioners, with little scope for the people receiving care to express and develop their own interests. Yet there is strong anecdotal evidence that relationship between support worker and the person they support is crucial to improving quality of life and wellbeing for both.
Through participant observation, interview and quantitative research, the research examines the role of the frontline support worker and their interactions with the people they support and whether these interactions improve wellbeing and enable greater choice and control.

This research is in it's first year of three so the presentation will set out the initial research, plans and ambitions. The research is fully funded by a studentship from the National Institute for Health Research and... [ view full abstract ]

This research is in it's first year of three so the presentation will set out the initial research, plans and ambitions. The research is fully funded by a studentship from the National Institute for Health Research and Collaboration for Applied Health Research and Care East of England and is taking place at the The Cambridge Intellectual & Development Disabilities Research Group at the University of Cambridge, supervised by Marcus Redley and Neil Stott. Ethical approval has been submitted to the Social Care Research Ethics Committee.