BJSW Advance Access published online on October 14, 2009
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcp105
Developing New Understandings of Independence and Autonomy in the Personalised Relationship
Correspondence to Janet Leece, 10 The Glade, Westbury Park, Clayton, Newcastle, Staffordshire ST5 4NG, UK. E-mail: Dleece{at}aol.com
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Abstract |
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The personalisation of adult social care has the potential to create support that is individualised, and it is the reality of this support relationship that forms the basis of this article. To date, there have been few studies that focus on the association between care users and their workers. Here, we consider research from a Ph.D. study that allows for comparison between two sets of relationships: between disabled adults and homecare workers employed by a local authority, and between disabled adults using direct payments to employ their own personal assistants. The research pays attention to the meanings attached to the concepts of independence and autonomy, with a model of autonomy applied to aid clarity and develop our understanding of complexities in support relationships. The research uses a grounded theory approach with qualitative interviews of matched samples of respondents, providing new evidence about the personalised relationship. Based on the research, we argue that direct employment of support workers appears to facilitate greater autonomy for disabled adults than traditional homecare relationships. However, the research goes on to suggest that greater autonomy for disabled adults may have a downside for support workers.
Keywords: Personalisation, autonomy, independence, care relationships, direct payments, personal assistants, homecare
Dr Janet Leece is a registered social worker who has worked in social care for many years, as a social work practitioner and, later, a commissioning officer. She is also an honorary research fellow at Staffordshire University. Janet has published extensively in the area of direct payments, including the Practitioner's Guide to Direct Payments, published by Venture Press, and a co-edited book, Developments in Direct Payments, published by Policy Press in 2006. Professor Sheila Peace is currently Associate Dean (Research) as well as Professor of Social Gerontology in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University. She is a member of the Centre for Ageing and Biographical Studies, and has a long-term interest in the field of environment and ageing. Sheila has undertaken research on the quality of life in care settings, the context of care across the life-course, and the regulation of social care services for older people. A member of the Executive Committee of the British Society of Gerontology, Sheila's recent publications include: Environment and Identity in Later Life, published by Open University Press in 2005, and the co-edited book, Ageing in Society, published by Sage in 2007.