BJSW Advance Access published online on October 19, 2009
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcp119
A Critical Reflection on the Involvement of ‘Experts by Experience’ in Inspections
Peter Scourfield qualified as a social worker in 1984. Since then, he has worked in various settings, latterly in an Older Person's team. Since 2003, he has worked full time as lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. His writing and research interests are mainly focused on the adult social care system, with a particular interest in older people's services.
Correspondence to Peter Scourfield, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK. E-mail: peter.scourfield{at}anglia.ac.uk
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Abstract |
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Recent research conducted in the UK for the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) suggested that there was no evidence to indicate that the involvement of service users and lay assessors in service inspections improved the quality of inspections. However, recently, CSCI has initiated a project to involve ‘experts by experience’ in their service inspections. Here, the term ‘expert by experience’ has been adopted to describe users of social care services. However, the appropriateness of this usage has not been without some challenge and various conceptual difficulties have been raised in how the term is used. Reflecting on reports published by CSCI, this paper considers whether the choice of the word ‘expert’ in this context is really appropriate and also whether, although well intentioned, the involvement of ‘experts by experience’ is too confused in its rationale to actually empower the people using the services being inspected. The paper concludes by suggesting that the current inspection body—the Care Quality Commission—would do well to review both the terminological and conceptual confusion in respect of this practice.
Keywords: care home inspections, critical reflection, lay assessors, service users