Social policy first hand: an international introduction to participatory social welfare

Social Policy First Hand is a comprehensive compendium of voices which is unique in being the first international social policy text written from a participatory perspective. Divided into eight sections, its many authors explore a wide range of topics. The introduction explores topics such as co-production and challenging injustice. The second section is a re-conception of Beveridge’s ‘five giant evils’ from a lived experience perspective including housing policy and workers’ rights. Section three explores a global perspective of the contribution of service user knowledge and examines feminist epistemology. The fourth section takes a developmental approach following the life course from childhood to adulthood. Section five looks at transforming social policy through collective action and enacting participation within EU research. The sixth section is about campaigning for change through activism. Section seven is about breaking down barriers and includes a rights-based approach to LGBT campaigning. The final chapter discusses participatory research and evaluation, and includes challenging ‘welfare reform’.

The book begins with the assertion that, historically, service users have had little opportunity to participate in policy-making. Social geographer Danny Dorling explores inequality in his chapter entitled ‘Challenging Injustice: The Importance of Collective Ownership of Social Policy’. He quotes Burns (2007) in saying that humanity is inherently social; therefore, Dorling argues that modern neoliberal ideas of individualism are in fact an illusion as we all have social relationships. He urges to beware if a small group claim they have all the answers because social policy needs to be developed collectively. In his chapter entitled ‘Social Policy and Disability’, Colin Campbell promotes the importance of professionals and policy-makers listening to the people their policies impact. He explores the complex ideological foundations dominating disability policy, such as economic inequality, the over-medicalisation of disability and the theory of disability equalling dependency.

‘From Expert to Service User: Challenging How Lived Experience is Demeaned’ is a chapter written by Michele Moore. She shares her personal experience of being a professional and becoming a service user representative on a research project. Moore says it was assumed that service users were unlikely to have research experience and was even told ‘I wasn’t expecting you to have a degree’ (468). Representatives were sometimes called on to answer on behalf of service users as a group, disregarding individual difference and diversity. This could also incorrectly imply that service users are a homogeneous group. Research into clinical psychology training found that increased contact between mental health professionals and service users in the context of equal status may reduce stigmatic cognitive separations of ‘us’ and ‘them’ (Schreur, Lea, and Goodbody 2015). Moore acknowledges the progress made in service user involvement as a whole and suggests changes which could increase the value of their input and reduce the risk of tokenism. It is important to acknowledge the emotionally intensive labour required for involvement work which often involves sharing one’s personal experiences and to provide adequate support (Kidd et al. 2018).

The chapter entitled ‘#JusticeforLB: In Search of Truth, Accountability and Justice’ is written by George Julian and Sara Ryan. It details the social media movement seeking justice for Connor Sparrowhawk known as ‘LB’ (‘Laughing Boy’) who was diagnosed with autism and epilepsy. Connor tragically died aged 18 years in a National Health Service (NHS) assessment and treatment unit; a jury at Connor’s inquest ruled that his death was due to neglect and the NHS trust was found to have serious failings. The innovative and international social media campaign was instrumental in enabling his family to access human rights support and in exposing the truth against a tirade of obstruction and unaccountability. The campaign led to many successes, including NHS England commissioning a review into the deaths of people with learning disabilities which found that, shockingly, ‘only two out of 337 unexpected deaths in learning disability provision were investigated’ (320). Ryan and Julian say that ‘our experiences demonstrate how the gulf between policy and practice, with a historical backdrop of consistently failing learning disabled people, remains’ (468). They conclude with a call to action for improvement as there has been too much talking and not enough action.

Social Policy First Hand is written in a clear way which is not overly academic and the price point is lower than average, making it even more accessible. Some of the topics could have been explored in more depth, leaving the chapters feeling a bit short. Besides this, it is hard to find critique in this ground-breaking book, in fact the hardest choice is deciding which chapter to read first as there are so many interesting topics! We live in an increasingly divided society as inequality grows between the rich and the poor (Wilkinson and Pickett 2010). These divisions can become mirrored in social policy, leaving a divide between the policy-makers and those affected by the policy. In his chapter entitled ‘Participation and Solidarity in a Changing Welfare state’, Taylor-Gooby suggests social divisions have been increased through the shift towards neoliberalism and individual responsibility undermining the solidarity that participation can bring. This book provides a bridge to overcome that division and to co-produce a future in which service user voices are heard and acted upon.

Rebecca Regler
Independent scholar, Oxford
[email protected]