Social work as Social work as pedagogy of the encounterpedagogy of the encounter

Older people’s perspective Older people’s perspective on social support on social support

and community-based social servicesand community-based social services

Griet Verschelden & Tine VanthuyneGriet Verschelden & Tine VanthuyneUniversity College of GhentUniversity College of Ghent

Faculty of Social Work and Welfare Studies, BelgiumFaculty of Social Work and Welfare Studies, Belgiumgriet.verscheldengriet.verschelden@@hogent.behogent.be

Content of the contributionContent of the contribution

Perspective of service users and client participationPerspective of service users and client participation Discourses on ageingDiscourses on ageing Our own research and some resultsOur own research and some results Relational citizenshipRelational citizenship Enacting social work from relational citizenshipEnacting social work from relational citizenship Social work as pedagogy of the encounterSocial work as pedagogy of the encounter Implications for social workers’ roleImplications for social workers’ role

Perspective of service users and Perspective of service users and client participationclient participation

Participatory approach can address issues of Participatory approach can address issues of power inequalitypower inequality

Client participation is not evidently a positive Client participation is not evidently a positive notion and not evidently realised: resistance, notion and not evidently realised: resistance, tokenism, …tokenism, …

Appealing for participation can also be seen as Appealing for participation can also be seen as coercivecoercive

Impact for social workers: less appreciation or Impact for social workers: less appreciation or recognition, report a dominant consumerist recognition, report a dominant consumerist attitude, …attitude, …

Discourses on ageingDiscourses on ageing

Social welfareSocial welfare Older people enjoy well-deserved piece and quietness Older people enjoy well-deserved piece and quietness Passive persons in need of carePassive persons in need of care

Active ageing Active ageing Older people enjoy life & has to stay healthy and activeOlder people enjoy life & has to stay healthy and active Independency, consuming attitude is cultivatedIndependency, consuming attitude is cultivated

Productive ageingProductive ageing Older people must contribute to community in their own Older people must contribute to community in their own

capacitycapacity Discours of empowerment, social & cultural capitalDiscours of empowerment, social & cultural capital Assumption: more contribution prevents isolation and Assumption: more contribution prevents isolation and

brings generations togetherbrings generations together

What kind of citizenship?What kind of citizenship?

Responsabilization of the elderlyResponsabilization of the elderly Coercive use of support programs aimed at Coercive use of support programs aimed at

creating active and productive citizenscreating active and productive citizens Governmentality of the entrepreneurial selfGovernmentality of the entrepreneurial self

This notion of citizenship and underlying myth This notion of citizenship and underlying myth of autonomy constructs the image of a of autonomy constructs the image of a responsible citizen with individual responsibility responsible citizen with individual responsibility over his or her life and social integrationover his or her life and social integration

What kind of citizenship?What kind of citizenship?

““Taking control of one’s life, or Taking control of one’s life, or particular aspects of it, is not particular aspects of it, is not only seen as being intimatly only seen as being intimatly

connected with the formation or connected with the formation or reformation on the self as reformation on the self as

empowered, it is increasingly empowered, it is increasingly becoming an ethical obligation of becoming an ethical obligation of

the new citizenry” the new citizenry” (Baistow, 1994: 37)(Baistow, 1994: 37)

What kind of citizenship?What kind of citizenship?

““Those people who refuse to become Those people who refuse to become responsible and govern themselves responsible and govern themselves ethically have also refused the ethically have also refused the

offer to become members offer to become members

of our moral community” of our moral community” (Rose, 1999: 1407)(Rose, 1999: 1407)

Our researchOur research

Older people’s perspectives on social support and Older people’s perspectives on social support and community-based social servicescommunity-based social services

Community-based social service centres: what?Community-based social service centres: what? Three parts in the research project:Three parts in the research project:

focus groupsfocus groups survey: 754 > 689 (55+, users and non-users)survey: 754 > 689 (55+, users and non-users) roundtablesroundtables

Research questions: Research questions: Which forms of formal and informal support do Which forms of formal and informal support do

service users appeal to and what is the place and the service users appeal to and what is the place and the meaning of the centres? meaning of the centres?

Which are possible mechanism of in- and exclusion? Which are possible mechanism of in- and exclusion?

Some resultsSome results

Integrated servicesIntegrated services Broad range of services most important Broad range of services most important

motivation to make usemotivation to make use Recreational and educational activities bring Recreational and educational activities bring

‘oxygen’ and create space to social & health care‘oxygen’ and create space to social & health care Care and support cannot be framed in advance Care and support cannot be framed in advance

(by professionals) and cannot be marked out in a (by professionals) and cannot be marked out in a defined stringent setdefined stringent set

Cf. “joined-up thinking” & “seamless”Cf. “joined-up thinking” & “seamless”

Some resultsSome results

Facilitating encounters in- and outsideFacilitating encounters in- and outside Meeting ‘other’ people and doing ‘new’ thingsMeeting ‘other’ people and doing ‘new’ things In these encounters care is realisedIn these encounters care is realised Also encounters which are less obviousAlso encounters which are less obvious Possibilities for intercultural and Possibilities for intercultural and

intergenerational encountersintergenerational encounters Pitfall: Pitfall:

• Image of centres as mostly for older people !Image of centres as mostly for older people !• Some individuals and groups risk to be excluded Some individuals and groups risk to be excluded

from the empowering potentialfrom the empowering potential

Some resultsSome results

Importance of pedagogical relationshipsImportance of pedagogical relationships Relationships above products and servicesRelationships above products and services Users visit centres a lot and stay longUsers visit centres a lot and stay long Social workers not as experts, but as Social workers not as experts, but as

professionals who enact and co-constructprofessionals who enact and co-construct

Some resultsSome results

Voluntary workVoluntary work More than half ~ lower number reportedMore than half ~ lower number reported Different forms and supportDifferent forms and support Service ‘users’ as ‘co-worker’ / ‘organiser’Service ‘users’ as ‘co-worker’ / ‘organiser’ Added value is inside and outside the centresAdded value is inside and outside the centres

Relational citizenshipRelational citizenship

Social support and social services without Social support and social services without predefined outcome and with possibilities predefined outcome and with possibilities for (informal) encounter that shap a shared for (informal) encounter that shap a shared responsibility: from traditional lens to responsibility: from traditional lens to citizenship to citizenship to relational citizenshiprelational citizenship

Cf. feminist thinking and Cf. feminist thinking and

philosophy of care (Tronto, Nussbaum)philosophy of care (Tronto, Nussbaum)

Relational citizenshipRelational citizenship

Dutch researcherDutch researcher Jeanette PolsJeanette Pols Relationships are purposefully developed Relationships are purposefully developed

as the goal of careas the goal of care Relational citizenship is a form of Relational citizenship is a form of

sociability in which citizens acknowledge sociability in which citizens acknowledge their dependence and interdependence on their dependence and interdependence on each othereach other

Challenges assumptions underpinning the Challenges assumptions underpinning the concept of active citizenship concept of active citizenship (myth of autonomy (myth of autonomy & independency)& independency)

Enacting social work from the Enacting social work from the perspective of relational citizenshipperspective of relational citizenship

‘‘Enacting’Enacting’ = studying phenomena ‘in = studying phenomena ‘in action’, which leads to different stories action’, which leads to different stories than ‘talk about’ them than ‘talk about’ them ‘ ‘doing’ social work and citizenship in practicedoing’ social work and citizenship in practice

Different conceptions of citizenship, Different conceptions of citizenship, underlying assumptions of the ‘good’ underlying assumptions of the ‘good’ citizencitizen

Reflection on what are different forms of Reflection on what are different forms of ‘good’ social work‘good’ social work

Notions of citizenship & social workNotions of citizenship & social work The personally responsible citizenThe personally responsible citizen

Developing individual competences to act responsible in Developing individual competences to act responsible in the communitythe community

Distracts attention from analysis of the causes of social Distracts attention from analysis of the causes of social problems; no collective actionproblems; no collective action

The participatory citizenThe participatory citizen Collective action related to participation in civic affairs Collective action related to participation in civic affairs

and community life and community life

The justice oriented citizenThe justice oriented citizen Critically analyzing and addressing social issues and Critically analyzing and addressing social issues and

injusticesinjustices Least common, and also risks to exclude and reinforce Least common, and also risks to exclude and reinforce

existing inequalities: demanding, new model?existing inequalities: demanding, new model?

Social work as pedagogy of the encounterSocial work as pedagogy of the encounter

Co-construction of public space and Co-construction of public space and stresses the importance of agencystresses the importance of agency

Social work as a forum on which people Social work as a forum on which people (are supported to) express their concerns (are supported to) express their concerns and negotiate their claimsand negotiate their claims

Social work as pedagogy of the encounterSocial work as pedagogy of the encounter

Not looking for interventions and programs that Not looking for interventions and programs that enhance autonomy and empowement, but enhance autonomy and empowement, but looking at how empowerment as well as looking at how empowerment as well as interdependency, relations en encounters are interdependency, relations en encounters are enacted and ‘performed’enacted and ‘performed’

Social work is first and foremost relational !Social work is first and foremost relational ! Pedagogy of the encounter Pedagogy of the encounter (Dahlberg & Moss)(Dahlberg & Moss)

““Reflective questions about living together and Reflective questions about living together and how this living is shaped, what dialogical spaces how this living is shaped, what dialogical spaces are made possible and how solidarity can be are made possible and how solidarity can be facilitated” facilitated” (Vandenbroeck, 2008)(Vandenbroeck, 2008)

Implications for social workers’ roleImplications for social workers’ role

Social interventions not as technologies to Social interventions not as technologies to enhance people’s responsibilities, but enhance people’s responsibilities, but social work as shared responsibility social work as shared responsibility between public and private domainsbetween public and private domains

Focus on the question what social work Focus on the question what social work interventions mean for service users (and interventions mean for service users (and non users), rather than on their active non users), rather than on their active involementinvolement

Implications for social workers’ roleImplications for social workers’ role

Pedagogical relation is central, but in relation to Pedagogical relation is central, but in relation to reflection on the meaning of intervention with reflection on the meaning of intervention with regard to societyregard to society

““They attempt to grasp the personal, They attempt to grasp the personal, cultural, economic and historical cultural, economic and historical influences that push and pull the lives of influences that push and pull the lives of people, and mirror these diverse private people, and mirror these diverse private stories to society by locating them in te stories to society by locating them in te realm of public-democratic action” realm of public-democratic action” (O’Brien, 1994: 6 and 17)(O’Brien, 1994: 6 and 17)

Social work is a political proces!Social work is a political proces!

THANK YOU !THANK YOU !

QUESTIONS ? …QUESTIONS ? …Griet Verschelden & Tine VanthuyneGriet Verschelden & Tine Vanthuyne

University College of GhentUniversity College of GhentFaculty of Social Work and Welfare Studies, BelgiumFaculty of Social Work and Welfare Studies, Belgium

griet.verscheldengriet.verschelden@@hogent.behogent.be