Personalisation has become the policy buzz-word of the twenty-first century. Supporters claim it offers service users choice and services attuned to meet their specific needs, moving away from ‘one size fits all’ state services. Peter Beresford, one of Britain's foremost social work academics, challenges the personalisation agenda and its consequences on service users. Although critical of ‘one size fits all’ services that deny service user voice, Beresford argues that personalisation turns service users into ‘consumers’ of services within a care market, and hence reinforces the commodification of care which sees vast profits made by a small number of providers at the expense of good quality services for those who use them. Eminent contributors on aspects of personal care, person-centred support and personalisation offer their responses.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Personalisation has become the policy buzz-word of the twenty-first century. Supporters claim it offers service users choice and services attuned to meet their specific needs, moving away from ‘one size fits all’ state services. Peter Beresford, one of Britain's foremost social work academics, challenges the personalisation agenda and its consequences on service users. Although critical of ‘one size fits all’ services that deny service user voice, Beresford argues that personalisation turns service users into ‘consumers’ of services within a care market, and hence reinforces the commodification of care which sees vast profits made by a small number of providers at the expense of good quality services for those who use them. Eminent contributors on aspects of personal care, person-centred support and personalisation offer their responses.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
personalisation, personal budgets, person-centred care, social policy;
Journal of Social Policy, 42(4), 2013, pp.721-741.
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Place of publication:
Cambridge
This paper examines what the 'personalisation revolution' in the social care sector has entailed and achieved. It considers how criminal justice reformers can learn from the social care experience and suggests how personalisation might fit within the current criminal justice reform agenda. However, introducing personalisation will pose significant challenges, perhaps the biggest being the need
(Edited publisher abstract)
This paper examines what the 'personalisation revolution' in the social care sector has entailed and achieved. It considers how criminal justice reformers can learn from the social care experience and suggests how personalisation might fit within the current criminal justice reform agenda. However, introducing personalisation will pose significant challenges, perhaps the biggest being the need to change criminal justice culture.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
personalisation, criminal justice, social care, social policy;
Personalisation is increasingly seen as the future of the welfare state. This book focuses on how personalisation evolved as a policy narrative and has mobilised such wide-ranging political support. At the centre of the argument is the idea that the personalisation of public services has been told and established as a ‘policy story’. Thus, as the personalisation narrative has taken hold in policy
Personalisation is increasingly seen as the future of the welfare state. This book focuses on how personalisation evolved as a policy narrative and has mobilised such wide-ranging political support. At the centre of the argument is the idea that the personalisation of public services has been told and established as a ‘policy story’. Thus, as the personalisation narrative has taken hold in policy circles, the major determinant of its success has been the stories and tales told about reform, as opposed to more traditional sources of evidence such as formal policy evaluation. The book is likely to be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students in public policy and social policy and for researchers and practitioners working in related fields.
Subject terms:
personalisation, policy formulation, social policy, social welfare;
Social Policy and Administration, 45(1), February 2011, pp.54-68.
Publisher:
Wiley
Drawing on a review of the personalisation literature, textual analysis of policy documents, dialogue with stakeholder groups and semi-structured interviews with policymakers, service managers, providers and users, this article discusses personalisation as a policy story-line. It identifies five key themes as recurrent features of the personalisation story-line: personalisation works, transforming people's lives for the better; person-centred approaches reflect the way people live their lives, rather than artificial departmental boundaries; personalisation is applicable to everyone, not just people with social care needs; people are experts on their own lives; personalisation will save money. The author discusses the ambiguities of the narrative of personalisation, and argues that framing personalisation as a story-line rather than a clearly developed policy reform programme helps to explain the breadth and diversity of the reforms it has encompassed.
Drawing on a review of the personalisation literature, textual analysis of policy documents, dialogue with stakeholder groups and semi-structured interviews with policymakers, service managers, providers and users, this article discusses personalisation as a policy story-line. It identifies five key themes as recurrent features of the personalisation story-line: personalisation works, transforming people's lives for the better; person-centred approaches reflect the way people live their lives, rather than artificial departmental boundaries; personalisation is applicable to everyone, not just people with social care needs; people are experts on their own lives; personalisation will save money. The author discusses the ambiguities of the narrative of personalisation, and argues that framing personalisation as a story-line rather than a clearly developed policy reform programme helps to explain the breadth and diversity of the reforms it has encompassed.
Subject terms:
personalisation, policy formulation, social policy, government policy;
This discussion paper has been developed from Ceretas and Care and Council round table meeting held on 8 July 2009. The meeting was attended by 22 people from across the care sector, including sheltered housing and local authorities to discuss the state of home care in the wider context of community care. The paper beings by discussing the current state and quality of home care. It then discusses what a better system of care and support should look like to respond to older people's needs. Recommendations for the future are then summarised, which include listening to what older people say, undertaking a review of council homecare charging, and examine ways for home care to move seamlessly into residential care.
This discussion paper has been developed from Ceretas and Care and Council round table meeting held on 8 July 2009. The meeting was attended by 22 people from across the care sector, including sheltered housing and local authorities to discuss the state of home care in the wider context of community care. The paper beings by discussing the current state and quality of home care. It then discusses what a better system of care and support should look like to respond to older people's needs. Recommendations for the future are then summarised, which include listening to what older people say, undertaking a review of council homecare charging, and examine ways for home care to move seamlessly into residential care.
Subject terms:
home care, older people, personalisation, social policy;
This paper assesses the social policy narrative personalisation, and particularly the implications of the narrative for disability politics. The advantages and disadvantages of positioning specific funding mechanisms within the narrative are explored. It is argued that personalisation is insufficiently aligned with collective aspects of empowerment. More particularly, it disproportionately emphasises improvements in individual autonomy through personalised support, and lacks reference to structural oppression or the need for collective forms of action that bring about structural change. It is further argued that personalisation lack a multi-faceted analysis of disability and disempowerment, and as a result also lacks any vision of a positive alternative society. In assessing personalisation, the positive and negative dimensions of disabled people’s freedom are considered. As a response to the apparent shortcomings of personalisation, the integrated living approach and Centres for Independent Living are considered important elements in an alternative narrative to personalisation.
(Publisher abstract)
This paper assesses the social policy narrative personalisation, and particularly the implications of the narrative for disability politics. The advantages and disadvantages of positioning specific funding mechanisms within the narrative are explored. It is argued that personalisation is insufficiently aligned with collective aspects of empowerment. More particularly, it disproportionately emphasises improvements in individual autonomy through personalised support, and lacks reference to structural oppression or the need for collective forms of action that bring about structural change. It is further argued that personalisation lack a multi-faceted analysis of disability and disempowerment, and as a result also lacks any vision of a positive alternative society. In assessing personalisation, the positive and negative dimensions of disabled people’s freedom are considered. As a response to the apparent shortcomings of personalisation, the integrated living approach and Centres for Independent Living are considered important elements in an alternative narrative to personalisation.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
personalisation, empowerment, social policy, politics, disabilities;
Research Policy and Planning, 29(3), 2012, pp.161-177.
Publisher:
Social Services Research Group
... evidence regarding its efficacy. At the same time, the UK is the on the cusp of new legislation likely to shape social care for the foreseeable future. It is essential that legislation takes on board what the evidence says about this model. The authors suggest that the concepts of personalisation and personal budgets associated with it may retain value if interpreted in an appropriate way, delivered
(Publisher abstract)
In this article, the authors suggest that the drive to create personalised services through self-directed support and personal budgets was implemented before the model was fully tested. Its implementation was announced before completion of a national evaluation set up by the Government. One advantage of such speedy, widespread implementation is that we are now beginning to have substantial evidence regarding its efficacy. At the same time, the UK is the on the cusp of new legislation likely to shape social care for the foreseeable future. It is essential that legislation takes on board what the evidence says about this model. The authors suggest that the concepts of personalisation and personal budgets associated with it may retain value if interpreted in an appropriate way, delivered through an appropriate strategy. Then even so long as resources fall short of needs, they are likely to ensure the best possible outcomes for service users are secured.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
outcomes, personal budgets, personalisation, self-directed support, social policy;
European Journal of Social Work, 15(3), 2012, pp.313-329.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
... process was chiefly to refurnish the discourse in which statutory social work is conducted. Specifically it shifts that discourse away from a long-standing Scottish concern to promote social welfare on a community basis towards an individualised conception of well-being. Central to that process is the Review's advocacy of personalisation of services. It is argued that Changing Lives is best understood
In 2004 the Scottish Executive launched the 21st Century Social Work Review. The review produced a report, “Changing Lives”, which addressed perceived shortcomings in statutory social work services, and claimed to offer a fundamental review of the social work profession. This article suggests that, rather than offering any significantly new principles or policies, the aim of the Changing Lives process was chiefly to refurnish the discourse in which statutory social work is conducted. Specifically it shifts that discourse away from a long-standing Scottish concern to promote social welfare on a community basis towards an individualised conception of well-being. Central to that process is the Review's advocacy of personalisation of services. It is argued that Changing Lives is best understood as an exercise in the ‘problematics of government’, rather than a substantive reform of services.
Subject terms:
personalisation, social policy, social services, social welfare, social work;
Many government policy ideas from recent years have centred around the notion of people taking control of the own lives, living how they want. Support brokerage was one way of helping this happen. Support brokers are independent guides to make sure people can live the life they choose if you they are a disabled person, older person or family carer. Support brokerage started as part of the In Control movement, now called self-directed support, building upon earlier efforts to promote independent living. One of the pilots was in Essex, which explored how to put support brokerage into practice. This article examines the background to support brokerage, and discusses some of the controversies that have since been uncovered.
Many government policy ideas from recent years have centred around the notion of people taking control of the own lives, living how they want. Support brokerage was one way of helping this happen. Support brokers are independent guides to make sure people can live the life they choose if you they are a disabled person, older person or family carer. Support brokerage started as part of the In Control movement, now called self-directed support, building upon earlier efforts to promote independent living. One of the pilots was in Essex, which explored how to put support brokerage into practice. This article examines the background to support brokerage, and discusses some of the controversies that have since been uncovered.
Subject terms:
independent living, personalisation, self-directed support, service brokerage, social policy;
In the context of anticipated changes in health and social care structures in Scotland, including implementation of the national strategy for self-directed support, this paper outlines a vision of values and principles to govern approaches to the introduction of greater personalisation. It argues that the broad policy concepts and detailed practice of personalisation should be seen as rooted in, and informed by, human rights. It discusses the roots of personalisation,personalisation and coproduction, the evolution of public policy, personalisation and human rights, research and evaluation, and personalisation and its human rights deficit. It contends that the Scottish national self-directed support strategy and associated legislation should implement a personalised system of care and support
In the context of anticipated changes in health and social care structures in Scotland, including implementation of the national strategy for self-directed support, this paper outlines a vision of values and principles to govern approaches to the introduction of greater personalisation. It argues that the broad policy concepts and detailed practice of personalisation should be seen as rooted in, and informed by, human rights. It discusses the roots of personalisation, personalisation and coproduction, the evolution of public policy, personalisation and human rights, research and evaluation, and personalisation and its human rights deficit. It contends that the Scottish national self-directed support strategy and associated legislation should implement a personalised system of care and support in a way which highlights the human rights principles at its core.
Subject terms:
human rights, personalisation, self-directed support, social policy, government policy;