Episode 4: The Power of Language in Adult Social Care
Series 2 / Episode 4
Anna Severwright and Kari Gerstheimer talk about the why language matters with Bryony Shannon. They explore how the language we use within and about social care exposes and perpetuates our attitudes and behaviours, and consider how we can create safe spaces for people to challenge language together so we can co-produce more inclusive expressions to describe social care terms.
Find out more about Bryony’s work here:
https://rewritingsocialcare.blog/
Top Tips: Legal Language
Listen from 25 minutes for this section.
There is no such thing as a magic wand but there are magic words. Listen to this section to help you spot when you need to use a phrase to transform your social care outcomes.
Watch out for blanket statements in conversations like "we don't do that here". This may be unlawful as they suggest the local authority is not addressing the needs of the individual which is a requirement under the Care Act. If you hear a problematic statement like this ask for it in writing to create a paper trail.
"Willing and able" - if a carer is not ‘willing or able’ to continue to provide care or a level of care they do not have to and the local authority has to step in.
