Discussion event: Hopeful Disruption in Social Care and Art
A filmed conversation with social workers, care experienced people, artists and academics., 2021
 
A group of young men sitting in the council chamber
Copyright, 2019, Albert Potrony, LBBD and Jimmy Lee

New Town Culture has identified five areas where overlap between creative and social care practices is most evident. One of these, Hopeful Disruption, is the theme of this filmed conversation. Does challenging protocol make sense to support the best outcomes for users of social care services?

The impulse to play a part in social justice is often shared by artists and social care practitioners. Both focus on questions of relationality, often questioning power and agency and are entrusted to communicate the stories and experiences of others. However, these worlds are rarely aligned. One is defined by statutory responsibility and the other by creative freedom and autonomy.

What happens when we work together to embed a creative attitude into the training, supervision and direct work processes of social care? Sharing knowledge across these sectors can support social care systems to be more empathetic and accessible, uncover knowledge about people’s needs, build new relationships, support change, explore identity and shift fixed narratives for service users.

We were joined for the conversation by artists Gayle Chong Kwan and Marley Starskey Butler; Vicky Hart, Social Work England; April Bald the Director for Childrens Care and Support in Barking and Dagenham; Luke Rogers Director of the Care Leaders; social workers Norma O’Connell and Sarah Boosey and Joint Head of Social Work, Therapeutic and Community Studies at Goldsmiths University Prof. Claudia Bernard.