Becs Barker has a decade-worth of experience in Carr Gomm, striving for people to have equal access to the right social care support for them. Her role includes helping individuals navigate the social care system through Community Contacts to working with organisations and the Scottish Government to improve the system for everyone. With this breadth of experience, Becs asks: Does the way we access social care in Scotland work?
Disabled people have endured battles to be recognized as equal, contributing citizens and they have come together to influence and change public policy based on a vision of equality. This is yet to be realized; many people continue to struggle to access the support they need as processes are long, degrading and often end up offering very limited services for task orientated care. Many disabled people are still not enjoying the same freedoms as non-disabled people because they are not receiving enough, or the right support to do so.
As a country we are wedded to a social work culture that doesn’t work; one of top-heavy bureaucratic systems that depersonalize and remove decision making from the person. Instead, I dream of a future whereby disabled people, along with their support networks are listened to and believed and decisions are made simply and as close to them as possible by professionals trusted and supported to do so.
It isn’t all broken. Every day I am privileged to have conversations with people who enjoy good social care. These are people who have got through assessment and eligibility processes and have come out the other side with plans that work for them. When I meet these people, it is like ‘night and day’ to those still waiting. I see included and respected people able to contribute to their world, in their way.
How do we make more of the above happen, to make how we do social care in Scotland work for all? We listen, break down the broken systems and we do something different. We include and build good supports around the person, based on their hopes and dreams. We stop being frightened and we become brave. Now is the time to make those changes.
Becs Barker, Operations Manager: Community Contacts, Involvement, Quality and Innovation.
Find out more about how Carr Gomm is influencing the National Care Service on our Influencing Change page.
