than providing support for people. However, the moves to personalisation and person- centred support, although sometimes seen as anti-social work, actually off er an important new opportunity for extending its availability. Perhaps most important, good
social work practice can put people in a position to be able to take or regain control over their lives. It can help make a reality of the current rhetoric of choice and control, self-directed support and co-production. After years of disempowerment or disempowering experiences, many service users are not at the starting point to benefi t from these new liberatory ideals. Social workers can help get them there. The importance of social work
practice becomes clear when we listen to what service users value from it. For service users, person-centred support or personalisation is not just a switch to personal budgets, but a constellation of activities, which social workers are well placed to deliver. It is not a technique, it is essentially value-based. It means: Putting service users at the centre Treating them as individuals Setting goals The importance of the relationship between service user and practitioner
Listening Providing reliable information Being fl exible Having a positive approach – highlighting what the service user can do, not what they can not. Service users, regardless of whether
they are older people, people with learning disabilities, disabled people, people with life-limiting or chronic conditions or alcohol or drug problems, tend to highlight a range