I can help you and your organisation to reimagine your purpose, rehumanise the way you communicate with and about people, and reconnect principles with practice.
If you’re looking for support with challenging and changing language and practice, I offer one-off guest speaker slots, half-day or full-day workshops, longer-term collaborative work, or just a chat.
I can also link you up with like-minded people and organisations to work with you, or to collaborate with us.
Reimagining
“The goal of a reimagined system of care and support is to enable all humans to flourish. Care can sometimes be reduced to tasks, focusing on our physical needs of eating, drinking and going to the toilet. Sometimes safety from harm overrides all other considerations. This sets the bar too low…
If we are to reimagine care and support, we must shift our language (and thinking) from ‘them’ to ‘us’. We must acknowledge the universality of care and support, reframing the issue as one that affects everybody.“
Care and support reimagined: a national care covenant for England
‘Caring for our most vulnerable people’. ‘Looking after those who need care’. ‘Protecting the vulnerable’. ‘Keeping vulnerable adults safe’…
Is this how you and your organisation describe your purpose?
Of course safety and protection from harm are important, but this language frames social care as being for ‘them’, not us, and as a safety net rather than a springboard – meaning too often the focus is on ‘keeping people alive’ rather than supporting people to thrive.
I can help you and your colleagues to reimagine your purpose, and shift your narrative, from ‘looking after the vulnerable’ and ‘delivering services’ to focus instead on flourishing, and supporting people to live the lives they choose to lead.
Rehumanising
“because so many time-worn systems of power have placed certain people outside the realm of what we see as human, much of our work now is more a matter of “rehumanizing.” That starts in the same place dehumanizing starts—with words and images.”
Dehumanizing always starts with language, Brené Brown
‘Vulnerable’. ‘Special’. ‘Those with needs’. ‘Service users’. ‘Cases’. ‘Demand’. ‘Challenging’. ‘Complex’. ‘Hard to reach’…
Too often, the words we use to communicate with and about older people and disabled people distance and dehumanise, dividing people up into ‘them’ and ‘us’, and revealing and perpetuating out-dated, deficit-based, paternalistic thinking and practice.
I can help you and your colleagues reflect on this language and why it matters, and explore how to rehumanise language and practice.
Reconnecting
“At its best, social care is a story of hope.
So, let’s leave behind the divisive language of the battlefield and the mechanistic language of the sorting office and be influenced instead by the bountiful, beautiful, and optimistic language of the natural world.
Reconnect with what matters.
Rewild social care.“
‘Screening’. ‘Triaging’. ‘Signposting’. ‘Assessing’. ‘Referring’. ‘Purchasing’. ‘Placing’. ‘Delivering’. ‘Monitoring’. ‘Reviewing’…
Many people working in adult social care and beyond are trying to adopt a more human approach to practice and put people and relationships first. But when transactional, process-led ways of working have dominated for so long, it can be hard to translate personal – and organisational – principles and values into practice.
I often find that exploring the way people and organisations describe ‘how’ they work can help to reconnect with what matters, and start conversations about what needs to change.
I can help you and your colleagues to have these conversations, and to understand how changing language can help change practice, and changing practice can change our language.
“I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Bryony for several years, and I can say without reservation that she is an exceptional figure in the field of social care. Bryony is not only an inspirational professional but also a passionate advocate for the power of lived experiences. Her dedication to addressing the challenges of language in social care is truly remarkable.
Bryony’s work consistently reflects her core values of respect, equity, and inclusivity. She approaches every project with an unwavering dedication to embracing and uplifting those she serves. Her ability to navigate the complexities of social care while remaining deeply attuned to the needs of individuals with lived experiences makes her an invaluable asset to any initiative.“
Isaac Samuels, Co-chair, Think Local Act Personal Partnership
““Transformation” is a word that is bandied about a lot, but I have seen nobody come closer to effecting it within a council than Bryony.
Bryony is very values-driven and uncompromising about clear standards for people who need adult social care to carry on leading a gloriously ordinary life.
She has brilliant communication skills from an overriding commitment to plain and respectful language. She is motivated by human rights and inspired by the potential in everyone she works alongside.“
Rewriting Social Care 