Note from Changing the Narrative Cell 1
First meeting of the Better Way ‘Changing the Narrative’ cell, 25 June 2020
Summary of key points
We want the national conversation to shift from 'them and us' to caring for each other, in which everyone contributes and also has responsibilities.
We need to create platforms for people to tell stories where they are the heroes, not our services.
We need to use new language, for example ‘valuable’ not ‘vulnerable’.
At future meetings we are going to focus on the barriers to this kind of narrative and what we can do about them.
2. In more detail
Steve Wyler, co-convenor of a Better Way, explained that we hope the new cell will not only enable participants to share insights with each other but will also provide material that we can share with the wider network. The group had been set up to explore further the Better Way Call to Action bullet point - ‘to see the potential in everyone and stop services becoming a ‘problem industry’ – also reflected in the Better Way principle ‘building on strengths is better than focusing on weaknesses’.
There were three levels to the change a Better Way would like to see, he explained:
Individual practitioners to change their relationship with those they serve;
Providers of services in the voluntary and public sector to stop using narratives which present people as problems or ‘vulnerable’;
Government and opinion formers to stop using a national narrative which too often portrays recipients of welfare and people experiencing poverty or issues in their lives negatively.
The group would be focusing primarily on the last two – how to change the overall narrative.
He introduced Neil Crowther from Social Care Future, who had agreed to act as what we are calling a ‘thought leader’ for the group. His presentation included these points:
The language we use, the ‘framing’ is incredibly influential, reinforcing familiar stories and emotions which influence how we see things e.g. talking of crime as a ‘virus’ points to social solutions, as opposed to presenting it as a ‘beast’, which points to police intervention.
Hopeful narratives are empowering, and ways to foster hope include focusing on solutions, opportunities and what we stand for as well as emphasising the role of everyday heroes.
Social Care Future is seeking to shift the narrative which currently presents social care as being in crisis, broken and about to collapse and which puts the sector centre stage, not the people served, presenting it as a Cinderella service. We talk of caring for the ‘vulnerable’, which creates a them and us.
Talk of the ‘vulnerable’ has peaked in the Covid-19 crisis but another story has also emerged, of mutual aid and caring about each other, not just caring for.
The latter provides a different basis for how we think about people in the adult social care system, and indeed elsewhere – as caring for each other, reciprocity, ‘valuable rather than vulnerable’. Reciprocity is key, where instead of offering someone help, you ask them for a favour.
We need to look at who are the heroes of our stories, and who is telling it? Is it the professional, or the agency, or the people whom they serve? It should be the latter.
Looking at the wider national conversation, and the stories service providers tell about those they work with, he hoped we could move to a hopeful narrative of solidarity, in which we care for each other, and in which we foster a sense of agency, rather than painting people as problems.
As an example, he showed an advert made by NSPCC which portrayed a boy supported by the charity as achieving his dream of becoming an astronaut.
We then broke into three breakout groups to consider ‘What is the story we want to tell?’ These were some of the points made in the following discussion, facilitated by Caroline Slocock, Better Way co-convenor:
There was broad agreement about the need for a new narrative around mutual support, breaking down the ‘them and us’ and telling a story of ‘all of us’ which can help to build agency.
We have seen how digital tools can democratise storytelling, especially among young people.
We should avoid presenting people as ‘case studies’ and stereotyping them. It is important to give power to people to tell their own stories in their own language, whilst also managing risks and practising safeguarding.
That often involves giving up power and instead creating platforms for others. Too often, organisations working with people feel that ‘they know best’ and this is a holding on to power. They are attracted to ‘rescuer narratives’ which cast the organisation as the hero in the story. They encourage people they work with to tell a negative story about themselves, e.g. the homeless young person retelling their sad story, and this reinforces rather than helps to overcome problems.
Changing the narrative also requires a culture and systems change and this cannot be done by one organisation in isolation. We need to work together on this.
The people who have experienced difficulties in their lives are often incredibly resilient and strong, but we insist on presenting them as vulnerable.
Stories have heroes as well as villains. The system should be the villain, not the individual, but too often we blame them.
Language was important and often got in the way. It is hard to change our own internal narratives.
We should look at the bigger picture of a culture of individualism over the last 40 years which is all pervasive and which underplays the importance of relationships and how people find fulfilment through them. We need to emphasise the responsibility we have toward each other and also help people find their sense of purpose.
Next time the group wanted to look at the barriers to the hopeful narrative of mutual help – what stands in the way of making it happen, and what can we do about it.
3. Dates of next meetings:
Tuesday 21 July, 3.00-4.30pm
Monday 7 September, 3.00-4.30pm
4. Further reading/viewing
Neil Crowther shared some links after the meeting:
The Vulnerables – an article by disability rights campaigner Baroness Jane Campbell.
A selection of various podcasts and blogposts at #socialcarefuture
An example of someone who uses services being heard: Anna Severwight reframing the discussion on funding at the Commons Health and Social Care Committee
Margo Horsley shared some links which describe the work of Fixers, an initiative (no longer running) which enabled young people to tell their stories, and to be heard, understood and respected by others.
What is Fixers: https://youtu.be/39sYPhAg-Sw.
Some fixers reflecting: http://www.fixers.org.uk/index.php?page_id=3244.
National platforms: http://www.fixers.org.uk/feel-happy-fix/fixing-child-sexual-exploitation/home.php .
A campaign on sex education in schools (the Government Minister at the time, Maria Miller, believed that it was individual voices that had made change happen despite all the work put in by other institutions over the years): http://www.fixers.org.uk/index.php?module_instance_id=11208&core_alternate_io_handler=view_news&data_ref_id=16291