Co-Producing a Shared Stories Narrative Model for Social Work Education with Experts by Experience

Service user and carer involvement in social work education is a mandatory
requirement in the UK. The role of service users, carers and survivors in
Northern Ireland is fundamental to shaping social work students understanding
of the unique life histories and experiences of others and acknowledging service
user perspectives through the lens of experts by experience. This paper outlines
the organic approach the authors adopted in developing and co-producing the
Shared Stories Narrative Model for supporting service users, carers and survivors
to participate in the direct teaching within the undergraduate social work
degree at a university in Northern Ireland. The model is the product of extensive
engagement with a group of young people who have experience of social work
involvement. The model will be explained and applied to a case example.
Reflections from the young people (experts by experience) and social work
students are included. This paper seeks to demonstrate how the Shared Stories
Narrative Model can be considered an effective framework for supporting
meaningful service user involvement in social work education.