The Shared Stories Narrative Model

The Shared Stories Narrative Model is an innovative tool for practitioners and social work educators to realise their commitment to co-production and service user involvement. The model focuses on service users’ involvement in social work education in Northern Ireland referenced in our publication MacDermott and Harkin-MacDermott (2019) Co-producing a Shared Stories Narrative Model for social work education with experts by experience. Practice, 32, (2), 89-108. This research focuses on first-year students and co-production with experts by experience from a voluntary sector agency in Northern Ireland. What emerged from this research was a wholly original, co-produced Shared Stories Narrative Model.The Shared Stories Narrative Model enables social work educators, students and practitioners to work alongside experts by experience through four stages: Engaging, Collaborating, Participating and Providing feedback.

The poster illustrates applying the Sharing Stories Narrative Model in practice. The model can be used by social work students and practitioners to enhance relationships through the meaningful inclusion and participation of service users and people with lived experience. This model was created alongside young people with a focus on interactive dialogue and discussion and devolving power by placing an emphasis on working collaboratively through ongoing consultation and participation. This collaborative model has the potential to shape curricula, not only within social work education, but across subject disciplines.