Dr Mark Brookes , a Quality Auditor at Dimensions and leading advocate for people with learning disabilities, draws on his lived experience to reflect on what social care really means in everyday life—and why listening, communication and genuine choice must be at the heart of support.
When people talk about social care, they often talk about money, services, and systems. I get that. But for people who draw on support – like me – social care is really about everyday life.
“Social care is really about everyday life.”
It is about being able to make your own choices. That can mean choosing what time to get up, what to have for breakfast, where to go, and what to do in the day. It can mean going for a coffee, going shopping, going to watch football, seeing friends, cooking a meal, or doing something in the community.
These things may sound simple, but they matter a lot. They are part of having a good life. From my own experience, and from talking to other people, I know that people want support that helps them live the life they choose. They want to be listened to. They want to be treated like adults. They want support that works with them, not support that takes over.
“People want support that works with them, not support that takes over.”
One thing I really want leaders to understand is communication. People should be spoken to clearly and in an easy way. There is too much jargon in social care. If leaders use words people do not understand, people can feel left out straight away.
If you want people to feel heard, you have to speak in a way they understand. I also think leaders need to spend more time talking directly to people who draw on support. It should not just be meetings about people. It should be conversations with people.
“If you want people to feel heard, you have to speak in a way they understand.”
People want honesty as well. They want to know what is happening. They want things explained properly. They want reassurance. That matters.
I also want leaders to understand what happens when support is too limited. Over the years, some people have lost one-to-one support or had their hours reduced. That affects real lives. It can mean people have less chance to go out, less chance to make friends, and less chance to try new things. It can also mean people feel lonely or stuck.
For me, good support is about helping people build a better future. In my own life, I want support that helps me do more things in the community, build friendships, and get better at things I care about. I want to keep growing in confidence and independence.
In the future I like to see myself standing in my kitchen cooking spaghetti bolognese and other proper meals from scratch – and feel proud of that! I also want the support to get out more, go to football matches, and build more friendships around the things I enjoy, instead of sitting at home with quiet weekends and nothing planned.
That is what social care should do. It should help people live ordinary, full, connected lives.
At Dimensions, people’s views are gathered in different ways. That can be through quality checks, meetings, day-to-day conversations, and speaking to support workers and managers.
But hearing people properly means more than listening to the most confident people. Some people use words. Some people communicate in other ways, through signs, pictures, objects, facial expressions, sounds, or behaviour. All of that matters.
If someone looks happy, worried, upset, or excited, they are telling us something. We need to pay attention to that.
“Everybody has views. Everybody has feelings.”
One of the biggest barriers is that people who are less confident, or who communicate differently, can be missed out. That has to change. Everybody has views. Everybody has feelings. Everybody should have the chance to shape the support they draw on.
If I could say one thing to leaders across social care, it would be this: listen more.
“Listen more.”
Speak clearly -make time to meet people who get support. Remember that social care is about choice, independence, friendship, purpose, and hope.
When I think about the future of social care, I think about a future where people feel heard, respected, and included, and where support is strong enough to help people build the life they want.
That is what good social care should look like – and a future I hope for.
