SCIE Report 36: Enabling risk, ensuring safety: Self-directed support and personal budgets

Practitioner attitudes

'Despite the deep concern about risk and safeguarding, risk in adult social care is a topic that has not been subject to intensive empirical research in the UK.' (Mitchell and Glendinning, 2007)

Introduction

A UK research review by Mitchell & Glendinning (2007) on views of risk and risk management strategies in adult social care maps out the environment into which personal budgets have been introduced. It shows that:

• certain views and concerns existed before personal budgets and self-directed support were introduced
• despite the deep concern about risk and safeguarding among many social care practitioners and commentary or theories on this, risk in adult social care is a topic that has not been subject to intensive empirical research in the UK.

This second finding was reflected in an earlier review which showed that:

• the view of people who use services is largely absent in the literature and that
• there were very few empirical research studies and evaluations of risk management systems and interventions.

Another study suggests that there is 'little material on how social care professionals 'do' risk'.

Studies from the US have proposed that being risk averse can result in social care risk management systems or interventions that are seen as 'risky' in themselves not being thoroughly investigated.

Further reading

• Mitchell W & Glendinning C (2007) A review of the research evidence surrounding risk perceptions, risk management strategies and their consequences in adult social care for different groups of service users: Working Paper No. DHR 2180 01.07 York: University of York Social Policy Research Unit