Tony Bowyer

My Interests

I am interested in facilitating the restructuring of professional social work relationships - both with service users and with the organisations they work in and for.  Over the last couple of decades the development of managerial methodology in social care has had the unforeseen effect of eroding the core values of practice.  The current interest in 'personalisation' and service user choice is a direct challenge to the current culture but is also a timely opportunity for social work to develop new kinds of partnerships with the people it strives to help, based not upon the traditional professional - client roles, but along advisor / facilitator / broker - customer lines 

I can offer interventions in various forms - from simple direct professional support and mentoring individual staff and their managers through to whole service review.  I believe that it is necessary for organisations to enable the provision of the proper 'reflective space' for professional values to be rekindled and developed in supervisory relationships.

I am keen to develop a network of people who wish to contribute to this debate and have made a small start by providing a variety of modes for doing this on this website, ranging from a simple Comment Page or Blog to a place to submit papers and references to other written work for consideration.  If there is enough interest to start a discussion group that could also be done.

My Experience

I have considerable experience as social worker, particularly in adult mental health, and as a staff supervisor and mentor in a variety of statutory and third sector settings.  I have trained staff and organised and developed innovative services, particularly at the interface between organisations such as those of health and social care.  

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