Several years ago, when campaigning for the right to a personal health budget, the activist Gavin Croft said ‘I want a life Minister, not a service.’ This basic aspiration is something we hear echoed by people who draw on support all the time. It’s why the idea of social care as support to live an equal life animates #SocialCareFuture’s vision.
So we thought it would be interesting to find out what life people would ideally live, were the right support available. That way we will be better able to say how well our social care system is supporting those of us who draw on it to live the lives we want to lead. Here’s what some friends who participated in our Manchester gathering in October 2023 told us:
If you draw in support to live your life, we’d love to hear what you’d love to do if the right support were available. This could be a short piece to camera like the ones in the film, or an audio recording. Alternatively, you could get together with friends who draw on support and make a reel of you all sharing your thoughts. You might choose to write something, whether a short social media post or a longer blog post. Or you could express yourself through a photo or piece of art or craft.
However you choose to do it, it would be great if you could then share it via social media such as X (formerly Twitter), Threads, BlueSky Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn with the hashtag #IWouldLoveTo. Or you can send it direct to #SocialCareFuture at socialcarefuture@gmail.com
We’ll look out for your posts and share them via our social media accounts, as well as curating some for a special online exhibition on this website.
Together we can change how people think about social care, why it’s so important and how it needs to change so that everyone can look forward to an equal life.
(you can also find and share the film clip from our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWR-0HhsIAA)
