Time to tell the story of social care

One of the joys of living in Ayrshire is the continual presence of the poetry of Robert Burns. I have to confess that I have not always loved the works of the Bard but the more I have got to know his poetry and his life the greater my appreciation.

So tonight, with others I will be partaking of that Scottish ‘tradition’ of haggis, neeps and tatties and no doubt will attempt – probably badly – to recite a few Burns’ words in the presence of friends and family. I am also well aware that today and tonight across not just Scotland but across the globe there will be gatherings bringing together families and friends to eat, drink and recite Burns on this his birthday. Despite the tides of modernity and social media influences Rabbie seems not to be going out of fashion – quite the reverse!

In one of those literary happenstance moments today also marks the beginning of National Storytelling Week. Story is as I have often written in this blog a powerful vehicle to communicate truth, to inspire, to challenge and to change. There is something almost timeless about the power of stories to change our world – the energy of tales to shape our understanding of our lives and connect us to one another.

Burns epitomises for many the ability to communicate truth, to tell a story, in verse and in poetry. The ploughman poet understood the enduring truth of storytelling. His verses captured the humanity of his time: the struggles, the joys, the resilience of ordinary folk. Through his words, the voiceless were given voice, and their stories, their truths, became immortal. He was able to speak uncomfortable truth to power and to seek to change and redirect the society in which he found himself – all through the power of story and words.

And that I believe is the urgent necessity and challenge for those of us who work and live in the world of social care. Rather than remaining silent, whispering to the interested few, the stories of social care – the unsung experiences of carers, the resilience and passion of those who receive care and support, the lives that are turned upside down and changed for the better, and the challenges faced by care organisations – all need to be told, shared, and celebrated. And the best way of influencing and changing minds is through the power of story.

I’ve said before that social care exists in the background of society, quietly supporting lives, enabling independence, and nurturing community. It is the thriving energy of our community. But that constancy of presence often means that people do not properly value, notice or understand the importance of the sector. For lots of reasons it is a sector too often overlooked, undervalued, and misunderstood. Stories can change that.

The challenge is that those of us who seek to advocate for social care and its importance to society as a whole have to get better at getting our message across – less about numbers and trends, data and detail, more about heart and humanness, passion and the poetry of care. Through storytelling, we can humanise statistics, breathe life into policies, and remind the public, the media, and policymakers of the essential humanity at the heart of care.

I know at the present time there are very real challenges facing social care as a sector but I feel we too often miss the point if all we do (and it is important to do this) is to continually complain and paint a negative picture; to talk about numbers and statistics, to describe crisis and disintegration, to talk about organisations and structures (even about new plans for a National Care Service!) – to do all that and not to tell the truth of the human lives that are touched by social care and which at its best can be changed, renewed and revitalised by good quality care and support.

These are the stories of so many people I have met over the years. The young man who defied diagnosis and retreated into an inner world of silence yet learned to communicate and verbalise his emotions and thoughts because of the professionalism and care and support he was given by one single dedicated carer. The story of the woman whose whole life had been in her own words always ‘lived in the corner’, the victim of an abusive marriage and a neglectful family and yet who when she entered a care facility discovered her voice, her purpose and learned to live out her dreaming – all because she felt safe for the first time, was made to feel at home, and sensed a community of compassion cradling her in hope and kindness. The story of the carer who literally at the end of her shift goes the extra mile to bring comfort to a dying individual in their own home, of a person rediscovering their independence through compassionate support that helps them to take risks and find courage, or of a care home that becomes a true community where children and adults live as one community with shared hopes, dreams, distress and tears.

These are the narratives that can inspire change, challenge ignorance and the casual stereotype which suggests that social care is there just for the ‘vulnerable’ and those ‘whose lives are over.’ Social care has stories about children, adults, older people that are today, this moment, changing not only their own individual worlds but changing the communities and society around them. Social care is a place of revolutionary and relational change and disruption – if only we had ears to hear, and eyes to see.

Just as Burns captured the universal truths of his time, so too must we capture the truths of social care in ours. We must hear the voices of those receiving care, whose lived experiences too often go untold. We must amplify the stories of the care workforce, whose quiet dedication deserves loud recognition. And we must share the challenges faced by care providers, whose work is made harder by outdated perceptions and inadequate support.

By telling these stories, we can create a tapestry of care that reflects the dignity, complexity, and richness of human life. We can challenge ignorance, foster empathy, and inspire collective action.

So as we raise our glasses to Burns tonight, let us commit to listening to the stories of social care and sharing them with the world. Stories, like Burns’ verses, which have the power to move hearts, challenge minds, and spark change.

I leave you with a poem that captures the spirit of storytelling and its enduring power, words that remind us that stories are not just told but that they are lived, felt, and carried forward.

It is ‘The Storyteller’ by Mark Strand (1934–2014) who was an acclaimed Canadian-American poet, whose spare, elegant words should challenge us to tell the story of social care. Because these stories matter. They always have, and they always will.

“The Storyteller”

 

We are all caught in a story,

each one of us a narrative thread

interwoven into a vast, endless tapestry.

Our voices blend with the hum of the loom,

spinning dreams, fears, truths, and lies.

 

The storyteller knows this

and so shapes the tales,

crafting bridges with words,

turning time back upon itself,

making strangers kin.

 

For in the heart of a story

is the secret we all crave:

to be heard, to be seen,

to belong to the human chorus

of what has been and will be.

 

Donald Macaskill

 

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

 

 

Last Updated on 25th January 2025 by donald.macaskill