Skip to main content
Home
Menu Close

Utility menu

  • Why join BASW
  • Events
  • Media Centre

Popular on BASW

Campaigning and influencing
World social work day
Social work stands against poverty
People with lived experience
Career stages
Cost of living crisis

Main navigation

  • About social work
    • What is social work?
    • Topics in social work
    • Professional Social Work (PSW) Magazine
  • Careers
    • Become a social worker
    • Returning to social work
    • For employers
    • Specialisms
    • Career stages
    • Jobs board
    • Work for BASW
  • About BASW
    • Campaigning and influencing
    • Governance
    • Social work around the UK
    • Awards
    • Social work conferences UK
    • International Work
    • Feedback, suggestions & complaints
  • Training & CPD
    • Professional Development
    • Professional Capabilities Framework
    • Let's Talk Social Work Podcast
  • Policy & Practice
    • Resources
    • National policies
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Working with...
    • Research and knowledge
    • Standards
  • Support
    • Advice & representation
    • Social Workers Union (SWU)
    • Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS)
    • Independent social workers
    • Student Hub
    • Financial support
    • Groups and networks
    • Manage your membership
    • How to contact us
Professional Social Work Magazine

Professional Social Work Magazine (PSW)

Main navigation

  • Digital editions
  • Guidance for contributors
  • PSW articles
  • Advertising

Making the invisible visible – social work in care homes

In the first of a three-part series Sally Nieman highlights an area of practice that is often overlooked in an ageist society
Care home exterior

As a social worker committed to social justice, I am troubled by how ageism shapes society – according to the World Health Organisation it is one of the most tolerated forms of discrimination. 

The way we talk about ageing and older people regularly emphasises stereotypes of dependency, failure and burden. This is especially true for care homes. 

Well-resourced care services staffed by a respected, valued workforce are fundamental to our society. Yet many people are still scared of ‘ending up’ in a care home – perhaps this is a defence against the fear of growing old, intensified by media-driven worries about the quality of care they might receive. 

The perception of care homes as a ‘last resort’ is further reinforced by health and social care policies which position staying at home as best for everyone. Independence is of course important, but this narrative can make moving to a care home seem like a failure. 

What I find striking is that this is at odds with strengths-based practice, which underpins adult social care in England, under the Care Act 2014, and focuses on supporting people to live well in ways that reflect their strengths and what matters to them. 

Many care homes have really strong community connections, linking with local schools, groups and businesses, whereas others are less visible and not always acknowledged as part of the community. 

This lack of visibility may contribute to negative assumptions, particularly as research conducted by Ipsos in 2020 suggests that people with direct experience of care homes tend to view them more positively than those without.

All this matters, because how society and the media talk about care homes influences how social workers think about them, and about the people living and working there. 

Social workers often have limited involvement with older people once they have moved to a care home. As a result they may not understand the care home environment or feel confident navigating it or appreciate the important contribution their involvement could make. 

Yet my PhD research, and that of others on the social work with older people research project, suggests that social workers have a vital role to play. With their focus on rights, relationships and advocacy, social workers should have a greater role in care homes, making older people more visible and supporting older people and care home staff in meaningful ways.

Of course, this is not always easy in the current context of adult social care. Social workers often work in systems that reduce what they do to a set of tasks. One participant in my research said: “We are allocated, we do the review, we give our recommendation and then generally the case is closed.”

Social workers also spoke about the tension between their values and the demands of the system: “It's workload pressure, isn't it?" said one. "You're being asked to take more work. You don't have time to build that relationship. You don't have time necessary to make those connections. Maybe you don't even have training.”

Care homes often came low down the priority list.

One social worker told me: “If you've got time to visit one person, it's going to be that person who’s at risk at home. It's not going to be the person safely tucked up in a care home”

But participants in the study also described drawing on both personal and professional experience to stay grounded in what matters: rights and relationships, which ultimately leads to better outcomes for people living in care homes. 

This aligns with My Home Life England’s approach, founded in 2006 by a group of organisations including Age UK, to promote quality of life for people who live, work in and visit care homes.

I joined My Home Life England at the start of this year through a part-time fellowship with the North Thames Applied Research Collaboration. 

It has turned out to be the perfect match. The focus is on promoting the importance of relationships and a shift from simply providing care to creating environments where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. It speaks to the importance of connection, partnership, and seeing the person, not just the process. 

I have quickly come to see how closely this aligns with the values of social work.

In the second part of the series Sally Nieman uses transactional analysis to put relationships between social workers and care homes under the spotlight. Look out for it in PSW magazine delivered only to BASW members

Sally Nieman is co-chair of BASW’s special interest group on ageing and social work [add link from website] and has a part time research fellowship through the North Thames ARC Social Care Learning Network

Date published
24 September 2025

Join us for amazing benefits

Become a member

Have a question?

Contact us

BASW: By your side, every step of the way

British Association of Social Workers is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England. 

Company number: 00982041

Wellesley House, 37 Waterloo Street, 
Birmingham, B2 5PP
+44 (0) 121 622 3911

Contact us

Follow us

Copyright ©2023 British Association of Social Workers | Site by Agile Collective | Privacy Policy

  • About social work
    • What is social work?
      • What social workers do
      • People with lived experience
      • Regulators & professional registration
      • World Social Work Day
    • Topics in social work
    • Professional Social Work (PSW) Magazine
      • Digital editions
      • Guidance for contributors
      • PSW articles
      • Advertising
  • Careers
    • Become a social worker
    • Returning to social work
    • For employers
    • Specialisms
    • Career stages
      • Self-Employed Social Workers
        • Your tax affairs working through umbrella service companies
      • Agency and locum social work
    • Jobs board
    • Work for BASW
      • BASW Commitee vacancies
  • About BASW
    • Campaigning and influencing
      • Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Social Work
      • BASW in Westminster
      • Relationship-based practice
      • Social Work Stands Against Poverty
      • This Week in Westminster | Blog Series
      • UK Covid Inquiry
      • Professional working conditions
        • Wellbeing toolkit
      • Housing & Homelessness
    • Governance
      • BASW AGM and general meetings
        • 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM)
        • BASW GM 2025
        • Previous BASW AGMs
      • BASW Council
        • BASW Council biographies
        • Vacancies on Council and committees 2025
      • Staff
      • Committees
      • BASW and SWU
      • Our history
      • 50 years
      • Special interest, thematic groups and experts
      • Nations
    • Social work around the UK
      • BASW Cymru
        • BASW Cymru Annual Conference 2024
        • Campaigns
      • BASW England
        • Campaigns
          • Homes Not Hospitals
          • Social Work in Disasters
          • 80-20 campaign
          • Review of Children’s Social Care
        • Meet the Team
          • BASW England Welcome Events
        • Our Services
          • Mentoring Service | BASW England
        • Social Work England
      • BASW Northern Ireland
        • About Us
        • Consultation responses
        • Find out about the BASW NI National Standing Committee
        • Political engagement
        • BASW NI & IASW's associate membership
      • SASW (BASW in Scotland)
        • About Us
        • Our Work
          • Scottish students and NQSWs
          • Cross-Party Group on Social Work (Scotland)
          • Social Work Policy Panel
          • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
          • Campaigns
        • SASW Annual Conference 2025
        • Coalitions & Partnerships
        • Get Involved
    • Awards
      • Amazing Social Workers
        • Amazing Social Workers profiles: Week 1
        • Amazing Social Workers profiles: Week 2
        • Amazing Social Workers profiles: Week 3
        • Amazing Social Workers profiles: Week 4
        • Amazing Social Workers profiles: Week 5
      • The BASW Social Work Journalism Awards
    • Social work conferences UK
    • International Work
      • Israel and Palestine/Gaza conflict | BASW/SWU Information Hub
      • IFSW and other international social work organisations
      • Influencing social work policy in the Commonwealth
      • Invasion of Ukraine | BASW Information Hub
    • Feedback, suggestions & complaints
  • Training & CPD
    • Professional Development
      • General Taught Skills Programme
      • Student Learning
      • Newly Qualified Social Worker Programme
      • Practice Educator & Assessor Programme
      • Stepping Stones Programme
      • Expert Insight Series
      • Social Work in Disasters online training
        • Module 1: Introduction to Social Work in Disasters (Online training)
        • Module 2: Law, Policy and Best Practice (Social Work In Disasters Training)
        • Module 3: Person-centred and research informed practice within a multi-agency context (Social Work in Disasters Online Training)
        • Module 4: Responding, using theory and self-care (Social Work in Disasters Online Training)
      • Overseas Qualified Social Worker (OQSW) Programme
    • Professional Capabilities Framework
      • About the PCF
      • Point of entry to training
      • Readiness for practice
      • End of first placement
      • End of last placement
      • Newly qualified social worker (ASYE level)
      • Social worker
      • Experienced social worker
      • Advanced social worker
      • Strategic social worker
    • Let's Talk Social Work Podcast
  • Policy & Practice
    • Resources
    • National policies
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Working with...
      • Older people
        • Learning resources
        • Useful resources to support social work capabilities with older people
      • Autistic people
        • An introduction to the Capability Statement
        • Capabilities Statement and CPD Pathway: Resources
          • Autistic adults toolkit
            • Autistic adults toolkit introduction
            • Feedback tool
            • Induction tool
            • Introduction to video: Sylvia Stanway - Autistic not broken
            • References
            • Reflective tool
            • The role of the social worker with autistic adults
            • Top tips
          • Organisational self-assessment tool
          • Post-qualifying training programmes
        • The Capabilities Statement for Social Work with Autistic Adults
      • People with learning disabilities
        • Introduction
        • Capabilities Statement and CPD Pathway: Resources
          • People with learning disabilities toolkit
            • People with learning disabilities toolkit introduction
            • Information sheet
            • Top tips
            • Induction tool
            • Reflective tool
            • References
            • Hair tool
          • Organisational self-assessment tool
          • Post-qualifying training programmes
        • The Capabilities for Social Work with Adults who have Learning Disability
    • Research and knowledge
      • Research journals
      • BASW bookshop
    • Standards
      • Code of Ethics
        • BASW Code of Ethics: Launch of 2021 refreshed version webinar
      • Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS)
      • Quality Assurance in Practice Learning (QAPL)
  • Support
    • Advice & representation
    • Social Workers Union (SWU)
    • Social Work Professional Support Service (SWPSS)
      • Become a volunteer coach (SWPSS)
    • Independent social workers
      • Independent member benefits
      • BASW Independents Toolkit
        • Section 1: Foundations for Independent Social Work
        • Section 2: Doing Independent Social Work
        • Section 3: Running your business
        • Section 4: Decisions and transitions
      • BASW Independents directory
      • Social Work Employment Services (SWES)
    • Student Hub
    • Financial support
      • International Development Fund (IDF)
    • Groups and networks
      • Special interest groups
        • Alcohol and other drugs Special Interest Group
        • BASW Neurodivergent Social Workers Special Interest Group (NSW SIG)
        • Project Group on Assisted Reproduction (PROGAR)
        • The Diaspora special interest group
      • Special Interest Group on Social Work & Ageing
      • Independents local networks
      • Local branches (England)
      • Groups and forums (Scotland)
      • Thematic groups (England)
        • Adult Social Work Thematic Group
        • Black & Ethnic Minority Professionals Symposium (BPS)
        • Children & Families Group
          • Children & Families Resources Library
          • Disabled Children's Sub-group
        • Criminal Justice Group
        • Emergency Duty Team Group
        • Mental Health Group
        • Professional Capabilities and Development Group
        • Social Workers in Health Group
        • Student & Newly Qualified Group
        • Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Group
      • Networks (Wales)
    • Manage your membership
    • How to contact us
  • Why join BASW
    • Benefits of joining BASW
      • The BASW UK University Social Work Education Provider Affiliation Scheme
    • Membership Categories
      • Student member
      • Working (qualified less than 5 years) Membership
      • Working (qualified more than 5 years) Membership
      • Independent membership
      • Newly qualified social worker
      • Retired membership
      • Unemployed/unpaid membership
    • Membership FAQs
    • Membership renewals
    • Membership fees
  • Events
  • Media Centre
    • BASW in the media
    • BASW News and blogs