Person-centred process?: Procedural fairness and Care Act 2014 needs assessments

Eppie Leishman; Jed Meers; Simon  Halliday; Joe Tomlinson

Person-centred process?: Procedural fairness and Care Act 2014 needs assessments

Eppie Leishman, Jed Meers, Simon Halliday, Joe Tomlinson

York Law School

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper examines the process of seeking social care needs assessments under the Care Act 2014 in England through the lens of procedural fairness theory. Drawing on interviews with 21 individuals with experiences of needs assessments, we identify the ‘process qualities’ - the factors rooted in the literature on procedural fairness - that matter most to people navigating this critical front-line component of the social care system. Our analysis reveals two themes: the importance of ‘dignified treatment’ and system ‘proactivity’, each underpinned by a set of process qualities. These qualities for the former – personalisation, empathy, and voice – are well explored in the literature on person-centred care. However, the latter – responsibility taking, dependability, transparency, assistance, and availability – are neglected in current research on experiences of the Care Act 2014. Drawing on these process qualities, we set out the potential for future research grounded in procedural fairness theory in social care.

Original language	English
Journal	British Journal of Social Work
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 10 Feb 2025

Bibliographical note

This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the University’s Research Publications and Open Access policy.

Embargoed Document

Person-centred process_anon_post_review_FINAL
Accepted author manuscript, 176 KB
Licence: CC BY
Embargo ends: 31/12/99

Cite this

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title = "Person-centred process?: Procedural fairness and Care Act 2014 needs assessments",

abstract = "This paper examines the process of seeking social care needs assessments under the Care Act 2014 in England through the lens of procedural fairness theory. Drawing on interviews with 21 individuals with experiences of needs assessments, we identify the {\textquoteleft}process qualities{\textquoteright} - the factors rooted in the literature on procedural fairness - that matter most to people navigating this critical front-line component of the social care system. Our analysis reveals two themes: the importance of {\textquoteleft}dignified treatment{\textquoteright} and system {\textquoteleft}proactivity{\textquoteright}, each underpinned by a set of process qualities. These qualities for the former – personalisation, empathy, and voice – are well explored in the literature on person-centred care. However, the latter – responsibility taking, dependability, transparency, assistance, and availability – are neglected in current research on experiences of the Care Act 2014. Drawing on these process qualities, we set out the potential for future research grounded in procedural fairness theory in social care.",

author = "Eppie Leishman and Jed Meers and Simon Halliday and Joe Tomlinson",

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AU - Tomlinson, Joe

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AB - This paper examines the process of seeking social care needs assessments under the Care Act 2014 in England through the lens of procedural fairness theory. Drawing on interviews with 21 individuals with experiences of needs assessments, we identify the ‘process qualities’ - the factors rooted in the literature on procedural fairness - that matter most to people navigating this critical front-line component of the social care system. Our analysis reveals two themes: the importance of ‘dignified treatment’ and system ‘proactivity’, each underpinned by a set of process qualities. These qualities for the former – personalisation, empathy, and voice – are well explored in the literature on person-centred care. However, the latter – responsibility taking, dependability, transparency, assistance, and availability – are neglected in current research on experiences of the Care Act 2014. Drawing on these process qualities, we set out the potential for future research grounded in procedural fairness theory in social care.

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