Treating people the way they want to be treated
Good social work begins with seeing the whole person. This session helps practitioners do exactly that — understanding intersectionality, recognising their own biases, and keeping the service user genuinely at the centre.
We explore how overlapping characteristics — the factors protected under the Equality Act 2010 and many that aren’t — shape a person’s experience, and how those factors can be overlooked in assessments and reviews. The aim is not guilt; it’s awareness, and the practical habits that follow from it.
Participants leave more mindful of assumptions, more confident asking rather than guessing, and more deliberate about strengths-based practice — supporting people for what they can do, not what they can’t. Many describe writing assessments differently afterwards, using the person’s own voice and “I” statements.
The day is interactive and self-disclosing. It creates a space where people can examine bias without embarrassment — which is exactly why the learning sticks.
“The trainer was brilliant. She helped me come to terms with my own biases and common mistakes without embarrassment.”
Course at a glance
For practitioners assessing & supporting service users:
Understand intersectionality
See how overlapping factors combine in a person’s life — and why a single label never tells the whole story.
Surface your own bias
Recognise and challenge unconscious assumptions before they shape an assessment — in a safe, blame-free space.
Work strengths-based
Support service users for their strengths and lived experience, not their perceived inabilities.
Keep the person at the centre
Ask rather than assume; reflect the individual’s voice using “I” statements in assessments and reviews.
Apply the Platinum Rule
Treat people the way they want to be treated — not the way we would want to be.
What practitioners take back to their work
Asked how they’d use the training, participants pointed to concrete changes in how they assess, record and support — in their own words.
More empathic perspective
“We are complex creatures, each so different.”
“It has helped me to a more empathic perspective — every person has their own view of the world, formed by their experiences. This has improved my communication at work and in my personal life.”
Naming what they'd sensed
“Something I’d noticed working with older adults but couldn’t name. Now I’ll listen to understand people’s experiences and make their support truly personalised.”
Strengths, not inabilities
“Supporting service users based on their strengths — writing my review case notes in the first person, listening more to understand, and avoiding bias.”
The person's own voice
“I’ll reflect the individual’s views and voice using ‘I’ statements, and revisit whether the person is really at the centre.”
Ask, don't assume
“I’ll try not to make assumptions about service users, and to enquire whenever there’s ambiguity — practising in a more person-centred way.”
Everything they do
“With clients and colleagues alike — a better understanding of each other.”
A serious subject, delivered with warmth
The trainer was brilliant. Anna has the right level of seriousness but still kept the training interesting and engaging. Even though it was an all-day course, she made you want to know more — and, more importantly, she helped me come to terms with my own biases and common mistakes without embarrassment..
Anna did a wonderful job of teaching a serious and important session in such an engaging and educational way. The training was delivered brilliantly, in a clear and interactive way — I’ve learnt a lot I can apply in both my personal and professional life.
I found Anna to be an incredibly engaging trainer. Normally you feel a sense of dread when you hear a course will be “interactive” — but her dynamic style meant it never felt like a chore. We were all able to learn from each other..