This textbook provides a greater understanding of the lived effect that social policies have on
service users and carers. While service user and carer involvement has become more and more
prominent in social policy over recent years it is rarely the case that the perspectives of
service users and carers goes beyond consultation to truly meaningful involvement and
co-production. This book is unique in that it has ten substantive co-produced chapters with
service users and carers who have direct lived experiences of social policies. The chapters
include lived experiences of direct payments domestic violence and abuse looked after
children being a foster carer receiving long term health and social care welfare to work
mental health the transition to leaving care and being a carer. The ground-breaking textbook
draws on these lived experiences to highlight key lessons that are relevant to social policy
and will provide an impetus towards changes to make such polices better support service users
and carers. We hope that this book will inspire academics policy makers students and
practitioners but most importantly it will encourage service users and carers to come forward
with their own narratives to further shape social policy.
