I was part of a piece of work with Iriss focused on self-evaluation through the lens of how adults experience the “front door” of social work in the Scottish Borders. At the time, I was the Service User Engagement Officer, and this work has always been about one core aim for me, understanding how adults feel when they reach out for support and ensuring that their experiences genuinely shape how our services are designed and delivered.
From the very first meeting with Ellen and Emily at Iriss, I felt reassured that this focus would not be lost. They introduced tools that supported self-evaluation as an ongoing way of thinking, rather than a one-off formal process. For me self-evaluation only has real value when it is rooted in lived experience, and keeping the voices of adults at the centre of the work felt essential.
One of the biggest challenges in my role is gathering meaningful feedback within the realities of busy services. Time pressures and bureaucracy can make it difficult to hear directly from adults as often as we would like. What I appreciated in this project was the reminder that we already hold a huge amount of insight from community events, feedback, and ongoing participation work. Instead of repeatedly asking people the same questions, we looked at what we already knew and used that as a foundation. It felt respectful and efficient, and it helped us avoid participation fatigue.
Ellen and Emily supported us to look outward as well as inward, drawing on learning from other local authorities facing similar challenges. This allowed us to benefit from what had and had not worked elsewhere, helping us avoid repeating common pitfalls and making more efficient use of our time and resources.
Like many local authority projects, we experienced some changes in staffing as the work progressed. People moved posts and the membership of the group shifted over time. This is a normal part of organisational life, but it can make it harder to keep momentum. What made a real difference was the continuity and support from Ellen and Emily. Their summaries, reflections, and steady guidance helped us keep the thread of the work even when the people in the room changed and helped us stay focused during changing circumstances.
Looking back, what stands out most for me is how consistently this project brought us back to the experiences of adults and staff, and the value of paying close attention to what they were telling us. For me, it reinforced that meaningful involvement is not something added on to practice, but something that underpins good social work.
