Clientor

Service user

“Long gone are the days where 'client' has negative connotations. Many organisations and business sectors outside of social work use this term. If anything the term 'user' is far, far worse!”

Social care professional

“Client or customer implies that they have a choice in whether they use our services when sometimes they don't. Service user can apply to anyone using council/health service as we all need to use these services (whether it be social care, libraries or bins). There is no stigma attached”

Social care professional

“Within social care, the term patient is very alien I feel. You say "patient" and it conjures up ideas of a medical approach as opposed to a social approach.”

“For me, as a support worker qualified in Social Work, I offer a service, whether it be group support, individual support or what ever.”

“People who come to me are either free to use this service or not. For me, service user suggests more decision over if they decided to access what we (the service) offer. But each individual is of course a person in their own rights.”

Social care professional

“Client is more professional even if it has the overtone of receiving services rather than an equal relationship. But it is far better, and I feel more respectful, than service user which is impersonal and odd.”

Social care professional

“'Service user' seems more neutral - less negative connotations. What I hate most (especially in the media) is people being branded 'the disabled', 'the mentally ill', 'the needy' etc. These are people, individual, complex human beings not homogenous hoards of cattle!”

I have used services

“Customer is a Thatcherite free market term. People who use social services do not have choice in the same way that somebody buying a car or groceries does. “

“They don't have the detailed knowledge to enable them to choose a service in the way somebody in a supermarket can buy a tin of beans for example. This right wing terminology is just another example of a right wing government seeking to destroy the public sector by privatising it.”

“There's nothing more pathetic than haven't to listen to social service managers slavishly mouthing terms like "business", and "customer". Bit like lemmings leaping over a cliff!”

Social care professional

“Service User is not a helpful term as it conveys the idea that people are a burden on services which in this climate adds to marginalisation of vulnerable groups. Client is much better as it is neutral.”

Social care professional

“I hate the term 'person who uses services' as it's pointlessly clumsy and doesn't really serve any purpose and comes across as unnatural and alien. Service user is accurate and to the point. The people using the services are service users. Job done.”

Social care professional

“I see that 'client' is the choice which most respondents submitted. However I would like to know what the proportion would be of professionals to service users who made this choice?

“I think it is important to note how many people chose this as a self-definition and how many chose it without having had the experience of being a service user themselves.”

I have used services

“I don't see anything wrong with client, as I think this is how a solicitor/accountant/other professional would refer to the people they work with. Customer suggests to me that people have a choice about engaging with social services, or which authority they use.”

Social care professional

“We have been told to use "customer“. I absolutely detest customer and will continue to use service user as long as the person I’m supporting does not object to being described as that in paperwork and during discussions with other professionals!!”

Social care professional

“The main problem nowadays is less about stigma than about the fact that individuals engage with services in so many different ways in view of personalisation.

“Some certainly could be called 'customers' because they use their money to buy a service for themselves. Others, whose service is to a greater or lesser extent purchased, commissioned or managed by others, are probably still better referred to as 'service users' because that is what they are!

“However, I do think that 'service user' is jargonistic and whilst it is cumbersome, 'people who use services' is probably the most neutral and accurate term, whilst being sufficiently broad for the purpose.”

Social care professional

“During my training in the 1980s I was told that client is technically correct, firstly because the services we provide are paid for by the service users, albeit indirectly through tax etc, and ethically correct as it is a term which is value neutral - and therefore it's use confers no stigma or implied stereotyping and as such is respectful.”

Social care professional

“Service user is used so often and my daughter is happy with this”

Carer

“I believe we must recognise the wide meaning of terms to people at large. Service user seems to me to be a straight description and doesn't preclude use of the term, 'Person'.

“The term 'client' I dont consider to be particularly relevant to social care. I like Citizen because it has a strong association with rights, but not all citizens have used or use services.

“Customer for me suggests a commercial relationship which usually is not appropriate. Patient stresses a health context.

“Survivor is positive and suggestive of overcoming struggle, which is often apt, but many people will not identify themselves in this way.”

Social care professional

“One of my students asked the young people with whom she was working how they wished to be referred to. They all asked to be called client!”

Practice educator

We carried out a survey of our "service users" to ask them what they wanted to be called and they, almost, unanimously said "service user".”

Social care professional

“Personally the label is only important in terms of the degree of marginalisation it causes or doesn't as the case may be in how we are perceived by society.

“I've moved from being lame, to a cripple, to a disabled person, to a person with a disability, and now have a physical impairment. If the quality of the services I need to access improved at the speed the label changes I would be the happiest little bunny on this earth.

“Regrettably there is an inverse relationship between the label and the quality and accessibility of services - the nicer the label the poorer the service."

“Social Care is a customer journey with clients that uses services; therefore client is not derogatory if used with politeness.”

Social care professional

“Service users are people who use social services, etc. Clients and customers are people who purchase goods and services from lawyers and supermarkets!”

Social care professional

“The definition of the word 'client' is 'a person using the services of a professional person or organisation' which is what the 'service users' do.

“I know I would certainly rather be seen as a client (which is what I would be if I was using a lawyer or other professional body)rather than a service user which sounds as though someone has decided the people who use the service are unable to understand the word 'client' and therefore had to 'dumb it down' when in fact people do understand the concept of what the word 'client' means.”

Social care professional

“'Client' indicates an agreement to use the service and if service providers think of their users as clients they tend to treat them with the sort of respect needed to gain positive response whether the client, be a mental health sufferer or the carer of a person with dementia etc.”

Retired social worker

“Service user is used so often and my daughter is happy with this”

Carer

“I think that service user is outdated with the advent of personalisation (they're not always using council services anymore) and that it subjectifies people. Patient and survivor are inappropriate (patient is for Health services; not all people with social care needs are survivors).

“Person who uses services is clear but long-winded (and the acronym is PHUS - not nice) and, again, are not always using council services. Person is good (in terms of personalisation) but you have to know that they are already eligible and 'in the system'. The problem may be of course when you have 'person' and 'carer' - will the carers then feel like they're not 'people'?”

“It's a fine line between client and customer. Customer has positive connotations (the customer is always right - though I'm sure some social workers would disagree!), whilst I think client sounds like a more professional relationship - I would say that if I needed a lawyer then I would be their client and if I needed a social worker then client works well there too. On the other hand we got rid of the term 'client' some years ago - for what reason I don't know!”

“I absolutely detest being referred to as a service user.”

Social care professional who has used services

“It is virtually impossible to find a term that appeals to all who use services, but I find that Service User best describes my situation.”

I use services

"This is important despite it seeming trivial. It is also an ongoing problem in Criminal Justice System where many of those convicted are also mentally ill.

“Terms like offender have a labelling inference, for evermore. 'Client' indicates an agreement to use the service and if service providers, think of their users as clients they tend to treat them with the sort of respect needed to gain positive response whether the client, be a mental health sufferer or the carer of a person with dementia etc.“

Retired social worker

The terms "service user" and "customer" are ridiculous in involuntary settings- they risk patronising the subject by denying the power imbalance and possible coercion involved. Having been a mental health patient myself I feel that unacknowledged coercion is very dangerous and would rather people were frank about the situation

"Client" means someone who is dependent on/ accesses the professional expertise of another and is therefore more suitable and flexible. It can be used to refer to situations where someone accesses this expertise voluntarily e.g. the "clients" of a lawyer, accountant, advertising agency, architect etc. or where there is a degree of compulsion. “

“A change in terms is particularly necessary given the current changes in social care so that statutory provision is increasingly limited to high end, compulsory interventions while voluntary services are contracted out to the voluntary sector”

“I suspect you will not get very far in reaching a firm and universally acceptable conclusion on this, but good luck with it!”

Social care professional