Summary

This chapter describes two annual conferences that are run in partnership with service users in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The conferences have some differences in the way they are planned and delivered, but there are also many common themes. At both events, service users share their stories and interact with students. This chapter gives a description of both conferences and shares the experiences of the authors in organising an event with service users.

Introduction

There are many ways to involve service users in education. Approaches used by colleagues in different universities and countries can be a source of inspiration. It is possible to learn from their experiences and develop ideas and tips for your own situation. This happened when the authors of this chapter came together to write this chapter.

The conference at the University of Suffolk, UK, is an interprofessional event and is a mandatory part of the curriculum for all second-year students on the following undergraduate courses which lead to registration as health or social care professionals: adult nursing, mental health nursing, child health nursing, midwifery, operating department practice, paramedic science, social work, diagnostic radiography and therapeutic radiography. The post-graduate police students also attend. The conference has been running for four years and there are approximately five hundred delegates, including students and qualified professionals from the health service, the police and social services. The aim of the conference is to promote service-user involvement and to hear the voices of service users. The conference title reflects this: ‘Can You Hear Me? The Voice of the Service User’. Due to the number of different professionals attending the conference, a wide range of service users from different backgrounds are involved. The conference structure consists of keynote speakers at the start of both the morning and the afternoon, each of which are followed by service users telling their stories to the delegates.

The conference at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands is focused on the field of social work and is a mandatory part of a course for first-year students who study social work part time. In this course, the students develop a conference about homeless young people in Amsterdam.