Bryony Shannon

Words that make me go hmmm: Respite The dictionary definition of ‘respite’ is “a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant”. [1] If I was into banning words, that first sentence would be the blog post. Eno…

The dictionary definition of ‘respite’ is “a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant”.

New blog post: Words that make me go hmmm: Respite

#RewritingSocialCare

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Words that make me go hmmm: Carer Last Monday me and Tricia Nicoll chatted for an hour with a group of people who had signed up to our online ‘Gloriously Ordinary Language: Keeping our language human, inclusive and real’ session ab…

*New blog post* Words that make me go hmmm: Carer

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#LanguageMatters
#RewritingSocialCare
#UsNotThemAndUs

Words that make me go hmmm: Person-centred “A person-centred approach puts people at the heart of care.” “The person-centred approach treats each person as an individual human being” “A person-centred approach considers the w…

New blog post: Words that make me go hmmm: Person-centred

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#RewritingSocialCare
#LanguageMatters
#UsNotThemAndUs

Thanks Eleni. You’ve definitely made me think about the point I was making and how I can make it differently. I really appreciate your feedback.

… as individual, unique human beings. I maybe didn’t explain that very well in the podcast but I wouldn’t be comfortable with anyone being referred to as a ‘user’.

Hi Eleni, thanks for your message. The words we use shape how we see each other and see the world and the point I was trying to make is that ‘user’ - as with all labels - invites assumptions and judgments about people and about relationships and can prevent us from seeing and understanding people…

Book Launch: Rewriting Social Care by Bryony Shannon Join The Writers Workshop and Bryony Shannon to celebrate the launch of her new nonfiction book, Rewriting Social Care.

Book launch next week ⬇️⬇️
Book tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...?

Book launch Rewriting Social Care London 23 October 6:30pm Tickets £12 - includes a glass of fizz and 15% off the book if you buy it at the launch

Bryony and Beverley wearing long colourful dresses. Bryony is holding a glass of wine and Beverley is holding a copy of Bryony’s book.

Come and join me and Beverley Ward chatting about #RewritingSocialCare in London on Thursday 23 October #BookLaunch www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...

Book launch Rewriting Social Care Sheffield 2 October 6:30pm - last few tickets remaining. Sales end soon.

Book launch!
#RewritingSocialCare
Tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...

It's past time to change the narrative about later life... #socialwork #socialcare #IDOP2025

‘The elderly’ and ‘the wellderly’: why the language of ageing makes us go hmmm… Today is United Nations International Day of Older Persons, observed under the theme “Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our Rights”. It’s a day…

It’s UN International Day of Older Persons so I’ve teamed up with Gerry Nosowska to share some thoughts about the language of ageing.

*New*: ‘The elderly’ and ‘the wellderly’: why the language of ageing makes us go hmmm…

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#RewritingSocialCare

Letter to Bryony S Yesterday I received a direct message on Instagram from Maria. She said she hoped I didn’t mind her writing to me out of the blue, but that she was reading my book, and she wondered if she co…

*New blog post:* Letter to Bryony S

#RewritingSocialCare
#LanguageMatters
#UsNotThemAndUs

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An image of Rewriting Social Care by Bryony Shannon. It’s a very pink book, on a background with images of daisies

Publication day!! 🌸

Info about the book and book launches at rewritingsocialcare.blog/2025/07/26/b...

#RewritingSocialCare
#LanguageMatters
#UsNotThemAndUs

Thank you Eleni 🩷

Words that make me go hmmm: Professional ‘Professional’ is yet another of the ‘us and them’ words that dominate our narrative. It’s a blanket term used to distinguish the people who work in organisations (regardless of any professional qu…

New blog post: Words that make me go hmmm: Professional
#RewritingSocialCare

rewritingsocialcare.blog/professional/

Book launch for Rewriting Social Care: Challenging and Changing Language and Practice for a Better, Brighter Future Sheffield 2 October Sheffield Plate 6.30pm London 23 October Mary Ward House 6.30pm Tickets on sale now. In association with The Writers Workshop - Sheffield

Tickets are now available for the Sheffield and London launches of my book, Rewriting Social Care: Challenging and Changing Language and Practice for a Better, Brighter Future 🌸

Find out more and book tickets here:
rewritingsocialcare.blog/2025/07/26/b...
Hope to see you there!
#RewritingSocialCare

In image of a pink book by Bryony Shannon. Behind the book there’s a green background covered in daisies. The title of the book is Rewriting Social Care - Challenging and Changing Language and Practice for a Better, Brighter Future. There’s a quote from Elly Chapple, Founder, #FlipTheNarrative on the cover saying “What everyone in the social care space needs right now.”

One month until publication! 🌸

#RewritingSocialCare #LanguageMatters #UsNotThemAndUs
#PreOrder

People with lived experience In my previous ‘What do we call them?’ post, I wrote about ‘people we support’ and ‘people who draw on care and support’ – two phrases that are increasingly replacing references to ‘service u…

We are all ‘people with lived experience’. But this phrase is fast becoming yet another a label to mean ‘them’.

*New blog post* - People with lived experience

#UsNotThemAndUs
#LanguageMatters
#RewritingSocialCare

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Save the date. Rewriting Social Care. Book launch. Sheffield 2 October 2025 6:30pm London 23 October 6:30pm. In association with the Writers Workshop - Sheffield

Save the date(s)!
#BookLauch
#RewritingSocialCare

rewritingsocialcare.blog/2025/07/26/b...

Podcast series - Changing It Up: Rewriting Social Care Changing it Up · Episode

A not to be missed conversation with @bryonyshannon.bsky.social on the power of language in social care. @nicksinclair.bsky.social and @clentonf.bsky.social host a fascinating and fun conversation on our podcast series. Thanks for taking part Bryony! open.spotify.com/episode/4xqV...

Thanks for inviting me! 💜

What do we call them? As part of the Gloriously Ordinary Language programme I run with Tricia Nicoll, we spend a full day focusing on the language we use to communicate with and about people. We begin these se…

Service users. Customers. Clients. Cases. People we Support (PwS). People who draw on social care.

Why is it so hard for us just to talk about people? We? Us?

*New blog post* - What do we call them?
#LanguageMatters
#RewritingSocialCare
#UsNotThemAndUs
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Thank you! 🩷

Thank you Phyl.. brilliant photos 😍

Words that make me go hmmm: Signposting “Signposting: “the act of telling someone which organization they need to go to to find the help they need.” Cambridge Dictionary [1] “‘Signposting’ indicates that the client will not be supported …

‘Signposting’ is about process and efficiency, not people and efficacy. If we really want to ‘transform’ social care, we need to focus connection, not redirection.
*New blog post* Words that make me go hmmm: signposting
#LanguageMatters
#RewritingSocialCare
rewritingsocialcare.blog/2025/06/07/s...

Amazing - thank you so much Phyl 🩷

A pink book with the title ‘Rewriting social care: challenging and changing language and practice for a better, brighter future’ by Bryony Shannon. There’s a daisy ‘growing’ from the ‘g’ of rewriting to symbolise flourishing. A quote from Elly Chapple, Founder, #FlipTheNarrative reads “what everyone in the social care space needs right now”

Rewriting Social Care THE BOOK now officially has a cover, and isn’t it fabulous!? It’s due to be published in September and is available to pre-order now.. more info including reviews at www.hachette.co.uk/titles/bryon... 🌼🩷

Words that make me go hmmm: Demand While many words make me go hmmm, there are some that make me squirm the most, either due to what they reflect about the way we think about people (like ‘case’ and ‘non-compliant’) or about the way…

Instead of all the conversations about ‘demand’, it’s time to demand a different conversation.

New blog post: Words that make me go hmmm: Demand

#RewritingSocialCare
#UsNotThemAndUs
#LanguageMatters
rewritingsocialcare.blog/2025/05/17/d...

Words that make me go hmmm: Pathway “Pathways: Not sure. But modelled on Hampton Court Maze.”  Mark Neary [1] In everyday life, pathways meander through parks or fields or forests, offering direction. A route towards a destinati…

Pathways belong in a world which says ‘this is what we do to people like you’. Where the labels we apply determine the course of our ‘interventions’, and the decisions we make are about you without you…

Words that make me go hmmm: pathway
#RewritingSocialCare
rewritingsocialcare.blog/pathway

Dreams “Living an unfilled life carries a greater risk of harm than what may befall someone in pursuit of their dreams. The latter can be folded into a story; the former is the absence of story. The latte…

While we may talk too much about beds in relation to social care, I don’t think we talk anything like enough about dreams.

New blog: Dreams
#RewritingSocialCare

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