How should occupational therapy respond to widening participation strategy?

Collins, B

Abstract

In August 2014, Health Education England (HEE) (who
commission occupational therapy education in England)
presented “Widening Participation: It Matters” for consultation.
The strategy document sets out targets to attract and retain
students from a wider diversity of backgrounds into health
professions, including occupational therapy (HEE 2014).
Widening participation (WP) aims to create a workforce that
better reflects the diversity of the client population (HEE 2014)
and also to support individuals from underrepresented groups to
access education and achieve the social mobility possible from
education and graduate employment (HEE 2014; HEFCE 2014). What contribution does occupational therapy have to play in this
aim to widen participation?
Occupational therapy has long asserted the importance of
culture (e.g. Kielhofner 2009), social justice (e.g. Townsend
1993) and inclusion in daily occupations. Yet, how inclusive
and diverse is our own profession? How well do occupational
therapy programmes promote both a wider range of applicants
and also support WP student success with their ambition to be
occupational therapists?
Draft recommendations from Health Education England
include the aim to increase the number of students who are
mature, from Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups and with
disabilities. They also aim to evaluate what works to promote
WP student success. What works in university-based and
practice placement occupational therapy education? How will
our profession respond to widening participation targets? What
are the benefits and risks to occupational therapy of targets and
goals set by external bodies, frequently these are the funders/
commissioners such as HEFCE/OFFA and HEE?
This seminar will enable the exchange of ideas and current
practice about how educators and the profession as a whole can
respond to and engage with the widening participation debate
from the context of our own profession.

Citation

Collins, B. (2015, June). How should occupational therapy respond to widening participation strategy?. Poster presented at College of Occupational Therapists 39th Annual Conference & Exhibition and Specialist Section – Work Annual Conference, Brighton, United Kingdom

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: College of Occupational Therapists 39th Annual Conference & Exhibition and Specialist Section – Work Annual Conference
• Conference Location: Brighton, United Kingdom
• Start Date: Jun 30, 2015
• End Date: Jul 2, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Aug 1, 2015
• Publication Date: Jul 2, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jul 13, 2020
• Journal: College of Occupational Therapists 39th Annual Conference & Exhibition and Specialist Section – Work Annual Conference Book of Abstracts
• Volume: 78
• Pages: 100
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0308022615583236
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/0308022615583236
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference