Dutiful Care is a service that provides consultancy and training for organisations who commission projects in social practice/participatory contexts. It has been designed to support organisations to identify and respond to the care needs of their staff, the artists they work with and the communities that they serve.
Professor Eleonora Belfiore, writing on the hidden costs of social practice, suggests that meaningful care can often be neglected within projects because artists take on the burden of these duties without pay, specialist training or support. If you are an organisation who commissions social practice/participatory projects, I can support you to develop a more robust understanding of what ‘meaningful care’ looks like and how it can be facilitated.
Drawing on the skills and knowledge that I have developed as a psychotherapist, I can help you to assess the emotional and psychological impact that a social practice project could have on those involved and support you to identify the ethical dilemmas that may arise.
Working holistically, I will support you to consider all aspects of your project from the planning and brokering stage through to delivery, evaluation, and post project activities. Once the challenges of your project have been recognised, I can work with you to create a bespoke package of support that will respond to the care needs of your staff, commissioned artists, and participant community. This could involve training, experiential workshops and/or 1:1 sessions. Support will be matched to your unique needs and preferences but may include the following topics:
If you would like to work with me or have a question to ask, please get in touch.
If you are a freelance artist looking for support, you might be interested in my service The Listening Post.
