Community Care polled over 900 social care workers, service users, advocates and carers on what term they feel is best to describe someone who uses services. Opinion was split between 'client' and 'service user'. Here's why.

1. Client
or
Service user

2. “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

3. “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

4. “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

5. “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

6. “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

7. “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

8. “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

9. “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

10. “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

11. “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

12. “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

13. “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."

14. “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

15. “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

16. “'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

17. “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!”

18. “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

19. "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

20. 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”

21. “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