Wheelchair rugby player Myles Pearson shares his experiences to improve Blackpool Council's adult social care

A former Paralympian was among a host of experts delivering training to adult social care (ASC) staff in Blackpool.

Disability advocate Myles Pearson shared his personal experiences and insights to hundreds of professionals as part of Blackpool Council’s investment in ASC services.

The council hosted a week-long Progressing Together event for its 300-strong staff team last week, giving staff opportunities to reflect, learn and grow in their social care practice through speakers and workshops. Academics and professionals from other council departments, partner agencies, and commissioned services also joined the training sessions.

Wheelchair rugby player Myles, from Lytham, played sport internationally for 15 years, representing Team GB in wheelchair rugby at the London 2012 Paralympics. He’s now a writer, speaker, and advocate.

He said: “Although disability shapes many of my experiences, the feelings behind them are often universal. That’s the key message I shared with ASC staff – that sometimes we focus so much on what makes somebody different that we forget how much of what matters to them is actually familiar.

“I didn’t have a grand plan to become a Paralympian. I simply found something I loved and was given the opportunity to see where it could take me.

“Imagine, though, if the starting point had been everything I couldn’t do. I couldn’t run, I couldn’t jump, and I couldn’t play most mainstream sports. If you focused purely on those things, you could probably have produced a convincing list of reasons sport wasn’t for me. Thankfully, somebody looked at it differently.

“My day job now is working in ASC [for Lancashire County Council], so I’m familiar with how we talk about assessments, outcomes, care plans, needs and services. What I’m hoping to get across to staff this week is that while all of those things are important, behind all of that is obviously a person, and when you look at things differently, look where it could take them.

“I’m so happy to have been part of Blackpool’s Progressing Together event. The council’s approach recognises that we need to see the whole person, not just the things they need support with. It asks us to understand what a good life actually looks like to the individual rather than deciding that for them. A line from the council’s approach to ASC delivery has really stuck with me: ‘Our job is to accompany you, not to decide the destination for you.’ It’s a pleasure to work with Blackpool’s team to share that with their staff and, ultimately, the adults, families and communities they support.”

Myles was speaking alongside three experienced social workers-turned-authors - Gerry Skelton MBE, Rob Mitchell and Ian Burgess - and Kayleigh Evans, the council’s Senior Practice Development Lead and a content creator on the topic of ASC.

The training sessions come as Blackpool Council has shared updates on its Improvement Journey for ASC. Following an inspection by the CQC last year, the council has invested £1.6m in improving services. Its journey has already seen overdue reviews reduced significantly, workforce stability improved, and safeguarding arrangements strengthened.

Cllr Neal Brookes, cabinet member for adult services, said: “Giving our ASC team opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, connect with one another and explore great practice is just one of the ways we’re delivering our wider Improvement Journey. It’s really exciting that we’ve had five expert voices leading those sessions, all of whom are keen to make a difference for Blackpool.

“I know how hard our team work to deliver a good service to adults and communities across Blackpool and this is an opportunity to deepen and strengthen their expertise and experience.”

Practice Week: Progressing Together was funded by the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Blackpool, to promote practice that is grounded in research and evidence.