The third sector, emergent roles and political reasoning in occupational therapy

In this presentation I'm going to discuss some of the political implications of emergent role work in the context of neoliberal austerity in the UK. It will discuss some examples from student education and the communities in the city of Sheffield, where I work. We will look at some of the issues confronting occupational therapists who work in these developing roles and some of the concerns about the future of practice where the emphases of care processes are changing. These include questions about the direction of the profession in areas that offer challenges, such as a rapidly ageing population and areas of intergenerational poverty alongside increasing inequality and diversity. We will also consider some of the current issues for educators and practitioners – such as giving students on third sector placements long arm supervision; negotiating the third sector in the curriculum; deprofessionalisation and sustainability.