Resources

This handbook helps to explain one of the key concepts that are crucial to helping people who require support to have a good life in the community — the importance of valued social roles. The handbook explains what we mean by valued roles, why they are important, and how we can prevent the loss of roles, preserve and strengthen existing roles and assist people to find new roles. Supporting valued roles is something we can all do, in any job or place in community life. We can also assist people to avoid being perceived and treated in negatively valued roles. Whether we see someone for an hour a week, or live with them 24/7, there are actions we can take both big and small, that can support a person to maintain valued roles. Valued roles help people who are vulnerable to be accepted in the community, to experience a sense of belonging, and to be able to contribute according to their strengths. When people are not supported to have valued roles in the community they can often find themselves being seen as a burden, a menace, sick or dependent, or sometimes even considered sub-human or better off dead. These are negative or devalued roles.