Addressing Everyday Harm Between People with Cognitive Disability and Support Workers

Everyday harm is the negative impact on a person due to actions and inactions of other people and organisations. It can be subtle, overlooked, unintentional, and rarely is addressed in policy. Everyday harm is part of the daily relationships of people with disability. This article focuses on how people with cognitive disability and paid support workers address and repair everyday harm in their work together. It draws on interviews and observations with 36 pairs of young people with cognitive disability and support workers. Situated within a trauma-responsive and restorative practice framework, the analysis showed that addressing and repairing everyday harm involved five overlapping “everyday steps”. These are to notice harm; acknowledge harm; respond to harm; repair harm; and make positive changes for the future. The uptake of the steps depends on conditions at an interpersonal and organisational level, including support worker responsiveness, attentiveness, and willingness to grow and change; time and resources to get to know each other and build trust; and trauma-responsive cultures where people feel supported to ask questions and seek help.IMPLICATIONS Addressing everyday harm between young people with cognitive disability and support workers can contribute to positive changes in practice.Support workers need to be responsive, attentive, and willing to change the way they support people.Organisations need to provide time and resources so people can get to know each other and build trust.