03/10/2025
Reframing Language: Hard to Reach Vs Underserved
The Language Dilemma
In health, social care, and VCSE contexts, we often label communities as ‘hard to reach’, implying a deficit within people rather than services. It’s been applied to diverse groups, such as minority ethnic communities, refugees, drug users and homeless populations, despite their vastly different needs. This ambiguity creates a catch-all label that obscures the real barriers these groups face.
The Problem with ‘Hard to Reach’
‘Hard to reach’ is terminology that suggests blame, and shifts responsibility onto individuals. The term suggests that individuals are at fault for not engaging with services which they are often unlikely to have had any hand in designing. When practitioners accept and use the ‘hard to reach’ label, they risk giving up on exploring systemic barriers and innovative outreach strategies. This framing can also stereotype communities and individuals within them, leading to the justification of poorer levels of service being provided to those the label is assigned to or an assumption that certain clients are simply ‘too difficult’ or 'too resistant' to serve.
Why ‘Underserved’?
The term ‘underserved’ reframes the issue by acknowledging that services have fallen short in meeting the needs or expectations of certain people. It highlights systemic shortfalls and limitations rather than blaming communities for non-engagement. By adopting ‘underserved’, professionals place accountability on organisations to adapt, co-produce solutions with lived-experience representation, and design services that remove barriers. The responsibility for ensuring provision is appropriate and accessible lies with us as providers to create inclusive opportunities for all populations we are trying to serve.
Practical Shifts for the VCSE Sector
To move from ‘hard to reach’ to ‘underserved’, organisations can:
-Stop referring to people who need support as 'hard to reach'.
-Review services to identify physical, linguistic, and cultural barriers.
-Embed co-production by involving lived experience at every stage.
-Partner with local community groups and peer networks to build trust and relevance.
A Call to Transformative Language
By retiring ‘hard to reach’ and embracing ‘underserved’, we commit to a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and genuine inclusion. This shift invites us to question our assumptions, redesign services around real-world needs, and co-create pathways to health and wellbeing for everyone. It’s not just ‘woke’ or ‘politically correct’ semantics, it’s a call to equity, empathy, and action.
Gaining an understanding of underserved Service-Users
Our training arm provides workshops on many areas of how we can provide high quality responsive and reflective support services, from considering co-production, to best practice skills such as boundaries and group dynamics. Check out our upcoming training workshops below.
