Service User Involvement Strategy Update
Service User Involvement Strategy Update
Introduction
"Service user involvement is a two way process that involves both service users and their service provider in the sharing of ideas, where service users are able to influence decisions and take part in what is happening" (TPAS, Tenant participation on www.tpas.org.uk 
on the 10/1/2005)
The following strategy will outline how service user involvement will be implemented and taken forward within the Supporting People programme in Tameside. It is intended that the strategy will outline what is meant by "service user involvement”, why we should develop involvement and how this can be achieved.
What is Service User Involvement?
The term service user involvement may encompass several actions and processes. It could be a one off event but is more likely to be an ongoing process.
The process can include the following elements:
- Providing information to service users - Although this is not a form of involvement it is essential if it is going to be successful. Service users need to know all of the relevant information in order to provide feedback and an opinion. It is also important to keep service users informed following the consultation, not only is this good practice but it also will facilitate any on going involvement.
- Listening - The providers of a service should listen to the service users. This may be done on an ongoing basis, as part of everyday working practices but also could be one off events. This involves organisations taking on board the information they gain from service users and acting upon it
- Consultation - Service users can be asked about specific ideas or initiatives as part of the planning process. This information can then be used to inform future or current provision
- Participation - This term is closely related to consultation. However participation may be more intensive and involve more interaction. This may include participation in working groups, or involve service users in planning specific actions or influencing decisions. This may involve more ownership of the process (TPAS, Tenant participation on www.tpas.org.uk on the 10/1/2005)
Involvement can be achieved by using the following methods. This however is not an exhaustive list:
- Information sharing
This may include letters/posters/newsletters/videos/tapes/text messages/forums.
- Listening
This may include: one to one interviews/group interviews/focus groups/ service user meetings/one off events/questionnaires/workshops
- Consultation
This may include: one to one interviews/group interviews/focus groups/questionnaires/one off specific focused events/workshops/video and drama events.
- Participation
This may include: user panels focused on specific topics/resident groups/inclusion in organising events/videos and other media to give information to other service users.
Why Should We Undertake Service User Involvement?
There are clear benefits to involving service users in the Supporting People programme. These include:
- That it meets some of the central tenets of Supporting People. Service user involvement furthers the goals of independence, through facilitating inclusion, encouraging the development of life skills, and enhancing self-esteem (Supporting People, A guide to user involvement for organisations providing housing related support services, ODPM, 2003)
- Service user involvement represents good practice. Involvement helps to achieve quality services which best meet the needs of those using the service. The process can be very useful when planning future provision
- Service Users have a right to be involved in decisions that affect them (Involving Service Users in service review and validation visits: Part Three, ODPM 2003)
- In the long term service user involvement is vital in planning new services and future provision
There are also several policy steers, which necessitate the development of service user involvement in Supporting People. These are:
ODPM Grant Conditions
The Grant Conditions 2003 state Local Authorities should:
"Give service providers and service users an opportunity to contribute their views, particularly on the financial implications for services, and to take account of their views" (ODPM Grant Conditions April-September 2003. ODPM was previously the Government Department which oversees the National Supporting People programme, now replaced by CLG, Communities and Local Government)
ODPM Guidance on Service User Involvement
The ODPM have released several pieces of guidance relating to service user involvement. The ODPM have stated that involvement in Supporting People has to:
"...Achieve appreciable improvements, not only in the availability, quality, adequacy and appropriateness of the services people receive, but in the quality of their lives" (ODPM, A guide to user involvement for organisations providing housing related support services, 2003, p8)
For Local Authorities this means that:
- Strategies should be developed and agreed through consultative processes, which involve those who use or are likely to use the services alongside other key stakeholders
- The views and experiences of service users should be taken into account in evaluating and commissioning services (ODPM, A guide to user involvement for organisations providing housing related support services, 2003, p8)
In the guidance the ODPM has also been clear that providers have an obligation under Supporting People to develop service user involvement. They have stated that providers should:
- Involve users effectively in all aspects of service planning and delivery to ensure effective, appropriate and responsive provision
- Deliver services, which enable people to develop skills and capacities to live independently and to take increasing control over their own lives (ODPM, A guide to user involvement for organisations providing housing related support services, 2003, p8)
Tameside Supporting People team will work in partnership with providers to ensure that these obligations are fulfilled.
Tameside Consultation Strategy 2003/4
This strategy sets out Tameside MBC's approach to consultation with service users. Although this only deals with consultation and not involvement it is however relevant to adopt the same ideals and principles. It states that:
"In order to provide the best and most appropriate service to stakeholders, Council services needs to have an insight into the perspectives, needs and wants of their stakeholders" (Tameside MBC, Consultation Strategy 2003/4 p5)
The Supporting People strategy will adopt the general principles set out in this strategy, which are:
- Respect the views of consultees
- Seek to make all consultation projects as representative and inclusive as possible
- Use consultation to help identify and respond to the needs of different sectors of the community
- Consult in an open and accessible way; ensure that people are informed about consultation projects, results and ensuing actions
- Make careful, effective use of resources
- Work with partners
- Continuously improve our approach to consultation learning from our own experiences and those of others
- Ensure that the results of consultation are used to inform and where possible improve, service provision
This strategy is currently under revision. Any significant up dates will be added when this is received.
NB. User Involvement Strategy- Tameside Social Care and Health- to be inserted when completed
Tameside Supporting People 5 Year Strategy 2005-2010
The strategy has set down the aims for Supporting People in Tameside for the next 5 years. These include:
- The promotion of independence - support to enable people to take their own decisions wherever possible.
- Inclusion - ensuring that people who may be marginalized, or who may have challenging behaviour have equitable access to services.
- Flexibility - developing a range of provision that is flexible and responsive to individual needs.
To fulfil these aims it is vital that service users are involved in the programme and take part in the decisions that affect Supporting People in Tameside.
4. Issues to Consider When Developing Service User Involvement
" The very diversity of people requiring housing with support- in terms of needs, capacities, circumstances and relationship with the wider community in which they live - poses a challenge for providers in developing effective user involvement" (Supporting People, A guide to user involvement for organisations providing housing related support services, ODPM, 2003)
There may be several challenges to consider in relation to Supporting People Service users and involvement:
- The organisations providing Supporting People services differ widely. There are large organisations, which may have a well established infrastructure but there are also small locally based providers. This may have an impact upon the capacity of providers to implement service user involvement.
- The service users covered by Supporting People are varied and have different support needs, aspirations and experiences, for example older people with support needs, teenage parents, individuals with a learning disability. Involvement methods may need to be different depending upon the service user group which is being consulted.
- Supporting People encompasses many short-term services, but also long term services. The levels of involvement may differ in these services. Individuals may not wish to get involved if they are only staying at a service for a short time, and it may be difficult to keep individuals engaged in long term services.
- Supporting People encompasses service user groups who may have chaotic lives and so may be difficult to engage, for example substance misusers, individuals with mental health problems. This may make involvement more challenging.
There are also some important practical considerations:
- Service users may need support to become involved. This may mean practical assistance, for example a support worker for someone with a learning disability. Service users who have English as a second language may need interpreters. Service users may lack the confidence initially to become involved and may need support in order to gain confidence.
- All events and initiatives planned have to be mindful of the practical requirements of service users. The Supporting People team will need to consider the following:
- Cultural and religious needs, for example mixed gender groups, planning of events during religious festivals
- The accessibility of meetings and events, all venues will need to be totally accessible
- Childcare considerations
Tameside Supporting People team will work in partnership with the providers to look at these issues and to come up with solutions to ensure that service user involvement is effective in Tameside.
5. Implementing the Strategy and the Way Forward
2003 - 2005
In 2003/2005 Tameside Supporting People team completed their service review timetable. In this time the team visited all of the supported housing services in Tameside, apart from the learning disability services where an outside agency carried out a sampled review. In every case service users were involved in the review either through face-to-face interviews or questionnaires. This gave the Supporting People team some in depth knowledge of how services currently operate, what service users think of the provision and how future provision should be shaped.
The feedback from service users helped shape the outcomes of the reviews, for example when service users highlighted specific issues with a service these have been feedback to providers and progress monitored.
The consultation carried out with the service users has also informed the Supporting People five-year strategy. The team became aware of issues, which needed further consideration. Service users fed back that access to services may be limited for certain groups, for example offenders. These issues were looked at when developing the five year strategy.
2005-2006
Tameside Supporting People team was committed to making service user involvement a priority in 2005/2006. The starting point of this work was setting up a sub group with providers from the supported housing forum to discuss best practice and ideas for the future and to come up with a work plan, (see appendix A).
The Supporting People team made a commitment to the following principles as part of its involvement strategy:
- To be Inclusive - The work undertaken will include?? and be open to all Supporting People service users. This may mean that specific pieces of work have to be carried out with hard to reach groups. Service users from BMEE communities may also need additional support and attention. During the review process and the strategy formation the Supporting People team became aware that there is an under representation of BME service users in the supported housing services in Tameside. Therefore special attention may be needed when involving individuals from BME communities.
- To be Responsive - The Supporting People team will be responsive to the opinions and ideas of service users. The team will also be responsive to any needs the service users may have in order to become involved.
- To evaluate work undertaken and learn from experience - The Supporting People team will evaluate all work undertaken. The team recognise that not all of the activities and meetings undertaken may be successful during this process, and there may be an element of trial and error.
- To be patient - The team realise that service user involvement may take time to be effective.
- Commit resources - The team realises that it will be necessary to commit resources in order to make involvement successful, for example travel expenses.
- There will be an official review of the strategy on an annual basis.
2006-2007
Appendix B summarises areas of work that the Supporting People team undertook in 2006-2007.
The Way Forward - 2007 onwards
The Supporting People team has followed the key principles set out in the 2005-2006 strategy.
The Supporting People team identified in early 2007 that additional resources were needed to take the Involvement Strategy forward. An additional post was allocated to the team in April 2007.Two review officers now share responsibility for developing the strategy and implementing areas of work highlighted in the workplan.
Responsibility for co-ordinating areas of work may be delegated with Lead Officer approval to nominated officers or workers from providers or other partner agencies. The SP officer will remain involved in the group to keep informed and have input into its development.
It is hoped that the involvement of other partners will help mainstream the activity and may attract more service users to participate. In addition continued Supporting People involvement would not only ensure that the service users involved in the activity have a direct link to relevant bodies (eg Core Strategy Group and Joint Commissioning Group) but should also add value to the activity by heightening its profile within the Council.
The JCG met in early 2007 to review and develop its vision for the programme
'Towards A Vision For Tameside Supporting People Programme'
Below are relevant extracts from the 'vision' meeting:
Stakeholders
Our stakeholders have a clear understanding of the programme and their role. Stakeholders include:
- Service User Groups
- Carers and Family members of service users
Commissioning
- We have systematic process for identifying and addressing need, involving all key stakeholders
Governance
- Service users influence and continue to influence the programme
Communication
We have an effective communication strategy that ensures:
- All our stakeholders have participated in the development of services
- A two way process that invites contributions from all stakeholders
Outcomes
- The programme has demonstrable measures (in a defined list) of improvement in service use satisfaction
Appendix C summarises proposals to take work forward into 2007-2008
This strategy and relevant appendices will be reviewed annually.
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