Connect 37
-
Upload
homeless-link -
Category
Documents
-
view
221 -
download
0
description
Transcript of Connect 37
REWARDING PARTICIPATIONHow should service users be rewarded for their participation in developing services?
ENABLING CHANGESHow St Mungo’s are using peer research as a starting point to improve services...
YOUNG FORCES FOR CHANGEThe National Youth Reference Group explains why young people need to be involved in policy and practice development
CLIENT INVOLVEMENT
CONNECT AUTUMN 2009 | WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
8-9 12-13 24
connectTHE MAGAZINE OF THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 3
WELCOMECONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
connectTHE MAGAZINE OF THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR
EDITORIAL Editors Michelle Doust & Gill Perkins Editorial Panel Paul Anderson, Ben Dickenson, Helen Mathie & Lisa Reed.
DESIGN Designer John-Paul Sykes Cover Photo Michelle Doust
SUBSCRIPTIONS To find out how you can subscribe or take out additional subscriptions to CONNECT please email: [email protected]
BE IN THE NEXT ISSUE! In the next issue we’re exploring how organisations can make positive changes to their services whether it’s changing the use of space; staff culture or approaching different levels of client motivation in a new way. What changes are you making to implement personalisation? Have you changed the way you work to involve the local community? Share your experiences with us by emailing: [email protected] before 30 October.
www.homeless.org.uk/connect
upfront
in this issue
NEWSWhat’s new? 4
COMMENTYou’re barred 6Rewarding service user involvement 8
FEATURESWhy service user involvement matters 10Young forces for change 12Get involved! 14The key that opens new doors 15Templates for success 16Y involve me? 18Sharing best practice on client involvement 20Engaging in policy matters… 21
Meaningful occupations, independent lives 22Involving clients, enabling changes 24Shaping the future of day centres 25Been there, done that 26Getting tenants voices heard 27
INSPIREDYoung homeless people speak out 28
PEOPLEFrom street to home 30Ready for work 31No one left out in the North East 32I shot Frank Zappa 34
WHAT’S ON
Last year, at our conference, the inspirational Joanne Page from New York told us how the Fortune Society had reached a point where 8 of 10 of their staff had come through using their services.
They work with people who have come out of the
toughest correctional facilities, people who have
nowhere else to go. With absolute conviction she
described user involvement as the alchemy that
turned their work to gold.
This Connect looks at some of the many ways in which
our sector, inspired by the same principles, is adding this
powerful ingredient to our work. The golden results are
insight, knowledge, commitment, great encouragement
for service users and powerful advocacy.
Gemma Shiel, spearheading the work to end rough
sleeping in Newcastle, describes their successes so far,
including a significant fall in evictions from hostels. She
stresses why Tyneside Cyrenians’ ACE project – unique
as it is made up of ex-service users – is integral to the
work in its regular contact at a street level.
Simon Cribbens from the Greater London Authority
(GLA) and Homeless Link’s Paul Anderson talk about the
great policy value of the first service user consultation
on the Mayor of London’s draft Housing Strategy.
The people offered insights from their own experience
of homelessness, but also stepped back from this to take
a wider view on wider policy issues. Many committee
clerks going home after listening to grumpy community
consultations would envy our having such an insightful
and constructive set of comments to report on.
As Paul points out, the challenge for the rest of us is to
make sure people with this experience of homelessness
are given more opportunities for their voices to be heard.
Andy Williams from St Mungo’s highlights how
powerful peer research is in addressing issues that are
either hard to talk about or difficult to resolve; such as
bullying within hostels, and women’s experience of
services. In this method there is inherent trust and
understanding. He explains this is what makes peer
research so effective; clients feel comfortable in saying
exactly what they really think which means you receive
excellent qualitative feedback.
Simone Helleren & Athol Halle from Groundswell point out
that people will get involved if it taps into something they
care about – it might be interviewing staff, producing a
newsletter or getting in the kitchen to make sure those
sausages do not get burnt. Since Groundswell’s research
across the country consistently says that people “want
to help other people experiencing homelessness” and
“want to give something back” it’s clear where to start!
It’s been clear to us all in our work at Homeless Link
that the more and more we hear the voice of people
who know about homelessness because of their own
experience, the more impact the influence on ministers,
officials and service change. We know we have more
to do. We also know that to end homelessness we are
going to need that alchemy that turns what we
currently do into gold.
Jenny Edwards Chief Executive, Homeless Link
speciAList support serVices
For example, we can help you to complete your MOPP, provide advice around the revised QAF, undertake an independent review of services, consult with staff and service users or lead on strategy development.
We are also constantly looking to develop new courses to meet the needs of the homeless sector. Courses available in house include:
• Working with the Revised QAF (New) • Personalisation in the Homelessness Sector (New) • Using the Outcomes Star
If you would like to know more about our services and how Homeless Link can help your organisation to develop, please contact Kirsty Buggins, Manager; Consultancy and Training on 020 7960 3012, [email protected] or go to our website:
www.homeless.org.uk/developyourservice/Consultancy www.homeless.org.uk/developyourservice/training
HOMELESS LINK OFFERS A CHOICE OF SPECIALIST SUPPORT SERVICES, RANGING FROM BESPOKE CONSULTANCY PACKAGES TO TAILORED IN-HOUSE TRAINING.
©R
ob
ert
Da
vid
son
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 3
WELCOMECONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
connectTHE MAGAZINE OF THE HOMELESSNESS SECTOR
EDITORIAL Editors Michelle Doust & Gill Perkins Editorial Panel Paul Anderson, Ben Dickenson, Helen Mathie & Lisa Reed.
DESIGN Designer John-Paul Sykes Cover Photo Michelle Doust
SUBSCRIPTIONS To find out how you can subscribe or take out additional subscriptions to CONNECT please email: [email protected]
BE IN THE NEXT ISSUE! In the next issue we’re exploring how organisations can make positive changes to their services whether it’s changing the use of space; staff culture or approaching different levels of client motivation in a new way. What changes are you making to implement personalisation? Have you changed the way you work to involve the local community? Share your experiences with us by emailing: [email protected] before 30 October.
www.homeless.org.uk/connect
upfront
in this issue
NEWSWhat’s new? 4
COMMENTYou’re barred 6Rewarding service user involvement 8
FEATURESWhy service user involvement matters 10Young forces for change 12Get involved! 14The key that opens new doors 15Templates for success 16Y involve me? 18Sharing best practice on client involvement 20Engaging in policy matters… 21
Meaningful occupations, independent lives 22Involving clients, enabling changes 24Shaping the future of day centres 25Been there, done that 26Getting tenants voices heard 27
INSPIREDYoung homeless people speak out 28
PEOPLEFrom street to home 30Ready for work 31No one left out in the North East 32I shot Frank Zappa 34
WHAT’S ON
Last year, at our conference, the inspirational Joanne Page from New York told us how the Fortune Society had reached a point where 8 of 10 of their staff had come through using their services.
They work with people who have come out of the
toughest correctional facilities, people who have
nowhere else to go. With absolute conviction she
described user involvement as the alchemy that
turned their work to gold.
This Connect looks at some of the many ways in which
our sector, inspired by the same principles, is adding this
powerful ingredient to our work. The golden results are
insight, knowledge, commitment, great encouragement
for service users and powerful advocacy.
Gemma Shiel, spearheading the work to end rough
sleeping in Newcastle, describes their successes so far,
including a significant fall in evictions from hostels. She
stresses why Tyneside Cyrenians’ ACE project – unique
as it is made up of ex-service users – is integral to the
work in its regular contact at a street level.
Simon Cribbens from the Greater London Authority
(GLA) and Homeless Link’s Paul Anderson talk about the
great policy value of the first service user consultation
on the Mayor of London’s draft Housing Strategy.
The people offered insights from their own experience
of homelessness, but also stepped back from this to take
a wider view on wider policy issues. Many committee
clerks going home after listening to grumpy community
consultations would envy our having such an insightful
and constructive set of comments to report on.
As Paul points out, the challenge for the rest of us is to
make sure people with this experience of homelessness
are given more opportunities for their voices to be heard.
Andy Williams from St Mungo’s highlights how
powerful peer research is in addressing issues that are
either hard to talk about or difficult to resolve; such as
bullying within hostels, and women’s experience of
services. In this method there is inherent trust and
understanding. He explains this is what makes peer
research so effective; clients feel comfortable in saying
exactly what they really think which means you receive
excellent qualitative feedback.
Simone Helleren & Athol Halle from Groundswell point out
that people will get involved if it taps into something they
care about – it might be interviewing staff, producing a
newsletter or getting in the kitchen to make sure those
sausages do not get burnt. Since Groundswell’s research
across the country consistently says that people “want
to help other people experiencing homelessness” and
“want to give something back” it’s clear where to start!
It’s been clear to us all in our work at Homeless Link
that the more and more we hear the voice of people
who know about homelessness because of their own
experience, the more impact the influence on ministers,
officials and service change. We know we have more
to do. We also know that to end homelessness we are
going to need that alchemy that turns what we
currently do into gold.
Jenny Edwards Chief Executive, Homeless Link
speciAList support serVices
For example, we can help you to complete your MOPP, provide advice around the revised QAF, undertake an independent review of services, consult with staff and service users or lead on strategy development.
We are also constantly looking to develop new courses to meet the needs of the homeless sector. Courses available in house include:
• Working with the Revised QAF (New) • Personalisation in the Homelessness Sector (New) • Using the Outcomes Star
If you would like to know more about our services and how Homeless Link can help your organisation to develop, please contact Kirsty Buggins, Manager; Consultancy and Training on 020 7960 3012, [email protected] or go to our website:
www.homeless.org.uk/developyourservice/Consultancy www.homeless.org.uk/developyourservice/training
HOMELESS LINK OFFERS A CHOICE OF SPECIALIST SUPPORT SERVICES, RANGING FROM BESPOKE CONSULTANCY PACKAGES TO TAILORED IN-HOUSE TRAINING.
©R
ob
ert
Da
vid
son
4 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
NEWS CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 5
NEWSCONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
02.09.09 SECTOR NEWS
Thames Reach backs Conservative
Party plans to increase tax on
super-strength lagers and ciders.
The charity has been lobbying
government and the drinks
industry for the last four years in a
bid to tackle these problem drinks
which have killed thousands of
homeless and marginalised people
across the UK since their introduction
onto the market in the 1980s.
10.09.09 POLICY
Homeless Link responds to the
consultation on the removal of the
excess payment in Local Housing
Allowance. We are concerned
about the impact that this removal
will have on individuals and families.
While we appreciate the need to
make savings to the public purse,
we feel that savings are unlikely to
be achieved through this change
and will be at the expense of many
individuals who face a daily struggle
to make ends meet. We call on the
DWP to examine all the available
options open to it before pursuing
the proposed cuts.
13.09.09 SECTOR NEWS
Ukraine crowned 2009 homeless
world cup champions in Milan
(above). For the full results, see
www.homelessworldcup.org
14.09.09 RESEARCH
CLG released national statistics
showing that the number of house-
holds accepted as homeless is down
32% from the same time last year.
15.09.09 POLICY
Homeless Link responds to the
Tenant Services Authority’s new
discussion paper, Building a new
Regulatory Framework. To find
out more about the TSA see their
article on page 27
18.09.09 SECTOR NEWS
The Big issue comes of age -
celebrating its 18th birthday!
The Big Issue’s Founder, John Bird,
calls on Gordon Brown to implement
a homelessness prevention strategy
which includes a temporary
moratorium on repossessions.
05.08.09 SECTOR NEWS East London Housing Partnership
joins forces with rough sleeping
organisations such as Homeless Link,
Thames Reach, Look Ahead and
Providence Row to tackle rough
sleeping. For more information go to
the ELHP web site www.elhp.org.uk
07.08.09 SECTOR NEWS The Chartered Institute of Housing
(CIH) reported that eleven housing
organisations have helped to
develop new guidance on
housing services to refugees and
new migrants, through a two-year
project called ‘Opening Doors.’
It developed the guidance
together with the Housing
Associations’ Charitable Trust (hact).
www.cih.org/policy/openingdoors
24.08.09 POLICY
The Making Every Adult Matter
Coalition launched its new website.
MEAM is a coalition of four national
charities – Clinks, DrugScope,
Homeless Link and Mind – formed
to influence policy and services
for adults with multiple needs and
exclusions. www.meam.org.uk
08.07.09SECTOR NEWSCongratulations!
– The Base, Streetlife in Blackpool
wins the coveted John Laing
Charitable Day Centre of the Year
Award 2009
– York Arc Light wins the Michael
Whippman Award 2009 (above)
Check out the video on You Tube:
http://bit.ly/Y8vSg
13.07.09SECTOR NEWSMedia Trust announces launch
of Community Voices, a two-year
project that aims to inspire, engage
and support disadvantaged
and isolated communities across
England to get their voices heard
through digital media. Register your
interest at www.mediatrust.org/communityvoices
IT’S BEEN 3 MONTHS SINCE THE LAST ISSUE OF CONNECT. AS ALWAYS, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT GOING ON. HERE’S A SNAPSHOT…
JULY 2009 AUGUST 2009 SEPTEMBER 2009
LAtest sector news
The Ukraine team celebrates winning the 2009 homeless world cup in Milan. Photo Manuela Cigliutti
York Arc Light hold up their cheque after winning this year’s Michael Whippman Award. Photo Robert Davidson
HOMELESS LINK WELCOMES THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS:
Action for Refugees in Lewisham
Bradford City Council
Reading Borough Council
Westminster City Council
Nottingham City Council
Threshold
Shropshire Council
Shrewsbury Ark
Kirklees Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Rethink - Central Point
Guildford Borough Council
Broxtowe Youth Homelessness
Bedford Borough Council
The Amber Foundation
Supporting People in Suffolk
Global Ministry of Champions - AoG UK
Barnardo’s Crashpad
Preston City Council
Southend-On-Sea Borough Council
Access Underwriting Ltd
Twenty-fifth Avenue Housing Support & Advice
Research and Information Services
City of Toronto - Housing & Homelessness Support
Derby City Council
Byker Bridge Housing Association
Wayfarer Project
Homelessness in Australia
Goals UK cic
St Vincent De Paul Society - Tyne Central Council
Bristol Foundation Housing
One Support
City of Lincoln Council
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
YMCA - Tees Valley
Cambridge City Council
Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
Target Housing
Leeds Accommodation Forum (LAF)
Impact Housing Association Ltd
Philadelphia Committee to END Homelessness
Webber Street Day Centre
York Road Project
Barka UK
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
Haringey churches winter shelter
4 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
NEWS CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 5
NEWSCONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
02.09.09 SECTOR NEWS
Thames Reach backs Conservative
Party plans to increase tax on
super-strength lagers and ciders.
The charity has been lobbying
government and the drinks
industry for the last four years in a
bid to tackle these problem drinks
which have killed thousands of
homeless and marginalised people
across the UK since their introduction
onto the market in the 1980s.
10.09.09 POLICY
Homeless Link responds to the
consultation on the removal of the
excess payment in Local Housing
Allowance. We are concerned
about the impact that this removal
will have on individuals and families.
While we appreciate the need to
make savings to the public purse,
we feel that savings are unlikely to
be achieved through this change
and will be at the expense of many
individuals who face a daily struggle
to make ends meet. We call on the
DWP to examine all the available
options open to it before pursuing
the proposed cuts.
13.09.09 SECTOR NEWS
Ukraine crowned 2009 homeless
world cup champions in Milan
(above). For the full results, see
www.homelessworldcup.org
14.09.09 RESEARCH
CLG released national statistics
showing that the number of house-
holds accepted as homeless is down
32% from the same time last year.
15.09.09 POLICY
Homeless Link responds to the
Tenant Services Authority’s new
discussion paper, Building a new
Regulatory Framework. To find
out more about the TSA see their
article on page 27
18.09.09 SECTOR NEWS
The Big issue comes of age -
celebrating its 18th birthday!
The Big Issue’s Founder, John Bird,
calls on Gordon Brown to implement
a homelessness prevention strategy
which includes a temporary
moratorium on repossessions.
05.08.09 SECTOR NEWS East London Housing Partnership
joins forces with rough sleeping
organisations such as Homeless Link,
Thames Reach, Look Ahead and
Providence Row to tackle rough
sleeping. For more information go to
the ELHP web site www.elhp.org.uk
07.08.09 SECTOR NEWS The Chartered Institute of Housing
(CIH) reported that eleven housing
organisations have helped to
develop new guidance on
housing services to refugees and
new migrants, through a two-year
project called ‘Opening Doors.’
It developed the guidance
together with the Housing
Associations’ Charitable Trust (hact).
www.cih.org/policy/openingdoors
24.08.09 POLICY
The Making Every Adult Matter
Coalition launched its new website.
MEAM is a coalition of four national
charities – Clinks, DrugScope,
Homeless Link and Mind – formed
to influence policy and services
for adults with multiple needs and
exclusions. www.meam.org.uk
08.07.09SECTOR NEWSCongratulations!
– The Base, Streetlife in Blackpool
wins the coveted John Laing
Charitable Day Centre of the Year
Award 2009
– York Arc Light wins the Michael
Whippman Award 2009 (above)
Check out the video on You Tube:
http://bit.ly/Y8vSg
13.07.09SECTOR NEWSMedia Trust announces launch
of Community Voices, a two-year
project that aims to inspire, engage
and support disadvantaged
and isolated communities across
England to get their voices heard
through digital media. Register your
interest at www.mediatrust.org/communityvoices
IT’S BEEN 3 MONTHS SINCE THE LAST ISSUE OF CONNECT. AS ALWAYS, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT GOING ON. HERE’S A SNAPSHOT…
JULY 2009 AUGUST 2009 SEPTEMBER 2009
LAtest sector news
The Ukraine team celebrates winning the 2009 homeless world cup in Milan. Photo Manuela Cigliutti
York Arc Light hold up their cheque after winning this year’s Michael Whippman Award. Photo Robert Davidson
HOMELESS LINK WELCOMES THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS:
Action for Refugees in Lewisham
Bradford City Council
Reading Borough Council
Westminster City Council
Nottingham City Council
Threshold
Shropshire Council
Shrewsbury Ark
Kirklees Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Rethink - Central Point
Guildford Borough Council
Broxtowe Youth Homelessness
Bedford Borough Council
The Amber Foundation
Supporting People in Suffolk
Global Ministry of Champions - AoG UK
Barnardo’s Crashpad
Preston City Council
Southend-On-Sea Borough Council
Access Underwriting Ltd
Twenty-fifth Avenue Housing Support & Advice
Research and Information Services
City of Toronto - Housing & Homelessness Support
Derby City Council
Byker Bridge Housing Association
Wayfarer Project
Homelessness in Australia
Goals UK cic
St Vincent De Paul Society - Tyne Central Council
Bristol Foundation Housing
One Support
City of Lincoln Council
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
YMCA - Tees Valley
Cambridge City Council
Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk
Target Housing
Leeds Accommodation Forum (LAF)
Impact Housing Association Ltd
Philadelphia Committee to END Homelessness
Webber Street Day Centre
York Road Project
Barka UK
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council
Haringey churches winter shelter
6 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
COMMENT CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 7
COMMENTCONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
You’reBArreD
AS CONCERN, OUTRAGE AND DEBATE PREVAIL OVER THE ROLE OF THE INDEPENDENT SAFEGUARDING AUTHORITY (ISA), ALICE EVANS (LEFT), HEAD OF POLICY ANALYSIS AT HOMELESS LINK, LOOKS AT WHAT THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS ARE FOR HOMELESSNESS AND RELATED CHARITIES.
As I write this article, it is hard to avoid coverage of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Children’s authors are up in arms, “helpful” parents are furious and Government has conceded certain revisions to the scheme.
Yet it is important to remind ourselves of
its origins. The Bichard Inquiry was set up to
look at the situation that led to the Soham
murders and [found] “errors, omissions,
failures and shortcomings which are
deeply shocking”. As a result the ISA was
set up. It went live in January 2009, but the
projected 11.5 million individuals who will be
covered do not have to be registered until
summer 2010.
The scheme combines three separate
vetting and barring lists as well as
information from the Criminal Records
Bureau. This includes information from
the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA)
list. Dependent on history and offending
behaviour, individuals will be placed
onto a barred list or permitted to work in
various sectors.
All adults working with vulnerable adults,
as defined by the Safeguarding Vulnerable
Adults Act 2006 and children will have to
be registered if they are carrying out
regulated or controlled activity. Regulated
activity is defined as frequent, intensive or
overnight contact, including that which
takes place in a specified place with a
defined group of vulnerable adults and all
children. Controlled activity is defined as
frequent or intensive support work in more
general settings such as the NHS. Individuals
who are barred will not be able to work in
regulated activity, but will be able to work
in controlled activity “only if sufficient
safeguards are put in place”.
The importance of protecting and
safeguarding vulnerable adults is essential.
However, as with everything, there is a
balance to be struck. Homeless Link has
written to the ISA raising concerns and
seeking clarification on certain points.
At present, the extent to which we as a
sector will need to register staff and
volunteers with the ISA is unclear.
A core focus of everyone’s work in recent
years has been to support people who are
homeless to get ready for work. Central to
this work has been the focus on supporting
people who are, or have recently been,
homeless to become employed within the
sector and related sectors. Very often it is our
sectors who can give people a first chance
to work again.
In some instances the distance travelled by
an individual to become job ready will have
been immense. To then apply for and be
offered a job is an incredible achievement.
If their histories and lack of employment
history result in them being barred, the
impact on that individual could be
devastating. They will need to overcome
yet another hurdle, often with high levels
of support from staff.
Last year’s Michael Whippman Awards
winners were a group of homeless people
from Chester volunteering within a local
riding school for disabled children with the
support of a paid worker. Volunteering is an
important first step towards employment or
contributing something back to society.
With both volunteering and employment,
there is a risk that the requirement to register
under the ISA scheme will discourage, if not
actively prevent, people from taking these
important steps.
It is impossible, within the constraints of this
article, to outline all the issues and concerns
associated with the scheme, for example
the impact on organisations getting staff
ISA registered. We hope to work with the
ISA to avoid potentially significant
ramifications for the very individuals
that it is setting out to protect.
If you wish to discuss the ISA in more detail contact [email protected]
Photo
Ro
be
rt Da
vidso
n
6 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
COMMENT CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 7
COMMENTCONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
You’reBArreD
AS CONCERN, OUTRAGE AND DEBATE PREVAIL OVER THE ROLE OF THE INDEPENDENT SAFEGUARDING AUTHORITY (ISA), ALICE EVANS (LEFT), HEAD OF POLICY ANALYSIS AT HOMELESS LINK, LOOKS AT WHAT THE POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS ARE FOR HOMELESSNESS AND RELATED CHARITIES.
As I write this article, it is hard to avoid coverage of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Children’s authors are up in arms, “helpful” parents are furious and Government has conceded certain revisions to the scheme.
Yet it is important to remind ourselves of
its origins. The Bichard Inquiry was set up to
look at the situation that led to the Soham
murders and [found] “errors, omissions,
failures and shortcomings which are
deeply shocking”. As a result the ISA was
set up. It went live in January 2009, but the
projected 11.5 million individuals who will be
covered do not have to be registered until
summer 2010.
The scheme combines three separate
vetting and barring lists as well as
information from the Criminal Records
Bureau. This includes information from
the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA)
list. Dependent on history and offending
behaviour, individuals will be placed
onto a barred list or permitted to work in
various sectors.
All adults working with vulnerable adults,
as defined by the Safeguarding Vulnerable
Adults Act 2006 and children will have to
be registered if they are carrying out
regulated or controlled activity. Regulated
activity is defined as frequent, intensive or
overnight contact, including that which
takes place in a specified place with a
defined group of vulnerable adults and all
children. Controlled activity is defined as
frequent or intensive support work in more
general settings such as the NHS. Individuals
who are barred will not be able to work in
regulated activity, but will be able to work
in controlled activity “only if sufficient
safeguards are put in place”.
The importance of protecting and
safeguarding vulnerable adults is essential.
However, as with everything, there is a
balance to be struck. Homeless Link has
written to the ISA raising concerns and
seeking clarification on certain points.
At present, the extent to which we as a
sector will need to register staff and
volunteers with the ISA is unclear.
A core focus of everyone’s work in recent
years has been to support people who are
homeless to get ready for work. Central to
this work has been the focus on supporting
people who are, or have recently been,
homeless to become employed within the
sector and related sectors. Very often it is our
sectors who can give people a first chance
to work again.
In some instances the distance travelled by
an individual to become job ready will have
been immense. To then apply for and be
offered a job is an incredible achievement.
If their histories and lack of employment
history result in them being barred, the
impact on that individual could be
devastating. They will need to overcome
yet another hurdle, often with high levels
of support from staff.
Last year’s Michael Whippman Awards
winners were a group of homeless people
from Chester volunteering within a local
riding school for disabled children with the
support of a paid worker. Volunteering is an
important first step towards employment or
contributing something back to society.
With both volunteering and employment,
there is a risk that the requirement to register
under the ISA scheme will discourage, if not
actively prevent, people from taking these
important steps.
It is impossible, within the constraints of this
article, to outline all the issues and concerns
associated with the scheme, for example
the impact on organisations getting staff
ISA registered. We hope to work with the
ISA to avoid potentially significant
ramifications for the very individuals
that it is setting out to protect.
If you wish to discuss the ISA in more detail contact [email protected]
Photo
Ro
be
rt Da
vidso
n
8 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
COMMENT CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 9
COMMENTCONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
When aiming for meaningful service user involvement; how can we ensure that people feel they and the time they’ve spent are valued? We want to discover your views on how service users should be rewarded for their participation in developing services. In this issue Crisis, Centrepoint and the Salvation Army offer their views and opinions. We will be following this up with an online debate in the autumn.
How do you think rewards should be given?
Is it responsible to give money to vulnerable clients
or are vouchers better? Are other rewards such as
training, work experience and references more
beneficial? What are the main issues? Does it make
a different if the service users are considered to be
‘working’ or volunteering? How have you / your
service users responded to being offered incentives
for your opinions?
When Crisis involves clients in one off activities, such as consultations or focus groups, we provide a cash gift or voucher in appreciation. This is not made in payment for work, so there is no risk of benefits being compromised.
We also encourage people to volunteer with us as
part of developing their skills, confidence or preparing
for employment (as trainees in our cafes, teaching
The main challenge with participatory work is engaging (and retaining) service users and making their engagement meaningful. Given that our services
are set in a context where young people are struggling
to meet their basic needs, remuneration through
vouchers is appropriate and effective, as monetary
payment can affect benefit payments in ways that
are undesirable. A range of opportunities, such as
learning and accreditation, portfolio-building and work
experience add value to the process of participating in
service delivery. However, the biggest reward for service
users is that, as a result of their involvement, people on
all levels actually change the way things happen; then
service users feel they are making a real and lasting
difference.
Certainly, service users should be involved in the development and, where possible, delivery of services, projects and enterprises. This avoids
assumptions, encourages ownership, builds
relationships and builds self esteem. A carefully
designed, clearly presented programme of rewards
can enhance that process and more. Effective reward
programmes address issues that all of us, not just service
users, face: particularly the desire to spend money on
things we want, but that we may not need and the
difficulties of saving for the future.
Reward schemes need to be comprehensive and
cover a number of objectives and areas. From
vouchers that can be cashed in for tools or leisure
activities to providing training and from delegating
responsibility to offering free lunches, each of these
has its place, but are best used in conjunction with
others and in a culture that both manages
expectations and encourages engagement.
A particular concern is that there is a danger inherent
in introducing rewards into any aspect of life and work
in order to change behaviour, that is that ‘market norms’
replace ‘social norms’. Having introduced rewards, it
may be extremely difficult to undo and to reintroduce
a behaviour or activity as one worth doing for social
reward only.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO CONTACT YOU WHEN OUR NEW ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM IS LIVE, PLEASE E MAIL [email protected]
Ligia Teixeira Crisis
Angus Kerr Project Co-ordinator on Centrepoint’s Youth Educators Programme (YEP)
Steve Coles Social Enterprise Development Manager at the Salvation Army
Tameside’s Supporting People’ Service User Involvement Strategy
Tameside recognises, values and rewards the contribution of service users in a number of ways, including:
• Introducing systems that ensure feedback from service users is fed into the Supporting People Strategy review
• Feeding service users preferred means of communication into the Communications Strategy
• Choosing only the highest quality venues and refreshments when hosting events
• Inviting service users to key events such as launches
• Free training for service users
• ‘Paying’ peer reviewers for their time - normally consisting of a £10 gift voucher of the user’s choice per half day to attend events and meetings, to deliver training and to produce work plans – as above
• Organising transport and paying for transport costs, as appropriate
• Providing child care facilities, where appropriate
• Recording thanks for contributions made by service users, both individually and in appropriate publications
assistants or helping out with events or in head office)
and then we just pay expenses so as to not affect
benefit entitlements.
For regular work, such as becoming a peer researcher
or taking photographs at events, we tend to offer
payment and the client is given terms and conditions,
just like any other member of staff.
Sadly, benefits rules do make payments problematic
and charities are right to be concerned about this -
clear information and advice is needed and better
liaison with Job Centre Plus to prevent breaching
benefit conditions.
Ultimately, however, the role that getting clients
nvolved can play in helping them gain confidence,
skills and prepare for employment needs to be
recognised within the benefits system - Crisis will
continue to campaign for such reform.
how shouLD serVice users Be rewArDeD for their pArticipAtion in DeVeLopinG serVices?
8 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
COMMENT CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 9
COMMENTCONNECT | AUTUMN 2009
When aiming for meaningful service user involvement; how can we ensure that people feel they and the time they’ve spent are valued? We want to discover your views on how service users should be rewarded for their participation in developing services. In this issue Crisis, Centrepoint and the Salvation Army offer their views and opinions. We will be following this up with an online debate in the autumn.
How do you think rewards should be given?
Is it responsible to give money to vulnerable clients
or are vouchers better? Are other rewards such as
training, work experience and references more
beneficial? What are the main issues? Does it make
a different if the service users are considered to be
‘working’ or volunteering? How have you / your
service users responded to being offered incentives
for your opinions?
When Crisis involves clients in one off activities, such as consultations or focus groups, we provide a cash gift or voucher in appreciation. This is not made in payment for work, so there is no risk of benefits being compromised.
We also encourage people to volunteer with us as
part of developing their skills, confidence or preparing
for employment (as trainees in our cafes, teaching
The main challenge with participatory work is engaging (and retaining) service users and making their engagement meaningful. Given that our services
are set in a context where young people are struggling
to meet their basic needs, remuneration through
vouchers is appropriate and effective, as monetary
payment can affect benefit payments in ways that
are undesirable. A range of opportunities, such as
learning and accreditation, portfolio-building and work
experience add value to the process of participating in
service delivery. However, the biggest reward for service
users is that, as a result of their involvement, people on
all levels actually change the way things happen; then
service users feel they are making a real and lasting
difference.
Certainly, service users should be involved in the development and, where possible, delivery of services, projects and enterprises. This avoids
assumptions, encourages ownership, builds
relationships and builds self esteem. A carefully
designed, clearly presented programme of rewards
can enhance that process and more. Effective reward
programmes address issues that all of us, not just service
users, face: particularly the desire to spend money on
things we want, but that we may not need and the
difficulties of saving for the future.
Reward schemes need to be comprehensive and
cover a number of objectives and areas. From
vouchers that can be cashed in for tools or leisure
activities to providing training and from delegating
responsibility to offering free lunches, each of these
has its place, but are best used in conjunction with
others and in a culture that both manages
expectations and encourages engagement.
A particular concern is that there is a danger inherent
in introducing rewards into any aspect of life and work
in order to change behaviour, that is that ‘market norms’
replace ‘social norms’. Having introduced rewards, it
may be extremely difficult to undo and to reintroduce
a behaviour or activity as one worth doing for social
reward only.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO CONTACT YOU WHEN OUR NEW ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM IS LIVE, PLEASE E MAIL [email protected]
Ligia Teixeira Crisis
Angus Kerr Project Co-ordinator on Centrepoint’s Youth Educators Programme (YEP)
Steve Coles Social Enterprise Development Manager at the Salvation Army
Tameside’s Supporting People’ Service User Involvement Strategy
Tameside recognises, values and rewards the contribution of service users in a number of ways, including:
• Introducing systems that ensure feedback from service users is fed into the Supporting People Strategy review
• Feeding service users preferred means of communication into the Communications Strategy
• Choosing only the highest quality venues and refreshments when hosting events
• Inviting service users to key events such as launches
• Free training for service users
• ‘Paying’ peer reviewers for their time - normally consisting of a £10 gift voucher of the user’s choice per half day to attend events and meetings, to deliver training and to produce work plans – as above
• Organising transport and paying for transport costs, as appropriate
• Providing child care facilities, where appropriate
• Recording thanks for contributions made by service users, both individually and in appropriate publications
assistants or helping out with events or in head office)
and then we just pay expenses so as to not affect
benefit entitlements.
For regular work, such as becoming a peer researcher
or taking photographs at events, we tend to offer
payment and the client is given terms and conditions,
just like any other member of staff.
Sadly, benefits rules do make payments problematic
and charities are right to be concerned about this -
clear information and advice is needed and better
liaison with Job Centre Plus to prevent breaching
benefit conditions.
Ultimately, however, the role that getting clients
nvolved can play in helping them gain confidence,
skills and prepare for employment needs to be
recognised within the benefits system - Crisis will
continue to campaign for such reform.
how shouLD serVice users Be rewArDeD for their pArticipAtion in DeVeLopinG serVices?
10 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 11
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
THE qUESTION OF ‘WHY CLIENT INVOLVEMENT’ COMES BACK TO WHY WE PROVIDE SERVICES FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE AT ALL. SIMONE HELLEREN & ATHOL HALLE FROM GROUNDSWELL REVIEW HOW ULTIMATELY MOST ORGANISATIONS WORKING FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE HAVE IT AT THEIR HEART TO SUPPORT PEOPLE TO LIVE AS INDEPENDENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
To begin with involving people might seem impossible
and a frustrating waste of time for both worker and
client. With the most chaotic clients it might be the
simplest things: encouraging a client to decide between
morning or afternoon meetings with their key worker.
Then, as clients become more able to take in
information and make decisions, more complicated and
risky opportunities should be available: learning about
the benefits system, and encouraging people
to fill in their own forms.
“I don’t do anything by myself. It’s pathetic. I find it really embarrassing and I usually say I can’t be bothered and that gets me off the hook rather than going into long explanations. But I am bothered and I don’t want these feelings over my head.”
Our tendency can be to fill in someone’s forms for them,
thinking we are being helpful, but ultimately will that best
enable them to stand on their own two feet again? Give
a man a fish, and he has a meal, give a man a life skills
class in personal budgeting and cooking, and he can
go down to Tesco and make a Tuna salad.
Whether simple or complex, each of these experiences
adds up to more time back into the driver’s seat of your
own life again, and better equips you for when you are
eventually ready to zoom off into the sunset.
“...because a lot of people that actually do become homeless or are homeless tend to lack some form of ... mental state where they know what to do when they are actually living in their own flat... teach people how to pay bills on time and how to be... you know what I mean, how to be a person in a way. How to live.”
Deliver a quality service
You need to consult everyone with expertise in order
to create a quality service. That means managers who
have the removed overview, frontline staff with their day
to day interactions with clients, and, of course, clients
themselves, who often know best what they really need.
Involvement is about creating consultation approaches
and decision making structures that enables all these
different expertises to combine.
A range of techniques is a good way to ensure a range
of voices are heard. If you are running a consultation
on, say, the redesign of the dining room, if you just do an
open meeting, then only those confident to speak up
will be heard. If you just do a written questionnaire, you
might exclude those with basic skills issues.
So think about a range of ways for people to
give their voice. “Everyone’s got something different that they can give.”
Start from what people care about. A trainer with Groundswell, Jimmy Carlson, tells of a
hostel he was in where every morning they would serve
up burnt sausages – every morning he complained
and nothing got done for years. The hostel ended
up having a successful client run shop, but that only
flourished after they sorted the sausages. You have
to presume that people who end up in homelessness
services have a strong track record of being let down
by people. So if you want to break that cycle, before
you do anything else - stop burning the sausages!
People will get involved if it taps into something they
care about – it might be interviewing staff, producing a
newsletter or getting in the kitchen to make sure those
sausages do not get burnt. Our research across the
country consistently says that people “want to help
other people experiencing homelessness” and “want
to give something back”. So people will get involved if
they are offered the opportunities in the areas that they
care about.
Moving involvement out of your service and into the community
Most local authorities are creating new opportunities
for local residents to get involved in community initiatives
left right and centre. Your projects and your clients are
a part of the community too, so encouraging people to
get engaged with their communities, is an extra level of
involvement, another opportunity to contribute.
Involvement is about giving people the chance to
make a contribution: to their own care, to their service
or to their community. Giving someone the opportunity
to give something back is the most powerful thing you
can do to support people on their journey out of
homelessness.
Hot Tip: We recommend you check out Mike Seal’s
new book on client involvement in supported housing “Not about us, without us.”
If you would like to discuss delivering a client audit for your service, then get in touch. All quotes are from Groundswell Peer Research projects. [email protected] [email protected]
Try thinking about delivering your service without involvement: “I am going to support this person to be as independent as possible and I am going to prevent them from being actively involved in their own care?” It just does not make sense! So the ‘why’ is the easy bit, it’s the ‘how’ that can be tricky.
Client Involvement or participation is not some
management speak fad – it has a long and illustrious
history with highlights including: the wonderfully named
‘Alleged Lunatics Friends Society’, a campaigning
organisation formed by ex-patients, who in 1845
extricated the poet John Clare from a Victorian
asylum; and of course a central role in the civil and
welfare rights movements of the 1960s.
Client Involvement in layers
One way to think about involvement is to look at it
in layers – starting with involvement in your own care,
then involvement in the services you use and finally
involvement in the wider community.
whY cLient inVoLVeMent?
Peer research in action. Photo Ivor Prickett
10 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 11
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
THE qUESTION OF ‘WHY CLIENT INVOLVEMENT’ COMES BACK TO WHY WE PROVIDE SERVICES FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE AT ALL. SIMONE HELLEREN & ATHOL HALLE FROM GROUNDSWELL REVIEW HOW ULTIMATELY MOST ORGANISATIONS WORKING FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE HAVE IT AT THEIR HEART TO SUPPORT PEOPLE TO LIVE AS INDEPENDENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
To begin with involving people might seem impossible
and a frustrating waste of time for both worker and
client. With the most chaotic clients it might be the
simplest things: encouraging a client to decide between
morning or afternoon meetings with their key worker.
Then, as clients become more able to take in
information and make decisions, more complicated and
risky opportunities should be available: learning about
the benefits system, and encouraging people
to fill in their own forms.
“I don’t do anything by myself. It’s pathetic. I find it really embarrassing and I usually say I can’t be bothered and that gets me off the hook rather than going into long explanations. But I am bothered and I don’t want these feelings over my head.”
Our tendency can be to fill in someone’s forms for them,
thinking we are being helpful, but ultimately will that best
enable them to stand on their own two feet again? Give
a man a fish, and he has a meal, give a man a life skills
class in personal budgeting and cooking, and he can
go down to Tesco and make a Tuna salad.
Whether simple or complex, each of these experiences
adds up to more time back into the driver’s seat of your
own life again, and better equips you for when you are
eventually ready to zoom off into the sunset.
“...because a lot of people that actually do become homeless or are homeless tend to lack some form of ... mental state where they know what to do when they are actually living in their own flat... teach people how to pay bills on time and how to be... you know what I mean, how to be a person in a way. How to live.”
Deliver a quality service
You need to consult everyone with expertise in order
to create a quality service. That means managers who
have the removed overview, frontline staff with their day
to day interactions with clients, and, of course, clients
themselves, who often know best what they really need.
Involvement is about creating consultation approaches
and decision making structures that enables all these
different expertises to combine.
A range of techniques is a good way to ensure a range
of voices are heard. If you are running a consultation
on, say, the redesign of the dining room, if you just do an
open meeting, then only those confident to speak up
will be heard. If you just do a written questionnaire, you
might exclude those with basic skills issues.
So think about a range of ways for people to
give their voice. “Everyone’s got something different that they can give.”
Start from what people care about. A trainer with Groundswell, Jimmy Carlson, tells of a
hostel he was in where every morning they would serve
up burnt sausages – every morning he complained
and nothing got done for years. The hostel ended
up having a successful client run shop, but that only
flourished after they sorted the sausages. You have
to presume that people who end up in homelessness
services have a strong track record of being let down
by people. So if you want to break that cycle, before
you do anything else - stop burning the sausages!
People will get involved if it taps into something they
care about – it might be interviewing staff, producing a
newsletter or getting in the kitchen to make sure those
sausages do not get burnt. Our research across the
country consistently says that people “want to help
other people experiencing homelessness” and “want
to give something back”. So people will get involved if
they are offered the opportunities in the areas that they
care about.
Moving involvement out of your service and into the community
Most local authorities are creating new opportunities
for local residents to get involved in community initiatives
left right and centre. Your projects and your clients are
a part of the community too, so encouraging people to
get engaged with their communities, is an extra level of
involvement, another opportunity to contribute.
Involvement is about giving people the chance to
make a contribution: to their own care, to their service
or to their community. Giving someone the opportunity
to give something back is the most powerful thing you
can do to support people on their journey out of
homelessness.
Hot Tip: We recommend you check out Mike Seal’s
new book on client involvement in supported housing “Not about us, without us.”
If you would like to discuss delivering a client audit for your service, then get in touch. All quotes are from Groundswell Peer Research projects. [email protected] [email protected]
Try thinking about delivering your service without involvement: “I am going to support this person to be as independent as possible and I am going to prevent them from being actively involved in their own care?” It just does not make sense! So the ‘why’ is the easy bit, it’s the ‘how’ that can be tricky.
Client Involvement or participation is not some
management speak fad – it has a long and illustrious
history with highlights including: the wonderfully named
‘Alleged Lunatics Friends Society’, a campaigning
organisation formed by ex-patients, who in 1845
extricated the poet John Clare from a Victorian
asylum; and of course a central role in the civil and
welfare rights movements of the 1960s.
Client Involvement in layers
One way to think about involvement is to look at it
in layers – starting with involvement in your own care,
then involvement in the services you use and finally
involvement in the wider community.
whY cLient inVoLVeMent?
Peer research in action. Photo Ivor Prickett
12 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
FEATURES CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 13
YounG forces for chAnGeYOUNG PEOPLE HAVE A UNIqUE PERSPECTIVE THAT CANNOT BE FOUND ELSEWHERE. THEIR IDEAS, COMMITMENT AND ENERGY ARE A FORCE FOR CHANGE AND CAN HELP IMPROVE THE SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TAMZIN TAYLOR-ROSSER, COORDINATOR OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH REFERENCE GROUP (NYRG), LOOKS AT THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN POLICY AND PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT.
Formed in 2008 the NYRG is made up of young people aged 16-25 from England, who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. The project is
funded by the Department for Communities and Local
Government and is led by St Basils. To date there are 35
young people signed up to this initiative. They aretravelling
all over the country influencing and impacting on Local
Authorities and housing providers to increase opportunities
for young people to be involved in housing–related issues
and in developing new services for their peers.
Iain Wright MP, formerly Minister with responsibility for
homelessness, recognised the importance of young
people’s involvement in matters that impacted on their
lives. At the launch of the NYRG he said:
“Each individual service knows what it does to support
a young person, but only the young person knows how it
felt, if it was at the right place and the right time, if it made
sense with what other agencies were doing, and if the
combined effect actually helped them resolve their
problems and move on to where they needed to be in life.
Young people who have experienced homelessness, and
used services, have a wisdom that those of us responsible
for planning and delivering services need to listen to if we
want to transform lives.”
Having a National Conversation
Young people from the NYRG have been a part of the
National Conversation, the initiative led by the TSA. The
National Conversation provided the young people with
an opportunity to get involved in shaping new Housing
Management Standards for Registered Providers.
“The National Conversation was a fantastic opportunity
for us to say what is important to us and what housing
associations need to improve, as well as what they are
doing well. Feeding into National Conversation has given
us a chance to put our views across. It’s important to seek
the views of young people as we are the future”
Kat McArdle NYRG Member
“I love getting involved because it gives me a great
opportunity to help others and to learn new things.
I love speaking out to a variety of people using my own
experiences in conferences. We also go to different
places around the country. It’s something I am
passionate about and enjoy doing it.
Kaylie Coombes YWCA West Kent
“The NYRG is about improving opportunities of
Involvement for young people all over the country and
for me that is the key thing that will change the lives of
many who faces homelessness. I am really proud to be
members of NYRG, as I’m representing the young people
at a National Level. NYRG has many benefits such as
training, meeting many youths who are in the same
situation as you and its also fun travelling around the
country. To put it simple INVOLVEMENT IS POWER”.
Alan Tien St Basils
The NYRG’s top 10 steps to success for organisations
1. Take risks and involve us 2. Find out HOW we want to be involved 3. You need to be creative and flexible 4. Be prepared to listen to us on an individual basis 5. If something does not work don’t give up on us
6. Use as many forms of communication as possible 7. FEEDBACK is the key to ‘successful’ Involvement 8. Young people need to see the IMPACT of their involvement 9. REWARD young people for their involvement 10. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW
NYRG’s perspective on what young people need from organisations…
• You need to be confident in our ability • You need to know that sometimes we know best • You need to support us with the RIGHT staff • You need to create opportunities and make them accessible • You need to communicate with us and enable us to
communicate with you• You need to care about our lives • You need to remember involvement benefits us all • You need to offer us incentives • You need to get involved too
The National Youth Reference Group can also help
and support your organisation. We are looking for
organisations to submit “Good Practice Materials”
on Youth Involvement. Don’t miss out on this unique
opportunity. Please contact [email protected].
Members from the National Youth Reference Group strike a pose after a consultation at the CLG’s head office in London. Photo NYRG, St Basil’s
12 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
FEATURES CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 13
YounG forces for chAnGeYOUNG PEOPLE HAVE A UNIqUE PERSPECTIVE THAT CANNOT BE FOUND ELSEWHERE. THEIR IDEAS, COMMITMENT AND ENERGY ARE A FORCE FOR CHANGE AND CAN HELP IMPROVE THE SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TAMZIN TAYLOR-ROSSER, COORDINATOR OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH REFERENCE GROUP (NYRG), LOOKS AT THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN POLICY AND PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT.
Formed in 2008 the NYRG is made up of young people aged 16-25 from England, who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. The project is
funded by the Department for Communities and Local
Government and is led by St Basils. To date there are 35
young people signed up to this initiative. They aretravelling
all over the country influencing and impacting on Local
Authorities and housing providers to increase opportunities
for young people to be involved in housing–related issues
and in developing new services for their peers.
Iain Wright MP, formerly Minister with responsibility for
homelessness, recognised the importance of young
people’s involvement in matters that impacted on their
lives. At the launch of the NYRG he said:
“Each individual service knows what it does to support
a young person, but only the young person knows how it
felt, if it was at the right place and the right time, if it made
sense with what other agencies were doing, and if the
combined effect actually helped them resolve their
problems and move on to where they needed to be in life.
Young people who have experienced homelessness, and
used services, have a wisdom that those of us responsible
for planning and delivering services need to listen to if we
want to transform lives.”
Having a National Conversation
Young people from the NYRG have been a part of the
National Conversation, the initiative led by the TSA. The
National Conversation provided the young people with
an opportunity to get involved in shaping new Housing
Management Standards for Registered Providers.
“The National Conversation was a fantastic opportunity
for us to say what is important to us and what housing
associations need to improve, as well as what they are
doing well. Feeding into National Conversation has given
us a chance to put our views across. It’s important to seek
the views of young people as we are the future”
Kat McArdle NYRG Member
“I love getting involved because it gives me a great
opportunity to help others and to learn new things.
I love speaking out to a variety of people using my own
experiences in conferences. We also go to different
places around the country. It’s something I am
passionate about and enjoy doing it.
Kaylie Coombes YWCA West Kent
“The NYRG is about improving opportunities of
Involvement for young people all over the country and
for me that is the key thing that will change the lives of
many who faces homelessness. I am really proud to be
members of NYRG, as I’m representing the young people
at a National Level. NYRG has many benefits such as
training, meeting many youths who are in the same
situation as you and its also fun travelling around the
country. To put it simple INVOLVEMENT IS POWER”.
Alan Tien St Basils
The NYRG’s top 10 steps to success for organisations
1. Take risks and involve us 2. Find out HOW we want to be involved 3. You need to be creative and flexible 4. Be prepared to listen to us on an individual basis 5. If something does not work don’t give up on us
6. Use as many forms of communication as possible 7. FEEDBACK is the key to ‘successful’ Involvement 8. Young people need to see the IMPACT of their involvement 9. REWARD young people for their involvement 10. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW
NYRG’s perspective on what young people need from organisations…
• You need to be confident in our ability • You need to know that sometimes we know best • You need to support us with the RIGHT staff • You need to create opportunities and make them accessible • You need to communicate with us and enable us to
communicate with you• You need to care about our lives • You need to remember involvement benefits us all • You need to offer us incentives • You need to get involved too
The National Youth Reference Group can also help
and support your organisation. We are looking for
organisations to submit “Good Practice Materials”
on Youth Involvement. Don’t miss out on this unique
opportunity. Please contact [email protected].
Members from the National Youth Reference Group strike a pose after a consultation at the CLG’s head office in London. Photo NYRG, St Basil’s
14 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 15
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
The message I would like to give all of you out there is GET INVOLVED! It may be that you are thinking – What can I contribute?
Well, I may be the Director of this organisation, but I
could not steer it in the direction we need to go without
our Management Committee and staff. The knowledge
that people have about how they have been treated
within mental health services – both good and bad –
keeps HUBB as an organisation true to its roots and its
membership. The service user Committee gives us an
authenticity that people recognise, and you can only
get that from people who have had real experiences.
All HUBB’s Management Committee – apart from one
co-opted member - has used or still uses mental health
services. We have a Committee meeting once a month
where I report on the day to day affairs of running HUBB
and flag up areas in the wider mental health world that
the Committee may be interested in getting involved in.
People can become Committee members by first
becoming a member of HUBB. It only costs £1 to join.
This sum is deliberately low so it is affordable for the
majority of our members who are on benefits. Members
receive our monthly newsletter which covers local and
national items of interest, and the chance to join the
Committee in September every year.
All Committee members have training and support to
carry out their role, but they do need to pass a standard
Criminal Records Bureau check, to satisfy the Charity
Commission’s requirements. They are paid reasonable
expenses – fares to meetings, refreshments etc.
Some of the HUBB staff have used, and currently use,
mental health services. Again, with advocacy or
training, having a personal knowledge of using
services is invaluable. Staff can then offer peer support,
understand some of the issues, and also act as role
models for other people who are unwell.
There are many challenges to getting people involved.
People worry that they do not have the skills; they
worry about being unwell and unable to contribute.
Conversely some people worry about being seen as
well by the Department of Work and Pensions, and
that being involved will lead to losing benefit. This has
not happened to any of our Committee members, or
staff. All these concerns can be worked through, and
support can be given.
HUBB would not exist as an authentic user group
without the involvement of our members. This must be
the same for many charities in the homeless sector.
Your involvement is vital. You may have concerns, but
support is available. Without your involvement, services
will not improve, and who knows, it may lead you down
a whole new area in your life. GET INVOLVED!
JENNY GRAY, DIRECTOR OF HUBB, A LEADING MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY IN EAST LONDON, SENDS A ‘GET INVOLVED’ MESSAGE TO SERVICE USERS. PEOPLE WHO USE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING HUBB STARTED EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO.
The first involvement institution in Hestia was the founding
of the “Better Lives Forum” (BLF) which meets 6 times
per year and is run by 4 elected Service User officers.
This is what some of the officers said:
“The BLF has become stronger and more successful
over the 2 years I was the Chair. More people are coming
to meetings and more people are involved in the voting
process for the new officers. There have also been some
very significant changes in Hestia’s procedures as a result
of consultation with service users.” Patrick
“After some time spent in hospital, I started receiving
support from Hestia. Firstly I was reluctant to join the
BLF, as I was worried that the responsibility would be too
much for me. But everyone has been terrific in helping
me develop into the person I am today, my confidence
has grown and I’ve stayed out of hospital for the whole
period. The Better Lives Forum has helped me to feel
more positive.” Steve
Over the last few years more and more involvement
activities have grown:
• A Service User Policy Group - A strong group of
Service Users who look at policies and procedures
and give feedback on them. Many procedures
have been changed through his process.
• Service User Newsletters - A group of Service User editors
meets regularly to produce the quarterly Newsletters.
• Service User Inspectors visit Hestia’s projects as part of
internal inspections, speak to service users to gather
their feedback on the service they receive. Issues that
arise are taken forward and addressed.
• Service Users involvement in recruitment - Service
Users are involved in staff recruitment and we offer
professional training to those that are interested
to sit on interview panels.
• Service User Trainer group. A group of Service Users
that have been trained to facilitate training to staff
and other Service Users.
We have seen a change in the way we do SUI in
the organisation and realised that we have to review
structures frequently. Hestia supports service users from
many different backgrounds and we know that we
have to offer each group activities that are relevant
to them to have a successful involvement structure.
T. Nebel, SUI Worker, Hestia
“Before starting to get involved, I often felt that I just
wanted to be left alone. I then volunteered to help
distributing Hestia’s Newsletter. At first I was reluctant, but
soon I realized it motivated me to go out, do things, and
most important built my confidence and relation with
other people. I was offered a work placement in the
finance team and I gladly accepted it. The world
opened new doors for me and it wasn’t all grey and
black anymore.” Women’s Aid Service User
For more information, visit www.hestia.org
HESTIA HAS WORKED HARD OVER THE YEARS TO ESTABLISH A SOLID SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT (SUI) STRUCTURE REACHING INTO MANY AREAS OF THE ORGANISATION. WE BELIEVE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT USE OUR SERVICES HOLD THE KEY AND THAT THEY CAN AND WILL TELL US WHAT THEY NEED IF GIVEN THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE AND SITUATION TO DO SO.
14 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
Get inVoLVeD! serVice user inVoLVeMent – the KeY thAt opens new Doors
Jenny Gray at HUBB’s AGM in September. Photo Hubb
14 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 15
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
The message I would like to give all of you out there is GET INVOLVED! It may be that you are thinking – What can I contribute?
Well, I may be the Director of this organisation, but I
could not steer it in the direction we need to go without
our Management Committee and staff. The knowledge
that people have about how they have been treated
within mental health services – both good and bad –
keeps HUBB as an organisation true to its roots and its
membership. The service user Committee gives us an
authenticity that people recognise, and you can only
get that from people who have had real experiences.
All HUBB’s Management Committee – apart from one
co-opted member - has used or still uses mental health
services. We have a Committee meeting once a month
where I report on the day to day affairs of running HUBB
and flag up areas in the wider mental health world that
the Committee may be interested in getting involved in.
People can become Committee members by first
becoming a member of HUBB. It only costs £1 to join.
This sum is deliberately low so it is affordable for the
majority of our members who are on benefits. Members
receive our monthly newsletter which covers local and
national items of interest, and the chance to join the
Committee in September every year.
All Committee members have training and support to
carry out their role, but they do need to pass a standard
Criminal Records Bureau check, to satisfy the Charity
Commission’s requirements. They are paid reasonable
expenses – fares to meetings, refreshments etc.
Some of the HUBB staff have used, and currently use,
mental health services. Again, with advocacy or
training, having a personal knowledge of using
services is invaluable. Staff can then offer peer support,
understand some of the issues, and also act as role
models for other people who are unwell.
There are many challenges to getting people involved.
People worry that they do not have the skills; they
worry about being unwell and unable to contribute.
Conversely some people worry about being seen as
well by the Department of Work and Pensions, and
that being involved will lead to losing benefit. This has
not happened to any of our Committee members, or
staff. All these concerns can be worked through, and
support can be given.
HUBB would not exist as an authentic user group
without the involvement of our members. This must be
the same for many charities in the homeless sector.
Your involvement is vital. You may have concerns, but
support is available. Without your involvement, services
will not improve, and who knows, it may lead you down
a whole new area in your life. GET INVOLVED!
JENNY GRAY, DIRECTOR OF HUBB, A LEADING MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY IN EAST LONDON, SENDS A ‘GET INVOLVED’ MESSAGE TO SERVICE USERS. PEOPLE WHO USE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING HUBB STARTED EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO.
The first involvement institution in Hestia was the founding
of the “Better Lives Forum” (BLF) which meets 6 times
per year and is run by 4 elected Service User officers.
This is what some of the officers said:
“The BLF has become stronger and more successful
over the 2 years I was the Chair. More people are coming
to meetings and more people are involved in the voting
process for the new officers. There have also been some
very significant changes in Hestia’s procedures as a result
of consultation with service users.” Patrick
“After some time spent in hospital, I started receiving
support from Hestia. Firstly I was reluctant to join the
BLF, as I was worried that the responsibility would be too
much for me. But everyone has been terrific in helping
me develop into the person I am today, my confidence
has grown and I’ve stayed out of hospital for the whole
period. The Better Lives Forum has helped me to feel
more positive.” Steve
Over the last few years more and more involvement
activities have grown:
• A Service User Policy Group - A strong group of
Service Users who look at policies and procedures
and give feedback on them. Many procedures
have been changed through his process.
• Service User Newsletters - A group of Service User editors
meets regularly to produce the quarterly Newsletters.
• Service User Inspectors visit Hestia’s projects as part of
internal inspections, speak to service users to gather
their feedback on the service they receive. Issues that
arise are taken forward and addressed.
• Service Users involvement in recruitment - Service
Users are involved in staff recruitment and we offer
professional training to those that are interested
to sit on interview panels.
• Service User Trainer group. A group of Service Users
that have been trained to facilitate training to staff
and other Service Users.
We have seen a change in the way we do SUI in
the organisation and realised that we have to review
structures frequently. Hestia supports service users from
many different backgrounds and we know that we
have to offer each group activities that are relevant
to them to have a successful involvement structure.
T. Nebel, SUI Worker, Hestia
“Before starting to get involved, I often felt that I just
wanted to be left alone. I then volunteered to help
distributing Hestia’s Newsletter. At first I was reluctant, but
soon I realized it motivated me to go out, do things, and
most important built my confidence and relation with
other people. I was offered a work placement in the
finance team and I gladly accepted it. The world
opened new doors for me and it wasn’t all grey and
black anymore.” Women’s Aid Service User
For more information, visit www.hestia.org
HESTIA HAS WORKED HARD OVER THE YEARS TO ESTABLISH A SOLID SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT (SUI) STRUCTURE REACHING INTO MANY AREAS OF THE ORGANISATION. WE BELIEVE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT USE OUR SERVICES HOLD THE KEY AND THAT THEY CAN AND WILL TELL US WHAT THEY NEED IF GIVEN THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE AND SITUATION TO DO SO.
14 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK
Get inVoLVeD! serVice user inVoLVeMent – the KeY thAt opens new Doors
Jenny Gray at HUBB’s AGM in September. Photo Hubb
16 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 17
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
teMpLAtes for success
The trial began in 2005, with a survey carried out in 2007.
Of the 26 people in treatment at the time, 12 were not
using at all after the trial, whereas before more than half
had been using seven days a week. Crack use had also
reduced, because service users were not being exposed
to dealers and their ‘clever marketing and two for one
deals,’ she said, and over the three-year trail period
there had been no drug-related deaths or criminal
justice incidents.
‘The way forward is for service users to ask joint
commissioners to start trials in their areas,’ she said.
‘It makes sense – it works, it saves lives.’
Counted4 is a tier 3 prescribing service in the north eas
that routinely employs drug users, and it was often asked
why, said drug worker and ex-service user Sharyn Smiles.
‘Drug users have invaluable experience of accessing
services, customers relate to them well, and they’re
good “interpreters” for GPs,’ she said. ‘Drug users are
willing to learn. They’re good, honest, reliable people
and very employable – they go that extra mile. I don’t
want a job because I used to stick a needle in my arm.
I want a job because I want to make a better life
for my family.’
Being able to provide for dependants and the sense of
achievement that goes with it was one of the recurrent
themes in feedback from service users, said Counted4’s
Lisa Mallen, along with feeling part of society, doing
something worthwhile and being trusted and taken
seriously. Negative aspects included the attitudes of
some other employees, Criminal Records Bureau checks
and fitting work around accessing treatment. For the
employer, however, it also helped promote an attitude
of equality as well as improving retention rates,
providing a wealth of learning opportunities and
offering a new perspective.
‘Customers can engage and relate, and it also
inspires colleagues,’ said Lisa Mallen. It also helped
challenge attitudes – among GPs, for example –
and the perceptions of some partner agencies
around working with service users.
‘What I would say to employers is this,’ said Sharyn Smiles.
‘Try it – you might like it.’
IN MARCH 2009 DDN/ALLIANCE HELD THEIR SECOND SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT CONFERENCE IN BIRMINGHAM. THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN REPRODUCED FROM DDN, THE MAGAZINE FOR THE SUBSTANCE MISUSE FIELD, WITH THEIR KIND PERMISSION.
The day’s second session focused on some shining
examples of best practice, ranging from supplying
naloxone on an outreach basis to the benefits of
employing service users for both client and organisation.
The thing they all had in common, however, was the
central role of service users in shaping the agenda.
The session began with a look at alcohol detoxification
using monitored drinking. Caroline Thompson of
Nottingham-based Framework Housing, which specialises
in housing and support for homeless people, described
how her organisation was commissioned to provide a
‘sensible drinking service’, after a service user consultation
found that many clients did not want complete
abstinence. The service even provided the alcohol.
Clients were breathalysed on arrival, before being given
four units of alcohol at set intervals until reaching a breath
alcohol reading close to negative. There were a maximum
of five nights when alcohol could be consumed, and one
of the abstinent days had to be the day clients received
their benefits. The service would never be offered where
there could be potential physical or mental health
consequences, she said, and exclusion criteria included
use of benzodiazepines.
‘The aim is to comfortably achieve a negative breath
alcohol reading in the absence of physical withdrawal
symptoms, and to try and engage people in the positive
aspects of their treatment’ she said. It was a good way to
suppress withdrawal symptoms and increase self-efficacy
regarding future alcohol consumption, she said, and
worked better with younger service users, particularly
in conjunction with the organisation’s meaningful
occupation programmes.
‘For many people, this is a massive change,’ she said. ‘The
process is about people being in charge.’ The detox was
extremely safe and constantly monitored, as well as cost
effective, she said, and staff turnover was extremely low.
The service was also very popular with partner agencies,
including Nottingham DAT.
‘It’s service user led. We want service users to be happy,
and we offer choice. We also run an abstinence
programme side by side in the same environment,
and it works very well.’
Also service user driven was the Wiltshire naloxone pilot,
which saw the overdose-reversing drug supplied on an
outreach basis in 2007 (DDN, 12 January, page 12).
A multi-agency project, the aim was to not only to reduce
drug related deaths but also to raise awareness of
blood-borne viruses. A show of hands revealed that most
people in the audience knew someone who had died of
an overdose, and would have done something to help
had they had access to naloxone. Despite being safe and
effective, however, naloxone distribution remains patchy
(DDN, 1 December 2008, page12). The drug should be
freely available at needle exchanges, Wiltshire DAAT harm
reduction lead Mick Webb told delegates.
‘Why do we need to provide evidence that naloxone
works?’ he said. ‘It’s so frustrating. The stuff’s been used by
A&E departments and ambulance services for years to
save lives – it’s proven that it works.’
Meanwhile service user Cristina Lora told the conference
about the Random Injectable Opioid Treatment Trial
(RIOTT), where a third of those involved were provided
with injectable diamorphine, with access to doses of oral
methadone. The emphasis was on self-reporting, she said,
with meetings held every four weeks.
‘As a service user you always have to be economical with
the truth, but in the trial they really did believe us. They
would increase the dose instead of penalising people.’
DDN/Alliance’s service user involvement conference in Birmingham. Photo DDN
You can read more about the DDN/Alliance service user involvement conference findings here: www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/ ViewIssue.aspx?mag_id=99
16 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 17
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
teMpLAtes for success
The trial began in 2005, with a survey carried out in 2007.
Of the 26 people in treatment at the time, 12 were not
using at all after the trial, whereas before more than half
had been using seven days a week. Crack use had also
reduced, because service users were not being exposed
to dealers and their ‘clever marketing and two for one
deals,’ she said, and over the three-year trail period
there had been no drug-related deaths or criminal
justice incidents.
‘The way forward is for service users to ask joint
commissioners to start trials in their areas,’ she said.
‘It makes sense – it works, it saves lives.’
Counted4 is a tier 3 prescribing service in the north eas
that routinely employs drug users, and it was often asked
why, said drug worker and ex-service user Sharyn Smiles.
‘Drug users have invaluable experience of accessing
services, customers relate to them well, and they’re
good “interpreters” for GPs,’ she said. ‘Drug users are
willing to learn. They’re good, honest, reliable people
and very employable – they go that extra mile. I don’t
want a job because I used to stick a needle in my arm.
I want a job because I want to make a better life
for my family.’
Being able to provide for dependants and the sense of
achievement that goes with it was one of the recurrent
themes in feedback from service users, said Counted4’s
Lisa Mallen, along with feeling part of society, doing
something worthwhile and being trusted and taken
seriously. Negative aspects included the attitudes of
some other employees, Criminal Records Bureau checks
and fitting work around accessing treatment. For the
employer, however, it also helped promote an attitude
of equality as well as improving retention rates,
providing a wealth of learning opportunities and
offering a new perspective.
‘Customers can engage and relate, and it also
inspires colleagues,’ said Lisa Mallen. It also helped
challenge attitudes – among GPs, for example –
and the perceptions of some partner agencies
around working with service users.
‘What I would say to employers is this,’ said Sharyn Smiles.
‘Try it – you might like it.’
IN MARCH 2009 DDN/ALLIANCE HELD THEIR SECOND SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT CONFERENCE IN BIRMINGHAM. THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN REPRODUCED FROM DDN, THE MAGAZINE FOR THE SUBSTANCE MISUSE FIELD, WITH THEIR KIND PERMISSION.
The day’s second session focused on some shining
examples of best practice, ranging from supplying
naloxone on an outreach basis to the benefits of
employing service users for both client and organisation.
The thing they all had in common, however, was the
central role of service users in shaping the agenda.
The session began with a look at alcohol detoxification
using monitored drinking. Caroline Thompson of
Nottingham-based Framework Housing, which specialises
in housing and support for homeless people, described
how her organisation was commissioned to provide a
‘sensible drinking service’, after a service user consultation
found that many clients did not want complete
abstinence. The service even provided the alcohol.
Clients were breathalysed on arrival, before being given
four units of alcohol at set intervals until reaching a breath
alcohol reading close to negative. There were a maximum
of five nights when alcohol could be consumed, and one
of the abstinent days had to be the day clients received
their benefits. The service would never be offered where
there could be potential physical or mental health
consequences, she said, and exclusion criteria included
use of benzodiazepines.
‘The aim is to comfortably achieve a negative breath
alcohol reading in the absence of physical withdrawal
symptoms, and to try and engage people in the positive
aspects of their treatment’ she said. It was a good way to
suppress withdrawal symptoms and increase self-efficacy
regarding future alcohol consumption, she said, and
worked better with younger service users, particularly
in conjunction with the organisation’s meaningful
occupation programmes.
‘For many people, this is a massive change,’ she said. ‘The
process is about people being in charge.’ The detox was
extremely safe and constantly monitored, as well as cost
effective, she said, and staff turnover was extremely low.
The service was also very popular with partner agencies,
including Nottingham DAT.
‘It’s service user led. We want service users to be happy,
and we offer choice. We also run an abstinence
programme side by side in the same environment,
and it works very well.’
Also service user driven was the Wiltshire naloxone pilot,
which saw the overdose-reversing drug supplied on an
outreach basis in 2007 (DDN, 12 January, page 12).
A multi-agency project, the aim was to not only to reduce
drug related deaths but also to raise awareness of
blood-borne viruses. A show of hands revealed that most
people in the audience knew someone who had died of
an overdose, and would have done something to help
had they had access to naloxone. Despite being safe and
effective, however, naloxone distribution remains patchy
(DDN, 1 December 2008, page12). The drug should be
freely available at needle exchanges, Wiltshire DAAT harm
reduction lead Mick Webb told delegates.
‘Why do we need to provide evidence that naloxone
works?’ he said. ‘It’s so frustrating. The stuff’s been used by
A&E departments and ambulance services for years to
save lives – it’s proven that it works.’
Meanwhile service user Cristina Lora told the conference
about the Random Injectable Opioid Treatment Trial
(RIOTT), where a third of those involved were provided
with injectable diamorphine, with access to doses of oral
methadone. The emphasis was on self-reporting, she said,
with meetings held every four weeks.
‘As a service user you always have to be economical with
the truth, but in the trial they really did believe us. They
would increase the dose instead of penalising people.’
DDN/Alliance’s service user involvement conference in Birmingham. Photo DDN
You can read more about the DDN/Alliance service user involvement conference findings here: www.drinkanddrugsnews.com/ ViewIssue.aspx?mag_id=99
18 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 19
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
Y inVoLVe Me? EMMA FARROW, SOUTH LONDON YMCA’S FIRST
CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT MANAGER, WAS APPOINTED IN SEPTEMBER 2008. SHE HOPES THAT IN THE FUTURE THEY WILL BE AS WELL KNOWN FOR CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT AS FOR HOUSING SUPPORT.
‘ The first few steps we took were tentative but a year on we have built up momentum and we are striding towards customer involvement in all areas of our organisation’
South London YMCA (SLYMCA) is a housing association working in Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark providing almost 500 units of supported housing for vulnerable people. We offer a wide variety of accommodation from hostels for homeless people of all ages to individual placements for young people in local families through our innovative Community Host Scheme.
We are well known in the boroughs in which we work -
not just because of the iconic ‘Y’ logo that sits atop our
largest hostel in central Croydon - but because of the
sheer number of people we have worked with over the
years: the YMCA has been working in Croydon for almost
150 years. We hope in the future to be as well known
for Customer Involvement as housing support and in
September 2008 we took the first step towards
making this happen by creating the new post of
Customer Involvement Manager.
I was appointed to the role and I was excited about the
prospect of the new role and the new organisational
culture that wanted to put customers at the heart of
the work. For the past 12 months I have worked with
customers and staff to develop involvement across the
organisation. Many of our successes have only been
possible because of the dedication of the SLYMCA
customers who have worked with me and given up so
much of their time.
The first step we took towards involving our customers
was to produce our first customer involvement strategy,
which we called ‘Y involve me’. It focuses on the 5 key
areas we wanted to develop, namely:
• Communication • Support • Representation • Change • Improvement
– and outlined everything we planned to achieve.
We have had many successes over the past year.
Our customers are now involved in recruiting new staff
and representing us on regional and national fora.
We have also appointed our first customer Board
Member - a fantastic achievement which will have
a really positive impact on our organisation. We have
also set up a customer work station at our head office
which is helping to integrate customer involvement in
all aspects of our organisation.
SLYMCA’s Customer Involvement Manager and their first Trainee Supported Housing Worker talk to Croydon’s young people at ‘Put It Down Part 2’ an anti gun and knife crime eventPhoto South London YMCA
Externally, we have started raising our profile in the
local community. As part of a group of local housing
associations, we put on a high profile ‘anti gun and
knife crime’ event in Croydon in August 2009. We are
also providing training opportunities for our customers -
we were proud to become one of the pilot sites
working with Alcohol Concern and SMART Recovery
UK to train our customers to become SMART facilitators.
Our customers are now running weekly SMART meetings
– open to the wider local community - and drawing on
their experiences of recovery to support other people
battling addiction.
Despite our many successes we have encountered
inevitable challenges and have also learnt a lot – and
we continue to learn on a daily basis. In particular, we
underestimated the time it would take to achieve some
of the goals we set ourselves and were overly optimistic
in our enthusiasm to get things done!
But the future is looking bright and as well as publishing
our first organisational newsletter, and launching Ytext
and Ytype (our new text and email news services), we
are in the process of designing ‘The Living Room’, the
new customer only area of our website.
We are also piloting a customer trainee programme
and we are now advertising for our second trainee
housing support worker. We are planning to develop
the programme and roll it out across our organisation.
This is something we are really proud of and that
we know will have a really positive impact on our
organisation.
Our ultimate goal is to encourage more customers
to get involved and get on board with ‘Y involve me’, and we look forward to updating you on our progress
over coming months.
18 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 19
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
Y inVoLVe Me? EMMA FARROW, SOUTH LONDON YMCA’S FIRST
CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT MANAGER, WAS APPOINTED IN SEPTEMBER 2008. SHE HOPES THAT IN THE FUTURE THEY WILL BE AS WELL KNOWN FOR CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT AS FOR HOUSING SUPPORT.
‘ The first few steps we took were tentative but a year on we have built up momentum and we are striding towards customer involvement in all areas of our organisation’
South London YMCA (SLYMCA) is a housing association working in Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark providing almost 500 units of supported housing for vulnerable people. We offer a wide variety of accommodation from hostels for homeless people of all ages to individual placements for young people in local families through our innovative Community Host Scheme.
We are well known in the boroughs in which we work -
not just because of the iconic ‘Y’ logo that sits atop our
largest hostel in central Croydon - but because of the
sheer number of people we have worked with over the
years: the YMCA has been working in Croydon for almost
150 years. We hope in the future to be as well known
for Customer Involvement as housing support and in
September 2008 we took the first step towards
making this happen by creating the new post of
Customer Involvement Manager.
I was appointed to the role and I was excited about the
prospect of the new role and the new organisational
culture that wanted to put customers at the heart of
the work. For the past 12 months I have worked with
customers and staff to develop involvement across the
organisation. Many of our successes have only been
possible because of the dedication of the SLYMCA
customers who have worked with me and given up so
much of their time.
The first step we took towards involving our customers
was to produce our first customer involvement strategy,
which we called ‘Y involve me’. It focuses on the 5 key
areas we wanted to develop, namely:
• Communication • Support • Representation • Change • Improvement
– and outlined everything we planned to achieve.
We have had many successes over the past year.
Our customers are now involved in recruiting new staff
and representing us on regional and national fora.
We have also appointed our first customer Board
Member - a fantastic achievement which will have
a really positive impact on our organisation. We have
also set up a customer work station at our head office
which is helping to integrate customer involvement in
all aspects of our organisation.
SLYMCA’s Customer Involvement Manager and their first Trainee Supported Housing Worker talk to Croydon’s young people at ‘Put It Down Part 2’ an anti gun and knife crime eventPhoto South London YMCA
Externally, we have started raising our profile in the
local community. As part of a group of local housing
associations, we put on a high profile ‘anti gun and
knife crime’ event in Croydon in August 2009. We are
also providing training opportunities for our customers -
we were proud to become one of the pilot sites
working with Alcohol Concern and SMART Recovery
UK to train our customers to become SMART facilitators.
Our customers are now running weekly SMART meetings
– open to the wider local community - and drawing on
their experiences of recovery to support other people
battling addiction.
Despite our many successes we have encountered
inevitable challenges and have also learnt a lot – and
we continue to learn on a daily basis. In particular, we
underestimated the time it would take to achieve some
of the goals we set ourselves and were overly optimistic
in our enthusiasm to get things done!
But the future is looking bright and as well as publishing
our first organisational newsletter, and launching Ytext
and Ytype (our new text and email news services), we
are in the process of designing ‘The Living Room’, the
new customer only area of our website.
We are also piloting a customer trainee programme
and we are now advertising for our second trainee
housing support worker. We are planning to develop
the programme and roll it out across our organisation.
This is something we are really proud of and that
we know will have a really positive impact on our
organisation.
Our ultimate goal is to encourage more customers
to get involved and get on board with ‘Y involve me’, and we look forward to updating you on our progress
over coming months.
20 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 21
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
shArinG Best prActice on cLient inVoLVeMent
enGAGinG in poLicY MAtters
Since March last year Homeless Link has been
attending and offering strategic guidance to the
User Involvement Network Forum in London (UIN Forum).
The forum has been running for four years and includes
some of its original founders from organisations such as
SHP, Broadway and St Mungos. They originally started
the group when client involvement was new on the
agenda and new staff roles were created within
organisations to raise levels of client involvement.
Some of these members were at the forefront of
initiating client involvement within their organisations.
They worked on increasing participation on whole
range of levels - from hostel meetings and outings;
to involving clients in recruitment and audit panels;
and getting clients on organisational boards, for
example. The group is now an active network that
shares good practice, offers policy guidance and
holds regular presentations to demonstrate what
works when it comes to client involvement.
I was inspired by my conversation with Juliette Hough,
Research and Participation Officer at Broadway. She
has been heavily involved in the forum, and described
Broadway’s journey on client involvement since it
advertised a vacancy on its Board to clients in 2008.
“In 2008, Broadway advertised a vacancy on our Board
to clients. Paul Wilson’s support worker spoke to him
about it. He was already involved as a peer researcher
and sat on Broadway’s recruitment panels, and he had
expressed an interest in more involvement. He was
interviewed and joined the Board.”
Paul Wilson commented, “My role is the same as any
other Board member – to make sure the services are
running correctly, not losing money, and adhere to the
Broadway vision. The first Board meeting I went to was
brilliant. I was made to feel very, very welcome, and
I still am. My views and questions are listened to and
answered. I bring a client’s views”.
Ian Faulkner, Chair of Broadway’s Board, believes
Paul’s appointment is an extremely positive step for
Broadway’s governance and for its services to clients.
“We knew that experience of homelessness would
be a real asset to the Board. We now have that
experience on the Board and it is proving invaluable.
Paul has settled in to the role as well as any other
Board member, but he adds the missing dimension of
experience in a way that no amount of project visits
can. He has also given us a wider perspective of the
sector from his involvement and experience with other
service providers. His role on the Board and on our
Services Sub-committee has helped us to focus on the
client impact of our decisions in ways that we never
expected. A fantastic step forwards in the governance
of Broadway”
This is just one example of the ways in which clients
can be involved at all levels within an organisation.
It inspired Homeless Link to take more of an active role
itself and engage clients at a strategic level. The forum
highlighted that clients actually wanted their voices
heard on wider national policy issues, as well as on
organisational decisions.
Members of the forum continue to develop dynamic
methods that engage service users at all levels, leading
the way to ensure client involvement is encompassed
in all aspects of delivery. This includes initiatives such as
ensuring clients are involved in their actual support
planning; handing over budgets and venue
responsibilities to client led groups; producing client
led newsletters and internet forums; and involvement
in architectural consultations for new builds and
organisational audits. All these activities, will steer
the development of services for clients and improve our
sectors responses to homeless and vulnerable people.
If you want to know more about the forum contact [email protected]
A number of homeless agencies have been working hard for some time to develop mechanisms to engage homeless clients in policy discussions. This work provided Homeless Link and the Greater
London Authority (GLA) with the opportunity to
hold a Focus Group of 6 clients (all with a history of
homelessness) - representing their views and reflecting
the view of clients from the 5 organisations they
represent. The Focus Group came together in mid
August to discuss the public consultation of the
draft London Housing Strategy. With the strategy’s
consultation period finishing at the end of the month,
and the document’s coverage of rough sleeping and
wider homeless and housing issues, it could not have
been better timed.
Prior to the meeting a summary of the draft Strategy was
sent to members of the Focus Group to ensure they had
some background information on the issues under
discussion. At the meeting, the group debated some
of the key themes of the Strategy, such as housing
shortage and willingness to move to take up housing
opportunities; the choices and experience of the private
rented sector compared to social housing; who social
housing should be for; and what else needs to be done
to end rough sleeping and prevent the need to sleep
rough in the future.
The comments, opinions and suggestions that came
out in the discussion reflected many of the issues that
are currently being debated by government and
other policy makers. These included suggestions
from the group’s members that social rented sector
tenancies for life, and the prioritisation of new lettings
need to be looked at again in the light of so much
housing shortage.
The level of debate was both sophisticated and
challenging and balanced highlighting problems
with proposing solutions. The clients involved were
able to not only offer insights gained from their
experience of homelessness, but also, where
more appropriate, separate from their personal
experiences to express opinions on wider policy
issues. The exchanges were frank, informed and
invaluable for housing professionals who too rarely
sit down with those who use services, experience
housing need and feel the impact of policy decisions.
At the end of the meeting the clients present
agreed that the notes from the discussions would be
submitted as a collective response from them to the
London Housing Strategy consultation process. Indeed,
after the meeting Homeless Link received two sets of
further comments from clients who had not been able
to attend the Focus Group, but also wanted to be
involved. These were submitted as appendices to the
main response.
Nobody who attended this meeting could be under
any illusion that homeless people do not have plenty to
offer the policy-development process. Certainly not the
GLA who want to continue working with Homeless Link
to meet with the Focus Group, especially in relation
to the Mayor’s commitment to end rough sleeping.
The challenge for the rest of us is to make sure they are
given the opportunities for their voices to be heard.
JESSICA PLANT FROM HOMELESS LINK PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON THE USER INVOLVEMENT NETWORKFORUM, A STAFF LED FORUM FOR THOSE WHOSE ROLE INCLUDES CLIENT INVOLVEMENT IN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS.
SIMON CRIBBENS FROM THE GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY (GLA) AND HOMELESS LINK’S PAUL ANDERSON REVIEW THE FIRST SERVICE USER CONSULTATION ON THE MAYOR OF LONDON’S DRAFT HOUSING STRATEGY.
Simon at the service user consultation meeting in August. Photo Homeless Link
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 21
20 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 21
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
shArinG Best prActice on cLient inVoLVeMent
enGAGinG in poLicY MAtters
Since March last year Homeless Link has been
attending and offering strategic guidance to the
User Involvement Network Forum in London (UIN Forum).
The forum has been running for four years and includes
some of its original founders from organisations such as
SHP, Broadway and St Mungos. They originally started
the group when client involvement was new on the
agenda and new staff roles were created within
organisations to raise levels of client involvement.
Some of these members were at the forefront of
initiating client involvement within their organisations.
They worked on increasing participation on whole
range of levels - from hostel meetings and outings;
to involving clients in recruitment and audit panels;
and getting clients on organisational boards, for
example. The group is now an active network that
shares good practice, offers policy guidance and
holds regular presentations to demonstrate what
works when it comes to client involvement.
I was inspired by my conversation with Juliette Hough,
Research and Participation Officer at Broadway. She
has been heavily involved in the forum, and described
Broadway’s journey on client involvement since it
advertised a vacancy on its Board to clients in 2008.
“In 2008, Broadway advertised a vacancy on our Board
to clients. Paul Wilson’s support worker spoke to him
about it. He was already involved as a peer researcher
and sat on Broadway’s recruitment panels, and he had
expressed an interest in more involvement. He was
interviewed and joined the Board.”
Paul Wilson commented, “My role is the same as any
other Board member – to make sure the services are
running correctly, not losing money, and adhere to the
Broadway vision. The first Board meeting I went to was
brilliant. I was made to feel very, very welcome, and
I still am. My views and questions are listened to and
answered. I bring a client’s views”.
Ian Faulkner, Chair of Broadway’s Board, believes
Paul’s appointment is an extremely positive step for
Broadway’s governance and for its services to clients.
“We knew that experience of homelessness would
be a real asset to the Board. We now have that
experience on the Board and it is proving invaluable.
Paul has settled in to the role as well as any other
Board member, but he adds the missing dimension of
experience in a way that no amount of project visits
can. He has also given us a wider perspective of the
sector from his involvement and experience with other
service providers. His role on the Board and on our
Services Sub-committee has helped us to focus on the
client impact of our decisions in ways that we never
expected. A fantastic step forwards in the governance
of Broadway”
This is just one example of the ways in which clients
can be involved at all levels within an organisation.
It inspired Homeless Link to take more of an active role
itself and engage clients at a strategic level. The forum
highlighted that clients actually wanted their voices
heard on wider national policy issues, as well as on
organisational decisions.
Members of the forum continue to develop dynamic
methods that engage service users at all levels, leading
the way to ensure client involvement is encompassed
in all aspects of delivery. This includes initiatives such as
ensuring clients are involved in their actual support
planning; handing over budgets and venue
responsibilities to client led groups; producing client
led newsletters and internet forums; and involvement
in architectural consultations for new builds and
organisational audits. All these activities, will steer
the development of services for clients and improve our
sectors responses to homeless and vulnerable people.
If you want to know more about the forum contact [email protected]
A number of homeless agencies have been working hard for some time to develop mechanisms to engage homeless clients in policy discussions. This work provided Homeless Link and the Greater
London Authority (GLA) with the opportunity to
hold a Focus Group of 6 clients (all with a history of
homelessness) - representing their views and reflecting
the view of clients from the 5 organisations they
represent. The Focus Group came together in mid
August to discuss the public consultation of the
draft London Housing Strategy. With the strategy’s
consultation period finishing at the end of the month,
and the document’s coverage of rough sleeping and
wider homeless and housing issues, it could not have
been better timed.
Prior to the meeting a summary of the draft Strategy was
sent to members of the Focus Group to ensure they had
some background information on the issues under
discussion. At the meeting, the group debated some
of the key themes of the Strategy, such as housing
shortage and willingness to move to take up housing
opportunities; the choices and experience of the private
rented sector compared to social housing; who social
housing should be for; and what else needs to be done
to end rough sleeping and prevent the need to sleep
rough in the future.
The comments, opinions and suggestions that came
out in the discussion reflected many of the issues that
are currently being debated by government and
other policy makers. These included suggestions
from the group’s members that social rented sector
tenancies for life, and the prioritisation of new lettings
need to be looked at again in the light of so much
housing shortage.
The level of debate was both sophisticated and
challenging and balanced highlighting problems
with proposing solutions. The clients involved were
able to not only offer insights gained from their
experience of homelessness, but also, where
more appropriate, separate from their personal
experiences to express opinions on wider policy
issues. The exchanges were frank, informed and
invaluable for housing professionals who too rarely
sit down with those who use services, experience
housing need and feel the impact of policy decisions.
At the end of the meeting the clients present
agreed that the notes from the discussions would be
submitted as a collective response from them to the
London Housing Strategy consultation process. Indeed,
after the meeting Homeless Link received two sets of
further comments from clients who had not been able
to attend the Focus Group, but also wanted to be
involved. These were submitted as appendices to the
main response.
Nobody who attended this meeting could be under
any illusion that homeless people do not have plenty to
offer the policy-development process. Certainly not the
GLA who want to continue working with Homeless Link
to meet with the Focus Group, especially in relation
to the Mayor’s commitment to end rough sleeping.
The challenge for the rest of us is to make sure they are
given the opportunities for their voices to be heard.
JESSICA PLANT FROM HOMELESS LINK PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON THE USER INVOLVEMENT NETWORKFORUM, A STAFF LED FORUM FOR THOSE WHOSE ROLE INCLUDES CLIENT INVOLVEMENT IN A VARIETY OF CONTEXTS.
SIMON CRIBBENS FROM THE GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY (GLA) AND HOMELESS LINK’S PAUL ANDERSON REVIEW THE FIRST SERVICE USER CONSULTATION ON THE MAYOR OF LONDON’S DRAFT HOUSING STRATEGY.
Simon at the service user consultation meeting in August. Photo Homeless Link
WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 21
22 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 23
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
MeAninGfuL occupAtions, inDepenDent LiVes
Other project work has included a highly creative
socially inclusive community show and a children’s
stories CD recording project. Members are currently
working on designing and running a fashion show
employing recycling, budgeting and craft skills to
create new designs in a time of ‘credit crunch’.
An animation project has also been commissioned
to be run this autumn on the theme of prejudice.
Social Enterprise Development MOP is currently exploring a new social enterprise
inphotography and marketing which will be supported
with photography and writing skills courses. The project
has teamed up with Exeter City Council and the Choice
Based Lettings Scheme where MOP members will be
tasked to take the photographs of properties, edit the
images, write descriptions of properties and local
amenities, and upload all data to the local authority
website. It is hoped that a number of paid positions
will be created in this business.
The various activities and projects that members
participate in can help to develop confidence, problem
solving and team working skills, improve communication
and build a sense of achievement through participation
As a result of members’ feedback and consultation the
service schedule has changed from a monthly timetable
to a term-time programme using the ‘holiday’ periods
to access fun learning activities such as team building
games, bush craft skills, kayaking, sailing and surfing
lessons and map reading on nearby Dartmoor. These
activities promote team working, communication skills,
problem solving, creativity and initiative as well as positively
influencing self-esteem and confidence and providing
individuals with a heightened sense of achievement.
A Typical Week
Each day within MOP there is variety, change and differing
individual experiences, so it is important that the staff
team are genuinely flexible within their roles. A typical
week may involve; inducting new members, carrying out
assessments or reviews, preparing and facilitating groups,
planning new projects, networking and promoting the
service, and one-to-one work with members in line with
specific areas of need. Informal interactions with members
also take place which can lead to the disclosure of
additional specific needs in the areas of housing, health,
advocacy, education, volunteering and more besides.
Consultation
Members are encouraged to attend the weekly
operations meetings. Essentially these are staff
meetings which look at the planning and delivery
of services, health and safety, fundraising and policy.
Members can therefore be very involved in the process
and are part of the decision making alongside the team.
Summary
MOP is providing and facilitating occupational interventions
that are meaningful to their members, in order to build
on engagement and improve positive outcomes. MOP
members have gone on to become employed or attend
courses in the local college thus ensuring social inclusion
into the community.
Resources
For more information, visit www.shilhay.org.uk
The House of Stories: Shilhay’s story-telling, art and music project resulted in a children’s CD and activity book.
MEL JAMES, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, AND MARC COLSON, PROJECT MANAGER, AT EXETER SHILHAY COMMUNITY DISCUSS HOW THE MEANINGFUL OCCUPATION PROJECT (MOP) HAS ENCOURAGED AND EMPLOYED MORE THAN 70 INDIVIDUALS A WEEK AT MANY LEVELS, INCLUDING TEACHING, SOUND PRODUCTION AND VOLUNTEER ROLES.
The Exeter Meaningful Occupation Project (MOP) is part
of Exeter Shilhay Community Ltd, a charity that works with
homeless and vulnerably housed adults. This includes
individuals with mental health and / or learning difficulties,
substance use issues, a history of offending, asylum seekers,
refugees and survivors of domestic violence.
The project offers a range of structured activities for
members to improve and maintain their health, wellbeing
and quality of life, whilst promoting independence and
integration into the community through self actualisation.
The Team
The MOP team consists of a manager, senior project
worker, 2 Occupational Therapists, a project assistant, and
2 part time administration workers. The staff are supported
by a large team of tutors and volunteers who deliver many
of the activities and work with the staff to ensure that the
activities are structured to fulfil members’ aspirations.
Ethos
MOP adopts an ethos of client-centeredness, aiming to
empower members to achieve their aspirations and goals,
through groups and 1-1 activities which seek to build
self- esteem, promote skills and personal development
and enhance social networks.
Process
Through the process of application, induction, assessment
and day to day interaction, staff begin to build positive
relationships with members, gaining a good understanding
of where they are at, and what they want to achieve i.e.
their aspirations.
Through the assessment process, an action plan is jointly
created, encouraging members to attend groups which
will best facilitate their progress, as well as signposting to
other relevant agencies. The activities timetable is created
using the outcomes from assessments in order to make
them meaningful and relevant. The service aims to offer
groups that meet educational, personal and leisure needs
both inside the project, and out in the community.
By working in partnership with other agencies such as
members’ accommodation providers and other key
workers, the team can help to provide a holistic action plan
that takes into account the members’ accommodation
needs alongside their occupational aspirations.
Model The staff use the Model of Human Occupation (MoHO)
to promote a holistic approach to working with project
members. A variety of assessment tools is available to fit
within this framework, including a specifically designed
MoHO-based assessment, the Star Outcomes Measure
and International Treatment Effectiveness Plan (ITEP)
maps. The Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) is
also offered. This enables the project to be flexible in its
approach according to the varying needs of the members.
Activities
The following table is just a sample of some of the
activities which are regularly offered to members.
A gardening project
Music group
Cooking skills
Employment & volunteering searches
Art
Budgeting and tenancy skills Studio workshops
Football
Information technology
Gym sessions
Relaxation classes
Literacy and numeracy groups
22 WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK WWW.HOMELESS.ORG.UK 23
CONNECT | AUTUMN 2009 FEATURES
MeAninGfuL occupAtions, inDepenDent LiVes
Other project work has included a highly creative
socially inclusive community show and a children’s
stories CD recording project. Members are currently
working on designing and running a fashion show
employing recycling, budgeting and craft skills to
create new designs in a time of ‘credit crunch’.
An animation project has also been commissioned
to be run this autumn on the theme of prejudice.
Social Enterprise Development MOP is currently exploring a new social enterprise
inphotography and marketing which will be supported
with photography and writing skills courses. The project
has teamed up with Exeter City Council and the Choice
Based Lettings Scheme where MOP members will be
tasked to take the photographs of properties, edit the
images, write descriptions of properties and local
amenities, and upload all data to the local authority
website. It is hoped that a number of paid positions
will be created in this business.
The various activities and projects that members
participate in can help to develop confidence, problem
solving and team working skills, improve communication
and build a sense of achievement through participation
As a result of members’ feedback and consultation the
service schedule has changed from a monthly timetable
to a term-time programme using the ‘holiday’ periods
to access fun learning activities such as team building
games, bush craft skills, kayaking, sailing and surfing
lessons and map reading on nearby Dartmoor. These
activities promote team working, communication skills,
problem solving, creativity and initiative as well as positively
influencing self-esteem and confidence and providing
individuals with a heightened sense of achievement.
A Typical Week
Each day within MOP there is variety, change and differing
individual experiences, so it is important that the staff
team are genuinely flexible within their roles. A typical
week may involve; inducting new members, carrying out
assessments or reviews, preparing and facilitating groups,
planning new projects, networking and promoting the
service, and one-to-one work with members in line with
specific areas of need. Informal interactions with members
also take place which can lead to the disclosure of
additional specific needs in the areas of housing, health,
advocacy, education, volunteering and more besides.
Consultation
Members are encouraged to attend the weekly
operations meetings. Essentially these are staff
meetings which look at the planning and delivery
of services, health and safety, fundraising and policy.
Members can therefore be very involved in the process
and are part of the decision making alongside the team.
Summary
MOP is providing and facilitating occupational interventions
that are meaningful to their members, in order to build
on engagement and improve positive outcomes. MOP
members have gone on to become employed or attend
courses in the local college thus ensuring social inclusion
into the community.
Resources
For more information, visit www.shilhay.org.uk
The House of Stories: Shilhay’s story-telling, art and music project resulted in a children’s CD and activity book.
MEL JAMES, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, AND MARC COLSON, PROJECT MANAGER, AT EXETER SHILHAY COMMUNITY DISCUSS HOW THE MEANINGFUL OCCUPATION PROJECT (MOP) HAS ENCOURAGED AND EMPLOYED MORE THAN 70 INDIVIDUALS A WEEK AT MANY LEVELS, INCLUDING TEACHING, SOUND PRODUCTION AND VOLUNTEER ROLES.
The Exeter Meaningful Occupation Project (MOP) is part
of Exeter Shilhay Community Ltd, a charity that works with
homeless and vulnerably housed adults. This includes
individuals with mental health and / or learning difficulties,
substance use issues, a history of offending, asylum seekers,
refugees and survivors of domestic violence.
The project offers a range of structured activities for
members to improve and maintain their health, wellbeing
and quality of life, whilst promoting independence and
integration into the community through self actualisation.
The Team
The MOP team consists of a manager, senior project
worker, 2 Occupational Therapists, a project assistant, and
2 part time administration workers. The staff are supported
by a large team of tutors and volunteers who deliver many
of the activities and work with the staff to ensure that the
activities are structured to fulfil members’ aspirations.
Ethos
MOP adopts an ethos of client-centeredness, aiming to
empower members to achieve their aspirations and goals,
through groups and 1-1 activities which seek to build
self- esteem, promote skills and personal development
and enhance social networks.
Process
Through the process of application, induction, assessment
and day to day interaction, staff begin to build positive
relationships with members, gaining a good understanding
of where they are at, and what they want to achieve i.e.
their aspirations.
Through the assessment process, an action plan is jointly
created, encouraging members to attend groups which
will best facilitate their progress, as well as signposting to
other relevant agencies. The activities timetable is created
using the outcomes from assessments in order to make
them meaningful and relevant. The service aims to offer
groups that meet educational, personal and leisure needs
both inside the project, and out in the community.
By working in partnership with other agencies such as
members’ accommodation providers and other key
workers, the team can help to provide a holistic action plan
that takes into account the members’ accommodation
needs alongside their occupational aspirations.
Model The staff use the Model of Human Occupation (MoHO)
to promote a holistic approach to working with project
members. A variety of assessment tools is available to fit
within this framework, including a specifically designed
MoHO-based assessment, the Star Outcomes Measure
and International Treatment Effectiveness Plan (ITEP)
maps. The Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) is
also offered. This enables the project to be flexible in its
approach according to the varying needs of the members.
Activities
The following table is just a sample of some of the
activities which are regularly offered to members.
A gardening project
Music group
Cooking skills
Employment & volunteering searches
Art
Budgeting and tenancy skills Studio workshops
Football
Information technology
Gym sessions
Relaxation classes
Literacy and numeracy groups