Hampshire County Council

Adult Social Care Policy Review Committee Item 6

28 September 2005

Completing the Circle - Implementation

Report by the Director of Adult Services

Contact: Geoff Woollan Ext: 7266 email: geoff.woollan@hants.gov.uk

1. Summary

A proposal to establish a group of service users and carers to work with and advise the department on effective consultation and involvement at all levels of the department's activities.

2. Introduction and Context

2.1 The draft Consultation & Involvement Strategy was brought to the Social Care Policy Review Committee on 17 September 2004 at the request of the then Chairman, Cllr Mrs Patricia Banks, for consultation purposes. This report is to update Members as to the implementation.

2.2 A copy of The Consultation and Involvement Strategy is attached as Appendix A.

2.3 This strategy refers to all adult care groups and is in response to the National Service Frameworks which have consultation and involvement as integral to their operation. Close links and partnership working are maintained with children and families, drawing on their experience through projects such as the Care Action Team. Work is in hand to enhance these links for the future.

2.4 A Consultation & Involvement Steering group was established under the co-chair of Richard Parry (County Manager Learning Disability - Strategy) and Philip Mason (service user). The group, which was selected by the then Social Services Department, consisted of service users and carers from all the major adult care groups.

2.5 This report is the outcome of the work of that steering group and makes plan for the future establishment of a group of service users and carers who will drive the consultation and involvement process and ensure it is service user and carer led.

3. Completing the Circle - Strategy

3.1 The consultation and involvement steering group has reviewed in detail the draft strategy and made some proposals that improve interpretation.

3.2 The broad principle behind the strategy of commitment to open and active consultation and involvement which ensures equality of access for all service users and carers at different levels of the Department's activities was welcomed.

3.3 It was agreed that the strategy itself will need to be evolutionary, in response to changing circumstance and needs, this evolution to be worked in a continuing partnership between the Department and service users and carers.

3.4 The steering group chose to focus on the standards for implementation and the checklist for good practice and while they remain in principle the same as originally drafted, the language has been `de-professionalised' and the processes made more responsive to the service user and carer perspective.

4. Completing the Circle - Implementation

4.1 The framework for developing both the strategy and its implementation are the Code of Practice published by the Regulatory Impact Unit of The Cabinet Office. These guidelines receive general support from service users and carers as a working framework for consultation.

4.2 Briefly, the strategy implementation plan proposes that a group (to be called The Completing the Circle group) of service users and carers is established by open invitation to work with the Department to enhance and monitor the implementation of Completing the Circle

4.3 This group, serviced and supported by the Department by way of formal agreement to ensure its independence, will develop an expertise in consultation as well as promote and encourage the active involvement of users and carers at all levels as set out in the strategy.

4.4 Importantly, although individual members of the group will no doubt wish to be directly involved in consultation at various levels, the Completing the Circle Group will not itself seek to represent the views of users and carers, but will ensure that their views are represented and challenge the department to demonstrate its practical commitment to the strategy.

4.5 The Completing the Circle strategy identifies the framework for consultation and involvement at each level of activity, and lists a set of standards that the Department seeks to achieve. In line with these standards Members may wish to consider with users and carers how these standards can best be put into practice by this Committee.

4.6 Members may recall that prior to the introduction of the present Corporate Constitution, service users and carers were co-opted to the then Adult Services Sub-Committee which at the time Members saw as being of significant value.

4.7 The estimated revenue cost of the Completing the Circle group is £6,500 which is met from existing main stream budget as a result of the decision in 2004 by Hampshire Users Bureau to close. This comprises expenses for individual service users and carers and other meeting costs. No fees or allowances are currently paid to service users and carers. Costs of involving and consulting service users and carers at local, area and strategic level are met from existing care group budgets.

5. Some recent examples of active consultation and involvement:

5.1 A service user and a representative of the ethnic minority communities involved in the appointment of the Director of Adult Services.

5.2 Service users and carers involved in the selection of contractors for residential care in learning disabilities - this example will shortly be utilised in other sectors of the department.

5.3 The development of the Completing the Circle implementation plan includes service users from all major adult care groups.

5.4 Direct Payment Users group. An group of direct payment users who meet bi-monthly in partnership with officers. The group publishes a regular newsletter to keep all direct payment users informed.

5.5 Service Users Network (mental health) in Fareham and Gosport.

5.6 Representatives of Age Concern Hampshire's silver surfers project involved in the current enhancement of social services web pages.

5.7 The Consumer Audit Project. Contracting with service users to undertake service audits as part of the monitoring and commissioning processes.

5.8 There are many other current and past examples, one outcome of the Completing the Circle Group will be to publish a handbook of good practice with local examples.

6. Timescales for Implementation

6.1 Open advertising and recruitment for the Completing the Circle Group will take place from September 2005 to December 2005 with the group meeting for the first time early January 2006.

6.2 Training, establishment of work plan and modus operandi will take place between January and March 2006, with the group being operational by 1^st April 2006.

7. Conclusion

The current consultation and involvement steering group has now completed its work and has been formally disbanded. However, it is hoped for the future, that members of that group may wish to take part in the Completing the Circle Group. Several have, individually, agreed to assist with the recruitment process to ensure it remains service user and carer driven.

8. Impact Assessment

In compiling this report account has been taken of the requirements of the Corporate Equalities Plan and Race Scheme. An initial impact Race and Equality Impact Assessment has been undertaken, but given this is a new proposal an early review will be undertaken by April 2006 to monitor development.

9. Consultation with Local Members

There has been no specific consultation with local Members about the proposal as this is a countywide development.

Recommendation

1. That this report and timetable be noted.

2. That this committee welcomes a dialogue with The Completing the Circle Group when established.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

Published works

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

NONE

Appendix A

Completing the Circle

A Strategy for The Adult Services Department to ensure users and carers are both consulted and involved in their service assessment, planning and delivery. Consultation and Involvement takes place at individual, local, care group and strategic levels and users and carers should have the opportunity both to take part and to see what is decided and how.

August 2005

Completing The Circle

A Strategy for Consulting with and Involving Service Users and Carers

Introduction - Our responsibility

The law requires that we must consult and involve users and carers. However it is also an issue of good practice, effective management, and best value, that we should work together with users and carers to achieve our common and shared aims.

In addition, Hampshire County Council is determined to ensure that for everyone in Hampshire we maximise life opportunities, particularly for the young and vulnerable, through the provision of and support for high quality accessible services.

Also Hampshire County Council will work together with local people to build strong and safe communities for everyone by improving our dialogue with local communities so that everyone's views are heard, and ensuring that the community plays a central role in shaping services.

In response to the legal requirement and to reflect good practice this strategy provides a framework for consultation and involvement that operates at both the individual and the collective level. All staff have a responsibility to respond to this strategy as appropriate within their role.

The aim of the Strategy on Consultation and Involvement with Service Users

· To build on current good practice

· To develop effective ways of consulting with and involving users and carers in the planning and development of our services

· To ensure that the above activity takes place at an individual and a collective level

· To work with users and carers to continually improve the methods used for consultation and involvement

· To embed consultation with and involvement of users and carers into practice, supported by the Performance Development Review process

Who are users and carers ?

· A user is anyone who has contact with the department one or more times. A user is also someone who is likely to want, or need, to use our services in the future. A user is a citizen of Hampshire with all the rights and benefits of any citizen.

· A carer is anyone who provides a substantial amount of care on a regular basis, without the benefit of a contract of employment or other formal arrangement, to a user. A carer is a citizen of Hampshire with all the rights and benefits of any citizen.

· User and carer `representatives'. Many groups seek to represent the views of users and carers - while we value this work immensely, we also need to make sure that we are hearing the direct voice of users and carers.

The Consultation and Involvement Framework

The Consultation and Involvement Framework sets out the rationale for consultation and involvement. It provides a model of increasing consultation and involvement that will empower service users within the process.

Why consult with users and carers ?

In order to assess the impact of policy development and service provision on service users and carers. Consultation is a two-way process that aims to:

· Enable those who want and need services to contribute to the process of delivering and developing services and policies

· Demonstrate a commitment to be open and accountable

· Lead to more realistic and strong policy and procedures that better responds to individual and community needs

Why involve users and carers ?

· Enable service planning and policy development to be influenced by a wide range of experience and expertise

· Provide opportunities to review policies and procedures

· Help plan, prioritise and deliver better services

· Create better partnership working and mutual understanding

How do we consult and involve people ?

Consultation and involvement between The Adult Services Department and users and carers happens at 3 levels:

1. Individual or Personal - between each service user and carer and the individual representative of the department.

2. Local group - service planning, implementation and monitoring and local resource allocation.

3. Strategic - Policy and overall resource management and accountability.

 

There are many examples of good practice where staff are consulting with and involving uses and carers at all three levels and this practice needs to be strengthened and reinforce across all our activity.

The model for consulting and involving users and carers

The level and nature of consultation and involvement by The Department is a progressive movement along a spectrum of activities. It starts with recognising the individual as a user and carer and progresses to delegating control (for example Direct Payments or Voucher Schemes) depending on the individual's circumstance

The Individual

Recognising Informing Listening Responding

Local Groups

Information Consulting Working in Delegating

Sharing Partnership Control

 Strategic

Information Consulting Working in Delegating Sharing Partnership Control

The more steps and progress The Department makes along the ladders, the greater degree of individual choice, opportunity, and empowerment is created for users and carers.

Each section informs the next

1. Individual - assessment and individual care planning for users and carers. Care management and person centred planning. CPA, individual day and residential plans, risk assessment etc.

2. Local group - ongoing dialogue, based on information from individuals, with groups, representatives and users and carers as appropriate.

3. Strategic - formal consultation based on a combination of local political and government direction, information from individuals and groups.

 

To clarify for users and carers what they can expect from the Department, in respect of consultation and involvement, a set of standards that will be developed into a leaflet (available in various formats) is shown below.

To support staff in understanding the practice that they should be undertaking to consult and involve at the individual, local group and strategic levels a checklist is shown below.

How we inform and report back to users and carers

In order to demonstrate real commitment to consultation and involvement, the Department will keep people informed at each stage of the process, either by discussion, written documents or electronic publication on `Hantsweb'© of the progress and results of consultation and involvement. Clear evidence of consultation and involvement will be required in reports and documents prepared by Officers.

Appendix 1 Standards for user and carer consultation and involvement

Appendix 2

A checklist of good practice for adult services staff to ensure consultation with and involvement of users and carers

Appendix 3

Definitions

Consultation is defined in The English Dictionary as `seeking advice'.

Involvement is defined as `having a relationship'

Partnership is defined as `doing something together'.

Users are anyone in Hampshire who uses, has used or intends to use the services of the department.

Carers are anyone who provides a substantial amount of care on a regular basis to someone who needs that care.

Service Users. The law is now such that users and carers in relation to The Department's activities could be known collectively as `service users'.

Service User and Carer interpretations:

.

Groups of people interested in the same thing. Can be a local planning group or implementation group - groups of professionals and users and carers who come together for a common purpose i.e. planning, training, service development and implementation

Planning Groups. The strategic groups or meetings where final decisions are made and accountability lies.