Client involvement in housing support and care: Sharing and learning good practice
A number of recent changes have highlighted the need for provider organisations and service users to work together to shape innovative client involvement strategies. With the increasing prominence of the Government’s personalisation agenda, providers are urged to include users in the design and delivery of services. In addition, the recently formed Tenants Services Authority (TSA) has highlighted tenant participation as a key tenet for RSLs. Further, since the introduction of the refreshed QAF in April 2009, housing related support and care providers are now required to commit to putting clients at the heart of their organisation’s strategic plans, if they wish to demonstrate the provision of a quality service and achieve level A standard. Even to achieve level C, providers need to be fully engaging their service users.
This timely forum took place in London 12 January 2010 in London gave support providers and their clients a chance to discuss and share best practice examples that focus on enhancing client choice and control over the services they receive, and to explore how to make client involvement real and worthwhile.
Morning plenary
How to make involvement a reality
Mike Seal, Author “Not about us without us, client involvement in supported housing”
Engaging service users
Graeme Foster, Assistant Director Excellence, Tenant Services Authority
Using the LINK: client involvement and mainstreaming
Helen Bedser, Hestia Housing Association
Torbay Council Regional Champions for client involvement in SP services
Workshops: The clients’ perspective
A chance to gain deeper insight into the experiences of service users.
Workshop 1: The Key Garden
Accommodation issues facing young people in and from care. At the 2009 Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show, more than 200 service users form 20 homelessness agencies and six prisons across the country celebrated the success of the Key Garden, which won a Silver Flora award and came third in the general public vote. Here, a group of service users involved in the Key Garden shared their experiences.
Workshop 2: The Journey Home - Accommodation issues facing young people in and from care
In 2008-9 the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) funded the National Care Advisory service (NCAS) to conduct a one year project with the aim of enhancing the accommodation prospects of young people leaving care. As part of the project, NCAS facilitated a group of care experienced young people to develop a resource for young.
Workshop 3: Client involvement and personal development
Thames Reach offers a range of services to empower and support the most vulnerable in London - those sleeping rough, those in supported accommodation and those who require floating support to protect them from losing their tenancy. User involvement has always been a priority, as is ensuring that service users are supported to access learning, training and employment. Using a range of options, Thames Reach are proud of the way their service users influence the running of the organisation, and how many benefit personally through learning and employment.
This workshop explained the general approach to user involvement in Thames Reach. Service users talked candidly about how being involved has helped them - their unique stories showing the different routes available.
Workshop 4: Deal or No Deal: Have you got a system? Yes we have a practical guide
During this interactive session, Torbay Council demonstrated the value of engaging service users at every stage of the decision-making, buying and service delivery process.
Workshops: Making Client Involvement Real in Practice
A series of workshops exploring the issues and challenges of involving clients in the design, management and delivery of services in a range of settings.
Workshop 1: Long Term Accommodation based Services
Workshop 2: Move on short term services
Workshop 3: Hard to reach groups
Costs and benefits of client involvement
This session looked at the work that Sitra carred out assessiong the costs and benefits of client involvement. It was led by Lucy Woodbine, Sitra Policy Officer.
