Public participation in action

2006 Conference

• Setting up People Panels – service users’ involvement and contribution, communicating and valuing members
• Ongoing consultations and surveys – service user involvement from the beginning (designing surveys etc); how we have used the results constructively to feed into strategic plans and service improvements and to drive up performance
• Better Care Higher Standards Charter – how we have used the Charter to set standards of service (28 in this year’s Charter) based on National and local performance indicators. Each standard is monitored against and targets published in the Charter. Charter designed by service users and carers
• Carers’ Information Pack, directory and website. Carer assessments and monitoring
• Website ‘How we listen to you’: using technology
• Results and action plans from surveys
• Research governance – made easy!
• Quality in Care training – What is this? Why? How we use this to encourage participants to do quality projects involving service users. Benefits etc
• Payment to service users for participating – for and against – what we do in Northamptonshire

Please note that benefits guidance and tax legislation been subject to considerable change/reinterpretation since 2019. Any INVOLVE documents referring to the payment of involvement fees may now be out of date and are pending a review during 2020. INVOLVE’s guidance should not be substituted for professional advice, and INVOLVE accepts no liability for decisions or actions taken as a result of its guidance. You are always recommended to take your own tax, finance or legal advice.

• Service user groups and Forums – how we use them proactively
• ‘Hard to Reach’ people and groups – how we consult with them
• Developing an outcome based approach

 What do we hope people will learn:

• The advantages of ‘investing’ in an effective service user and carer consultation system
• It’s not so difficult as it seems!
• The positives
• Meeting the government and inspection agenda — Outcome based — what difference has consultation made? Evidence!
• Making the job worthwhile!
• It canwork
• Job satisfaction!!