People Who Use Services, and Carers
Skills for Care's participation strategies
People who use services, and carers are becoming more active participants in social care provision, training and employment. They are no longer the passive recipients of services.
Skills for Care is committed to ensuring people who use services and carers get an opportunity to have their say and participate in projects, to ensure that activities undertaken by Skills for Care reflect their needs, wants and aspirations.
In November 2007, the Skills for Care Board agreed strategies for the participation of people who use services, and carers in the work of Skills for Care.
The strategies outline the underlying principles on which participation will be based and the broad framework for improving the participation of people who use services, and carers in the sector.
Of particular importance is how Skills for Care can support those people who are receiving Individual Budgets and Direct Payments and thereby taking control of commissioning their own services, and how the adult social care workforce can be adapted in line with these changes in service provision.
The strategies were developed in collaboration with people who use services and carers, both with individuals and with established networks and organisations.
The strategies are also based on the experiences of regional and national staff within Skills for Care who have been taking steps to involve people who use services, and carers in their work areas over the past few years.
In order to implement the strategies, Skills for Care will continue to look at best practice, establishing benchmarks for participation and develop support structures to assist people who use services, and carers who participate with us.
By engaging with Board members and staff, the participative culture will become embedded over time, and internal processes and procedures will be developed to reflect this cultural shift.
The strategies and executive summary are available to download below and are also available in accessible easy-read versions.
- Strategy for the Participation of Carers in Skills for Care Work (pdf 10pp, 434kb)
- Strategy for the Participation of People Who Use Services in Skills for Care Work (pdf 10pp, 435kb)
- An executive summary of the strategies for the participation of people who use services, and carers in Skills for Care work (pdf 5pp, 259kb)
- Strategy for the Participation of Carers in Skills for Care Work - EASY READ VERSION (pdf 13pp, 596kb)
- Strategy for the Participation of People Who Use Services in Skills for Care Work - EASY READ VERSION (pdf 12pp, 543kb)
- An executive summary of the strategies for the participation of people who use services, and carers in Skills for Care work - EASY READ VERSION (pdf 9pp, 401kb)
Principles of Participation Leaflet
As part of the Joint Participation Steering Group, Skills for Care shares best practice in the participation of people who use services, and carers with Care Quality Commission (CQC), General Social Care Council (GSCC) and Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE).
Together, the four organisations developed common principles for participation on which each organisation bases their participation activities. These principles were printed as a leaflet to be shared with other organisations.
- Principles of Participation leaflet (March 2006, pdf 826kb)
- Principles of Participation leaflet - Easy read version (March 2006, pdf 902kb)
Benefit barriers to involvement
How can organisations reward and reimburse the expenses of people who use services who get involved in their work without affecting people's benefits?
This is one of the challenges that the Joint Participation Steering Group has been looking at, in conjunction with a larger consortium of health and social care organisations.
The Joint Participation Steering Group includes people who use services, carers, representatives of national organisations who want to involve people and representatives from Government organisations.
In May 2007, the Joint Participation Steering Group hosted a seminar on the benefit barriers to involvement. The event explored how the inflexibility of the current benefit system deters, and in many instances prevents, people who use services from getting involved.
This is despite the involvement of people who use services being a key government policy in the development of social care and health services.
The report below outlines the key themes emerging from the seminar including identifying the barriers to involvement, core principles for reform, and some proposed solutions.
A framework to support the involvement of people who use services, and carers, in education and training provision
This document is designed to provide guidance to education and training providers in involving people who use services, and carers, in the planning, design, delivery and assessment of training programmes.
Participation has become a key feature of social work degrees, under the guidance of the General Social Care Council. This framework builds on the experience in higher education, and offers guidance for all education and training providers in both further and higher education who are working to make their care training programmes appropriate for the changing needs and aspirations of people who use services and of carers.
It should be read in conjunction with Skills for Care's Care Training Code, available in the publications section.
How to get involved...
If you would like to learn more about how Skills for Care are working with people who use services, and carers
Or
if would like to become involved ...
... please contact us on 0113 2451716 or info@skillsforcare.org.uk and we can direct you to one of our regional offices, or to the National Participation team.
participation
- introduction
- 1000 Voices
- consultations
people who use services and carers
