Involving people who use services Rocket science?

What layers of involvement?  Individual – people being involved in decisions which affect their own lives  Organisational – people who use services having an influence over the service they use  Strategic – influencing legislation, policy and service design and development across services, at the highest levels

People who use services…  Require those services for a reason  Are more than their need for a service  Are not simply defined by their needs  But usually continue to have those needs while participating

Working holistically  Recognising the real and valuable contribution that can come from genuinely involving the people who use services  Recognising and valuing and working with the differences of all of the unique individuals who are involved

What’s the point?  Benefit to the system and service users generally by becoming more considered, more person-centred, more responsive and more effective  Benefit to the people who are involved – as part of recovery, redress, development and sometimes (gulp) therapy

Tokenism and traps  Pick people who “fit in”  Don’t tell them who holds the power  Ignore their organisations and facilitate tame and “domestic” users  Avoid democracy and accountability  Timing  Duration  Location

People First (Scotland) The national independent self- advocacy organisation of people with learning difficulties in Scotland.

People First (Scotland)  Became a company in 1989  Over 80 People First groups from the Borders up to the islands.  About 950 members

How we run People First  Run by us, the members  Board of Directors  Staffing Committee  Chair’s Committee  Elections

Local Groups  What local groups do  Women’s groups  Area-wide groups  Sit on local planning bodies and strategic groups

National Work We represent People First (Scotland) on:  SAYIG and working groups  Multi-agency Inspection Steering Group  QIS  Care Commission User and Carer group  Cross-party Learning Disability group  Scottish Parenting Network  User and Carer Panel of 21 st Century Social Work Review  SIAA Board  Mental Health Act Implementation group

National work  Conferences  Consultations  Training

International work Conferences:  Canada  Alaska  London Visits:  Wisconsin  Ireland  Germany

People First Europe conference, Edinburgh 2005 International work

Why People First is important Change on 3 levels:  Individuals  The way we are treated and seen by others  Laws and policies