1. Asset Based Commissioning Tony Bullock Integrated Commissioner for Alcohol and Drugs Staffordshire County Council

2. Contents  What do we mean by ‘asset-based’?  How does this apply to commissioning?  Learning so far in Staffordshire  Impact on the ‘commissioning cycle’  Projects in Staffordshire  Links and further reading

3. Our understanding… Contrast with deficits… Complementary… Positive approach Focus on solutions Recognising abilities, gifts, talents, opportunities…

4. Moving from a deficit approach to an asset approach Where we are now – the deficit approachWhere an asset way of thinking takes us Start with deficiencies and needs in the community Start with the assets in the community Respond to problemsIdentify opportunities and strengths Provide services to usersInvest in people as citizens Emphasise the role of agenciesEmphasise the role of civil society Focus on individualsFocus on communities/ neighbourhoods and the common good See people as clients and consumers receiving services See people as citizens and co-producers with something to offer Treat people as passive and done-toHelp people to take control of their lives ‘Fix people’Support people to develop their potential Implement programmes as the answerSee people as the answer From ‘A glass half full?’

5. Applications…  Place-based activities  Outcome-based activities

6. Place-based activities  Networks -‘community building’ -interface with public sector  Activities -Supporting resident led groups/associations -Channelling resources/influence/links

7. Outcome-based activities Paraphrasing Cormac’s question: -What should community do alone? -Where are professional/ specialist services required? -What can we do together? [Lot’s of this will already be happening – is the question more about making this a more systematic part of the commissioning process?]

8. Potential actions – outcome-led approaches -Are there existing community-led initiatives that could be supported/ enhanced that could help achieve outcomes, rather than always seeking to commission specialist interventions? -Can professional services make better use of community associations to help deliver their outcomes? -Are professional services using strengths-based approaches that inspire people to find their own solutions – generating future assets

9. Is the whole greater than the sum of the parts? -Combination of the concepts seems to suggest a slightly different relationships between residents and the state -People are expected to take more responsibility but are also given more responsibility -A shift in the dynamics of power? -A different way of viewing commissioning?

10. Possible risks?  Perceptions – about ideology etc, that creates resistance  Are community-led approaches less safe?  Will less safeguards be in place?  Professional accountability?  Is it possible to measure/communicate the impact?  Too unpredictable?  Can it be applied to all situations?  Will it happen quick enough?

11. Impact on the commissioning cycle? Needs assessments identifying opportunities Procuring services supporting community-led initiatives Rigid contracts realistic expectations? Performance management data qualitative narrative? Tight risk managementmore community responsibility?

12. Applications in Staffordshire “Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, asset-based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future.” www.abcdinstitute.org ABCD prevention project

13. ‘Hypothesis’ Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Community – empowerment/ resilience Improved outcomes

14. Contagion: what flows across ties (germs, money, violence, fashions, organs, happiness, obesity, etc.) Connection: who is connected to whom (ties to family, friends, co-workers, etc.) Homophily: the tendency to associate with people who resemble ourselves (“love of being alike”) Asset-based recovery communities

15. Treatment services Using community assets –Mainstream services –Voluntary associations Focussing on clients’ assets –Skills –Interests/ aspirations Creating assets to the community –People wanting to give something back

16. Recovery communities

17. Useful information ABCD institute Health Empowerment Leverage Programme LGA papers –Glass half full? –What makes us health? Connecting Communities Nurture Development Asset-Based Consulting

18. Summary  Focus on opportunities  Complementary to, not wholly replacing, deficit based approaches  Close links with community development  Different relationship between state and citizens  Need to change elements of the commissioning cycle?  Some encouraging signs in Staffordshire  Careful not to over-sell potential at this stage