action

Frustrated Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:27:20 +0000

What helps

> Change works for people if they are informed and involved.
> Some organisations were more prepared than others to let staff get on with self-directed support
> Not having rules and bureaucracy
> Easy policies such as charging and eligibility
> Don’t use external people to make the change or have ivory tower leadership.
> Take on board people’s perspectives
> Work-life balance
> Support from first line manager
> Knowledge from senior managers
> Being listened to
> Not just lip service to co-production
> People feeling involved and listened to
> Information and consultation
> Balance
> Being consulted – we all have knowledge and experience
> Laughter
> A way of asking and involving us
> Being consulted about how we feel, how we can bring our knowledge and experience
> People who implement change acknowledging it and living in the real world
> Have some control
> Front-line input to how things work, taking things on board
> Getting a consistent response to requests for support to meet outcomes
> Salary
> Involvement

What you can do

> As a team, write down everything that is stopping you from giving people choice and control – change one thing
> Identify obstacles
> Get together with colleagues to increase your power and say – keep shouting
> Focus on a particular difficult case and work with the service user to find solutions
> Let your frustration out, talk honestly and constructively about it – explain it don’t just voice it
> Don’t forget, everything you do makes a difference
> Ensure you have the chance to give your views, take advantage of consultation
> Take control of the things you can
> Remember you have knowledge and experience that is vital
> Do something social out of work, have a laugh
> Involve service users
> Go back to what service users are entitled to
> Switch off outside work
> Set up a reference group to include the front line
> Ensure people have a choice – support them to see implications of different choices
> Think about the courage and determination of service users
> Don’t shy away from difficult processes and procedures
> Get involved in a reference group
> Find out work-streams – get involved

Overwhelmed Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:23:29 +0000

What helps

> Thinking time and reflection
> Be positive about skills
> Pick the right time to make changes
> Link change into all policies and procedures
> Being valued and getting support
> Being praised
> Capture learning and experiences
> No blame culture
> Time
> An efficient computer system to minimise time spent by workers
> To promote and respect the dignity of service users and staff working long hours on minimum wage
> Need systems to fit with change, we need to know what processes we need to use
> Time – explaining
> Support from external agencies – 3^rd sector, banks
> Processes
> Co-workers to assist with pressure and give joint feedback
> My line manager
> The right forms to complete self-directed support
> Time for reflection
> Less paperwork
> Try to hold onto skills and knowledge
> Don’t be business led
> Reflect on what we are doing
> Easy-to-use paperwork
> A manageable workload
> Paperwork which is fit for purpose, not repetitive
> Good support networks and services
> Good infrastructure to support my work
> Good relationships with partner agencies
> Support from the management team
> Positive feedback
> Resources to help support me
> Support from first line manager
> Need to focus in on skills people have and how they can use them
> Need time to reflect
> Good support from management so if not sure can turn to someone
> Time to reflect, talk with other professionals, learn from what you have done
> Have the process all in one place – not half on word and half on the database
> Joint working with health and DWP
> Give people a choice if they want traditional services
> Freedom from paperwork
> Time to do a good job

What you can do

> Reflect on the skills you have and how you use them
> Constructively criticise the new processes
> Talk through the new process as a team and simplify it
> Don’t worry too much about the title of the role, think about your skills and how you can match them to what is needed
> Find out where you can make suggestions for improvements
> Get some positive feedback
> Try and resolve one thing that is difficult about the process or paperwork
> Ask for or write a simple guide to the new process
> Find out who your IT person is
> Find out where you can make suggestions for improvements or requests for clarity
> Ask for a floor walker
> Take a break
> Talk to your manager honestly about your workload
> Ask a manager to work through a case with you to see what is involved
> Use a forum to share your feelings
> Ask for protected time to try out new system or for a pilot before everyone does it
> Find out who you can send questions and suggestions to
> Talk to someone who has got through the stage where it is all process
> Capture learning and experiences
> Meet to share all the sticking points
> Try new paperwork out on each other first
> Map skills that you have individually, in supervision or as a team
> Identify career aspirations and continuous professional development
> Do a fishbone analysis – put the problem on the right hand side and draw a straight line to the left, put stems at 45 degree angles and put key factors in, branch off the key factors with subsidiary factors
> Do the best you can for the individual
> Have protected time to try out the new systems, then go back to teams to support them

Anxious Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:08:01 +0000

What helps

> Clarity about the new role
> Treat the present with respect – a lot of hard work has gone into it
> Not being afraid of losing your job or putting service users at risk
> Help to make staff feel reassured
> Share concerns and issues
> Talk about how it feels
> Ensure you have time with your team
> People going through change need opportunities to get together for peer support
> Understand the struggle with changing role
> Group support and debate
> Share concerns and issues
> A chance to get together, peer to peer support
> Management patience
> Meetings
> Trying to keep the team motivated to change
> My team and colleagues
> Understanding from team members
> Team support is very important in new changes in social care
> Working together
> Supporting people through change
> Not being isolated
> Listening and reassurance
> Know what my role is
> Keep the team together – to work together, stay happy and support our clients in the best possible way
> Good support from colleagues so if I’m not sure I can turn to someone
> Know how roles will change
> Managers to appreciate what is going on
> Being able to protect people
> The chance to share ideas
> A supportive team, sharing what we’ve done, what we’ve achieved, balance negatives and positives
> Need honesty, need to be listened to, need to feel safe to let go

What you can do

> Talk about the new role as a group and define what it means to you
> Try role-playing the new role with a colleague
> Get together with citizens to discuss how risks can be managed
> Ask for time to reflect on all that has changed and how you feel about it
> Teams that are struggling or new to the changes benefit from having project officers or champions based with them
> Ask when you are not sure
> Remember, nobody has the answers
> Ask your manager what support is available
> Meet as a team and agree questions for managers and HR about your roles
> Have weekly meetings to share experiences
> Arrange group support and supervision – front line staff sharing good and bad practice
> Work as a team; bounce ideas off each other

Confused Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:57:09 +0000

What helps

> The opportunity to acknowledge if you don’t know how to do something
> Training and peer support
> Examples of what works
> Keep it simple, be aware of other agendas
> Project officers based temporarily with field work teams to support roll-out
> Know what the driver is for self-directed support
> Knowledge of the background and bigger picture
> Glossary and terminology
> Simplified processes
> Clear procedures and guidelines
> Management understanding and knowledge
> Clear direction
> Staff knowledge
> Provider knowledge
> Keep things simple
> Information
> Clarity of process and systems
> Regular updates about the changes
> IT support
> Easy to digest information and ideas for improvements
> Consistency in the approach to service delivery – different Local Authorities do things differently
To understand the personalisation agenda more (as well as the other changes in social care)
> Research
> Practice
> Be honest to self and service user if you don’t know
> Support staff
> Keep up to date – relevant accurate information
> More training on changes
> Clear streamlined process that work
> Support and opportunities to share ideas, and to discuss and implement changes
> Adequate information on the next lot of changes coming up
> Clear guidelines
> Be informed and updated – to know where things are going
> Practical information
> Good concrete examples of where it’s worked, examples for different service users that are realistic in terms of time and resources
> Clear definitions
> Not just something to read but also audio, video, pictures
> Practical examples of how to get a case agreed and resolved
> Clear guidelines

What you can do

> Use positive, clear communication
> Challenge terminology that doesn’t make sense to you
> Find out how to get information – a newsletter, forum or event
> Go on training
> Ensure the information you are using is up to date
> Have regular meetings to discuss what’s new and feedback any difficulties – so you keep up to date
> Use concrete, practical examples of where it has worked
> Remember that the values and aims of social care have not changed
> Have learning circles in team meetings
> Find out more about the wider personalisation agenda, read policy, read your organisations’ strategy
> Acknowledge if don’t know how to do it
> Use routine examples, not always a season ticket, ski diving etc, especially for older people
> Make positive easy changes
> Define personalisation, choice, control,
> Decide what advice you would give to…
> Come up with an explanation of self-directed support for service users and carers
> Come up with clear information to give to service users and carers – practical stuff
> Just get on with it – give it a try
> Write an easy-read reference for self and service users

Uncertain Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:56:33 +0000

What helps

> Use positive, clear communication
> Raise awareness – show that things change
> No mixed messages
> Better information for service users to make a good, informed quality choice
> Unified direction from all levels
> Transparency
> When funding is available
> Having a choice
> Not to have too many grey areas- we need more clarification
> Resources to bring about change
> Being informed
> Communication, communication, communication
> Balance professional and personal conflict
> Information – openness
> Would help to have information about finance, what works, examples, a chance to have a conversation about this
> Know how to do personalisation when there aren’t resources
> Have a choice – money attached to person centred planning
> Have to be consistent in your information

What you can do

> Come up with a definition that makes sense to you ‘knowing what’s right for me,’ ‘nothing about us without us’
> Ensure your vision is understandable to service users and carers
> Talk honestly about the resource issue – how you can give real choice; discuss as a team and agree what you need to say to service users
> Find a forum to let your organisation know your questions and concerns; if there isn’t one, ask for one
> Spend time exploring the reasons for change – use training sessions as a place for debate
> Remember not everything is great about the current situation
> Thank people who are honest with you
> Do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis in your team meeting to talk about the pros and cons of change
> Ask a third party about self-directed support e.g. a service user group
> Find out ‘What’s out there?’ – what support is available in your local area
> Try a dragon’s den exercise to argue why someone should get a personal budget
> Look for evidence of change – stories, increase in personal budgets, feedback, creativity, personal development, contribution, morale, new providers, outcome focused practice
> Have someone to pull together a list of ‘micro services’ and be able to advise on what is out there
> Set up or talk to neighbourhood workers to provide local knowledge
> Get providers involved – e.g. maintaining a list of personal assistants, employing a gardener, being an umbrella organisation for a micro-provider doing payroll, marketing etc., managing a time bank
> Gather up to date information on resources available
> Know what’s out there, know the resources, so you can get the right care or advise on options

Challenged Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:55:53 +0000

What helps

> Start small and do something to be proud of
> Leadership that is passionate
> Leadership and ownership– senior sign up, middle management
> Dedicated people
> Support from senior staff in pushing through changes
> Support from the Direct Payments team
> More floor workers to support with new electronic work
> All tiers of the organisation saying the same thing – co-production
> Clear direction so you know what is happening
> Focus and direction
> Managers need to understand it, especially senior managers
> Challenge people – ask why we are doing it, what are we here for?
> Get systems in place to start with
> Joint visits to start with or people coming to team meetings
> Know what to do when you hit problems; how people overcome barriers and issues
> Something to help managers – confidence for them about how it works
> Not being forced – either service users or supporters
> Co-production in our organisation, the same message, the same voice
> Help to manage the situation – training
> We have a meeting once a month – it is really useful, we can feed back to the team, give the same message

What you can do

> If you are not sure what your organisation’s plan is for self directed support, ask about it as a team
> Put your toes in the water; start somewhere, start as soon as possible
> Arrange to shadow someone who has already done a self-directed support case
> Start with a new service user to set up a support package
> Pick a case where it is easy to make a change
> Do your first case with someone else e.g. a self-directed support lead or champion
> Identify key stakeholders, benchmark where you are now, identify gaps, collect hints and tips, identify the benefits for you and your team
> Ask your manager if you can visit a team that’s already doing self-directed support or have a visit from them
> Find out if there is a champion to help you in your new role
> Liaise with the direct payments team – DP officers have got a lot of knowledge; they might come to team meetings or come out on joint visits

Hopeful Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:55:02 +0000

What helps

> Focus on outcomes
> Change works for people if they are informed and involved
> Have a clear vision from leaders that’s communicated well and leads to real changes
> Keep service users at the forefront of everything
> Keep it about outcomes for people
> Do the change with service users so it works for them
> Leadership vision and a plan, passion, to have a destination
> Service users talking about their experiences at events reminded us what this is all about
> Talk to people
> More time with service users
> Publicity about changes
> Keep going – business as usual
> Hear and promote good news stories – give encouragement
> You need to be able to find something positive – think about people who use services
> Research that is relevant, what other people are experiencing, things that chime with our experience
> Keep providing what people need
> Acceptance of the change
> The courage, determination, integrity and vision of people that I meet in adversity
> Job satisfaction
> Positive feedback from service users and carers
> Outcomes for service user

What you can do

> Give yourself a confidence boost – talk about what’s working in a team meeting
> Keep a reflective log of what you have done and what you have learned as part of continuous professional development
> Find out what your organisation is doing to let you know its vision – get involved – write the vision up in your office
> Get involved in roadshows, staff groups, forums, look at the intranet site, publications, newsletters
> Ask for a community event in your area with all local community groups
> Find out where you are now – look at complaints, compliments and feedback; do a staff survey
> Find out where the gaps are – use a framework to do this
> Talk about outcomes, not process – achievements not actions
> Be clear about FACS – how the intervention will help prevent deterioration and harm
> Find good examples of how self-directed support works with your service user group

Positive Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:49:39 +0000

What helps

> Keep up the pace
> Work with the people you support – get families and carers on board
> When service users themselves request a more personalised service to meet their needs
> Make sure that people in the community are having choice and control over the support to live their lives independently
> Equality
> Accessibility
> Choices
> Be person-centred
> Make sure PFIs are not the main focus of achievement
> Make the customer fully aware of obligations and fully involved
> Increase service user control – self-directed
> Increase the choice, control and power of service users and their carers
> Be positive
> Self-assessments
> Questioning, keeping social work values
> Be positive about the new process
> Understand the individual
> Choice and control
> Keep service users informed about where they are in the process
> Find out what service users really think and say about self directed support
> To help with change – you need knowledge, a focus on service users, knowing the right questions to ask, practical solutions
> Positive aspects of the job
> Bring about positive change for service users
> Keep the focus on the person – talk to people
> Help to increase choice and control, and empowerment
> Service user involvement in strategy and developing personal budgets to meet their outcomes – a really good positive response to trying personal budgets, service users have a voice
> The end result for the service user
> More choice and control for service users
> More independence and individuality

What you can do

> Challenge any messages that this won’t work for particular groups of people
> Get some quotes from service users and put them up round your office e.g. ‘Finally, I can pee when I want to’
> Use positive language – “citizens”, “experts” not “service users”
> Have an easy read ‘how to’ guide for service users that you share at every opportunity
> Check that every change in your organisation is about giving citizens more choice and control
> If you have regular PI reports, put a success case with them to remind you that it is about the end user not the statistics
> Make sure senior managers know and understand the importance of what is happening and fully support it
> Ask for a local event with service users
> Engage with the community e.g. hold a local event
> Hold a user-led meeting
> Write some advice and guidance for service users
> Collect quotes from people using social care who have found something positive – a ‘boost card’
> Write down questions from service users and carers, and get some simple answers for them, practical stuff

Enthusiastic Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:48:48 +0000

What helps

> Get permission to try things out
> Be creative
> Take risks
> ‘Risks’ need to be taken; however, some agencies and managers are more prepared than others to let people take risks
> Make mistakes to make progress
> Get permission to work in new ways
> Give permission to work in this way, allow creativity, allow mistakes and positive risk taking
> It’s hugely liberating to work with self-directed support – there’s freedom to think
> It’s a great opportunity to actually change things
> I got excited by direct payments – ‘one Harrods meal a week’; I see it as the way I wanted social work to be
> Budget holders being more creative and flexible
> Keep positive and enthusiastic about change
> Keep the momentum going
> Fulfillment
> Service users thinking outside the box and radical change
> If done properly, being part of something creative and imaginative
> The opportunities that come with change
> Opportunities for service users
> Freedom to offer alternatives
> More choice and flexibility
> Think outside the box
> Radical change

Things to do

> Keep the momentum going by having an anything is possible approach – ask yourself why not do this, rather than why do this
> Get your creative ideas through panel by showing how much money they will save compared with traditional services and by reducing the chance that the support fails
> Take a video of a service user talking about how self-directed support has changed their life – show it to your finance director
> Link personal budget holders together
> Use meetings and forums to share good practice examples
> Talk to your organisation’s change champions
> Give people choice and opportunity – don’t prescribe things
> Ask people about wishes, needs and wants
> Find real radical examples of how people have used money and how it has worked

Excited Action Card

Ferg — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:47:27 +0000

What helps

> Hear others experiences and how it is positively working
> Public awareness of change
> Case studies
> Make the general public more aware
> The successes – when it works!
> Case studies help
> We need publicity, so people know what it is
> To hear what is happening with service users, good news stories – share these
> The public need to be aware; they have no idea of what it is.
> Need to tell people the good things we do
> The successes – when personalisation works and shows a difference
> The opportunity to be surprised and challenged by service users; to be part of making a real difference in people’s lives
> Life changes

Things to do

> Recognise what you have achieved – tell your manager, have a team meeting to celebrate
> Use an in-house magazine to tell people about your successes
> Invite a service user to talk to your team or organisation
> Evaluate what you are doing so you can share the evidence with others
> Let the public know what you are doing
> Share positive stories with y our team – using case studies and examples
> Have a discussion about the things you were proud of in your work
> Become a champion to share your excitement about self-directed support
> Monitor, measure and communicate success
> Evaluate the change to processes and systems from the perspective of users, carers and staff