Engaging Service Users

Who are the ‘service users’ of a University?

19/04/2016 © The University of Sheffield

19/04/2016 © The University of Sheffield

Intellectually

Emotionally

Engagement

Actively

How do we engage with each other intellectually?

19/04/2016 © The University of Sheffield

• Curriculum

• Research

• Events

How do we engage with each other emotionally?

• Support services

• Space

• Listen

19/04/2016 © The University of Sheffield

How do we engage with each other actively?

• Joint activities

• Voice

• Structures for changes

• Learn!

19/04/2016 © The University of Sheffield

1. Clear message tied to the

whole organisation

2. Talk to the right people

3. Pay attention to visual culture

4. Be open to learning from them

5. Show you’re serious

Top Tips

To Discover And Understand.

Engaging LGBT+ Service

Users

Importance of Engagement

• Specific factors increase the risk of fire for the LGBT community:

• Age (universal – over 65s)

• Use of drugs and alcohol

• Living alone

• Mental Health

• Recruitment, retention and staff engagement, diversity, support and welfare

Barriers to Engagement

• Perception of the Service – as macho, homophobic or at best disinterested

• Lack of understanding of the LGBT+ community and relevance of core messages

• Legacy issues, including distrust of authority

How do we engage?

By being an inclusive organisation:

• Firepride Allies and Firepride network – using staff as ambassadors

• Working with other staff networks – Police, local councils etc.

• LGBT+ Youth Ambassadors – extending our reach

• Staff survey

How do we engage?

Visibility! - By attending community events throughout the year and showing the community what we’re about:

• Flying the flag during LGBT History Month at our fire stations and HQ

• Bespoke events for IDAHoBiT and attending Pride (Manchester, Chester, Warrington)

• Promoting Stonewall WEI and other equality success

• External speaking events

How do we engage?

Working with our partners! Building links to the community and individuals by using wider networks and existing relationships • Local charities and

community groups, especially Body Positive and the Proud Trust

• Working with our other public sector employers, such as Cheshire Constabulary

• Supporting hate crime initiatives and partnerships

Consultation

• Public, partner and staff consultation takes place on our strategy, annual plan (IRMP) and significant projects

• Robust consultation programme using a variety of tools – engaging ‘at risk’ communities through targeting, our network, events and partners

• Collect extensive equality monitoring data to identify impact on LGBT+ community and any gaps, issues and opportunities

• Speak to community groups directly to explain what we are doing and support recruitment

• Responses are used to inform our campaigns and policies

5 Top Tips

1. Identify the risks, opportunities and the barriers

2. Use your people! Engage employees and wider networks

3. Be visible! Get out there and build relationships

4. Work alongside partners – use existing networks

5. Monitor, monitor, monitor! Make time to review and discuss what you see and find

Why do you want to engage with your Service Users?

• Ensure your service is fit for purpose

• Motivation

• Improvement

• Information

• Review changes

• To make sure your service is inclusive and is non-discriminatory.

How will you get the most honest responses?

Confidentiality

• Ensuring that information is stored securely

• Ensuring that access to given feedback is limited to those who need it

• Reporting data in trends and statistics without revealing a particular service user’s identity

Explaining the process

• Explain that all given information is confidential (unless safeguarding/risk issues/ legal duty to inform)

• Why you require the information

• What will happen to the information

• How you will communicate outcomes to service users!

Who is going to carry out your engagement activity?

• Are you going to get someone external?

• Are you going to use someone who has built a rapport with your service user?

• Are you going to use someone from “Head Office” or from “the Boardroom”

• How about setting up a service users forum?

• How about a post-graduate research student?

How are you going to get feedback?

1-2-1 chat - how was that for you?

Online- using a quick survey, after the event

Questionnaire- anonymous or not?

Focus groups- relaxed chat or formal meetings

Suggestion boxes

Telephone survey

Social media

What’s the service user’s incentive to give feedback?

Engagement done…what now?

• Review what’s just happened

• Plan how you are going to move forward

• Ensure you improve your relationship with each other as you move forward together, addressing issues

• Communicate the outcomes to staff and service users

Engagement Improvement Cycle

Plan

Do

Check

Act

Top Five Tips

• Listen to and ACT on the feedback you get!

• Communicate your responses and actions

• Realise that feedback comes “outside of engagement activities” is just as valuable

• Ensure your engagement participation groups is as diverse as it can be!

• Make engagement regular and meaningful!