Service User Involvement in liaison and diversion services

Sarah Anderson & Pat Kenny

Revolving Doors Agency (OHC)

What is User Involvement?

“A process by which people are able to become actively and genuinely involved in defining the issues of concern to them; in making decisions about factors that effect their lives; in formulating and implementing polices; in planning, developing and delivering services, and in taking action to achieve change.”

World Health Organisation, 2002

Considerations

1) Moving towards the new operating model • E.g. Service user on project board; local

workshop to provide feedback on implementation

2) Embedding long-term in your liaison and diversion scheme

3) Partner services and commissioners: how can you help?

Yes there are challenges…

• No or limited systems of SUI currently in place • Limited appetite of SUs to be involved • Different groups to engage: adults, young people, parents &

carers, women, BME • Should not be tokenistic or harmful to individual

– Relevant experience & support needed

• Short-term involvement with service and limited follow-up • Local capacity • At time of service use, clients often in crisis so immediate

involvement activities may not be appropriate / possible • Incentives are a tricky business

But there are solutions… • Identify a lead and include within project & annual business

plans • Source expertise – talk to PPI team • Identify existing user groups through extended team (e.g.

probation/YOS) and referral pathways • Look for potential board member among people already

active in PPI as ‘proxy’ for group • Identify peer, mentor or professional support • Be creative and consider variety of options for best

approach & to engage different groups • Incentivise and reward involvement

Some examples…

• Exit questionnaires • Annual cycle of workshops/focus groups • Annual survey of extended team clients • Involvement in staff recruitment & training • Recruitment and training of clients from extended team for

involvement activities • Peer research • Visual methods e.g. pathway mapping • Explore social media, vox pops, and texting options • Recruitment of ex-service users to paid posts • Link in with VCS to develop peer mentoring schemes

How can others help?

Partner agencies can help schemes to: – identify service users – collect feedback – plan and undertake joint involvement activities (e.g.

pathway mapping)

Commissioners can require that schemes: – identify SUI lead – include within project/business plans – report on what they have done and its impact – include within KPIs

Why does it matter?

It has a huge impact on

the quality of services and so the

people who receive services

and

on those who get involved

Pat will share his experiences of user involvement

Final thoughts…

• Identify lead, include within business planning

• Don’t need complex structures

• Don’t have to be ‘exact match’: benefit to talking to people with relevant experience even if have not used L&D

• Anyone can do it: use engagement skills you have developed in your work

• Key is to listen, make changes and feedback

Discussion groups

• What are we doing currently?

• How effective is this?

• What are the main challenges we face?

• How could we overcome these & improve our user involvement?

Sarah Anderson Director of research and development, Revolving Doors Lead for the north of England, Offender Health Collaborative sarah.anderson@revolving-doors.org.uk