London Visual Impairment Forum
‘Beyond the Usual Suspects’
Towards Inclusive User Involvement
By Shaping Our Lives
Becki Meakin
13th December 2013
Ground Rules
• Turn off mobile phones
• Introduce yourself
• Respect people’s opinions
• Listen to each other and do not interrupt
• Speak clearly, one at a time
• Use plain and simple English, do not cover your mouth
• Avoid abbreviations
• Do not refer to people outside of the meeting
• It is okay to leave the room at any time
Shaping Our Lives Vision
:
A society which is equal and fair where all
people have:
• the same opportunities, choices, rights and
responsibilities,
• choice and control; over the way they live
and the support services they use.
We aim to:
Improve the quality of care and support people receive
by:
• Supporting and promoting local user involvement
• Giving a shared voice to user controlled organisations
• Enabling service user involvement at a national level
• Enabling groups to link to other user controlled groups
•
Work in an equal and accessible manner.
What we do
• User involvement: policy and planning
• User research: to inform national policy
makers
• User-led training: inclusivity and diversity
Beyond the Usual Suspects
How do we make user involvement in
service planning and delivery
inclusive and ensure diversity?
What is user involvement?
• The age of involvement
• How we play an active part in getting change
• How we make a difference
• How we improve our lives to give us more control
Not everyone has an equal chance, additional
obstacles in life lead to additional barriers to
involvement.
Getting user involvement right
“User involvement? Don’t make me laugh.
It’s just the same old people who go to most
meetings, look at who takes part in most
consultations and it’s the same folk who do
the talking. It’s middle aged, middle class,
confident, white, able-bodied blokes. What
good is that?”
Why is inclusion an issue?
• Involvement allows people’s voices to be heard so
they can have more say in society
• It’s an opportunity to express views, particularly for
disadvantaged groups
• If only some voices are included, it reinforces
barriers for others
• An equal chance to be heard, prevents
discrimination
“The whole point of involvement is to listen
to people who don’t get listened to. If you
get left out of that, then that’s saying
something!!”
Who especially gets left out?
Evidence from Beyond the Usual Suspects highlights
a wide range of service users linked to:
•
•
•
•
•
Equality issues
Where people live
Communication issues
The nature of impairments
Unwanted voices
Not just the usual suspects, older people and people
from BME communities.
Excluded by
Equality issues:
• Gender
• Culture
• Ethnicity
• Belief
• Sexuality
• Age etc.
Where people live:
• Homeless people
• People in residential services
• People in prison in the penal system
• Gypsies and travellers
Excluded by
Communication issues:
•
•
•
Sensory impairment
People with no verbal communication
People for whom English is not their first
language.
The nature of impairments:
•
•
•
People with complex and multiple impairments
Unwanted voices
Some points of view are more welcome than
others.
Sandwell Visually Impaired
• Grew from 12 people in 2004 to over 500 members
– 40% of registered VI people in Sandhurst
• They want to be treated equal\lily and fairly
• Ensure their views are heard by councils, health
providers etc.
• Consult with members
• Wellbring, health, educational, social and leisure
activities
What is meaningful involvement?
“I sometimes wonder, is it really any more
than just thinking, what would make it
possible for me to be involved and to think it
was worthwhile?”
Barriers to involvement
Gatekeepers - don’t allow service staff and
carers or family members to stand in the
way
Solutions
•
•
•
•
•
Be persistent
Look for ways round them
Keep calm
Keep focussed on service users
Training
Barriers continued
Financial - including travel, involvement
costs, benefits and support needs.
Solutions
• Meet expenses
• Adopt a principle of paying for service user
skills
• Seek expert advice on benefits
• Budget carefully for inclusion.
Barriers continued
Access - physical, environmental,
communication and cultural
Solutions
•
•
•
•
It is a duty under equalities legislation
Ground rules
Check requirements in advance
Ask don’t assume
Positive meetings
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Accessible materials and venues
Sympathetic timing
Breaks with opportunity for food and drink
Diverse representation
Plain English formats
Listen and act on what you hear
Involve in all areas of learning practice and
evaluation/monitoring.
Why?
“I know why I wanted to get involved (with
social services) because I like to help people
with learning disabilities to stand up for
themselves and take control of their own
lives.”
Thank you
If you require more information please
contact:
Becki Meakin
[email protected]
07956 424511