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Social Care Services Commissioning Strategy
Consultation and Engagement Strategy
September 2010
Council approach to communication and engagement
1
Recently the Council has re-stated its determination to ensure service user and
carer engagement is at the centre of this work. Recent examples of this are:
1.2
The Chief Executive’s Review of the Care and Support Tender, which requires
that the ‘lessons learned’ in respect of consultation and engagement is taken
account of in the development of the new commissioning strategy. (Report to
Policy and Strategy Committee 11 May 2010).
1.3
The Leader of the Council’s ‘Podium’ piece in Third Force News, (18 June
2010), the national voluntary sector newspaper, where she stated, ‘ we must
ensure a more participatory approach’ and that ‘genuine two-way
communication is required to secure the views, opinions, suggestions and
concerns of users in order to take these into account in planning, designing and
improving services’.
1.4
Furthermore, the Council wishes to build on the strong relationships it has with
the voluntary and private Sectors and sees their involvement as crucial to the
success of this engagement strategy, given the wealth of experience in
engagement that exists between the Council and the independent sector.
1.5
The adoption by the Health and Social Care Department of the National
Standards for Community Engagement as a basis for good practice in service
user involvement. (This manual outlines methods and includes
recommendations for the adoption of a number of behaviours to assist
engagement work).
2
At a national level, the modernising government agenda, as expressed by
bodies such as the Improvement and Development Agency, Department of
Health, Scottish Government, and the Social Work Inspection Agency,
emphasises the need to ensure engagement is a key component in the
commissioning of care and support services and that it is a positive, inclusive
and effective experience for all those involved.
3
Some expressions of this:
Councils should ensure ‘key stakeholders are involved in the commissioning
process. In particular, (they need to) be clear about how service users and
carers will be involved.’
Executive bodies of partner agencies are ‘signed up’ to a common
understanding of the commissioning process.
Involvement should be considered for each phase of the the ‘analyse, plan, do
and review’ cycle. The Improvement and Development Agency
In order to make service user and carer involvement meaningful, local
authorities will need to identify how to take service user and carer views into
account and respond to these views. They also need to determine what
resources they can make available to support this activity, which can involve
significant levels of work. Service users and carers will often have different
views. Local authorities will need to communicate their final decisions to service
users and carers and explain why they have reached these decisions.
The Scottish Government
Commissioning must ensure personalised approaches to meeting people’s
needs, must achieve best value and comply with equalities duties.
Engaging people who use services and their carers is at the heart of effective
commissioning. Commissioners also need to engage with citizens in the wider
community to define outcomes that reflect needs, preferences and aspirations
of people who will use services in the future, and their carers. ADSW
What is engagement?
4
Engagement is about ensuring that people can participate in a variety of
different ways to make their views heard.
To achieve this, the City of Edinburgh Council wishes to work alongside and to
listen to all stakeholders by ensuring:
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A variety of ways are used to enable service users and carers to get
involved.
All information is provided in formats tailored to the individual or group
needs of service users and carers.
Service users and carers have the support they need to express their views.
The Council makes clear who will be listening, including both officers and
councillors, to the record of views of all those who have participated in the
engagement and what the response will be to those views.
The record of the engagement includes areas of disagreement.
There is clear communication to all stakeholders at the implementation
stage of any changes arising from the proposals which have been the
subject of the engagement.
Improving Engagement
5
This strategy aims to build on collective experience and agree a joint approach
for the future that has a focus on listening and responding to service users and
carers on issues such as having choice and control in relation to care and
support services. The aims of the engagement strategy are to:
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Ensure service users and carers can have a genuine influence on how
services are provided and who provides them.
Ensure that this engagement is a positive experience for all those involved.
Bring together knowledge and information from engagement in service
planning and development in other areas, such as the Joint Capacity Pan
for Older People, Live Well In Later Life, the more recent Joint Capacity
Plan for Services for People with Learning Disabilities and Home Care
Modernisation, Youngedinburgh, Edinburgh Local Youth Issues Forum and
the work in Neighbourhood Partnerships.
Establish a ‘Checkpoint Group’ from the start of the work to provide advice
of the approach to communication and engagement. (see appendix 1)
Agree the best practical tools for this engagement strategy. For example,
written, visual and/or face to face meetings in a range of different groupings
of people.
Evaluate this engagement strategy to ensure continuous improvement in
the process of engagement.
6
We will do this by:
6.1
Following the Scottish Government draft guidance to:
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ensure the people who are involved understand the process and are clear
about their role in it, and;
are able to commit the necessary time and receive appropriate training and
support.
6.2
Establishing a checkpoint group at the start of the work on developing a new
commissioning strategy. (See appendix 1)
6.3
Developing an engagement toolkit, that is clear about what is being consulted
on and on what has been already agreed or fixed.
6.4
Adopting the ‘analyse, plan, do and review model’ developed to support the
National Standards for Community Engagement.
Underlying Values/practical arrangements
7
The Council as far as possible, wants engagement to be a positive, inclusive
and effective experience for all those involved, although it is acknowledged that
the outcome may not always be one that all who participate are in agreement
with. For this to happen there needs to be honesty, transparency and openness
about how decisions are made by all those taking part. The Council is
committed to using the findings to shape an approach to commissioning,
including procurement, of services in the future.
7.1
The Council wishes to work alongside bodies which represent service users
carers and providers. This relationship will be underpinned by the principles
reflected in the Edinburgh Compact of equal respect between the Council and
independent sector partners, of transparency, accountability, clear
communication and equity.
7.2
There will be a clear explanation for service users and carers about their roles
in consultation and how their views will be used. Practical arrangements will
include:
 The need to use venues preferred by service users and carers which are
fully accessible.
 The recording and making public of all activities, using a multi channel
approach to ensure widespread awareness.
 Recognition that large events may not encourage people to speak out and a
range of opportunities to do so will be provided, including:
o open access to making comments in person, by social workers or
people’s existing providers;
o by letter and/or response to other written or visual publications;
o provision of advice from user and carer led organisations;
o focus groups;
o user and carer forums involving different interest groups;
o surveys of service user and carer experience and views;
o support from advocacy workers for service users and carers to present
their views and protect their interests
o user friendly meetings tailored to the specific preferences of service
users carers, irrespective of age, capacity and ability
o provision of expenses where necessary and refreshments.
Communications Strategy
8
All communications will be, clear, succinct, relevant and written in plain
language that avoids, wherever possible, the use of jargon and technical terms.
Information will be accessible, and communications will be tested, timely, open
and honest, and two way.
8.1
All communications will be consistent with the principles of Personalisation,
which is a key Council strategy, to ensure there is choice for service users and
carers about the ways in which they can speak up.
8.2
There will be no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Full use will be made of the range
of accessible communication formats, appropriate to individual or group
communication needs. Formats include symbol systems, audio, video, Braille,
large print, sign language interpretation, and community language translation
and interpretation.
8.3
Full recognition will be given to the fact that the interests of the different groups
of people being consulted will not necessarily be the same. Support will be
provided to ensure no-one is discriminated against or excluded. For example,
for those with profound and multiple disabilities it may be appropriate for family
or kinship carers to play a role. All of those who contribute their views will
receive a response.
8.4
Adequate resources to support both the communications and engagement
strategy will be made available.
9
The aims and objectives of the communications strategy are to:
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10
Be focused on people, particularly service users and carers.
Encourage the active involvement of everyone who has a stake in care
and support services.
Ensure the involvement of Council staff involved in commissioning of
care and support services.
Ensure service users and carers have the chance to give their views,
particularly those whose voices are often not heard.
Inform all stakeholders of the key stages, including the outcomes.
Key message of the communications strategy
The Council wants to listen and respond to what service users, carers, their
representatives and providers have to say about the new commissioning
strategy and to ensure everyone who wishes to, including our staff, have the
opportunity to express their views.
11
Audiences
Partners
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Service Users
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Carers, relatives and representatives of service users
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Voluntary sector providers of service
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Private sector providers of service
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Voluntary sector organisations which represent service users and carers
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Voluntary and private sector umbrella organisations which represent
providers.
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Advocacy organisations
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Trades Unions
Politicians
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Leader/Deputy Leader
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Convener
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Group spokespersons
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All Councillors
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MPs/MSPs
Council
Targeted Council staff
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Health and Social Care,
 Planning and Commissioning
 Heads of Service
 Frontline Social Workers
 Specialist teams e.g. Local Area Co-ordination Team
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Finance
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 Procurement
Children and Families,
 Planning and Commissioning
 Heads of Service
 Frontline Social Workers
Services For Communities
 Planning and Commissioning
 Housing and Regeneration
NHS Lothian staff.
 Planning and Commissioning
 Heads of Service
 Specialist teams e.g. Community Learning Disability Team
Corporate Services Equalities staff.
All other staff in the partner agencies
12
Tools
12.1
The Council will make best use of a combination of its own database of partner
contacts combined with the Checkpoint Group’s networks for mailing (including
emailing).
12.2
Particular attention will be paid to ensuring people with limited or impaired
communications ability have information in a wide variety of accessible formats,
tailored to individual or group needs, including, large print, Braille, ethnic
community languages, interpretation and translation, sign languages and
symbols.
12.3
Communications tools may include:
12.4
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Face to Face sessions with key audiences and stakeholders.
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DVD and video clips – either on-line or on CD Rom
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A regular printed or electronic newsletter using symbols
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Partner and Council web sites
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Audio tape versions of printed materials
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Media releases and features in local, national, voluntary sector and
professional media
A communications log will be kept up to date, listing all engagement sessions.
Appendices
1. Checkpoint Group Remit
Contact/tel/Email
Wards affected
All
Background
Papers
http://www.idea.gov.uk, ‘How do you know commissioning is effective?
Consultation on draft Social Care Procurement Scotland Guidance,
Scottish Government, 2010
Involving people who use services in the commissioning process, Nigel
Walker, Department of Health, Health and Social Care Change Agent
Team
Framework for Engaging with people who use Care Services and
Carers 2007-2010. Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care,
2007
Guide to Strategic Commissioning, Social Work Inspection Agency,
2009
The City of Edinburgh Council, Service User Involvement Good
Practice Guide
Improving Community Engagement in Edinburgh - Strategy and Action
Plan, 2006-08, The Edinburgh Partnership
Appendix 1
Commissioning Strategy Checkpoint Group
Remit
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To agree an engagement and communications strategy, which will be
employed for the consultation on the commissioning strategy, reviewed and
embedded within the final document as a model of best practice.
To be aware of the key stages in the project plan
To consider options drafted by the Project Executive for the commissioning
approach
To discuss options for implementation
To be a contact point for future independent evaluation of the commissioning
strategy
To represent views to the commissioning strategy Project Executive
This will be done by:
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Meetings of the Group at key stages in the project, built into the project plan
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Provision of short updates
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Seeking the views of representatives
o Some of this will be around the table viewpoints to ensure everyone’s
voice is heard
o Where appropriate, wider audiences will be informed and views sought
(particularly for hard to reach groups).
Formation of the Group
The Project Executive will agree a framework for the membership of the Group.
Membership will include representation from service user and carer groups, advocacy
groups, equalities groups and Council staff.
The Group will have an independent chair.