Sitra bulletin no 6 2014 by Sitra

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:20 Page 1

bulletin THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

expertise, training & consultancy in housing with health, care & support

2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NO.6

Restorative Justice

Deprivation of Liberty

A Workforce for the Future

The Road to Implementation

Surmounting Challenges www.sitra.org

Housing and Safeguarding

Waking up to Reality

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:21 Page 2

Contents 03

CEO’s Comment

Deprivation of Liberty – What Providers of Housing with Support Need to Know and Do With the recent changes to the definitions of Deprivation of Liberty’ Rose Molloy brings some clarity to the implications for Supported Housing.

Restorative Justice – reducing the impact of crime Michael Pearson tells us about the SIFA Fireside Restorative Justice pilot and the role the housing sector can play in crime reduction.

Towards Hope Jenny Hudson Project Officer at 300 Voices talks about a pilot project “Better Must Come – Towards Hope” to support men in Birmingham living with mental illness.

A Workforce for the Future Sitra’s Lauren Sadler looks at the new, emerging and changing job roles in Adult Social Care within the Extra Care Housing Sector; what are the workforce challenges?

Cover Story

The Skills Exchange In 2010 Broadway (now St Mungo’s Broadway) launched a Timebanking Project called Skills Exchange. Kaaren Morris tell us more.

Surmounting Challenges

The Road to Implementation With the Care Act now law, Sitra’s Tim Parkin guides us down the road to implementation.

A New Deal The Bromford Deal where tenant and landlord work together to make things better Director John Wade explains.

Housing and Safeguarding – New Care Act Requirements Sitra’s Rose Molloy looks at what the new safeguarding requirement means for housing providers.

Waking from a nightmare? Sitra’s Geoffrey Ferres looks at Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the new disability benefit.

Sitra Training

Sitra Staff Chief Executive Vic Rayner Deputy Chief Executive Lisa Harrison Policy Officers Geoffrey Ferres Roselee Molloy Policy and Research Co-ordinators Dani Cohen Burcu Borysik

Training and Events Manager Stephanie Hill Contracts Officers Anna Robertson Wendy Green Business Support Lana Lewis Sarah Pink (Maternity leave) Head of Finance & Central Services Berihu Mohammed

EU Funding and Finance Officer Ray Naicker Finance Assistant Sharelle Hunt Office Co-ordinator Gill Cotton Central Support Monica Antolin Membership Co-ordinator Rory Desch

If you would like to receive the bulletin in large print or in other accessible formats, email post@sitra.org

Contributors

Sitra Offices

To discuss advertising opportunities within the bulletin, please email post@sitra.org

London 3rd Floor, 55 Bondway London SW8 1SJ Telephone: 020 7793 4710 Fax: 020 7793 4715 Birmingham BVSC, 138 Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6DR Telephone: 0121 678 8891 Email: geoffreyf@sitra.org

Editorial To contact the editor please email burcub@sitra.org.

Submissions and queries If you have any comments, queries or suggestions, a letter for publication or wish to submit a news story or article please contact us via one of the methods opposite.

Charity Reg No 290599 Company Reg No 1869208 ISSN 0956-6678 Sitra is partly funded by DCLG.

expertise, training & consultancy in housing with health, care & support

02 bulletin

2014 No.6

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:21 Page 3

CEO’s Comment Read all about it……. There is a strong legal thrust to this edition of the Bulletin, providing detail of how changes in legislation are beginning to impact behaviour on the ground. As we draw to the close of 2014, we are seeing the last vestiges of activity generated by our current government come into force. One of the big changes has been the Care Act 2014. As we are only three months away from the implementation of Part 1 of the Act, it seems appropriate to look again at what this will mean for the housing sector, and a reminder of the core components of the Act. Continuing this focus, we pick up on how provider’s responsibilities around safeguarding will change. The Act reinforces the need for both general needs and housing support providers to have specific safeguarding policies and procedures in place, and raises the potential involvement of housing providers in Adult Safeguarding Boards. Away from primary legislation, the importance of case law hits home, with a detailed article on the how recent rulings have clarified how deprivation of liberty can take place in any domestic setting. This is critical information for providers of services, and our resident expert, Rose Molloy, brings you up to date and encourages a proactive response. Changes in legislation can often drive a change in workforce requirements, and this time is no different! Sitra have been working with Skills for Care to look at emerging work force issues. The research identified a suite of new ‘cross over’ roles, which merged housing care and support responsibilities together – and recognising that the skills of the future are not necessarily adequately served by the current learning and development structures. Focus on resilience, wellbeing, integrated working and expertise around welfare reform are high on providers list of future learning needs.

Vic Rayner Chief Executive Email: vicr@sitra.org

Perhaps – unsurprisingly – I shall be making a bid for the Bulletin to be a compulsory part of all future workforce development programmes – and this edition is a perfect example of all these core issues coming together in one place! For example – we have an article on excellent practice around resilience from the 300 Voices project, which aims to empower young African and Caribbean men, to share their stories, to help reduce stigma and discrimination often experienced when accessing services in inpatient mental health settings. We also include an update on Timebanking, this time focussing on how St Mungos Broadway has supported this community-led innovation that uses time as currency. We also have an essential update on the roll out of Personal Independence Payments and how to support your workforce in understanding the changes. Finally it gives an insight into one organisations focus on working in a more integrated way within the criminal justice sector. SIFA Fireside have been piloting a Restorative Justice project, working in partnership with West Midlands Police and across the housing sector to help generate referrals to the project and to encourage victim-led referrals. It contextualises the impact of a strong housing partner within the system, and showcases some of the essential workforce skills of integrated working. So – there it is – Sitra Bulletin – compulsory reading for all housing, health, care and support professionals – now – I am sure someone mentioned there was a holiday coming up as a great opportunity to read all about it! Best wishes to you all for 2015

About Sitra Sitra is a membership organisation championing excellence in housing with health, care and support. Membership benefits include discounts on all services and events, access to free advice, an annual subscription to the bulletin and regular briefings on key policy developments in the sector. Sitra works with local and central government to ensure that the needs of its members are recognised, understood and met by resource providers. If you would like to join Sitra please contact the Membership Administrator on 020 7793 4710 and ask for an application form, or download one from www.sitra.org Content ©2014 SITRA (Services) Ltd except where stated, All right reserved. All images © individual photographers & illustrators. Opinions expressed by individuals writers are not necessarily those of Sitra or the magazine’s Editorial Team. E&OE. Design: Aquatint BSC 020 8947 8571 www.aquatint.co.uk

Keep up to date with our Blog Keep up with developments and add to the debate at Sitra CEO’s blog at www.sitraceo.wordpress.com

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:21 Page 4

allowed? This briefing and the Cheshire West case only concern the first question. The question of whether a deprivation is lawful involves an examination of the best interests of the service user and the level of restriction. That analysis is undertaken after a potential deprivation has been raised. In March 2014, the definition of ‘deprivation of liberty’ was clarified and widened by the Supreme Court in the cases of P v Cheshire West and Chester Council and (generally referred to as Cheshire West) P & Q v Surrey County Council. Following this case, it is clear that a deprivation of liberty can take place in any domestic setting, including housing with support, extra-care housing, adult placement/shared lives or domiciliary care. There are two important questions to consider if you provide housing related support services to adults who may lack the capacity to consent. The first is: is it possible there is a deprivation of liberty? The second is: is that deprivation

04 bulletin

2014 No.6

The legal standard A deprivation of liberty is a limitation on a person’s free will and can take different forms including restricting a person’s movements by only allowing them outside with staff or using restraints. If a service user’s liberty is deprived, or at risk of being deprived, an application must be made to ensure an independent review of care arrangements and establish a process for regular reviews of care. Where to make the application depends upon where the deprivation will take place: for non-hospital or care home residents applications are to the Court of Protection, for care

home residents applications to the local council, and for hospital residents applications to the local clinical commissioning group (CCG). If an application is not sought, the deprivation is unlawful and in violation of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

When does a person lack capacity to make a decision? This threshold question does not have an easy answer. People may make ‘bad’ decisions or decisions you don’t agree with but that doesn’t mean they lack the capacity to make the decision. Fortunately the standard does not require front line staff to make the final assessment, it is enough that common sense indicates that a service user might be lacking capacity. Four factors to look for are the ability to: l understand the relevant information, l retain that information, l use or weigh that information as part of the process of making the decision, or l communicate the decision.

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:21 Page 5

Cheshire West tells us that a deprivation takes place when the service user is over 18 and: lacks, or may lack, the capacity to consent to their support plan or living arrangements, is subject to continuous supervision and control,

is not free to leave, and

The State is responsible for imposing the support plan or living arrangement The problem for providers is that each of these factors is not clearly defined1. When is a service user is subject to continuous supervision and control? Again there are no bright lines. Some important factors to consider are whether staff: l control who the incapacitated person can have contact with; l control the activities that the person is allowed to participate in; l do not allow the person to leave the placement without supervision; and l control if the person is allowed to permanently leave the scheme and move to another setting (i.e.; service user is not free to move out).

Is the person free to leave? Importantly, the court made clear that this question does not arise when someone tries to leave; rather the question is what would happen if the person tried to leave? Indeed one of the parties in Cheshire West was living with her foster mother and never expressed any wish to leave.

State action The final factor is the role of the state in the person’s life and again when do we cross over the line into state action? If the state is paying for a service that is depriving someone of their liberty is an authorisation required?

Irrelevant factors It is important to note that the following factors are not relevant in determining whether there is a deprivation of liberty: l a person’s compliance or lack of objection to a placement l the suitability or relative normality of the placement and l the reason or purpose leading to the placement While these factors may be relevant to the best interest analysis of whether a deprivation may be authorised, that only comes into play after a deprivation of liberty has been identified.

The way forward for housing with support Cheshire West states that providers ‘should err on the side of caution in deciding what constitutes a deprivation of liberty’ and ‘a gilded cage is still a cage.’ Organisations might be tempted to believe there is no need to seek CoP authorisation because the current support, care and living arrangements provide the best possible solution for the individual. However, the threshold question is not best interests, it is an analysis of ‘continuous supervision and control’ and ‘freedom to leave.’ As to be expected, there has been a sharp rise in the number of applications for deprivations of liberty. It has been reported that since Cheshire West there has been a nine fold increase in the number of applications for deprivation of liberty. This has led to delays in authorisation which could be resulting in as many as half of the applications breaching statutory timeframes. The potential liability for providers is an open question. The best approach now is to be proactive. Both the Care Quality Commission and the Department of Health have issued papers which offer some guidance for providers. Please see the longer article on our webpage to review these tips http://bit.ly/SitraDOLs In the longer term, there is a light on the horizon. Following Cheshire West and the House of Lords post legislative scrutiny findings on the Mental Capacity Act (March 2014), the Law Commission has been asked to review the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in all settings. They intend to publish a consultation paper in the summer 2015 and a final report and draft legislation in summer 2017. Sitra will be actively involved with this issue and provide updates throughout the process. Watch this space.

The information and any commentary on the law contained in this article is provided for information purposes only. The information and commentary does not, and is not intended to, amount to legal advice to any person on a specific case or matter. You are strongly advised to obtain specific, personal advice from a lawyer about your case or matter and not to rely on the information or comments in this article. No responsibility is accepted for the content or accuracy of linked sites.

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:21 Page 6

Restorative Justice â&#x20AC;&#x201C; reducing the impact of crime Michael Pearson tells us about the SIFA Fireside Restorative Justice pilot and the role the housing sector can play in crime reduction. Restorative justice (RJ) is a process that brings together the harmed (victim) and harmer in an attempt to facilitate communication, repair the harm done and find a positive way to move on. The harmed, are able to openly communicate to the offender, the true impact of the crime. This not only empowers the harmed and helps them feel part of the restorative process, but also holds offenders to account for their actions in order to help them take responsibility and make amends. This is very different to traditional systems within the criminal justice process as it fully integrates he harmed into the process and puts greater emphasis on reducing lasting harm. Restorative justice gives the harmed an identity, increases their autonomy and repairs traumatic impact. Restorative justice projects clearly demonstrate their positive impact on rehabilitation and victim recovery, however their integration with law enforcement and criminal justice systems can be

06 bulletin

2014 No.6

problematic. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the flexibility of SIFA Firesideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s services that revealed its potential to host a third sector-based restorative justice project. As well as utilising a person-centred approach we were also able to also offer additional provision to participants that more mainstream RJ projects would struggle to provide. In mid-2013 we began to develop the concept of a charity-based restorative justice project that encompasses the rehabilitation and trauma-reducing themes of a typical restorative justice project, but removes it from the criminal justice sector and thus any enforcement elements. Bringing it to the third sector increases autonomy and sheds the perceptions that are sometimes associated with criminal justice. Housing and related sectors also have unparalleled access to clients and client conflicts giving them an important access route to referrals and pre-established client relationships; essential in successful restorative justice processes.

Autonomy Clearly in some scenarios enforcement is needed, however it is imperative to offer alternative opportunities to participants to increase their sense of autonomy, and in particular to empower victims who often feel they have lost their voice as a result of the criminal justice process.

Innovation Freedom to innovate is key to what the third sector can provide. Being open to absorb new opportunities and practices, we can react and amend more easily, so if something is not working, or indeed working well, or if new research implies a better way of doing something, we have the potential to quickly adapt to this, which can be vital in setting up pilot projects. For example, our restorative justice project has the scope to work closely with alcohol misusers, rough sleepers and people with complex needs, in order to bring people together, increase cross-group empathy, and

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:21 Page 7

move clients from maintenance to long-term impact. Our RJ project began in April 2014 so is still very much in its infancy, and is a pilot project funded until March 2015 by the late Bob Jones, West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner. Bob was an incredibly forward thinking advocate of victim services and innovative solutions, particularly in the third sector, and as such he entrusted the funds to our organisation to pilot the new project. Of course, we are already looking for other sources of funding so this project can flourish beyond the pilot stage and believe that restorative justice projects should aim, where possible, to run beyond 12 month terms in order to become fully efficient. Currently we work very closely with West Midlands Police to generate referrals but already, as with many restorative justice projects, generating sufficient referrals is becoming an obstacle. We are currently looking at alternative routes within and outside of the criminal justice system whilst ensuring we do not become part of the enforcement process. For any new restorative justice project, it is imperative that referral processes are fully established before launching, that alternative routes are considered and where possible set up, and to consider the resources needed to continue generating referrals. It is a labour intensive and challenging process that can quickly eat into the project’s time. SIFA Fireside established relationships with the police eight months before the project launched and before money was made available for restorative justice in the West Midlands. Planning and pre-emptive action is crucial. I would go beyond this and suggest that building relationships with the individuals who will actually be referring, for example police officers on the streets, is as important as building strategic and senior relationships.

Having two fantastic facilitators in place for over 3 months, we are currently in the middle of conducting our first conferences. Initial targets were to conduct five conferences per week with one full time and one part-time member of staff, but realistically this will not be met until a consistent and higher flow of referrals is achieved.

offences, and if conflicts, harm and reoffending can be reduced there is the potential to reduce the vast amount of resources that are injected into disputes every year. Ultimately our aim is to bring sectors and people together through this project in order to enhance the presence, autonomy and healing of the harmed, and improve understanding and rehabilitation for the harmer.

Tailoring Depending on their setting restorative justice projects have the potential to adapt to suit their environment, whilst adhering to the core principles which have been established internationally. It is important not to deviate too much from what is an evidenced and effective process, however this does not mean they do not have the opportunity to innovate. Housing and third sector organisations often have unparalleled access to strong and pre-established client relationships; this is where their strengths lie. Projects can potentially build upon the relationships they already have to generate referrals and increase awareness of access to restorative justice. There is also potential to generate victim-led referrals, although this presents its own obstacles that need to be tackled. Victims must be fully aware of the potential for offenders to decline invites into the process and this needs to be very carefully managed by the facilitators. Within the housing sector there is often elevated awareness of resident conflicts. This increases the prospects for referrals and also feeds into the preparation stage for restorative justice conferences, so in effect an element of the labour needed for preparation is already completed. There is huge potential for the housing sector to reduce time and costs directly related to resident conflicts and sometimes resulting

SIFA Fireside works across Birmingham to tackle homelessness, alcohol misuse, health inequalities and offending behaviour. As well as offering practical support we work with people to promote independence and social and economic inclusion, and it was for this innovative work that SIFA Fireside was awarded the 2013 GSK King’s Fund Impact Award. If you are interested in finding out more about our project, conducting research or have the potential to feed in referrals then please get in touch:michaelpearson@sifafireside.co.uk If restorative justice is going to survive in the third sector, it is critical that we work together and across sectors. Your organisation may not be part of the criminal justice process, but you could benefit from walking alongside it.

“

We bring those harmed by crime and those responsible for the harm together; to meet and to talk, enabling everyone involved to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward.

”

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:21 Page 8

Jenny Hudson Project Officer at 300 Voices talks about a pilot project “Better Must Come – Towards Hope” to support men in Birmingham living with mental illness. Research shows that young African and Caribbean men are more likely to have negative experiences when using mental health services. They are over represented in the mental health system and typically enter services too late and at a point of crisis. This is often due to fear and mistrust. To improve this experience, Time to Change, England’s biggest mental health anti-stigma programme run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, has launched a pilot project in the West Midlands in partnership with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and West Midlands Police. Through the 300 Voices pilot project they aim to empower 300 young African and Caribbean men to share their stories and help to reduce the stigma and discrimination that is often experienced when accessing services in inpatient mental health settings. Building on existing knowledge and expertise, Time to Change recognises the importance of working in partnership by working

08 bulletin

2014 No.6

with key agencies such as the Trust, the police, as well as voluntary and community agencies and the young men themselves. Together, the partnership will deliver events throughout the year to facilitate open and honest discussions between young African and Caribbean men and statutory staff to identify the stigma and discrimination that can be experienced when accessing services. As part of the events families, friends and carers of the young men will also be encourage to participate and have their say on how things can be done better. These frank discussions will be crucial to achieve success and a specific toolkit has been coproduced by young African and Caribbean men, with experience of in-patient mental health care, to guide the sessions. It is hoped that by bringing staff together to listen to the young men and their experiences it will open

up a conversation, build trust and aim towards a more hopeful future. At a recent launch event, one attendee talked about their hopes for the project. He said: “It’s very good to bring people together and look at the priorities of where mental health teams need to head towards. We need to work together to find ways of reaching young men before they get to a crisis point.” Time to Change works with all communities to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination and this project has been established to address particular issues that people from African and Caribbean communities face. It has been designed to create a legacy and will be sustainable for other organisations and communities to take forwards after the project ends in March 2015.

To find out more or to get involved in the project please visit www.time-to-change.org.uk/300Voices.

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:22 Page 9

Steve Gilbert, one of men who co-produced the toolkit shares his experiences and explains why he got involved with 300 Voices. “I have experienced mental health problems on and off since my late teens and was diagnosed with depression in 2008. After repeated episodes of depression and a serious manic episode, I was sectioned and subsequently diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. So why is this important? It’s because I now have a deep understanding of mental health that can only be obtained through personal experience. Earlier this year I was asked to get involved in a new Time to Change project called 300 Voices, which aims to improve the experience that young African and Caribbean men have when accessing mental health services. When it comes to providing improvements to care and services in mental health it is essential that someone with their own experience is involved. Enter the Lived Experience Consultant (LEC). We have been selected not only for our direct experience of mental health and for coming from an African or Caribbean background, but because we have the skills and knowledge to be able to add value to the project. I am one of three such people working on an engagement model called “Better Must Come – Towards Hope”, for the 300 Voices project. The engagement model will be developed into a practical toolkit which will form a key part of the 300 Voices project and it is hoped that it will facilitate meaningful discussion between young African and Caribbean males and statutory professionals, resulting in more positive outcomes and experiences for young African and Caribbean men. There is a common misconception that people who have experienced mental health problems are weak-minded and unable to cope with the pressures of a demanding role. As people codeveloping and co-piloting the model we are demonstrating the exact opposite. Our role has included developing an understanding of the theoretical models we are using, contributing to the engagement model and design of the programme for the pilot sessions, delivering presentations and jointly run pilot sessions. The result will be a practical toolkit that will allow teams from mental health services to discover what gives people hope within mental health settings, building on their past successes, to create the most effective and positive experiences in the future. Teams work together to create a shared understanding of what helps to support young African and Caribbean men in leading active fulfilled lives and then decide how to take this forward, agreeing the next steps for action. The toolkit will support discussion workshops which will involve participants working through a set of carefully crafted questions and tasks. The result is a vision and plan of action for what both teams and individuals can do to improve their relationships with young African and Caribbean men. I think that our contribution to 300 Voices as LECs gives it integrity because it has been designed through the eyes of people who truly understand the reality of life with a mental health problem. I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to use my lived experience and interactions with statutory staff in a positive way, to produce something which will help improve outcomes and experiences for other young African and Caribbean men.”

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:22 Page 10

A Workforce for the Future Sitra’s Lauren Sadler looks at the new, emerging and changing job roles in Adult Social Care within the Extra Care Housing Sector; what are the workforce challenges? Historically, social care and housing have developed in relative silos, both as professions and in their development pathways. However, more recently there has been a shift in culture of enabling independence and also towards a more outcomes based approach which is being driven by commissioning and contracts. This has led to the creation of new roles straddling social care and housing, including those focused on: health and wellbeing; welfare and benefits advice; independent living; activity coordination and reablement/ rehabilitation. Earlier this year Skills for Care commissioned Sitra to undertake research into the workforce needs of new, emerging and changing job roles that have a housing and social care overlap. During the summer of 2014, over 100 organisations within the extra care housing sector were surveyed and 13 ‘strategic thinkers’ across the housing sector were interviewed. This research provided an opportunity to reflect on how significantly this picture has changed and the possible future direction of travel. By exploring the workforce development needs of the ‘cross over’ roles, both now and in the future, it is hoped to ensure that we

10 bulletin

2014 No.6

have a well skilled and knowledgeable workforce. What is the Existing Landscape within Extra Care and Supported Housing? l Extra Care is a growing and expanding market with many providers positive about the future of housing with care. Creativity and innovation in delivery models is evident with health and wellbeing a priority. l Perspectives indicate a huge shift in the care and support being requested, accessed and offered to adults. Specifically, service users want choice.

funding is increasingly coming from across health and housing, and outcome measures are focusing more on delivery and contracting. l Awareness of the Care Act 2014 was mixed, with most providers being unaware of it and others having only some awareness. It was evident, however that the Care Act 2014 has encouraged some providers to explore the further potential of local partnerships.

l The shift and change in service is also being attributed to the changes in service users’ expectations, with tenants wanting more choice and flexibility in their housing and care options.

l Strategically the themes of isolation and loneliness were highlighted along with an emphasis on the increasing needs of those with dementia. These were increasingly important considerations for service delivery which will also have a direct impact on workforce development as well as workforce and organisational structures.

External Factors Influencing Change in the Sector

Existing, New and Emerging Roles Across the Sector

l Providers confirmed that the current operating space is challenging. Commissioners are looking for value for money and a more integrated approach,

l Traditionally care staff appear to have had a task-oriented approach. However, there is a shift towards a more holistic approach based on a deeper

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:22 Page 11

understanding of the person they are providing the care for, particularly with regard to building social networks but also to being able to signpost colleagues to support elsewhere. l The integration agenda is noted by many as driving these changes with care and support being bought close together. Funding is also cited as driving changes in job roles with joint commissioning and shared services. l Providers suggested that the new and emerging roles and skills needed tend to impact lower/middle managers who have to manage multiple areas of work. It was also highlighted that care staff must have a broader and more generic portfolio of skills and an awareness of the holistic needs of customers. l Extra Care Housing is much more focused on lifestyle and a holistic, choice-based housing option for service users. Therefore there is a greater reliance on the scheme manager to integrate these varied roles.

Workforce Development Approaches l The majority of providers had formal workforce development approaches in place and reported that vocational qualifications are used within the sector. There was also an appreciation that not all new recruits will have the appropriate skills and would need an in-depth indication and training plan l Despite the drive for value for money and the need to control costs, providers demonstrated a commitment to learning and development for their workforce. However, budget constraints necessitate more innovative delivery models, for example elearning and the use of other technologies. l Providers suggested that generic skills may need to be enhanced

in existing qualifications (for example, functional skills and in particular communication skills) and included in new qualifications. l Overwhelmingly there was acknowledgment that senior management, and in particular Scheme Managers, needed to be robust and resilient in order to lead services in the changing environment of Extra Care Housing. The role needs not only care and support skills but also business acumen to cope with changes and demands of commissioning.

Apprenticeships – now and in the future l Whilst there was evidence that

the Health and Social Care Apprenticeship framework was being used by the sector there was uncertainty around the fit of the framework in Extra Care Housing. Many of the Apprenticeship pathways being adopted in the sector are around administration, business and repairs and maintenance. These are viewed as more appropriate for the sector, with some providers uncertain about how a Health and Social Care Apprenticeship framework would fit within housing related support. l The training needs of the existing workforce are currently the focus of workforce development approaches. There does however appears an appetite to also encompass training through apprenticeship frameworks.

Overall the research highlighted five key messages

One

The skills and knowledge needed for ‘cross over’ roles are wide and diverse – providers acknowledged a need for guided support to identify the appropriate skills and knowledge to match these roles.

Two

Guidance is needed for employers to be able to use learning that is currently available to meet the needs of this workforce – there is a need to map current and future workforce needs to current learning provision and explore new technologies to enhance training and development.

Three

Promotion of careers in the sector needs to be undertaken, as well as improvement with recruitment and retention by employers – staff recruitment into ‘cross over’ roles should be considered as part of the wider recruitment ‘challenge’ that social care experiences. Once recruited, employers face a challenge in retaining their employees.

Four

The sector are not fully aware of the impact of policy changes – the extra care housing sector needs information and advice on where policy changes such as the Care Act (2014) impacts their sector.

Five

The sector does not utilise Health and Social Care apprenticeships in a comprehensive way – there is work to be done to understand how this situation could be improved.

Your can read the full report we produced for Skills for Care – www.sitra.org/new-emerging-and-changing-job-roles

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:22 Page 12

The Skills Exchange In 2010 Broadway (now St Mungo’s Broadway) launched a Timebanking Project called Skills Exchange. Kaaren Morris tell us more. Skills Exchange a four year project, funded by Oak Foundation, was the first attempt to bring Timebanking into the homelessness sector. In addition to establishing a Timebank, Skills Exchange also conducted a longitudinal research project with the Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York.

What is Timebanking? Timebanking is a community-led innovation that uses time as currency. One hour of time ‘earns’ a one-hour time credit. This can then ‘buy’ an hour of another Timebank participant’s time and services. For example, Bob could cut Rachel’s hair, Rachel could paint Ahmed’s wall, Ahmed could hold a CV workshop session for Rachel and Bob. Timebanking is like volunteering but with a core of exchange and reciprocity, which brings a greater sense of self-worth to participants The Skills Exchange demonstrated that Timebanking is an effective and innovative way of providing support, building self-confidence, engaging clients with work and learning activities and reconnecting them to paid employment. “We definitely saw the fruit from

12 bulletin

2014 No.6

it, people getting work or getting external volunteer jobs and maybe people who were the kind of clients that would not usually have engaged, engaged with the art and then selling their stuff on market stalls.” (Stakeholder, year three) Benefits to participants include; people using specific skills which other volunteering opportunities may not offer, a flexible commitment, giving and receiving and a real sense of achievement. It has also helped people develop confidence and self worth and even proved a starting point to develop business ideas. The organisation also benefits from having increased engagement in client involvement, better engagement with and outcomes for work and learning activities. Timebanking also complements existing support provision and increases engagement with other support services. Prior to the pilot, staff had worked to link Broadway’s clients into existing Timebanking projects across London. However, it soon became evident that while the interest was there, some barriers to engagement meant our clients tended not to participate even when registered.

Skills Exchange was designed to focus on what clients wanted to do at locations they could access and with the support they felt they needed. “Time Banking is very organic and it’s moving all the time, the beauty of it is that is adaptable...we’re also wanting to give a bit of flexibility to projects if they can find a better way of doing it.” (Stakeholder, year two) Joanne Bretherton, Research Fellow at University of York said: “It is clear that Timebanks have the potential to help address the needs of homeless people. The principles

“

What I have is valued, I give and I get something back.

”

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:23 Page 13

Key outcomes from the project:

l 50 people secured employment l 23 people entered accredited external training l 9,753 hours of Timebanking were delivered – The equivalent to someone working full time for five years. 68% from Broadway clients, 32% from external volunteers l 88 different activities were undertaken, from volunteering on reception to gardening, cooking, IT training and arts based activities l 48% of activities engaged in were IT related (job applications, CVs, IT skills, use of eBay, bidding for housing) l 45% of all activities were related to client involvement l 28% of all activities were directly work and learning related

“

It gives me purpose… It normalises your life.

at the core of Timebanking give responsibility to people who have sometimes been regarded as, or made to feel that they themselves are the problem. Timebanks strive to make people feel useful in situations in which they had previously felt useless, and in doing so have the potential to transform lives….”

”

The feedback from clients was really positive. One client said: “It keeps you motivated, not sat at home. You can make new friends if that’s what you want to look for. If you’ve got friends that do Timebanking you can build up friendships and have that support”

Another added: “I think the Timebank is good for, you know there are a lot of people that are bored and have nothing to do…it’s something to keep them occupied, and if they can do a course and learn something, even better” Broadway’s Skills Exchange focussed on the engagement of homeless people and, with a great deal of learning along the way, has proven an effective model. There is real scope for exploring further pilots with different client groups in different locations. We are a member of Timebanking UK, which shares valuable resources for establishing Timebanks and also offers information days and training to organisations. Find out more information at www.timebanking.org The full evaluation report is available at www.york.ac.uk/chp or www.broadwaylondon.org

A FINAL WORD FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF YORK Broadway sought to develop ways of working that created links between the Broadway Timebank, other Timebanks and the wider community; and, importantly, to develop a Timebanking model for homeless people that could be replicated. There was good evidence that, alongside successes in engaging Broadway clients, Timebanking was delivering a wide range of work and learning related activities, helping homeless and formerly homeless people become more self-confident and progress into paid work. There is a case for replicating the Broadway Timebanking approach because of these successes. Innovation requires piloting because issues that are difficult to anticipate often arise when using a new approach for the first time. Timebanking with homeless people therefore needs to be flexible enough to be accessible to the minority of homeless people with high needs, and yet also of direct use to those homeless people who were immediately capable of paid work. One of the key strengths of the Broadway Timebank was the success in engaging with a large number of homeless people with diverse needs. Making the earning of Timebank credits very accessible was a specific modification to enable the Broadway Timebank to work with homeless people with high support needs. A more rigid interpretation of what Timebanking is would have probably been less accessible to some homeless people and therefore less successful. By the autumn of 2013, awareness of the Broadway Timebank had increased across the homelessness service sector as a whole. Timebanking UK had begun to direct charities and voluntary sector organisations, which were interested in developing Timebanking for homeless people, to Broadway for advice and information.

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:23 Page 14

With the Care Act now law, Sitra’s Tim Parkin guides us down the road to implementation

In May of this year, after lengthy gestation, the Care Act 2014 became law, creating for the first time a single statute for adult care and support. The Act essentially does three things: l consolidates a mishmash of social care legislation that had grown up since the 1948 National Assistance Act; l gives legal effect to recent policies, notably personalisation, for example, by conferring a legal right to a personal budget; l and sets out a new settlement for care and support with the introduction of national eligibility criteria, consistent arrangements for charging and deferred payments, and perhaps most significantly, a limit on the amount people will have to pay for their own care. This cap on contributions, as it is known, is a response to large scale public concern over the inequities of a system where people have been faced with the prospect of large bills for their care which were not possible to predict or make provision for. Underpinning the Act is for the first time a requirement that local authorities promote wellbeing when carrying out any of their care and support functions, a landmark

14 bulletin

2014 No.5

change, when combined with its articulation of the need to join up health and care around people’s needs, for more prevention and early intervention, better advice and information, and by placing safeguarding on a statutory footing. Following passing of the Act, the Department of Health (DH) launched a consultation on the guidance and regulations aimed at assisting local authorities with implementation. Over the summer Sitra pulled together its formal response to the guidance, drawing on the feedback from two consultation events that Sitra organised in partnership with the National Housing Federation and DH1. In common with others in the housing sector Sitra was pleased to see that the contribution of housing to achieving the goals of the reformed care and support system had been recognised, and rather than being pigeon holed in a single section, described in a number of important sections of the guidance such as prevention and early intervention, information and advice, market shaping, and integration and partnerships. Within this overall positive picture our response concentrated mainly on highlighting where greater emphasis could be afforded to housing related support (beyond ‘bricks and mortar’), together with submitting a number

of case studies provided by members illustrating how the principles and intent of the Act are already being put into practice. Informed by concerns from the consultation events, we expressed the need for greater clarity in a number of areas including the intent and implications of the Act and guidance for those groups of people that have traditionally been served by housing related support such as people experiencing homelessness, people with substance misuse needs, people experiencing domestic violence. We stressed too the importance of local Health and Wellbeing Boards and Safeguarding Boards incorporating a housing perspective and suggested a number of areas where supported housing providers might be able to take on certain functions on behalf of local authorities, for example by being part of a local information and advice hub, undertaking assessments under delegated authority, and providing independent advocacy. At the end of October, after having received and analysed over 4,000 responses, the DH published the final guidance and regulations, together with an Impact Assessment2. It is evident that considerable work and effort has gone into making the guidance and

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:24 Page 15

regulations clearer and fuller in response to the feedback and more case studies have been added to the guidance. While overall there has been little by way of fundamental change, there have been some significant changes to parts of the regulations and guidance. For example, the approach to determining the national threshold for local authority funded support is more closely linked to outcomes and wellbeing and thought by the DH to be proofed against local authority concerns over a perceived risk of making more people eligible than is currently the case. Carers entitlement has also been made simpler and more explicitly on a par with adult eligibility, whilst the safeguarding guidance has been strengthened to make the scope of safeguarding and the responsibilities of local authorities and other partners more transparent. See our article on page 18 for more about Safeguarding and the role of housing.

and trusted partners to help them communicate the changes. By the end of the year further consultation will take place on the second phase of implementation from April 2016 covering the cap on care costs, extended means test for charging purposes, and a new appeals system from April 2016 for people not happy about the assessment process. 1 2 3

As things move from policy to delivery Sitra, working with member organisations and national partners will continue to maintain close links with DH and others organisations such as the Association of Directors of Social Services in order to make sure that housing stays on the agenda and to act as a conduit for feeding in good practice and raising concerns.

Sitra’s response to the draft guidance consultation – http://www.sitra.org/documents/care-act-2014-consultation-sitra-response The Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance – http://www.sitra.org/news/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-is-published Sitra/LGA integration Events – http://www.sitra.org/training/lga-and-sitra-integration-development-events/

In support of the integration aspects of the Care Act, Sitra is running on behalf of the Local Government Association four regional workshops on developing integrated approaches to meeting the housing, health and care needs of vulnerable adults3. We have also developed a suite of training and consultancy resources around the integration of housing, health and adult social care. We are very interested to hear about your experience of local implementation and how you are being involved. If you would like to find out more, or want to tell us about your experience please contact danic@sitra.org.

The evolution of the Care Act has been long run. As the implementation date of 1st April 2015 for the first phase of the Act moves closer a public awareness campaign will be run for people with “existing care needs” and a toolkit provided to support councils

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:25 Page 16

A New Deal The Bromford Deal where tenant and landlord work together to make things better – Director John Wade explains.

At Bromford – we know we have always done great stuff. We have built new homes that have helped families escape overcrowded or temporary accommodation. We’ve provided housing related support to young people just starting out or individuals with mental health needs on their journey to recovery. We’ve provided advice and training to help our unemployed customers into sustainable employment. But like most organisations we’ve tended to tackle these things as isolated issues. We’ve organised ourselves into separate teams that deliver interventions in a disjointed way with big gaps between them. Much of the value we could have created for individuals and communities has been lost between these gaps. What’s more we have tended to see our customers somewhat as invisible consumers of our services at best or as over reliant on us and rather needy at worst. We started to try and do things differently a couple of years ago when we launched the Bromford Deal. For all new general needs customers we decided to take the first step towards being more than just a landlord. We felt it was time we did more than simply hand over the keys to a home and wait to respond only if things went wrong.

16 bulletin

2014 No.5

At first we used terms like ‘something for something’ and ‘self-reliance’ to capture the new type of relationship we thought we needed to establish and purpose of this relationship. But with hindsight some of this early language was a bit clumsy. The more we got to know our customers the more we realised the Deal was all about developing a real, two-way relationship. A relationship developed as much through listening as telling. A relationship as much about finding out what our customers can do as providing services designed to help them overcome the things they can’t do. We had become increasingly aware that the issues faced by many of our general needs customers were very similar to those we knew were faced by many of our supported housing customers too. The focus of our customer relationships has increasingly moved towards the sort of one familiar in supported housing. We get to know each other. We find out what is important to our customers; what their goals and aspirations are; and then we talk about what steps they might take to achieve those goals and how Bromford might play a part.

Of course this relationship is underpinned by what you might call the ‘terms and conditions’…..the tenancy agreement. But the focus has shifted. We are redesigning how we do things and testing out a range of new approaches that start with the customer and which are aimed at building trust and unlocking potential. And it’s working. We are having much more open, honest conversations. Asking our customers about where they’re going and not just where they’ve come from is game changing. Many tell us it’s the first time any agency has asked them what they want; where they want to get to. It’s still very early days but it’s really, really exciting.

Find out more about the Bromford Deal – http://www.bromford.co.uk/ the-bromford-deal/ and read John’s Blog – johnbromford.wordpress.com

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:25 Page 17

Feeling Cross & Sorting it Out If we want to see improved outcomes and care for people with learning disabilities, what resources need to be available to support this? Asks Kayley Worsley of Dimensions. In the wake of Winterbourne View, reducing the risk of abuse towards people with learning disabilities and those with autism is crucial. Strategies such as Positive Behaviour Support, which are planned, implemented and practiced by specialist behaviour consultants, can help people to make the move into communities and live more independently by addressing behaviour that challenges. People with learning disabilities need to be supported in the best way possible by those around them. It is important that appropriate training and resources are available to that ‘circle of support’ so they can implement and maintain the strategies introduced by behaviour consultants in their relative’s Behaviour Support Plan. This plan can include approaches like modelling, role-play practice and performance feedback. A collaborative approach between practitioners, families and paid support workers will enable strategies to be embedded in a way that addresses behaviour that challenges. In turn, the risk of abuse is reduced in the sector as people supporting them know how best to approach situations that could act as a trigger.

Nick Barratt, Head of Behaviour Support at learning disability support provider Dimensions, explains: “A key aspect of behaviour support, and one that has great relevance in the wake of the events at Winterbourne View, is that if we want to prevent incidents of challenging behaviour, we must support people in a way that enhances their quality of life and meets their specific needs. This includes communicating with people in ways they understand, respecting their wishes, and giving them the opportunity to exercise meaningful control over their lives.” A new specialist book, called Feeling Cross and Sorting It Out, shares best practice techniques for addressing behaviour that challenges. MP Norman Lamb, launching the book in the House of Lords said these resources were an important step to ensuring people move into personalised services in the community. He said: “People with learning disabilities have exactly the same rights as everybody else to live independent lives. It is not acceptable to just put

someone in an institution.” As well as the book, part of the Books Beyond Words series, a training package focusing on supporting people with complex behaviours is available and will include online learning opportunities. The book, and the training package, is a resource for people with learning disabilities, their support teams, families and professionals to work through a scenario depicting behaviour that challenges. It is also important that professionals from across all organisations in the sector share knowledge and best practice; various Positive Behaviour Support groups working together leads to a deeper understanding and wider dissemination of behaviour support practice and outcomes achieved. Only by a collective approach will the sector achieve many of the goals laid out in the Department of Health’s report: getting people out of institutional settings, avoiding future admissions and giving people the behaviour support they need to live more independently in their local communities whilst minimising the risk of abuse.

Feeling Cross ad Sorting It Out was written by Dimensions and Books Beyond Words. For more information, visit http://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/ bookshop/paperbacks/feeling-cross-and-sorting-it-out

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:25 Page 18

Housing and Safeguarding

Providers of housing with support have long understood the need to safeguard their vulnerable tenants from abuse and neglect. Recent research demonstrates that a significant number of adults in general needs housing are also in serious need of safeguarding1. In the Care Act, Parliament has responded by firmly establishing adult safeguarding as the responsibility of all housing providers – Sitra’s Rose Molloy looks at the what this means in practice. From April 2015, all housing providers must have specific safeguarding policies and procedures in place covering all staff. The policies must ensure that: l Staff are familiar with the six principles that underpin adult safeguarding l Staff are trained in recognising the symptoms of abuse and that the training program is on-going to guarantee all staff are included as people join l Providers have a senior manager with responsibility for safeguarding or a lead for adult safeguarding

Safeguarding Adult Boards: an Opportunity for Housing Safeguarding Adult Boards (SABs) have been operating in some communities but from April 2015 they will be required for councils under the Care Act. Statutory members include representatives from the NHS, Clinical Commissioning Groups, job centres, the police, prisons, and probation services. Representatives from the housing sector are not required to participate on the SAB but are allowed. There are number of reasons why housing should build on this opportunity. Firstly, it will strengthen connections with other local agencies working with their residents and this can have positive repercussions across the board: from assistance in managing hoarding to 1

developing youth programs within properties. Additionally, housing providers are ideally positioned to pick up on safeguarding issues as their staff and contractors see people in their home environment on a regular basis. Finally, in the unfortunate event of a serious safeguarding incident occurring, the SAB is now required to conduct a Safeguarding Adult Review (previously called a Serious Case Review) and publish their findings. If the incident occurs in social housing, the SAB can compel the housing provider to supply information and a representative from the housing sector would be invaluable in assisting the SAB in these situations.

Research by Imogen Parry – Parry (2014a) ‘Adult Serious Case Reviews: lessons for housing providers’ Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09649069.2014.895506

18 bulletin

2014 No.6

The six principles of adult safeguarding are: l Empowerment: This means that interventions must support people to make decisions and have a say in their care. It is the presumption of person led decisions and informed consent. l Protection: Supporting victims and allowing them to have a say. This includes support and representation for those in greatest need. l Prevention: It is better to take action before harm occurs. There should be an emphasis on health promotion and a reduction in isolation before a need arises. Interventions for people at risk should focus on preventing care and support needs. In populations with established care and support needs, there should be a focus on re-enablement and increasing independence. l Proportionality: Interventions must represent the least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented. This is in keeping with human rights principles. l Partnership: Local solutions from services working within the community have a part to play in preventing, detecting and reporting neglect and abuse. This means that housing providers, their contractors and residents all have a role to play. Safeguarding is everybody’s business. l Accountability: Safeguarding practice and arrangements should be accountable and transparent to the public. There should be a lead safeguarding officer that is known and available to staff.

Sitra is available to provide training and consultancy to assist you in preparing for Care Act implementation or to provide you with all you need to know about Safeguarding.

www.sitra.org

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:25 Page 19

Implications for staff

Waking up to Reality

When to train staff? If you: l Only help clients with PIP who are not receiving DLA, you may only need a few staff trained on PIP l Work in areas where some DLA claimants are being switched onto PIP, consider whether to get everyone trained even though the number of clients affected is still small.

Sitra’s Geoffrey Ferres looks at Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the new disability benefit to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people of working age. So far it hasn’t gone according to plan – but slow turning wheels are gathering speed.

New DLA claims from over 16s stopped in June 2013 but since February 2014 the number of postcode areas where any existing DLA claimants are being switched to PIP has stuck at 32 (out of 120)1. On 17 October 2014 the DWP announced the halt was over: from 17 November 2014 PIP will start affecting some DLA claimants with CH (Chester), HD (Huddersfield), L (Liverpool) and M (Manchester) postcodes.

It’s all gone Pete Tong The DWP handed contracts for face-to-face assessments to two companies in a “sandwich” arrangement: l Atos got Scotland and the North and South of England l Capita got Wales and Central England. Both companies struggled. By 25 October 2013 over 92,000 assessments were outstanding and only Capita was ready to start taking PIP claims from existing DLA claimants – termed “natural reassessments”: l Approaching 16 (unless terminally ill)

We believe staff generally need: l Half a day’s training if they have experience of DLA l A full day’s training if new to disability benefits. Contact training@sitra.org for inhouse or public courses.

Assumptions and reality Government assumed: l 75% of claimants would have an assessment – reality has been 97% l Assessments would take 75 minutes on average – reality has been two hours Government estimated: l New claims from terminally ill people would take 10 days – average has been 28 days l Other new claims would take 74 days – average has been 107 days.

l Reporting changes of circumstances l Reaching end of fixed-term awards. Early in 2014 Atos started taking similar PIP claims in parts of Scotland and Northern England. Then in February 20142 a National Audit Office report appeared. Margaret Hodge MP (who chairs the Public Accounts Committee) commented: “I was shocked to learn that, not only will Personal Independence Payment claims cost almost three and a half times more to administer than Disability Living Allowance, they also take double the amount of time to process3.” The National Audit Office report forced the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to stop further moves to switch existing DLA claimants onto PIP until it had stopped the backlog growing. The DWP had planned for claims to take just over 10 weeks (see Box). It now warns PIP claimants they may wait six months for an assessment. So the expansion of “natural reassessments” does not mean an end to delays.

Figures from Public Accounts Committee report4

You can reach details of the relevant postcodes by using the Government’s PIP checker, available at: https://www.gov.uk/pip-checker 2 Available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/ report/personal-independence-paymentspip-2/ 3 Available at: http://www.parliament.uk/ business/committees/committees-a-z/ commons-select/public-accountscommittee/news/personal-independencepayments-statement/ 4 Available at: http://www.publications. parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/ cmpubacc/280/280.pdf. The text of the report only covers eight pages and there is a summary that occupies less than half a page. 1

THE MAGAZINE FOR HOUSING WITH HEALTH, CARE AND SUPPORT

1400 Bulletin No.6 2014_Layout 1 08/12/2014 16:25 Page 20

Pulling Together Co-Production in Action

This autumn Sitra launched our Train the Trainer programme for service users; this new offering has been designed for people with a lived experience of using services, who are committed to developing their knowledge, skills and abilities as trainers and is part of our increasing focus on Co-production. This opportunity for services users is the second stage of the ‘Pulling Together’ collaboration between Sitra and Single Homeless Project (SHP), funded by the London Housing Foundation. The first stage of Pulling Together resulted in the development of training resources co-produced by staff and clients, focusing on supporting homeless people faced with the challenges of welfare benefit reform and negotiating the requirements of the system (hosted on: www.pullingtogether.org.uk) Our aim is to have Co-production as a ‘golden thread’ running through the work we do; through the work we are engaged in partnership with nine European countries in the transfer of innovative Co-production practices across the European Supported Housing (to find out more: www.elosh.eu) we adopt this definition: “Co-production is inclusive working practices between experts by experience… and organisations. It is about equal partnership and collaboration between parties passionate about improving service provision. Every person involved in the process of co-production is valued, respected and listened to, with everyone involved in designing, developing and delivering. Co-production improves services, improves communities and can help make Independent Living a reality for all.” (ENIL, 2014) Sitra training already offers a range of Co-produced and Co-delivered training through our Live Case Study Approach; this Train the Trainer programme will build on this through developing the capacity of service users to become training professionals. The programme is split into three main stages; the first two are bespoke awards in Developing Training Resources in the Charity Sector and Presentation Skills. The third stage is the nationally recognised Level 3 Award in Education and Training (formerly PTLLS). We are excited about how this programme supports the holistic approach Sitra takes to coproduction. It not only places considerable value on the wealth of experiential knowledge and skills service users can bring to learning and development in the sector, but will support them to engage in a sustainable way through earning these accredited qualifications. On finishing the programme, the intention is for participants to join our network of Sitra trainers and work with us to develop and deliver courses which offer staff across the sector a richer training experience. Having a nationally recognised training qualification will also enable participants to branch-out vocationally with the option of developing careers in training. To find out more about this and our other co-produced courses, contact our training team on: 020 7793 4713 or training@sitra.org

This ﬁrst stage received incredibly positive feedback from both staﬀ and clients involved. Lisa Harrison, Deputy CEO of Sitra says

“The experience of creating the Pulling Together training, a truly co-produced set of resources built around what service users and staff felt was important and useful, was one of the most rewarding projects I have been involved in at Sitra. Working this way gives these learning materials a resonance that they would not otherwise have. Even the name of the programme ‘Pulling Together’ came from the participants, and reflects the positive feeling that went into this work.”