TPS Connects Conference 011
Bringing everyone together Turning Point Scotland s strap line states that it provides person centred support to adults with a range of complex needs. But how do we make person-centred a reality in a practical and meaningful sense? As an organisation we are committed to a long standing ethos of involving people in making choices that affect their lives. Person centred means giving the people we support a leading role in decisions about the service they receive. We need to find out what people think, and help them to challenge us to deliver the type of services they want. But to really bring person centred support to life, it is important to constantly find creative, imaginative and innovative ways of working. What if there was a way to bring hundreds of people who use our services together with staff, senior management and Board members under one roof? Free from daily routine and familiar locations, they could have the confidence to give their opinions and help shape the services we deliver, putting them firmly in control. Bringing everyone together would be about connecting people with similar needs and wants. The idea of having a TPS Connects Conference was born. But having an idea is one thing, delivering the conference would take weeks and months of planning, co-operation, team work and dedication from service users and staff. Organising the conference would not be an easy task. Turning Point Scotland (TPS) stretches from the north east of Scotland, down through the central belt, south west and borders. 35 services are delivered in areas such as learning disability, homelessness and substance misuse. The task was daunting but with enthusiasm, energy and drive it could happen. To give everyone across the range of services and geography covered the best possible opportunity to attend, it was decided to hold three TPS Connects events. There would be a learning disability services event over two days at the Beardmore Hotel in Clydebank on the 14th and 15th of September. For other services there would be two further events, one in Aberdeen at The Citadel on September the 1st and the other in Glasgow s Scottish Youth Theatre on 9th September.
Created by our people, for our people For TPS Connects to truly deliver on its aims, the people we support had to play a leading role in designing events they would want to attend. Many conferences only consider their intended audience as part of market research in the initial planning stages, for occasional feedback, or as an afterthought in the final stages of planning. Turning that concept on its head, TPS Connects was planned by its intended audience from the beginning to the end. Two planning groups were set up including both service users and staff. Responsibility for the content of the events, how to market them and how to evaluate them fell to the planning groups. They met every 6 weeks over a 6 month period to cover all angles of putting the events together. The aims were established: Provide an opportunity for the Board to hear directly from service users and improve the flow of communication between them Inspire, motivate and build confidence through sharing recovery stories Connect people, take part in activities and share experiences Provide information about Turning Point Scotland and encourage those in recovery to have their say about how services should develop Give people an opportunity for self expression about the things that matter to them Provide opportunities to learn from each other, speak up and gain confidence 3
We asked those who attended the events in Glasgow and Aberdeen how well the event achieved its aim of providing motivation for people in recovery... 9th Sept 11 (Glasgow) 1st Set 11 (Aberdeen) % 51% 47% 7% 16% 57% Fully To a large extent Partly We asked those who attended the event in Clydebank if they met new people (including TPS staff and other service users) at the conference... 14th & 15th Sept 11 (Beardmore, Clydebank) Yes 95% No 5% 0% 0% 40% 60% 80% 100% 4
Who attended? 9th Sept 11 (Glasgow) Sponsors Board Members Govan Road Staff Workshops Facilitators 18 Link Up Moving On Garscube House GDCC Turnaround Edinburgh Services Milestone SESTAR Midway 1% 4% 3% 3% 3% 6% 6% 6% 7% 9% 11% 11% 13% 17% 0% % 4% 6% 8% 10% 1% 14% 16% 18% 1st Sept 11 (Aberdeen) TPS Board member 7% Other agency staff 6% TPS staff members 4% Service users 63% 0% 10% 0% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 5
35 14 th & 15 th Sept 11 (Beardmore, Clydebank) Overnight Stays 30 5 0 14 Staff Service Users 15 10 5 0 15 3 7 Mile End Perth Viewpoint Inverclyde Weavers Mill 4 7 4 4 5 5 3 3 3 The Greyfriars Dumfries Dundee Courtyard 18 16 14 th & 15 th Sept 11 (Beardmore, Clydebank) Attendance on Day 1 14 1 8 10 8 6 Staff Service Users 4 8 0 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 Mile End Perth Viewpoint Inverclyde SAIL 6
Living up to expectations Months of careful preparation and hard work finally paid off. The majority of services at Turning Point Scotland were represented. The programme was thought out well in advance with attention to detail built in, to consider the different needs and requirements of the people attending. Providing a warm and The format has been fun, not boring Good to hear other peoples stories and how they have tackled their problems. welcoming environment and making every individual attending feel included, was vital to the overall success. After formal introductions, a DVD produced in advance was shown to really set the mood, tone and objectives of the day. The powerful and often emotional stories in the DVD showed the experiences of the people who use our services, and acted as an inspiration for others to have the confidence to talk openly about how they were feeling. The main part of each event was a series of activities that people could participate in as they wished. These included drama, origami, art, music and computing. People also had the opportunity to record a video diary about the event or the service they receive, or they could write comments on the talking wall. A prize raffle completed the day with prizes donated by private companies. The top prize at each event was a Nikon digital camera. 7
Connecting people and sharing experiences were the main themes of the day. It was important people could express themselves in a way they felt comfortable with. At the Glasgow and Aberdeen events people had an opportunity to take part in Question Time debates featuring a panel of key figures. The panels included Chief Executive Martin Cawley, Board members, Fred McBride, Director of Social Care and Wellbeing at Aberdeen City Council, Wayne Gault, Lead Officer at Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership, Stevie Lydon, Strategy Co-ordinator at Glasgow Addiction Services and Joe Jones, service user. The debates addressed key issues including: Great to get some answers from the people with the power Will TPS run a residential rehab in North? Will alternatives to methadone & subutex ever be provided? Are TPS considering having detox beds in Edinburgh? Will TPS do more things like today that involve other service users? External panellists for Question Time said they were impressed with the events and the work TPS are doing to involve service users. The Citadel, Aberdeen 1 st Sept 11 Scottish Youth Theatre, Glasgow 9 th Sept 11 8
Learning from our people There was plenty evidence of the events being a great success. From the warm smiles on the faces of those who took part, and the positive comments to staff, to the immediate demands for a repeat event in future years. Just bringing people together was a success story in itself. However, to really use the events for improving the way we deliver services, lots of feedback from participants was collated. The range of methods for collecting feedback included: Thought it would be sitting listening but lots of participants/ interaction Recording conversation cafe comments The talking wall Video diary recordings Interviewers completing evaluation forms for people on the day People supported to complete evaluation forms after the event A system of voting parts of the day, and the whole event as good, bad or ok Flipchart recording of sessions Artwork produced The Beardmore, Clydebank 14 th & 15 th Sept 11 9
We asked those who attended the event in Clydebank to rate the event overall... 14th & 15th Sept 11 (Beardmore, Clydebank) Ok 14% Good 86% 0% 10% 0% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Much of the feedback was positive and helped to establish that from a service user point of view; there are many areas of good practice within service delivery. Lots of people in the video diaries talked openly and candidly about the support they were receiving being life-changing. The role of staff was seen as being central to the performance of services. Some of the issues identified included service users having more choice about which staff provide one to one support, when support is provided and what for. Feedback also suggested that we address staff turnover, involve service users in staff training, and support them to lobby decision makers to ensure they receive the support they need. 10
Other service and organisational improvements suggested at the events can been categorised under the following headings: Service user involvement Access to services Through and after care Integrating services (both internally and externally) Marketing Broadening the range of support available Volunteering Examples of specific suggestions include offering more opportunities for people from all over Scotland to come together to express views, having a 4 hour help line, providing more residential rehabilitation places, more volunteering opportunities and more social activities. I thought it was brilliant and I left feeling very optimistic and full of admiration for service users and TPS s work (Stevie Lydon, Glasgow ADP) Looking to the future An action plan showing how the suggestions made at the conference will be taken forward in the long term is being produced. Communicating and displaying feedback from the events across services will raise awareness of some of the issues highlighted in the shorter term. The talking walls have been on display in Govan Road, along with some of the artwork produced. The new Turning Point Scotland website is now up and running and has far greater capacity to host video recordings and photo s from the conference. Overall the evidence suggests that Turning Point Scotland services make a difference in the lives of the people they support, making them feel valued as individuals. Participation and interaction with the organisation as a whole has many benefits to both service users and the organisation. 11
Some of the comments made at TPS Connects Conference 011 If you would like more information about TPS Connects Conference 011, please contact aileenreid@turningpointscotland.com Thanks to our sponsors