Citizen Directed Support: Local Authority Perspective

Overview

• 7 ‘pioneer’ LAs who signed up to the ‘In Control’ principles

• No single model but common elements

What does it mean to LAs?

• A way of transforming services

• Move away from bureaucratic systems to being citizen centred

• A way of developing sustainable services for the future

• A return to core values of social work and social services

Policy context: Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities

• Our vision is of social services which are strong, accessible, and accountable, in tune with citizens’ and communities’ needs and promote social inclusion, citizens rights and good outcomes. This vision will be delivered in a joined up, flexible and efficient way, in partnership with the service user and to consistently high standards across Wales

FLSC contd.

• People who need services will have a far greater say over what they need and how it is provided

• Better educated, better informed and empowered service users, carers and their families, will rightly expect to play a much more active role in managing their own situations. This will help to drive change and innovation.

• Services will be shaped by service users and their needs. This will require changes to assessment, a different approach to risk and giving the citizen a greater say in how a service is provided.

Key features

• User led / citizen directed

• Outcome focused

• Transparent – indicative budget

• Strong links with enablement

• Whole Council approach

• Place shaping & Community development

• Sustainable

‘Givens’

• Unified Assessment process

• FACS eligibility criteria

• Duty of care

• Safeguarding

• Financial constraints

What we need to do differently

• Transformation: whole system cultural change

Assessment

• Move from Care to Support planning• Outcome focused and citizen directed• Not just focus on needs and deficits• Encourage creativity• Raising expectations is ok • Clearer link between needs and costs• Risk enablement

What we need to do differently

Commissioning & Procurement

• Market facilitation and place shaping

• Community development – bridge-builders

• Changing relationship with providers

What we need to do differently

Hurdles

• Lack of clear political direction from WAG

• Financial climate

• How to shift resources to enable the move to prevention & earlier intervention

• Potential to exposes inequalities in the system

Learning to date

• We can do it and it does enhance people’s lives

• Communication is key in managing change

• We need to learn and reflect together and build on experiences

• Importance of developing peer support / mentoring