Nothing about us, without usService-user involvement:Led and Run by service-users

Em Brown

Deputy Director for Service-user Involvement

Together: working for wellbeing

• Oldest community mental health charity in England

• 100 services supporting 3,500 people

• Working for wellbeing

• Service user involvement integral to service planning and delivery at all levels of organisation, locally, regionally and nationally

Principles of involvement

• Effective and meaningful

• Service-user led and run

• Collective perspective

• Beneficial to individuals

Effective and meaningful involvementWhat have we learnt from the past?

History of service user involvement:

• Consultation

• Participation

• Involvement

Leadership

• Service-user led?

• Service-user run?

• Who by?

Involvement that benefits individuals

Add to individual wellbeing, not detract from it:

• Support• Training• Clarity on roles• Expenses

Putting principles into practice

• Service User Directorate

• All involvement staff have personal direct experience of mental health problems

• Groups – local, regional and national

• Creative alternatives

Service-user Involvement in Together

• Local, regional and national steering groups

• Special Interest groups• Training• Media• Policy reviews

• Recruitment• Research• Quality Assurance• Service delivery• Fundraising• Campaigning

Tools for involvement

Issues

• Collective perspective• Information• Safety• Accountability• Feedback• Travel arrangements

Solutions?

• Safe sell-out chart• Role agreements• 4 People’s Journey• Group agreements• Updates, 2-way,review• Reimbursement• Bookings• Compacts

Publicationswww.together-uk.org/service~user~publications

Service Users Together

Includes Safe Sell-out Chart and Four People’s Journey

Good Practice Guide to Valuing, Respecting and Supporting Service-User Activity

Talking about Mental Health

More information

Em Brown

Deputy Director for Service User Involvement

Together: working for well-being

07921 474465

emily-brown@together-uk.org

www.together-uk.org/service~user~directorate