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Volume 14 Issue 2 May 20 10

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MODERNISAnON

Moder'oising day servicesin Birmingha,m - takingservice users with usJan e lI" hakoordinProject Ma nage r Da), Se rvices Mode rnisation , Birmingham City CouncilRosinaService userElaineService userAbstract

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This artic le is an account of day se rv ice moderni sation in Birmingham, describing how a range of innovativeapproac hes to consultat io n with se rvice users played a key ro le in res haping day services in the city.Key wordsf1odernisa tion; Day services; Se rvice user part icipation; Consultation

Backgrou.ndThe reason for change \vas n a t i o n ~ d social policy,coupled Wilh a reporl presented to the City Cabinet'sScrutiny COJllmittee, which included a rev ie\v ofcurrent day services mamlgect by BirminghamCiLl' COlillcil. The review recolllmended a radicallr3nsfoflnolion from the traditional model ofproviding services \vithin cby centre buikling.s, to aIllore personalised serv ice, focusing on supportingpeople to maintain, or regain 'nonmd lives' in their10Gd cOIllIllunities. The review included CI propos:'llto close day centre IJLlildings and rephlce rl1emwith user-led socia l support resollrce hubs, sited incommuni!")' venues.

\'when we began this journey, we knew it wouldbe quite r m u m ~ l t i c fo r some people, es pecially thosewho had been coming to day centres for years, andhnd developed high ly supportive friendship groupsamLlnd thl.': bUilding.

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ConsultationWha t followed W::1S a .series of consultation processesthat involved service users both as participamsand facilitator.s. Wie contr3cted a local thi rd sectororganisarion La facilitate the first of three rounds ofconsul t,n ion, and this enabled service users - 111(111)'of whom felt unsettled, anxious and fearful at thepotential loss of their serv ice - to express thesefeelings to people wh o had a shared experience ofmenta! health difficulries.

Innovalive ami creative me thods of engagementwere used ro ensure rhat as many people as possiblehad equal opportunities to pmlicipa te. These includedthe follOWing.I I \Xforkshops and small group discllssions delivered

in people 's fi rst languages, if other than Eng!ish.\We knO\v that many community langu

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Modernising day se rvices in Birnlinghanl - taking service users with us

jargonistic words that we often use. Usingtrained and k-nowle'dgeab le facilitators whospoke community languages, rather than rel yingon interpreters, participants were able to fu llypa rticipate in the discussions.

\,(lomen-only sessions, giving women the chanceto express themselves in the safety of a femaleonly environment

\'(/o rk-shops specifically run for minority ethniccommunity groups, including those underrepresented within services.

Service users were encouraged to work with theproject leam to wo rk through the essential elementslisted in round one of consult

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Modernising day services in Birmingham - taki ng service lIsers vv' ith us

A media artist was also on hand to digitallyrecord the vie\vs of participants. These recordingswere then saved 011 to a DVD to ensure that thereal emotional content of \vhat people said \vasrepresented LO t l ~ e councillors \vhen they Illel toapprove the new personalised model.

Digital stories were created with service userswh o were already receiving a cOllllllunity-basedmenta l health service. For example, a woman wh oreceives direct payments for part or her supportpackage was able to convey how he r qualityof life h the rorm of constructed casestudy illustrating to staff and service users howon e strand of the new service could operate.It can be seen on YouTube (Simon 's Story -Binllingham City Council: h t l p ' \ \ ~ v w . y o l l t u b e . com/watch?v= BsShgOezMAO).' file n.ew STAR servicemod.elThe Support, Time and Hecovery (STAR) servicemodel created by service users, staff andrepresentatives from partnership organisationsrenected the views expressed during theconsultation stages and this \vas crucial. 1t was

essent ial to show people in the newmodel th;:H we listened to their views andrenected this in the way that the newservice co uld operate.

The model was approved by theCouncil's Adults and Commu nitiesCabinet in OclOber 2009, and byDecember, the majority of st

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