Service User Involvement Project back
Our Service User Involvement Project offers service users the opportunity to be involved in many different aspects of the organisation and its services. Regular feedback from service users helps us make changes to the organisation, our services and to ensure we are meeting service user needs. The Project also enables service users to be involved in staff recruitment, ensures the information we provide is user-friendly and accessible via a reading panel of service users, and offers service users the support they need to become involved in external consultations and forums.
Service User Involvement
Herefordshire Centre of Independent Living has over the last 3 years undertaken to develop service user involvement in our own organisation and in other linked forums (or forums of the person's choice) requiring representation by disabled people.
The aim of this project is to:
- Involve service users in the running of HCIL and its services
- Enable and support service users to become involved in other linked forums (or forums of the disabled person's choice)
HCIL sees this as fundamental to the principle of being an organisation of disabled people, and as a means of empowering individual disabled people, thereby increasing their ability to challenge the barriers preventing their full inclusion in society.
HCIL has a belief in and commitment to "user-centered user involvement". Disabled people are their own experts, who, when they bring their own experiences and knowledge into the organisation, become a valuable resource. This approach provides service users with the opportunity to set objectives and priorities within the organisation.
Service user involvement has been developed in various ways, such as putting in place:
- A Service User Forum
- A Reading Panel
- Service-users representing HCIL at conferences, forums etc.
- Service-user representatives on staff recruitment panels
- Service-users being consulted by external organisations on issues that affect them
This is a real opportunity for service users to have a say in the way that HCIL is run and how the service we offer can be improved.
Service User Forum (SUF)
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Co-Chairs of the SUF: Anthea Penfold (left) and Maggie O'Neil (right). SUF Facilitator: Gill Owen (centre back) |
The aim of this Forum is to involve service-users in the running of HCIL and its services.
The SUF is led by disabled people who, when they bring their own experiences and knowledge into the organisation, become a valuable resource. This approach provides service-users with the opportunity to set objectives and priorities within HCIL. The SUF has developed into a decision making group and are consulted by HCIL staff on any operational day-to-day issues that will affect service-users. Matters that have been put before the SUF include:
- Ensuring all information sent out to service-users is accessible
- Training for personal assistants
- Development of the HCIL website
- Development of the HCIL newsletter
The SUF is open to all HCIL service users who are members of the organisation. The meetings are held every 6 weeks and service users can claim for travel expenses to meetings and the extra cost of personal assistance, if required.
For the date of the next SUF meeting please go to the Meetings & Events page. If you require further details please contact Gill Owen.
Future Development of Service-User Involvement
Peer Mentoring Scheme
Experienced direct payment users will mentor new or less experienced users.
Disability Equality Training
Service-users will train as trainers and offer Disability Equality Training courses to staff, statutory organisations and businesses.
