Co-production and working together to solve local issues
Adult Social Care engagement, involvement and co-production - our approach – 2023
Introduction
Our approach explains in brief our commitment to involving the residents of Coventry in the development of services across Adult Social Care.
Our approach
In Adult Social Care we place adults and their carers at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to ensuring that people with care and support needs and their carers can be equal partners in planning and shaping future developments.
Our aspirations
We aim to work in a way that is transparent, honest, accessible, inclusive and that we maintain an open dialogue. We want decisions made in Adult Social Care to be informed by the voices of Coventry residents.
We acknowledge
We recognise that not everyone has the same opportunities. We will work to ensure that there are a range of ways to be involved, from being informed to developing services together. We will work with partners to ensure that we are inclusive and that people can engage in ways that best support their strengths.
Our health and care partnership vision
We will do all we can to enable people across Coventry and Warwickshire to pursue happy, healthy lives and put people at the heart of everything we do.
Why involve, engage and co-produce? – Taking a strengths-based approach
Adult Social Care can be an emotive and deeply personal subject. We are often involved in people’s lives at a time of change, crisis and sometimes profound trauma. We are also involved in times of excitement, of new aspirations and re-establishing independence. The way we work with people, who are sometimes at their most vulnerable, can have a lasting impact and it can shape and define long-term outcomes.
We adopt a strengths-based approach to practice in Coventry which is embedded in the principle that the people we are working with are experts in their own lives and their experience of receiving support is integral to the way in which we develop and improve our services, in the here and now and for the future.
Working together leads to:
- Better informed decision making
- Improved experience of people with care and support needs and carers
- More chance of getting things right at the first point of contact
- New ways of thinking and fresh perspectives
- Differing perspectives and challenging the status quo
- Nurtures better relationships and improved trust in services
- Develops a learning culture
Our key principles to engagement
Being involved and providing feedback can involve time and commitment. In Adult Social Care our commitment to co-production is outlined in our core principles:
- We treat people as equal partners
- We are honest about what decisions can be made and where change is possible
- We have a range of ways people can be involved We will present information in a way that is accessible and promotes inclusivity
- We involve people throughout the decision-making process
- We will work to identify groups that are seldom heard and seek pro-active approaches in working with communities
- We will explore any barriers that might exist to involvement and look to overcome these, for example reimbursement of travel costs or the provision of replacement care
Working in partnership
We know that Adult Social Care does not sit in isolation of other services and there is a strong connection with other areas such as health and voluntary sector support. The way that people interact with services forms a vital part of people’s experience through Adult Social Care.
We will work in partnership with other organisations collaboratively, to avoid duplication, to share learning and feedback and develop services in an integrated way.
We will also use the expertise and skills of voluntary organisations in ensuring that we are able to reach and engage with a wider range of citizens across Coventry.
We want to learn from other organisations and ensure what we do supports 'Making it Real' principles.
Getting involved
The range and options available for getting involved are outlined on Getting Involved in Adult Social Care webpages (a leaflet version is also available). For more information about our approach or to discuss being involved in shaping Adult Social Care please email getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk.
Adult Social Care Stakeholders Group - Would you like to join?
The Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group meets every other month to discuss any upcoming developments, projects and changes. They are there to influence, make changes and help us improve the experience of people accessing Adult Social Care.
The group is made up of people receiving support, carers and voluntary sector organisations. In December, we met to discuss key topics such as Social Care Reforms, the upcoming Adult Social Care Offer and Quality Assurance processes in commissioning.
The group has input into the language and layout of the Adult Social Care Offer (even correcting typos). The group is growing and we're always looking for new members and people who are passionate about using their own experience to help shape our future practice. If you'd like to find out more information about the group and get yourself invited, you can email us for more information.
Let's Talk – Home Support Engagement
Please see the engagement/survey page for home support recommissioning, which is accessed via the council’s Let’s Talk web page. The survey will initially run until spring 2023 and will aim to gather views from service users and carers on their experiences of being supported by ST & LT home support services.
The page contains:
- A short narrative/introduction to home support services
- A short video clip explaining the survey
- The survey
Lets Talk - 2023 Carers Survey
We are keen to understand the role unpaid carers are undertaking, their needs, challenges, whether they are able to access the services on offer and any barriers to fulfilling their role.
The information you provide will help us understand more about who is being cared for and the wellbeing of carers and may be used to improve services.