The document discusses improving support systems for people with mental health problems. It notes that current systems are not working well based on feedback. The Social Care (Self-directed Support) Act aims to empower people through more choice and control over their care arrangements. However, simply providing more choices may not be enough if the underlying mindsets do not change. The document urges various groups, including people who use services, frontline practitioners, managers, and commissioners, to find creative ways to support people in pursuing different options and taking control of their lives rather than just focusing on traditional support models. Small changes by many individuals are needed to drive real progress in the system.

1. people lives communitiespeople lives communities
Finding the things you can change
Permission to Dream / #SDSdream15
4 March 2015, Edinburgh

2. people lives communities
Background
Series of events last year ahead of the
SDS Act
Wide range of people
Rich and engaging conversations from different
perspectives
Painted a picture of how things currently
are

3. people lives communities
The picture
Few people thought health and social
care system was working for people with
mental health problems
Not just social care and health
Housing, employment, welfare support,
stigma, arts and culture

4. people lives communities
The picture

5. people lives communities
The question
How do we make things better?
SDS Act
A major part of the answer
Empower people to have control and responsibility
Offering people different choices for organising their
care

6. people lives communities
South of the border
Big increase in personalisation, through
Personal Budgets
But look under the surface and majority
were council-arranged services
Why?
Resource Allocation Systems
Menus of ‘choices’
Panels
A fundamental change in mindset?

7. people lives communities
South of the border

8. people lives communities
Which brings us to Henry Ford
“If you always do what you’ve always done,
you’ll always get what you’ve always got”

9. people lives communities
People who use services
Know your rights
Think about what you want in your life
Work back from this
Don’t start with ‘just’ support
Work in partnership with professionals
Find out friends’ experiences and share
your own
Be practically creative (or creatively
practical)

10. people lives communities
Frontline practitioners
Ask yourself: How many people this week
have I supported to do something
differently?
Constantly ask yourself: how is what I’m
doing now different to what I did before?
… If not, what’s getting in the way?
… and what can I do to change it?

11. people lives communities
Frontline practitioners
Work in partnership with people
Start with conversations - think beyond
the paperwork
Think of ends, not means
“Risk management wasn’t as difficult as I
imagined”

12. people lives communities
Team managers
Create space and time for people to share
learning and talk through questions
Trust your staff
Support your staff
Training, supervision
Support your senior leaders
Understanding, ambitions
“Risk management wasn’t as difficult as I
imagined”
Create space and time to build relationships
with providers and support services

13. people lives communities
Commissioners / senior managers
Get good information in place for everyone
Including staff and providers
Including real-life examples
Identify and support SDS champions
Create space / time to work with all providers
Create a positive feedback loop to change
patterns of spending
Ensure independent advocacy/support is in place
Value and seek input from all different
perspectives
Including co-production with people who use services

14. people lives communities
Other ideas
Getting There:
http://www.gettingtheresds.com/wp-content/uploads/20
JRF:
http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/1841961388.pdf
SCIE:
http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/ataglance/ataglance
NDTi:
http://www.ndti.org.uk/uploads/files/New_Paths_t
o_Personalisation_(NDTi,_April_2013).pdf

15. people lives communities
Being a persuasive individual
Pressure and constraints in the mental
health system
People think things are “beyond their
control”
Progress is where as many people as
possible take the opportunity to do
something different…
… no matter how small a change they personally
make

16. people lives communities
Disagreeing with Henry Ford

17. people lives communities
Reflecting on Henry Ford

18. people lives communities
Contact us
www.ndti.org.uk
@rich_w
ndti.org.uk