How well prepared is the voluntary sector for personalisation

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How well prepared is the voluntary sector for
personalisation?

• Gill Crawshaw, Volition

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Background

• Volition is the voluntary sector mental health
  network in Leeds
• Carried out research into leadership challenges
  and organisational development needs of the
  mental health voluntary sector in Leeds
• Research funded by Skills for Care Yorkshire and
  the Humber

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Scale of the sector

• 26 organisations employ 817 FT, 313 PT staff, run
  150 services for over 44,000 people
• Mental health, general health and wellbeing,
  housing, community, drugs and alcohol, focus on
  particular groups or communities
• Counselling, advocacy, information, social
  inclusion, community support and engagement,
  residential, housing support, carers, outreach,
  training .

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Readiness and understanding

• Nearly half feel fairly confident can build on
  existing expertise
• A third considered personalisation a major
  strategic concern / in business plan
• 12.5 didnt think it a major concern
• Only 1 organisation said they are fully prepared
• A third reasonably informed, a third basic
  understanding, under 10 in-depth knowledge

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Impact

• Overwhelmingly positive about values and
  principles choice, control, empowerment
• Opportunities to develop person-centred services
• Benefits for people who currently get poor
  services
• Forefront of change
• Need to communicate and market services
  effectively
• Concerns about how it will work in practice
• Financial pressures, sustainability of
  organisations
• Uncertainty for people who use services

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Workforce development needs

• Basic knowledge and understandingPrinciples,
  policy, processes
• Technical skillsCommissioning, financial
  management
• Soft skillsInter-personal, respect for
  individuals, culturally appropriate services

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Recommendations

• Principles and values
• Key message emphasise values of choice, control,
  independence, social inclusion, recovery,
  person-centred
• Information
• For the sector and for people who use services
• Learn from practical experience of others
• Training and development
• Address concerns in workforce strategies
• Make commissioners aware
• Share existing capacity within the sector

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• info_at_volition.org.uk
• www.volition.org.uk
• 0113 274 9585