Presentation at "Building on firm foundations: Making effective liaison and diversion services a reality" conference by Sarah Anderson and Pat Kenny, Revolving Doors Agency

1. Service User Involvement in
liaison and diversion services
Sarah Anderson & Pat Kenny
Revolving Doors Agency (OHC)

2. What is User Involvement?
“A process by which people are able
to become actively and genuinely
involved in defining the issues of
concern to them; in making decisions
about factors that effect their lives;
in formulating and implementing
polices; in planning, developing and
delivering services, and in taking
action to achieve change.”
World Health Organisation, 2002

3. Considerations
1) Moving towards the new operating model
• E.g. Service user on project board; local
workshop to provide feedback on
implementation
2) Embedding long-term in your liaison and
diversion scheme
3) Partner services and commissioners: how can
you help?

4. Yes there are challenges…
• No or limited systems of SUI currently in place
• Limited appetite of SUs to be involved
• Different groups to engage: adults, young people, parents &
carers, women, BME
• Should not be tokenistic or harmful to individual
– Relevant experience & support needed
• Short-term involvement with service and limited follow-up
• Local capacity
• At time of service use, clients often in crisis so immediate
involvement activities may not be appropriate / possible
• Incentives are a tricky business

5. But there are solutions…
• Identify a lead and include within project & annual business
plans
• Source expertise – talk to PPI team
• Identify existing user groups through extended team (e.g.
probation/YOS) and referral pathways
• Look for potential board member among people already
active in PPI as ‘proxy’ for group
• Identify peer, mentor or professional support
• Be creative and consider variety of options for best
approach & to engage different groups
• Incentivise and reward involvement

6. Some examples…
• Exit questionnaires
• Annual cycle of workshops/focus groups
• Annual survey of extended team clients
• Involvement in staff recruitment & training
• Recruitment and training of clients from extended team for
involvement activities
• Peer research
• Visual methods e.g. pathway mapping
• Explore social media, vox pops, and texting options
• Recruitment of ex-service users to paid posts
• Link in with VCS to develop peer mentoring schemes

7. How can others help?
Partner agencies can help schemes to:
– identify service users
– collect feedback
– plan and undertake joint involvement activities (e.g.
pathway mapping)
Commissioners can require that schemes:
– identify SUI lead
– include within project/business plans
– report on what they have done and its impact
– include within KPIs

8. Why does it matter?
It has a huge impact on
the quality of services and so the
people who receive services
and
on those who get involved
Pat will share his experiences of user involvement

9. Final thoughts…
• Identify lead, include within business planning
• Don’t need complex structures
• Don’t have to be ‘exact match’: benefit to
talking to people with relevant experience
even if have not used L&D
• Anyone can do it: use engagement skills you
have developed in your work
• Key is to listen, make changes and feedback

10. Discussion groups
• What are we doing currently?
• How effective is this?
• What are the main challenges we face?
• How could we overcome these & improve our
user involvement?

11. Sarah Anderson
Director of research and development, Revolving Doors
Lead for the north of England, Offender Health Collaborative
sarah.anderson@revolving-doors.org.uk