Getting involved in Adult Social Care - Print version

Coventry City Council is committed to ensuring people with care and support needs and their carers can be equal partners in planning and shaping future developments in adult social care.

Why we would like you to get involved

A key part of the Adult Social Care offer [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/ascoffer] is to put adults and carers at the heart of everything we do. We know that the people that use our services often have the best ideas about how to make changes or improvements.

Get involved and help us improve our adult social care and support for adults with disabilities, older people and carers. It might take less time than you think.

Your views and suggestions are really important to us as everyone has different experiences and knowledge. This might be your experience of the assessment process, your experience of receiving support to help you with your care needs or it may be your experience as a family member or carer.

If you think you might be interested in helping us, we want to hear from you.

What are the benefits of getting involved?

Getting involved is a great way to:

• Meet new people
• Build your confidence
• Learn new skills
• Make sure that the Council and other organisations know what is important to you and your community
• Be involved in making decisions

Supporting you to get involved

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to get involved.

We will try to hold meetings at times that are convenient for you, in places that are easy to get to and wheelchair accessible.

Where needed, we will provide support for some of our involvement opportunities. This could mean providing extra information or training to make sure you have the skills and understanding of the topic you need to make a difference.

How can I get involved?

There are lots of ways to get involved. This list contains just a few of them.

We know your time is precious so you may not be able to commit to everything. We’d love you to tell us how you want to get involved.

• Discussion or focus group - discuss current services or plans for new ones
• Surveys and questionnaires - give us your views, such as our Adult Social Care experience survey [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/6769/adult_social_care_experience_survey_information_leaflet]
• Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/health-social-care-say-getting-involved/getting-involved-adult-social-care/3] - this group is made up of people with care and support needs, carers, local organisations and council staff. Help plan and influence the future of adult social care by becoming a member of the group. We meet every two months for two hours at a time.
• Adult Social Care Annual Report - help us write or edit our annual report
• Training - share your experiences to help staff and students learn about receiving support from local services

We produce a quarterly newsletter for people interested in Adult Social Care which includes updates on developments and details of forthcoming opportunities for getting involved. If you want to be added to our newsletter circulation list, please let us know, providing your name and email address or you can subscribe yourself [/ascemailalerts].

Download our printable how to get involved leaflet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/28046/get-involved-in-improving-adult-social-care].

Adult Social Care experience survey

If you've had recent involvement with Adult Social Care, we'd really like to hear from you about your experience. This will help us improve the service.

The survey is quick to complete and should take no longer than 5 minutes. The only thing you need is your Care Director ID number which will be located on any of your assessment paperwork.

Complete the Adult Social Care experience survey. [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/en/service/aSC___Adult_Social_Care_experience_survey]

Download and print the adult social care experience survey information leaflet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/6769/adult_social_care_experience_survey_information_leaflet]

Adult Social Care Stakeholders' Group

The Adult Social Care Stakeholders' Group meets bi-monthly (currently virtually via Microsoft Teams).

The group covers issues like:

• Using experience to influence change
• Upcoming developments in Adult Social Care
• Policy documents
• Social Care reforms and what that means in practice

This is a chance to contribute feedback, using personal experiences to help inform the direction of travel in social care.

The group is open to anyone who has recent experience of Adult Social Care, anyone caring who has had experience of Adult Social Care and any voluntary organisations that wish to be involved.

If you'd like to have a friendly informal chat about the group, to find out more and how you can get involved then contact: getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:getinvolvedasc <getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk>]

Download the latest poster [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/7842/stakeholders-group-leaflet]

Upcoming dates for 2024

• Tuesday 18 June 2024 - 10.30am-12noon on Microsoft Teams. Email: getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk] for an invite.
• Tuesday 20 August 2024 - 10.30am-12noon on Microsoft Teams. Email: getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk] for an invite.
• Thursday 17 October 2024 - 10.30am-12noon on Microsoft Teams. Email: getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk] for an invite.
• Tuesday 17 December 2024 - 10.30am-12noon on Microsoft Teams. Email: getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk] for an invite.

Terms of Reference

Adult Social Care Stakeholder Group – Terms of Reference.

Membership of the Group

The group is co-ordinated by Coventry City Council and membership includes:

• People who currently receive support or have recent experience of receiving support from adult social care
• Carers of people currently receiving support from Adult Social Care
• Adult Services Principal Social Worker
• Representatives of Adult Services
• Coventry City Council Officers and Councillors
• Voluntary and Third Sector Organisations

By invitation to join specific meetings:

• Adult Social Care providers
• Health partners
• Other Council staff, as required

The group will appoint Co-Chairs annually.

In the absence of the Co-Chairs, the remaining members present shall elect one of themselves to Chair the meeting.

The membership will aim to reflect the diversity of service user and carer groups.

Frequency of meetings

The group will ordinarily meet bimonthly for two hours.  There may be additional meetings if a specific requirement arises.

Meetings will take place no earlier than 10.30 and will be held either virtually or in the city centre in an accessible venue.

Format of meetings

Agenda, relevant papers and action notes to be circulated by the Adult Services Transformation Team in conjunction with the Co-Chairs. Agenda and papers for the meeting will aim to be sent out 5 working days in advance of the meeting.

A review at the end of the meeting will ensure that members can have the opportunity to feedback on the value, effectiveness of the group meetings and how far we have supported a coproduction approach [https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/_assets/Resources/Coproduction/LadderOfParticipation.pdf].

Notes from the meeting will be circulated five working days after the meeting.

Purpose of the Group

To give opportunities for co-production and engagement to enable the harnessing of knowledge and experience of the group members to develop and influence improvement of Adult Social Care forming an element of a commitment to engage and coproduce.

Our approach to Adult Social Care engagement, involvement and co-production 2023/2024 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/health-social-care-say-getting-involved/getting-involved-adult-social-care/5]

The group members will be encouraged to play an active part and to share their views and influence decisions, provide feedback and make recommendations on service improvements and to receive updates on Adult Social Care improvements and developments.

The group will also be asked to contribute to Annual Reports, policies and standards and expectations of service.

Scope of the Group

The group will refer to the selection of ‘I’ and ‘We’ statements produced by Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) known as ‘Making it Real’ and a set of ‘I statements co-designed following a Care Quality Commission (CQC) local system review, to act as a benchmark for improvement when commissioning or recommissioning health and social services for older people when considering what areas to develop and influence.

A key ‘we’ statement for the group will be;

‘We work with people as equal partners and combine our respective knowledge and experience to support joint decision making’.

The group is conscious that the lived experience of people involves contact not just with social care but other organisations such as health and housing providers. The group will seek to work in partnership and co-produce with other groups and bodies, connecting with other engagement groups and networks.

Decision-making powers

The group does not have any specific decision-making powers however the group members will influence service development and improvements.

Recommendations made by the group will be shared with the appropriate Senior Council Officers.

Confidentiality

Where personal experiences of service users or carers are shared at meetings to illustrate points about needs and services, this information will always be treated as confidential to the meeting and will not be shared without prior agreement.

Conflicts of interest

Where there is a potential conflict of interest for individual group members this will be openly and explicitly declared before the topic is discussed. 

Adult Social Care events

Coventry City Council's adult social care department has conducted various successful events with people in Coventry this year, to inform on available services and to conduct meaningful and impactful engagement. Some examples of this are a pop-up stall at University Hospital and  Adult Social Care open days at Bethel Church and Cheylesmore Centre.

The Open Day events were held as part of a series of outreach engagement sessions in different community settings, co-ordinated by our Adult Social Care teams. These events aim to provide information and resources for individuals with health and social care needs or caring responsibilities.

Many people across Coventry attended, and the organisations involved found them to be a great opportunity to share latest approaches. The event also facilitated opportunities for different community organisations to network with each other to improve their delivery of support to adults in Coventry.

Attendees who visited left the event visibly reassured after speaking to organisations in attendance.

These events will continue across the city to reach diverse communities and raise awareness of the support available through Adult Social Care. 

Previous events 

Adult Social Care Open Day Event 

Date: 13 May 2024 
Time: 10am - 2pm 
Location: Dementia Partnership Hub  Everdon Rd, Coventry CV6 4DT 

Carer Information Fair 

Date: 12 June 2024 
Time: 10am - 6pm 
Location: Broadstreet Rugby Club, 105 Rugby Road, Binley Woods, CV3 2AY 

Adult Social Care Open Day Event 

Date: Tuesday 15 October 2024 
Time: 10am - 2pm 
Location: St Peter's Hillfields, Charles Street, Coventry, CV1 5NP 

Act on Energy - Winter is Coming Event [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/coventry-winter-is-coming-are-you-prepared-tickets-1033440868457]

Date: Tuesday 22 October 2024
Time: 10.30am - 3pm
Location: Foleshill Community Centre, 757 Foleshill Road, CV6 5HS 

Carers Trust Expo [https://www.getinvolvedcoventry.org.uk/o/Carers-Trust-Heart-of-England/activities/Carers-Winter-Expo/86967] 

Date: Tuesday 12 November 2024
Time: 3pm - 7pm
Location: Coventry Cathedral, Priory Street, CV1 5AB 

Our approach to Adult Social Care engagement, involvement and co-production 2024/2025

Our approach explains in brief our commitment to involving the residents of Coventry in the development of services across Adult Social Care.

Our approach

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"

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 is 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.

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, new aspirations and reestablishing 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

Developing a mixed approach to engagement

Doing with:

Treating others as experts. exchanging ideas is key!

• Co-production
• Co-design

Doing for:

Engaging and involving people

• Engagement
• Consultation
• Informing

Doing to:

Treating to fix people who are passive recipients of care.

• Educating
• coercion

How do we involve?

We co-produce on a day-to-day basis

Everyday practitioners are working closely with people to co-design care and support plans. We encourage a strengths-based approach and recognise that people and their families know the best solutions to their own situations. Practitioners are supported to work in creative ways to support individualised outcomes for people.

We tell our stories

We share good practice and learn when things have gone wrong. We encourage a space where people and their families feel able to tell us their story. We share their stories throughout the year and we highlight key successes in the Annual Report for Adult Social Care [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/ascannualreport].

We come together

We have meetings every other month were anyone with experience of Adult Social Care is welcome to attend. This is called our Adult Social Care Stakeholder group. We discuss upcoming developments, social care reforms and we seek input into key developments and policies.

We seek "real-time" feedback

We ask people for their feedback through their social care journey. We use this information to inform how we improve services. We ask people if they want to be involved.

We let people know what we're doing

When we need to make changes, we keep people informed of what we’re doing and seek ways of involving people in these discussions. This might be, through the use of surveys, or it may focus groups and sessions.

We recruit together

We involve people in key recruitment processes for staff working in Adult Social Care. This can be through people being part of a recruitment panel when we’re looking to recruit new staff.

We commission services together

We involve people in commissioning processes when we are developing new and existing services. We involve stakeholders in the evaluation of tenders and the development of service specifications.

We challenge together

We involve people in the scrutiny and review of our services, this can involve peer reviews, research, and evaluation to make sure we’re working effectively.

We learn together

We invite people to attend training sessions, we also involve people in delivering training sessions so they can provide direct lived experience.

We keep people informed

We produce a range of bulletins to provide regular updates around activity in Adult Social Care and chances to be involved. We provide a monthly Carers Bulletin and a bi-monthly Adult Social Care Bulletin. We work with partners to share content and encourage opportunities to become involved.

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 proactive 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 from 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 in Real' principles [https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/makingitreal/about/].

Getting involved

The range and options available for getting involved are outlined on these Getting Involved in Adult Social Care webpages. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/health-social-care-say-getting-involved/getting-involved-adult-social-care]

For more information about our approach or to discuss being involved in shaping Adult Social Care please email getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:getinvolvedasc@coventry.gov.uk].

Download and print the Adult Social Care - Engagement, Involvement and Co-Production - It's Our Approach leaflet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/39258/adult-social-care-engagement-involvement-and-co-production-it-s-our-approach]

ADASS have developed a new guide around co-production which can be downloaded and printed. [https://www.wm-adass.org.uk/media/1cbniw5q/adass-co-prod-guide-nov23-r7.pdf]