The Making Space Approach to Personalisation
We all like to be in control of our lives, to take responsibility for the things that really matter.
And it’s no different for people who experience mental ill health. In fact, that sense of independence can be hugely important in building and maintaining confidence.
Making Space is here to make the difference.
This starts by helping you identify your immediate needs, followed by us working together to shape a way forward…a step-by-step approach to managing your life in a way that allows you to enjoy it to the full.
So...what does ‘Personalisation’ actually mean? It’s pretty simple really. First it means giving you personal choice and control over your own care. And secondly, it means ‘personalising’ things to you. No two people are the same. So no two solutions will be the same either.
It’s our job to make you aware of what support is available to you in getting well, and staying well. Support in terms of people, services, resources and money.
As for how we do it, one of our workers will show you what money is available for your ongoing care and welfare, help you draw up a budget, then show you how to access any or all of the services or activities you require.
Click here to download a pdf of our latest personalisation leaflet
At the end of 2007, an agreement was made between government departments which was called ‘Putting People First’. This talked about changing adult social care and said that people who use services, their carers and front line workers should see a difference in the future.
This difference is going to be made by people having personal budgets, individual budgets, direct payments and person centred planning, with support from strong self-advocacy and family carer support. Some of these new words are described later in this factsheet.
The idea of giving people choice and control is to help people who are entitled to get support to make the best use of public money and use it in a way that suits them.
People who receive services, their families, carers and lots of professionals want to see big changes to make sure people live the lives they want and to have a big say and take charge of the support and care they need.
It is a target for the government to make social care and other public services more modern, putting choice firmly in the hands of individuals and their families.
Making Space embraces personalisation in its fullest sense. The organisation is committed to service users and carers taking a full and active role in the co-design, co-production and direction of their own care and support.
We have put in place the necessary cultural changes to make this happen and our processes and systems can accommodate each service users’ needs.
Making Space works with a person so that they achieve their aspirations. Where relevant we have the expertise to work with someone at an early enough stage in their condition to prevent it becoming worse.
Making Space supports the idea that people who use social care support or services and their families and carers should have a bigger say in how their support is provided. We are committed to working in partnership and making this change happen.
What do the words mean?
People who can get help from their council might have a personal budget or an individual budget. They can choose to take this money as a direct payment.
Personal budgets – this is money for support that comes from social services. This is either adult social care or children’s services.
Individual budgets – this is money that comes from more than one place. For example, if you have money from social services and the Independent Living Fund (ILF).
Direct payments – you can get the money paid in a number of different ways. A direct payment is where the council pays the money into your bank account and you organise it.
There are 7 steps to being in control of your support -
1. My money - finding out how much. The first thing to do is to find out if you if you can get money for support, and how much.
2. Making my support plan. The second thing is to make a plan about how you will use the money to get the life you want. You can do the plan yourself. You can have help to do it, as much as you want.
3. Getting my plan agreed. A care manager at the council has to say your plan is ok.
4. Organising my money. You can have the money paid to your or to someone who can look after it for you (a person, a Trust, an organisation or the care manager).
5. Organising my support. You can organise the support in a way that suits you. You can get help to find and organise your support.
6. Living life. You can use services but you can also spend your money on local people who you know - or even buy things that will help you in your life.
7. Seeing how it worked. You have to show that you have used the money properly
People’s stories
Joe
‘Self directed support has enabled us to be an ordinary family again. Joe has started to live a life that is comparative with his peers, if not in some instances he is in a far better position. He now has his own personal assistants who assist him to do ordinary things like go to college, support him with his micro-enterprise, go to the gym, have a bath, and eat his meals. He has his own car which enables him to get out and about and more recently he has bought his own home next door to us. In fact, using the concept of Joe having his own individual budget has enabled him to design his support in a way that makes sense to him. He hasn’t taken any more money from the State, he has just utilised it in a far better way’. Caroline Tomlinson, Joe’s Mum.
Paul
Paul really wanted a girlfriend to go out with and ‘do new things and have nice meals with friends like my brother does’. At his person centred review he told people he could not get a girlfriend because he could not go out on his own. Paul talked about Joan who was a woman he loved to spend time with at the gateway Club. One of the actions from his person centred review was that Paul would work with his key worker, Sam at the group home, to develop Paul’s relationship circle and think about his community connections. Paul and Sam used the relationship circle to think about who the important people were in his life, and this led to actions to support Joan and Paul to meet at other times as well as at the gateway Club. As a result of this review Paul now has a girlfriend and Paul and Sam are now members of the local drama group. Paul said: ‘dating Joan is the best thing that ever happened to me and all cos of my review’.
(Taken from ‘Valuing People Now, 2009)
Where can I get more information?
Making Space – Customer Services at customer.services@makingspace.co.uk
In Control - www.in-control.org.uk/, telephone 01564 821650