Mobilising Community Capital Programme Productive Engagement Working Group Progress Update

1. Mobilising Community Capital Programme Productive Engagement Working Group Progress Update 17th June 2011

2. Purpose The purpose of this report is to update members of the Productive Engagement Working Group and the Market Shaping Task & Finish Group on progress made since the last Working Group meeting on 12th April 2011. The report has been produced in lieu of the cancelled Working Group meeting due to be held on 17th June 2011. Required • Note the contents of the report and comment as appropriate; • Review and comment on the draft Productive Engagement Charter; • Identify any further priorities for productive engagement; • Agree the ‘Next Steps’ identified in this report • Notify Sue Williams of your availability to attend the final Productive Engagement Working Group meeting in early September.

3. Contents Update on actions agreed at previous meeting on 12th April 2011 Draft Productive Engagement Charter Update on Engagement Activity Engagement priorities: • Ensuring quality • Sector led improvement and the Performance Framework • Provider Vulnerability • Other Next steps Date and venue for next meeting

4. Update on actions agreed at previous meeting on 12th April 2011 www.marketshaping.co.uk goes live at the end of June – will include resources to support market shaping including case studies from Mobilising Community Capital programme. Productive Engagement calendar to be included (PAJ) An event evaluation template will form part of the final report analysing the impact of ‘Productive Engagement’ on the market (PAJ) Draft principles/values underpinning engagement activity/events has been produced – see section on Productive Engagement Charter below. (Complete) Principles being used and learning collected / shared – see Update on Engagement Activity below (Complete) Case studies are being analysed by Newcastle University Business School on behalf of Impact Change Solutions (PAJ) ADASS awayday in July – it has been decided that a new Assistant Directors network will be set up to oversee delivery of the transformation effort in the region. PAJ has been asked to present a summary of the Market Shaping programme to the AD Network meeting on 16th September (PAJ).

5. Draft Productive Engagement Charter Small sub-group (Elaine Ives & Kirsty Lorberg from Warwickshire CC plus Sue Williams and Paul Johnston) met in May to set out the underpinning principles, based on good practice from around the country and locally. Charter describes ‘Productive Engagement’ as the essential pre-requisite for ‘Co-production’ and sets out 10 principles for engagement activity. Intention is to commence all engagement with a reminder of the charter so that participants understand the ground rules and aspirations for the session. The charter was launched and broadly welcomed at the recent ‘Direct Payment Support Services’ event (see Update on Engagement Activity, below). Comments included: • Makes sense, will be interesting to see how it works in practice • The principles are sound, would like to understand how these will be delivered • The charter seems to have been well thought through • Sounds like a good way forward in facilitating decision making process for future plans re: what support individuals require. • Very good, sets out clear guidance and expectations • Looks useful – the important part is how it is actually used – so time will tell! Action: please review the draft charter and provide feedback (ALL)

6. Update on Engagement Activity Two engagement events organised through the Mobilising Community Capital Programme since last report. Materials published online as follows: 6th June – Exploring Service Catalogues. Interactive event looking at LA websites as the vehicle for delivering Information & Advice services and considering the requirements of a true ‘information economy’. See http://www.westmidlandsiep.gov.uk//index.php?page=779 7th June – Direct Payment Support Services. Exploring the impact of personalisation on DPSS and the challenges and opportunities it presents to Providers. See http://www.westmidlandsiep.gov.uk//index.php?page=776 More engagement is being planned – see Engagement Priorities below. Local Authorities are pressing ahead with Productive Engagement events and the MCC Programme will support as required. The following events have been flagged for support: Solihull 26th May – Setting up a Centre for Independent Living (ULO) Shropshire 17th June Herefordshire 20th June – ‘Social Enterprise Works!’ Staffordshire 12th July – ‘Think Local Act Personal’ and what it means for Providers. Warwickshire September (date tba) – Provider Forums There is good evidence that ‘Productive Engagement’ is being embraced and the intention is to embed the approach so that it continues after the MCC Programme has been disbanded. Feedback from all these events will be reflected in the final report produced in September

7. Engagement priorities: Ensuring quality This was discussed at the Direct Payment Support Services event on 7th June. A working Group is to be set up to consider: Quality, Training and Service Standards for DPSS: Developing a common definition of Quality; sharing training ideas and solutions; establishing minimum service standards; continuously improving service quality. Whilst the focus will be on Direct Payment Support Services, it is expected that the ‘exhibits’ used will be equally applicable to other forms of provision and that the outputs from the session will therefore be of relevance across the market.

8. Engagement priorities: Sector led improvement and the Performance Framework The Working Group identified ‘engagement over performance priorities & outcomes’ as a key priority for engagement, but has struggled to identify the opportunity or mechanism for this to be taken forward. Recently, Impact Change Solutions was asked to support the work of the West Midlands Performance Network in 2 ways: • Development of a good Local Account methodology (this would not specify local or regional content but the process by which a Local Account should be derived including citizen engagement and usage of a diverse range of media to engage the Public) • Development of a protocol for Peer Engagement (ground-rules for Local Authorities benchmarking one another) We believe that productive engagement sits at the heart of the new performance regime and have defined a process for the production of Local Accounts that is dependent on good local engagement in order to define priorities and to report on performance. The diagram on the following slide attempts to depict the proposed cycle and key inputs leading to the development of a Local Account – this would see engagement taking place between April and June annually over the priorities, performance and outcomes framework for each locality. We also believe that ‘Peer Engagement’ should be seen in its broadest sense, with Peer Review teams being formed of a mix of LA, Service User and Service Provider Peers. Our recommendations are being made to the Performance Network on 22nd June and to the ADASS working group on 1st July.

9. Establish the vision and strategy Develop priorities and outcomes at a local level Ongoing self assessment and assurance with people who use services & citizens Publish information on priorities and progress Local Accounts – High-Level Process Local Accounts – Annual Cycle

10. Engagement priorities: Provider Vulnerability The initial meeting of the Provider Vulnerability Working Group takes place on 8th July at the Partnership Centre, Birmingham. Provider Vulnerability was raised as a priority at our TASC Summit in February, and recent events in the care home sector have reinforced the importance of this issue to Providers, Local Authorities and people who use services. We need to begin to think about strategies for mitigating the risks associated with providers going out of business (with the objective being to put in place ‘early warning’ and ‘support’ interventions). All very topical in light of recent press coverage and we plan to have a specific focus on the care home and home care sectors (since these are the 2 sectors most commonly identified by commissioners as giving cause for concern). The objective of the group is to develop an approach to the identification of vulnerability amongst providers and strategies to reduce vulnerability. We aim to deliver: • Assessment of the factors causing vulnerability (report) • Vulnerability Assessment Method • Provider Support Strategy for vulnerable providers

11. Engagement priorities: Other The following suggestions for productive engagement were made at the Direct Payment Support Services event on 7th June. Delegates are currently prioritising these with a view to establishing working groups to consider each subject: • Identifying the requirements of people who use Direct Payment Support Services (DPSS) - Sharing intelligence about what people who use DPSS want; creating a library of consultation outcomes; exploring DPSS from a service user perspective. • Adding Value - DPSS and the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework - Exploring the contribution that DPSS can make to the delivery of ASCOF Outcomes; articulating the value of DPSS; shifting perceptions about DPSS providers. • Contracting with the Local Authority - Exploring the range of contracting options; collaborating over LA tenders; decommissioning DPSS and transition planning. • Opportunities for Collaboration between DPSS Providers - Defining boundaries; working together for mutual benefit; maximising capacity through collaboration; exploring the implications of individual purchasing on DPSS operations. • DPSS – Information & Advice and Local Authority Service Catalogues - Making information about DPSS more accessible; marketing DPSS through Service Catalogues; extending choice and competition through accessible information. In addition, Staffordshire CC are keen to set up an event to discuss the challenges around ‘Day Opportunities’. This has received broad support, with 7 other LAs keen to participate so far.

12. Engagement priorities: Other (continued) Detailed planning is underway for an event in August: ‘How to access funding & support in a changing care market’ Free Full-day seminar for Service Users, Commissioners & Providers Objective: To explore the ways in which care services are funded and supported in the context of the Modernising Commissioning agenda. The event will consider how the transformation of adult social care is changing the nature and sources of funding and support. Engagement Priorities - Summary The focus of the MCC programme will increasingly shift towards supporting, facilitating and evaluating productive engagement activity, with the approach to productive engagement and co-production being refined through lessons learned and shared. The objective is for the approach to become embedded across all LAs in the region within the lifetime of the MCC Programme and the main deliverable from the work we are doing on Productive Engagement will be a new Engagement Framework with guidance and recommendations for LAs to implement. Action: Please comment on the identified engagement priorities and tell us about any other priorities for Productive Engagement in the region. (ALL)

13. Next steps The overwhelming sentiment at the Working Group meeting on 12th April was that we should ‘get on with’ productive engagement activity and the engagement priorities defined in this report reflect the progress made in setting up such sessions. It is proposed that we: • Encourage and promote adoption of the Productive Engagement Charter (ALL) • Run the engagement sessions identified, including any new priorities that may be flagged by Working Group members (PAJ/SW) • Support Local Authority engagement activity (PAJ / SW) • Evaluate the effectiveness of the sessions and adjust the approach to reflect learning (PAJ / NUBS) • Produce a final report and Productive Engagement Framework, for sign-off by the Working Group in September 2011 (PAJ)

14. Date and venue for next meeting It is proposed that we convene a final Working Group meeting for early September, to review all of the engagement activity that has taken place and to consider the draft Report and Productive Engagement Framework, ahead of its presentation to the West Midlands Assistant Director Network on 16th September. The meeting will also formally wind up the business of the Productive Engagement Working Group. It is envisaged that the meeting will be held in The Partnership Centre, Albert House, Quay Place, Edward Street, Birmingham, B1 2RA. Action: Notify Sue Williams of your availability to attend the final Working Group meeting during early September.