Personalisation - faith communities

So, the workshop was for trustees of voluntary and community groups in Southwark. I had a speaker, and an open invitation to a variety of organisations to send trustees to find out all about the ways that services for vulnerable adults and disabled children are going to change.

As all the best events do, the shape shifted according to the participants. We had a large proportion of the audience attending from faith groups - primarily churches. Personalisation was a new concept, but they totally got it - and together we painted a picture to illustrate the variety of ways that faith communities can and should support vulnerable people within their communities and through outreach work.

Faith communities are bound together through shared beliefs. Relationships are forged and ministries developed to ensure that every person is valued, supported and involved. Historically faith communities have always delivered social action projects - from schools, hospitals, social services. Perhaps we haven't applied current terminology - but the principles have always been evident.

Personalisation places purchasing decisions in the hands of people who currently receive services. Through supportive person centred planning individuals will be given independent budgets and be assisted to buy in the tailored services that they need. Providers will need to think in terms of marketing directly to individuals, as opposed to contracts to deliver block services.

So where do faith communities fit in? Consider the following:

- Who better to surround an individual, and to assist in the purchasing decisions they make - as trustees or brokers?

- What about faith based service provision - offering consistent relationships and cost effective solutions - blessing the recipient and the provider?

Keep watching this space for real examples of faith communities grabbing this opportunity and making it work.