Catching up - the Hodgson Review

Well it has taken rather longer than planned to update this blog.  So what has happened since the last post.  Quite a lot, as it happens.  After a period of ill health in the spring (fully recovered and back with a vengeance - thanks for asking!) - the focus of my work has been on community development or social action projects.  

There is an evident gap in service provision for vulnerable people, as local authorities grapple with limited funding and pressures to cut or re-imagine the ways in which they work.  Here in North London we have a local authority subcontracting in a significant way, and this is of concern to residents.  How will the provider square quality of care with pressure to make a profit for shareholders?  What will happen to smaller organisations with local knowledge and existing relationships?  Whatever happened to Choice and Independence?

On the other hand, putting the children and young peoples services out to tender has resulted in the bulk of the contracts awarded to the voluntary and community sector - individually or as consortia.  So there is a commitment to support a thriving voluntary sector.

Recent assignments have including governance work for embryonic voluntary and community groups, who have seen a gap and secured funding to address real issues.  Getting the foundations right is really important for future growth - and I have been working on organisation development issues such as legal frameworks, policy structures, development of trustee teams, sustainable business plans and recruitment of key staff.

In each case there is a individual, or a small group, with a clear vision and a heart for changing the lives of the vulnerable.  

If this is of interest to you - then contact karen@flourishing.me.uk

In the meantime - take a look at this document, produced by Julian Lomas at Almond Tree.  I am pleased to be part of the Synatus network of freelance consultants working in the third sector.  Julian has shared this summary of the Hodgson Review of the charities act.  Please contact him to share your thoughts.

Was the Hodgson Review a Damp Squib

Trends for faith groups

This mind map was produced for the London Borough Faiths Network as part of the discussions reviewing the role of faith groups in the delivery of public sector services.  It represents personal experiences and these contrast with other working in different London boroughs.

One of the biggest challenges is in engaging with local authority commissioning.  In some cases faith groups are excluding from bidding for service contracts or applying for funding.  Consortium working can be a solution.  Also the development of alternative governance structures eg a CIC.

Faith groups continue to address gaps in services.  These gaps are increasing as pressures on local authority budgets reduce scope to deliver services.  Poverty, hunger, unemployment, debt, homelessness.  All these real issues attract practical responses from faith groups across the spectrum.

Socially enterprising responses are developing as individual giving levels fall.  Whilst there are still sources of grant funding and light touch faith based funders continue to support visionaries, other approaches are needed to sustain projects and services.  Income generation eg through premises hire or trading are being developed.

The mind map is intended to support the discussion, and there are specific references to projects underway eg Living Way's homework club, SOFT (sharing our food together), Trussell Trust food banks.

If you would like more information on any of the strands - then please get in touch for details - karen@flourishing.me.uk

Reflections on the DOP Conference

A couple of weeks ago I went to the BPS Division of Occupational Psychology Conference after a gap of twenty or so years.

Time to refresh my Occ Psych credentials and be challenged and stimulated by the latest research findings.

It was a packed and well organised conference, with some familiar faces and a fantastic musical chairs networking session to open (to the tune of Call Me Maybe - inspired soundtrack!).

Here follows a few themes and ideas that I am committed to following up over the next few months - either through reading relevant papers or participating in CPD events.  I don't present these as a comprehensive summary of the conference content - but as triggers for me personally.  If they intrigue you too - get in touch, and maybe we can get some discussions going.

1. Mindfulness - one speaker talked of a study investigating the impact of mindfulness training on staff - with particular reference to perceptions of stress and wellness.  I am familiar with the concept and process as a strategy for those with ADHD.  Worth reading around - and exploring any research that establishes a link between mindfulness and productivity.  To build a solid business case for investing in programmes for the workplace.
2. To my mind a similar set of questions apply to the concept of Flow.  A state of absorption in a task - living in the present.  With connections to resilience (trait) and coping (process).  Again more to explore, particularly with regard to the creation of working environments that support Flow - and job roles where it is practically achievable.
3. A third theme for me - which relates very much to the sector that I work in - one speaker talked about the motivation that businesses have for supporting charitable causes.  Is it around guilt, offsetting harmful effects of the business?  I would like to dig into this a bit further, especially the positive benefits - emotional and practical - of philanthropy.
4. A broad observation of mine - some presented studies explored differences across cultures and across public and private sector workplaces.  But there was little on the charitable sector.  I feel that differences do exist, especially with regard to the characteristics of leaders, work-life balance, trade-offs that people make on a day to day basis.  Mavericks, visionaries, activists - all find a place in the charitable sector as charismatic leaders achieving change.  

I can see a few areas that could stand some rigorous research.  So there is the challenge. 

Do get in touch if these ideas resonate with you.

Review of 2012

Finally there is a small break in the busyness of life to pause and review 2012!

Business Planning and Sustainability continued to be a strong theme through different assignments.  Including:

• Drafting business plans for three voluntary and community groups...
• ... Which then formed the backbone for successful funding applications.
• Working for a funder to ensure that organisations receiving grants used the money prudently and effectively.

Research and Mapping assignments covered:

• Identifying organisations delivering arts projects and/or working with vulnerable adults - in two specific geographical regions.  This work enabled the client to explore expansion, through partnerships, into new areas.
• Researching and marketing a quality scheme for voluntary sector providers of after school activities.  This included training as an advocate for QiSS and QES - to support providers through the schemes.

Participation and Engagement covering:

• Including users in the shaping of services designed for them.
• Particularly where there are communication issues, mental health or disability.
• Researching perceptions of the psychological contract that exists between a corporate and their employees across a number of functions.
• Editing the newsletter for national disability organisation, including commissioning articles from medical professionals and profiling personal stories.

Recruitment and Development activities included:

• Design and delivery of a consultancy skills workshop for special needs advisors working in schools.  With a strong emphasis on personal skills and change management models.  To be repeated in 2013.
• Design and delivery of recruitment processes for clients.
• Provision of advice on a range of HR issues relating to the employment of sessional staff.
• Sourcing speakers for development workshops eg raising awareness of local FGM issues for health professionals

Interesting Events and Conferences always prompt new and creative responses to real needs, and also provide an opportunity to share best practice and talk about Flourishing Consulting's work.  There were an abundance of such activities during 2012.

• ENORB in Brussels - meeting at the European Parliament for the inaugural meeting to discuss faith responses to conflict across Europe.
• Babcock and TES SEN exhibitions offering the latest innovations in special needs education.
• Children England conference offering examples of effective models for mergers and partnerships for voluntary sector groups.
• Youth into employment - presenting a variety of practical models operating at a local level.
• Reclaiming London - developing faith based community responses to the London disturbances in the summer of 2011.
• Division of Occupational Psychology Conference - in January 2013 - where I spoke, albeit briefly, on self employment options.

On top of that - my first Published Article in SEN Magazine - looking at faith perspectives on disability.

So far, Trends for 2013 continue to be:

• Survival of third sector organisations through mergers, partnerships and consortia.
• Building capacity to bid for local authority tenders.
• Diversifying income streams through creative and socially enterprising activities.
• Smart ways to maximise staff potential - through flexible work patterns, clarity on core competencies, investment in tailored development.   

If you like the kind of work I do - and the concept of Flourishing - please get in touch at karen@flourishing.me.uk

Consultancy Skills Workshop for SEN Professionals

Well, it has been a while since I last posted on this blog.  But I resolve to keep you better informed in the future.

Last week I delivered a custom designed consultancy skills workshop for SEN professionals working in schools.

Many of the participants were new to the consultancy way of working and it was a useful opportunity to share some different models and practical tools for the various stages of the consultancy process.  For example, stakeholder mapping, managing conflict, professional boundaries, achieving lasting change.

Here are a few quotes from the evaluation forms:

What did you learn?

• Surprising amount learned, especially in ways of looking at things.
• This is a huge area of discussion and tonight has whet my appetite for more.
• Really useful to have psychological models.
• Found visual representation really succinct.

Has this workshop inspired you to do things differently?

• Feeling empowered with information always makes me feel emboldened to bring change – tonight has done that.
• Has been a great reminder of the skill set required when working in schools.
• Yes definitely, and the discussions and personal experiences really helped.

Did you find the workshop enjoyable?

• Small group was good – enjoyed discussion and it felt intimate and good professional respect.
• More please
• Pitched at exactly the right level
• Very useful
• Thank you for such a lively presentation of material and interesting discussion

If you are interested in a consultancy skills workshop - then please contact me - karen@flourishing.me.uk

Communication and Engagement - best practice

Consultation and Engagement - I was asked to produce this for a company working with tenants on resident engagement - but you may find it useful too.

All the following points are drawn from my experience in delivering consultations and engagements for different clients over the years.  Some will seem like common sense – but you would be surprised how often these things are overlooked.

Why are you consulting or engaging?

A good idea to take a long hard look at motivation here.  There is a scale here – with tokenism at one end and genuine participation at the other.  You are probably familiar with Hart’s Ladder of Participation.   But those who you are working with or for may not be.   It does make a difference.  People can detect when they are being asked to endorse a decision already made and when they are being approached with an open mind.   So honestly placing yourself on the ladder is a good start.   Consultation may not be the practical response, for example when legislation limits options or funding is very tight.

Who do you want to consult?

Are you seeking a cross-section of views from a representative sample of the general population.   Perhaps there are specific groups who will be impacted.  Equality Impact Assessment methodology might be the way to go.

How much time do you have?

There are guidelines in place as part of the Compact arrangements in some local authorities – and these define what good consultation is.  Typically a timescale of six months is required for an effective consultation.  This enables you to go through the stages of testing hypotheses, focus groups to explore the accessibility and relevance of questions and to employ a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods.

How much money do you have?

Budget will impact on your choice of consultation method.   Telephone interviews can be expensive in high numbers, but provide a richness of data that questionnaires may not.

Common mistakes

-       Relying on one consultation method eg an open meeting, an on-line survey.  Best practice is to use at least two methods, so that there is a choice of ways to engage.  Open meetings assume that people have transport and childcare and that caring, employment, education and training commitments can be overcome in order to attend.

-       Assuming that trust exists between those asking the questions and those responding.   A historical perception that consultations were just paying lipservice to opinion gathering will taint any future activities.   For example, a consultation I was involved in with parents, on behalf of the local authority, where we had to get past feelings of anger over service cuts in another part of the council.

-       A confusion between representing and being a representative.   To genuinely represent the views of others an individual needs to have a means of gathering a range of opinions – and setting their own aside to voice those opinions.  A representative is a sample of one – and may give a personal view that resonates with others in a similar position – but do you, and they know the difference?  Beware of activists who claim to represent others.

-       Cultural insensitivity in the choice of venue, or timing of consultations.  Check your religious calendar first – or even better, speak to people locally.  Your local Multi-Faith Forum should be a help in interpreting and advising.

-       Boiling everything down to numbers on a scale – and losing the variety of responses and opinions! 

Good practice

-       Use of ambassadors or community representatives in peer led consultations.  For example, a consultation with families with disabled children included training disabled young people to interview one another on film.  Peer to peer, this generated really rich information.   One borough recruited parents on short term contracts to go out to universal settings such as shopping centres, GP surgeries, libraries etc as well as toddler groups and schools to talk to other parents.   Recruit and influence people in leadership positions – for example church leaders, imams, leaders of community groups, those providing voluntary services.  This is all about social capital – and building strong networks before consulting.  Some LINk organisations train people from different local communities so that they are skilled in gathering information and views.

-       The best practice elements here include thinking carefully about where the target groups could be found – and going to them, rather than making them come to you.  Drop-in events for disabled adults are a good example.  And expect to spend a few sessions building relationships and trust – and providing people with sufficient time to reflect on their views before presenting them.

-       Use of symbols and images to support consultations with people with low levels of literacy or with communication difficulties.  So easy to put a confusing question, requiring a verbal response.  Use image banks that are familiar – and test your questions with individuals so that your meaning is clear.  Could the use of drama or art enable a different level of communication – with a more open question – what makes you happy?  Be careful of asking people, especially those on the autistic spectrum, to conceptualize changes – in these instances experiential consultation works well.  For example in the decisions around the design of a play space at a special school – visit other playgrounds, try things out, what works, and what doesn’t.  Be careful about asking people to imagine.

-       Involve people who are independent, and very clearly have no stake in the outcomes or a preferred finding.  This objectivity, especially if accompanied by anonymity, will lead to more open communication and honesty.  For example the local authority who commissioned the CVS to undertake a resident consultation on library use.

-       Consider the change equation and cover each element – to achieve change there will need to be an acknowledgement that the status quo is not working.   Consultation falls down when there is no agreement on this point.  There also needs to be a shared vision for the future, and confidence that the first step is a positive move towards that vision.  

-       Providing accessible feedback on the findings, in a form that can be understood by the target groups.  Including specific versions for eg children, young people, in different languages.

-       Invest in confidence building support for community representatives – for example a London borough that targeted Asian mothers as school governors found that they needed support to speak out in meetings run by professionals.  The environment was alien and created a barrier to genuine consultation.

-       Use of technology – flipcameras are a cheap way of capturing vox pops – as are many mobile phone.  Surveymoney for on-line questionnaires is worthwhile if you are going to want to do this frequently, or if you have a small number of questions.   LinkedIn and Facebook discussion threads can draw people in – but may need a moderator to avoid abuse.   Eventbrite is a good tool for managing attendance at events.  There are ipad apps – though I haven’t used them.   Also remember that some of your population will not have access to technology or will uncomfortable with it.