Supporting Service User Representatives Training

 

Meaningful service user involvement includes empowering service users to be able to engage at all levels, from borough needs assessments, through to commissioning, service development  and evaluation.

Inspirit have recently devised a two day course for Wandsworth service users to enable them to take part in their recent procurement process. This was such a success that we have decided to offer this service to other boroughs.

Course outcomes

The course outcomes include:

- Understanding the procurement process, from needs assessment to service interviews
- Demystifying the procurement language
- Clear knowledge of the Service User role
- Confidentiality and lines of accountability
- Defining quality
- Assessing against criteria

Many of the above outcomes will vary from borough to borough so each course is tailored to your specific needs and costs include consultation meetings with commissioners. More DAATs are now involving service users in the procurement process and if this might be useful to you contact Linda on 020 7739 7376 or 07958 504759.

"In 2011 Wandsworth DAAT commissioned Inspirit to deliver a two day training course for a group of service users and carers to be able to participate in our procurement process which affected nearly all of our drug and alcohol services. Feedback from the training was extremely positive and participants came out feeling not only appreciated and supported, but enthusiastic about what could have been felt to be, a boring or lengthy task. There was also a clear sense of peer support amongst those involved As a commissioner who worked closely with the group, I felt the training was an invaluable part of ensuring service user/carer involvement was a valid and meaningful part of the process." - Kelly Pegrum, Wandsworth DAAT