Alex Stobart says putting people at the heart of service delivery should be a focal point of the new Scottish Parliament
IN December 2015, the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament recommended major principles in a Report on the Future Delivery of Social Security in Scotland.
These principles focus on the people of Scotland, their self-sovereign identity, rights and needs as citizens including –
– Person-centred services in the whole system
– Dignity; respect; non-punitive
– Human rights and the right to participate
– A huge culture shift
Read more – Working together: How social care in Scotland is about to undergo the biggest change in a generation
People and families who live in Scotland now have chances to work with communities and civic society and continue to influence our local and national services as the Christie Commission in 2011 recommended. Together we can make Holyrood 2016 the person-centred Scottish Parliament.
This means genuine collaboration and plans and services based around the specific needs of individuals through, for example, health and social work professionals working with individuals and families in open door meetings.
Empowerment, choice and dignity need these conversations to be open, transparent and preferably led by the individual concerned with support from their family and community networks as required.
In health, care, education, social security, housing and other parts of life, people would like control and choice and to be at the centre. The charity Shelter asked for this in 2013 in a eport – 'People not process: An action plan for the delivery of Scotland’s homelessness commitment'.
People and families who live in Scotland now have chances to work with communities and civic society and continue to influence our local and national services.
The Action Plan should be built on the aspiration to deliver holistic, person-centred services which allow flexibility and choice, and lead to sustainable housing outcomes for all service users.
Local democracy and local people should be able to collaborate and create person-centred services. Bringing a more human dimension to services is the way forward in other countries across Europe.
Citizens, local organisations and civic society can help to shape the future of the Scottish social security system by emphasising the importance of person-centred services in the consultation. This can be a foundation of a Scottish person-centred approach.
The third sector can lead, support and empower citizens across many walks of life to use assets and strengths in self-directed and self-managed support for health and social care.
This means genuine collaboration and plans and services based around the specific needs of individuals through, for example, health and social work professionals working with individuals and families in open door meetings.
Person-centred services can underpin trust in public services across Scotland for all Scottish citizens. The Christie Report and recommendations saw this as a pan-Scottish approach.
With the individual at the centre, able to store, acquire, manage and share personal data about their lives, citizens will have control and choice in their relationships with service providers.
Together, the public services and citizens could work with rights-based approaches, to improve the way we all participate in the delivery of our needs. Two-way communication and trust can be created with mutual respect and joint working.
Our relationships with GPs, our relationships with housing officers, our relationships with social security officers and many other organisations can all be different if the individual, with appropriate support is empowered to be at the centre and is in control with trust, choice and self-sovereign identity.
This was the intention of the self-directed support legislation and its ongoing implementation. Lessons from that process are informing people and organisations across Scotland and could also contribute to the design of a person-centred services future for Scotland’s citizens.
Empowerment, choice and dignity need these conversations to be open, transparent and preferably led by the individual concerned with support from their family and community networks as required.
This is recognised and highlighted in the Welfare Reform Committee Report in December 2015, and all of us in Scotland, from whatever sector, need to ensure this critical major principle is embedded in the new system.
14. The other major principle which we advise the Scottish Government to adopt is to make the new system person-centred. The current social security system often appears to be designed for bureaucratic convenience. The fact that a whole advocacy industry has grown up to support claimants through the process is an indication of how the system is not currently person-centred. Ultimately we would like to see a system where the need for advocacy and support disappears for the vast majority of claimants.
Person centred services could benefit citizens across Scotland in health and care integration; employability; the future Scottish social security system; housing; education; employability and many other services. Each of us is the same person, whatever service we are working with.
The people of Scotland, together with families, communities and the third sector, can work with elected representatives and organisations, and create the momentum to make this the person-centred Scottish Parliament.
Picture courtesy of Washington State House Republicans
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