Coventry social care champion supports shift to personalisation with Whose Shoes? training tool

A social services champion has taken training and development to a new level after launching her Whose Shoes? board game to help care providers meet the needs
of the Governmentís personalisation agenda.

Gill Phillips, who spent 30 years working for Coventry City Council before setting up her own business, Nutshell Communications, has developed Whose Shoes? with expert assistance from Coventry University. The game is geared to support local authorities, universities and independent care providers in delivering the Department of Healthís Putting People First/Transforming Social Care vision by 2011.

The personalisation agenda means that every person who receives care support will have choice and control over the shape of that support. Its overall aim is for social care users to have control over how money allocated to their care is spent, bringing huge challenges for front-line workers and managers.

Whose Shoes?, which can be used as part of a learning and development programme, has been devised with input from Coventry Universityís Design Hub and Health Design and Technology Institute (HDTI). The game explores the perspectives of service users and carers, managers, staff, and providers and commissioners, who together build a ìpath to personalisationî with progress only being made with input from all parties.

ìPersonalisation is a complex agenda, but one that must be met, and this board game is designed to help professionals absorb and understand the reality of what this means for themselves and others,î explained Gill, from Wolston near Coventry. ìIt is ideal for anyone involved in social care training, and through different scenarios encourages professionals to be aware of other peopleís perspectives. I genuinely believe that this approach will contribute hugely towards the personalisation agenda – and itís certainly a lot more fun than using traditional training tools such as PowerPoint.î

More than 150 scenarios cover the importance of universal services such as transport, education and leisure, early intervention and prevention, personal budgets and self-directed support, and the benefits of involving family, friends and the local community. ìI spent a year researching and developing themes through my own experience and by following debates in the media around policy and good practice,î Gill explained.

Gill praised Coventry University for helping bring her brainchild to market. ìThe Design Hub did the graphics for the board game and playing cards, and also referred me to a website designer. Then HDTI conducted a usability study which gave it credibility and independent endorsement, before undertaking some prototype development. Iíve also been through a business support programme at the University. As a growing business, I really couldnít have asked for any more.î

Since launching last month Whose Shoes? has already been snapped up by West Sussex County Council and Manchester Metropolitan University, which is leading research into the personalisation agenda.

For more information about ëWhose Shoes?í go to www.nutshellcomms.co.uk.