The power of people to

make their own stories

Partners for Inclusion Group
Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

The power of people to make their own stories

Publishing Information
All contents copyright of Partners for Inclusion Group
No part of the booklet may be reproduced in any form without prior permission from Partners for
Inclusion Group except in quotation of brief passages in reviews.
Published August 2015 by Partners for Inclusion

Design Alice Squire

Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

Foreword
Our aim is to support people to live the way they choose, whatever their background. This
means being able to make day-to-day decisions as well as decisions about the big things
in life. Having control over one's own story is fundamental to having real control about
what happens in our lives.
In order to make our aspirations real we all need the support of others. Support needs to
be offered with respect for a person's sense of their own history, of who they are now,
and what might happen in the future. This is what we mean by "the power of people to
make their own stories". We want to play a constructive part in helping people be the
main author of their own lives and work with them to design support that allows them to
flourish.
Over the past 15 years, the Partners for Inclusion Group has grown by supporting one
person at a time. We have developed this strategic plan to guide us as we continue to
learn and develop in response to the needs and aspirations of the individuals and families
we work for.

Pete Richmond (CEO)

Partners for Inclusion Group

The power of people to make their own stories

Contents
1. Introduction
Partners for Inclusion Group story so far ................................... page 5
Our Mission ............................................................................................ page 6
The Power of People to make their own stories ..................... page 7
Our Values .............................................................................................. page 8

2. Six Goals to improve People's Lives

Goal 1. Really listening to what people say ............................. page 9
Goal 2. Respecting what people want in their life ................ page 9
Goal 3. Supporting people to live the lives they want ........ page 9
Goal 4. Allowing people to grow and develop ........................ page 9
Goal 5. Respecting family and relationships ........................... page 9
Goal 6. Paying attention to detail ................................................ page 9

3. Six Goals to Improve How We Work

Operational Goal 1. People ............................................................. page 12
Operational Goal 2. Performance ................................................. page 13
Operational Goal 3. Leadership and governance ................... page 14
Operational Goal 4. Money matters and sustainability ....... page 17
Operational Goal 5. Communicating ........................................... page 19
Operational Goal 6. Community links and networking ........ page 20

4. Keeping Track
Impact ...................................................................................................... page 24
Improving how we work ................................................................... page 25

Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

People's stories and pictures

We are very grateful to the following people who said we could use
their stories and pictures to help illustrate how we work.

Alison .................................................................................... page 10

James .................................................................................... page 11
Kelsey ................................................................................... page 15/16
Xavier ................................................................................... page 18
Julie ....................................................................................... page 21/22
lisa ......................................................................................... page 23

The power of people to make their own stories

1. Introduction
Partners for Inclusion Group story so far
Partners for Inclusion was established as an independent charity in 2004 providing tailormade support for people who have a learning or mental health difficulty, or both. Before
Self-directed Support became a requirement, Partners was one of a small number of
organisations that was already putting people in control of their own lives. We supported
many people who in the past were described as challenging, or who had a long history of
being excluded and not had a chance to live an ordinary life.
Working closely with families, we developed person-centered service designs, so that each
person has:
Their own budget for support its not mixed in with other peoples money.
Support that suits them no two support services are the same.
Their own support staff matched to what they need and are interested in their
own home.
An independent evaluation (Diversity Matters, 2004) found Partners for Inclusion:
"An excellent example of an organisation offering individually tailored support. It is
visionary, knowledgeable and thoughtful, unique of its kind, and has been designed
and structured considerately to suit the people it supports."
In response to increasing demand, Just Connections, was established. It works in the
same way, focussing particularly on helping younger people make connections in their
communities, providing truly personalised support with every service being different to suit
the needs and wishes of the supported person and their family.
In addition, we have developed Linking Lives which takes the same approach and is aimed
at those who have less intensive support requirements.
We also set up Dates and Mates Ayrshire (known as DM2) a friendship, relationship and
social project run for and by people with a learning disability across Ayrshire.
We also deliver training and consultation to a range of organisations across the UK.
These four services are known collectively as the Partners for Inclusion Group. The
Partners for Inclusion Group has grown by supporting one person at a time. The focus has
not been on growing the organisation but on helping the people we support to grow. We
have supported people to respond to the challenges and opportunities that come their way,
so that they can continue to grow and develop. Whilst the Partners for Inclusion Group has
evolved as peoples lives have moved on, we have ensured that our fundamental
philosophy and culture informs structures and practices that can deliver real change and
truly person-centred services. The Care Inspectorate said in Partners 2014 Inspection
Report:
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

"The service has taken person-centred service delivery to a high level and this is the
focus of all that they do and of all decisions made and development undertaken. All
consideration and planning started with the service user and developed from there
The service's policy of providing care and support in small, dedicated and established
support teams appears to be having demonstrable results."
The secret to our success has been the people who have come to work with the Partners
for Inclusion Group. They dont just pay lip service to the principles of inclusion, but really
believe that living ordinary lives in ordinary places is not too much to ask; that we all need
active friendships and relationships with people who love us; that we have dreams and
aspirations that must be heard; that in a free society we should have power and control
over what we do with our lives; that inclusion treasures diversity and builds community; that
together we are better and that all means ALL! These underlying principles have made
working with the Partners Group more than a job. Our people feel they are part of a
movement that is creating a more fair and inclusive society.

Our Mission
We aim to deliver genuinely person-centred, personalised support that helps people to have
real lives as valued citizens in their communities. Partners for Inclusion Group exists to:

Support people to live how they choose.

Influence and enhance opportunities available to all.

Share knowledge, experience and learning with others.

The power of people to make their own stories

The Power of People to make their own stories

Stories have a special power to inspire us. When you listen to a story you are taken on a
journey that can move you emotionally and sometimes literally from one perspective to
another. Stories can help us to think, learn about others and even understand ourselves.
Stories affect how we think, feel or act. Who we think we are and who we think other people
are, is dependent on the stories we have been told and the stories we have made
ourselves.
According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is a state of well-being in which
every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life,
can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his
community. There is no consensus around a single definition of well-being, but in simple
terms, it can be described as judging life positively and feeling good.
Fundamental to this is having a story that makes sense to us. This story might be about
where we came from, what we are doing right now, or what we may become in the future.
As an organisation we have become increasingly aware of the power of stories to shape the
identities of individuals, families and communities in the broadest sense. We have learnt
that not all stories can be taken at face value and not all stories turn out the way people
expected.
Take John, who spent most of his early life in hospital after his parents were told he could
never live in the community. When stressed, John harmed himself and others putting
himself and the community at risk. When the Same as You report came out in 2000 it was
decided that big institutions should close and it seemed that John was destined for a
specialist medium secure environment. As it turned out, Johns family and the social work
department were willing to let him try the new model of Individual Service Design that
Partners were developing. The result was that he got his own home and individualised
support. Having his own Individual Service Fund meant that the level of support he received
was not the same from week to week, but was arranged flexibly to respond to how John
was feeling so that, for example, he could be supported to take regular breaks away to
reduce his stress. Johns support was half the cost of a specialist medium secure unit.
Stories like Johns have helped change minds about how people who need extra support
should be allowed to live and there is a hope that stories like this become the norm rather
than the exception.
Of course not all stories are positive from start to finish. The Partners for Inclusion Group as
an organisation, the people who work in the Partners for Inclusion Group and the people we
work for, have all experienced trials and tribulations. However, it is our belief that it is when
people become alienated from the stories they inhabit because someone else has not
listened to them, taken control of their story, or imposed a story that makes no sense to
them, that well-being is seriously jeopardised. This idea also holds true for the Partners for
Inclusion Group as an organisation. We have recently seen changes in personnel and some
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

The idea of making stories pivotal to our

strategy came from a series of discussions
and a Partners for Inclusion Group Away Day.
These are some of things people want for the
future:

People will have great stories.

Stories will be shared.
People will tell their own stories.
People being all they can be.
Getting back to being creative.
Footprint in the sand.
It matters, I have mattered.
My history.
Being all I can be.
Raising the bar.
Maybe my child could
I am me.
Not just big stories, small stories.
To choose what I want to tell in the way I
want, in my own voice.

people who have worked with the

Partners for Inclusion Group for many
years, including founder Doreen Kelly,
have moved on to new chapters in their
own stories. At this point in our story, it is
really important that everyone feels they
are included.
Stories emerged as a theme that was
critical to supporting people to live real
lives and to the organisation continuing to
change in line with peoples aspirations
whilst keeping its founding values at the
heart.

Harnessing the power of people to make

their own stories will require both old and
new methodologies. We like to think we
are very good at person-centred planning,
however we need to explore new
approaches and technologies. We need
to be able step back from day-to-day
practices and ask ourselves if there are other ways we could
do things that will keep us focussed on our core mission. We will
explore different approaches to getting everybodys voice heard,
including the people we work for, their families and everyone who works with
the Partners for Inclusion Group. We will engage with friends and like-minded
organisations to look at where we can collaborate. We hope to utilise a wide range of
talents and media, including the arts, in our enterprise.

Our Values
We think that Partners for Inclusion has been successful in supporting people to have real
lives. If we are successful it is because everything we do is driven by our belief that:

Everyone is equal, different and has their own gifts.

Everyone has the ability to develop.

Everyone has needs and the right to support in keeping with their basic
human rights.

Everyones relationships are valuable.

The power of people to make their own stories

2. Six Goals to Improve Peoples Lives

Goal 1. Really listening to what people say
Careful listening is fundamental to good person-centred planning. Partners for Inclusion
Group has developed considerable expertise at working with individuals, families and
friends in order to understand what people are saying. Facilitating different ways to give
people the opportunity to tell their own stories requires some effort, not just in setting up
specific forums like planning meetings, but day-to-day active listening and learning.

Goal 2. Respecting what people want in their life

Human Rights are founded on the recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and
inalienable rights of all. A central duty for care and support organisations is respecting
what is important to people. One way we try to make this a reality is by ensuring that what
happens in peoples day-to-day lives is based upon what works for them.

Goal 3. Supporting people to live the lives they want

We all need support at different times in our life, but that support should be about
enabling us to live our lives not taking it over. We dont believe in standardised models of
support, everyone has a unique set of preferences and so everyones support is different
and unique to them.

Goal 4. Allowing people to grow and develop

We expect the lives of the people we support to change. For some people change can be
quite dramatic and for others it is subtle and happens over time. We aim to give people
real control over their own personal story, which means being able to adapt our support
so that it suits where the person is now and is focused on where they want to go next in
life.

Goal 5. Respecting family and relationships

Family and personal relationships are for most people one of the most important factors in
wellbeing. They are central to peoples stories about who they are and who they may
become. This is why we aim to work in active partnership with families and friends of
people we support.

Goal 6. Paying attention to detail

There is a lot of pressure to achieve results and to demonstrate that what you do has an
impact. Our approach to positive personal outcomes reflects the way most people live
their lives. Every now and then we take stock or something happens that makes us think
about the bigger picture, but most of the time it is the little things that count. Our ethical
stance is that we should treat people always as ends in themselves, never as mere means
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

to an end. By working hard at getting the day-to-day detail of an individuals support right,
we believe that we are respecting peoples inherent worth and dignity and we also find
that outcomes are better in the long run.

Alison's Story (from Alison's

Parents)
Our first contact with Partners for Inclusion
was around 2002 with the intention of having them
support Alison during the transition stage from school.
Little did we realise then the difference Partners for
Inclusion would make to all our lives.
Not only have they supported Alison to become
totally independent of us and live with 24/7 care in
her own flat, but they have been there for the rest
of us too. Steven, Ken and I are now able to be a
Brother, Mum and Dad to Alison in a way we
never thought possible in the past. We can pop
in to visit her in her home and she comes to
visit us. She has a very full and independent
life doing all the things she enjoys and we can
relax knowing that she is well cared for.
Having Partners for Inclusion involved in our lives
is a great experience and one which we do not
regret. Instead of waiting until we are older and
unable to look after Alison, we can enjoy being part of
her life and watch her grow into a happy, independent
young woman.

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The power of people to make their own stories

James' Story
James parents approached Just Connections after
observing the way a young person was supported at the local swimming pool. They knew
that this was what they required for James who was due to leave school. James new team
began to shadow his existing support workers at his school, learning all the structures and
routines that were in place to help James live with his diagnosis of Autism. James left
school and continued to live at home with his parents. Initially, Just Connections supported
James for a few hours a day. This very quickly increased until James moved into his own
home where he is now supported 24/7.
James has a dedicated support team who were selected through a matching process,
meeting James and his parents for second interviews. With the support of this team and
the consistent approach to make James feel safe, he has become a very sociable, friendly
young man. James loves inviting friends and family to his house for lunch/dinner, and takes
great pride in showing his visitors around his home. James is a familiar face in his local
community, known in the chemist, post office, butchers and other local stores.
He has a voluntary job where he works in the storeroom engaging in
stock checks and dispatching equipment to the workers.
James is continuing to build on his personal and social
skills and is now spending some time with his family
unsupported, which has included family
holidays.
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

3. Six Goals to Improve How We Work

Operational Goal 1. People
I am proud of the work I do with Partners. People want to work with the Partners for
Inclusion Group. In order to continue to attract and retain people who share our mission,
we need to show how our values shape the whole organisation. We depend on the
contribution of all our workforce so we can continuously respond creatively to different
challenges.
We need to ensure we recruit and retain people qualified to Scottish Social Services
Council standards and are meeting registration requirements. However, to attract the right
people, we need to think beyond just recruiting people with relevant qualifications, and
also think about how we can offer opportunities that develop potential.
Our Programme of Learning, Development and Training reflects our conviction that a
highly engaged, competent and confident workforce assists the people we support and
their families to feel valued, respected and included, to make choices and achieve their
goals. We will aim to provide accessible, affordable and relevant training opportunities
that deliver clear return on investment. People have been supported in their learning and
development through organization-wide training, for example on positive risk taking and
through team-specific training and we will continue to support the workforce to achieve
accredited Health and Social Care qualifications.
We want a culture where staff are encouraged to use their learning and feel they have a
future in the Partners for Inclusion Group. Ongoing support, supervision and appraisal is
important for everyone in the organisation and we foster coaching and mentoring models.
Supervision should provide people with an opportunity to discuss their learning and
development needs, deriving from the needs of the person they support and from the
workers own personal development goals.
We aim to support a good work/life balance for our workforce but are aware that
providing personalised support to people can create additional pressures. We like to think
that the rewards outweigh the challenges, however, we need to ensure we can offer
flexible and responsive patterns of working where practicable. We are working towards
being in a position to offer everyone who works for Partners for Inclusion Group the Living
Wage and are exploring ways to ensure our pay structures are fair for all. We will also be
looking at how we can benchmark terms and conditions with comparable organisations.
We are proud to have been reaccredited the Investors In People Gold Standard, but we
should not be complacent and will look to ensure that re-assessment will help us to
identify areas where we can do better as well highlighting what we do well.
As a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee we have a Board of Trustees
who meet four times a year. The Board is responsible for making sure Partners for
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The power of people to make their own stories

Inclusion Group is properly managed, is doing what it is supposed to do and has a

strategy for the future. Board members have a range of personal and professional
experience. It is critical for the continued success of Partners for Inclusion Group to
recruit new members who share our fundamental values and vision, have key skills for
specific functions, can ensure that strategic goals accord with our core mission and who
bring with them ability to take the organisation into the future.

Operational Goal 2. Performance

We have continued to be successful in supporting people to have real lives through our
day-to-day work and projects such as Linking Lives and DM2. Good planning for people
to live lives they choose is at the heart of our work. We are good at working positively with
risk and are trusted externally. The quality of care and support people receive is rated
excellent by the Care Inspectorate and we are able to demonstrate that people we
support tend to have better personal outcomes.
A series of audit/quality assurance procedures have been decentralised. Whilst this was
borne from necessity, this was underpinned by the aim of consolidating skills and
involving more people in safeguarding excellence. We will be monitoring how this change
increases the capacity and skills to secure the highest quality over the next few years.
Our appraisal, support and supervision systems provide a robust structure for
performance management and feedback and link to individual Personal Development
Plans for each member of staff. In the coming year we will be using the how good is our
team? approach to self-evaluation and this is informing our development plans.
What are we doing? In order to comply with the requirements of the Office of the Scottish
Charities Regulator we must ensure that key people understand current requirements and
that correct procedures are in place to aid verification. We also have to comply with Care
Inspectorate standards regulations and therefore service leaders must have an
understanding of requirements and access to systems to aid verification of compliance.
We are working on improving quality assurance systems to improve evidence of service
performance.
How well are we doing it? We take quality of care and support very seriously and are will
look to independent external evaluation of services to aid the improvement of quality We
will provide further training and support to Team/Service Leaders where required to help
them manage performance and make sure we plan for the review of key policies and
procedures on a cyclical basis. In addition, we need to make sure there is appropriate
personalised guidance to support practice and that our policies and procedures are
underpinned by training.
What difference does it make? The Partners for Inclusion Group was not founded to meet
the needs of external regulators and commissioners but of the people we support. The
most important focus for monitoring performance is customer satisfaction. Are the people
we support satisfied that we are enabling them to live lives they choose and achieve their
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

personal outcomes? We will be exploring innovative ways to enable people to

communicate how they are feeling about the support they get and what they want to
change, as part of our general approach to helping people make their own stories.

Operational Goal 3. Leadership and governance

We have a flat management structure where participative and transformational leadership
are important. Effective strategic and operational leadership for an organisation like
Partners for Inclusion Group needs to be rooted in collaboration and the ability to promote
our vision and galvanize action. Relationship building, shared values, creativity and the
capacity to influence and facilitate collective inputs and energies rather than direct them,
are some of the characteristics our managers need to display.
At our away day the following basic framework for good management was developed.
Being creative
Positive leadership role model
Testing learning
Sharing stories
Making time for staff to be creative reflection time
Leading proactively and not managing reactively
Using support, supervision and appraisals and team meetings to clarify role and
responsibility and engaging staff proactively using the tools we know work in a planned
consistent way.
Reinforce match at recruitment and then ongoing.
Being more creative with recruitment/ advertising
Ensuring a quality product
Ensuring ongoing reviews of what we are doing and that any changes needed are
actioned and followed through. Making sure fundamentals are in place e.g. training,
support, feedback, development, engagement.
Leadership is not just relevant for managers, people throughout the organisation should
be encouraged and supported to take forward ideas and plans that are close to their
hearts. A key role of leadership is to stand with people during their journey and help
mentor/facilitate their progress. As well as promoting leadership amongst the workforce,
we hope the notion of story-making more generally, will provide opportunities for people
we support and their families to take on more leadership roles. Leadership is not only
about figuring out what needs to be done, but also how to do it and this has to be done in
partnership with supported people and families.
The Board of Trustees has a specific role to ensure good governance. This is to do with
keeping the organisation free from undue risk whilst being able to demonstrate a
proactive and positive risk appetite that can allow Partners to respond to external and
internal drivers and to move forward. The Board is also responsible for looking after
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The power of people to make their own stories

My daughters story
Kelsey was born in 1989, a twin to her brother Brogan and sister to Kyle and Stevie.
Kelsey was diagnosed when she was a year old with a rare genetic disorder,
Trichothiodistrophy so I knew early on that Kelsey would face many challenges.
Kelsey spent a lot of time in and out of hospital when she was
young up until she was around 14 years old when she
underwent major surgery on both hips which
meant she would have to use a wheelchair for
the rest of her life.

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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

As a parent of a disabled child there are many challenges and one of these, for me, was
deciding what would be best for Kelsey in the long term, so when the Childrens Disability
Team approached me when Kelsey was still at school to look at starting the process of
transition from child services into adult services I had a lot of difficult and sometimes
upsetting decisions to make on Kelseys behalf.
I always wanted Kelsey to be as independent as possible and more than anything be
happy and safe, I also knew that as Kelsey matured she would need input from different
areas and a wider spectrum of people including friends, carers and professionals to give
her the best possible outcomes. Although Kelsey was only 14 at the beginning of this
transition it became clear that it would take years to make sure everything was in place
at the time of Kelseys transition into adult services. Closer to the age of 18 I was asked
what kind of life I wanted for Kelsey and what I thought this would look like. I knew I
wanted Kelsey to have her own home and I also knew this meant me giving up control of
many things associated with Kelseys care which I had been solely responsible for, not
an easy thing to do. I was given the names of home support providers and went about
researching what their beliefs and values were.
Out of the providers deemed most appropriate for Kelsey was a relatively new
organisation, Partners for Inclusion, I liked the way they worked, outcome focused,
tailoring services around the individual rather than the individual having to fit in to their
schedules. It was very clear from the start of the process that Partners were going to
take their time to get all the tiny details right which at times was frustrating but totally
necessary. They helped us choose people who would be best suited to Kelseys support
needs and above all people that Kelsey felt safe with and that I trusted with my
daughters safety, dignity, happiness, wellbeing, the list is endless!
Kelsey has now been supported by Partners for Inclusion and Just Connections for over
six years, there have been ups and downs just like anyones life, to expect anything else
would be naive. Kelsey remains happy and well supported, Partners for Inclusion and
Just Connections have always been open and honest with myself and Kelseys family
when things didn't go so well, there is no second guessing, nothing is hidden and
nothing is too much bother. There has been lots of learning for myself and the
organisation which I feel and hope will at some point help other families in similar
situations. If I feel something isnt right or going well or that Kelsey seems out of
character, the right questions are asked and appropriate action is taken. Ultimately as
Kelseys guardian I have the right to make the decisions which myself and Kelseys
family feel are right, keeping Kelsey safe, happy and supported, as ever, is our main
priority and I believe Partners and Just Connections too.

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The power of people to make their own stories

finances and the general direction of the organisation as well as ensuring the legal
aspects are dealt with including the rules contained in the Memorandum and Articles of
Association. Trustees approve the Annual Budget and Strategic plan. The Board
delegates day-to-day management of the organisation to the Chief Executive Officer, who
has responsibility for the work of Partners 300 staff.
Maintaining good corporate governance throughout any changes to operational structures
and management personnel, will be essential for effective and open leadership.
Governance is about making sure our actions, processes and practices are ethical, legal
and fit for purpose. The key areas we need to focus on are how we manage our general
affairs and how we manage and make use of resources.

Operational Goal 4. Money matters and sustainability

All the funds the Partners for Inclusion Group receive to support people are allocated to a
restricted Individual Service Fund and operated according to the following principles:

Decisions are made as close to the person as possible

Too much money reduces creativity

If you havent got it you cant spend it

If you have got it you choose what to do with it

Money is transparent and restricted rules apply

Funding for these Individual Service Funds is spread across five local authority areas and
negotiated annually. In order to safeguard financial viability we need to be realistic in our
financial projections and organisational expenditure, being clear when a persons support
needs merit greater investment by local authorities and also reducing costs through
appropriate service reduction driven by reduced reliance on paid support. Commissioners
need evidence that continuing to fund individualised support allows us to be creative and
provide better value than off-the-shelf services.
We have sought to achieve a balance between internal growth and development and
external pressures and opportunities. As with all organisations, we are cognisant of the
economic climate which has influenced the decision to pursue a group structure as the
option best suited to our model of small, distinct and person centred organisations. This
will allow each part of the group to continue their own distinct journey, remaining close to
the people it was established for, whilst allowing benefits of economies of scale.
A key strategic objective for the Group is establishing a culture of continuous
development which promotes learning and how best to use our knowledge. We have
invested in leadership development, in addition to funding formal management
qualifications, commissioning an augmentative programme which has greater connectivity
to our organisational form and function. Another strategic objective is to ensure we have a
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

Xaviers Story
This is Xavier with his sisters and his employee recognition award from Celtic Football
Club.
In October of 2012 Just Connections held a planning day for Xavier after being engaged
by his family to provide him with support.
Xaviers Dreams - Have a job, Make friends, Get a season ticket for Celtic Football Club,
Go on Holiday.Outcome - In April of 2013 Xavier secured a permanent position within
Celtic Football ground on match days. After finishing his shift he then gets to watch his
beloved Celtic free of charge.
Having paid employment has given Xavier a whole new outlook in life, giving him not only
the responsibility and respect that he yearned for but also a social circle of friends that he
can relate to.
In the past two years, much to his familys delight they have witnessed their brother
develop into a more confident and independent individual requiring not only reduced
hours in support but also in his antidepressant medication.
This positive progress resulted in Xavier being able to go on a very successful caravan
holiday with his team members for the first time in 8 years. Xavier continues
to grow as a confident independent individual who now
feels that by being heard he is able to make his
contribution to society in a more constructive
and understanding way.

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The power of people to make their own stories

financially sustainable future and a capable workforce that is able to manage resources
with maximum effect. Fundamental to this will be ensuring there is alignment between
plans and resources.
The implementation of Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) legislation, is a
positive step forward for people who require care and support, but it does mean a
significant change in the market for the Partners Group. More people may opt for a direct
payment so they can commission their own services than has previously been the case.
We will explore what the implications may be, for example, some people may prefer to
self-commission specific services on a spot contract basis than put all their money into
Individual Service Fund.
Perhaps more significantly, we may find a shift from being an unusual organisation to
competing with others providing individualised support. The wider acceptance of selfdirected support may give us greater stability, through the endorsement of our approach.
We can capitalise on our experience and success to date, putting us in a relatively strong
position. On the other hand, there is a risk that other care companies will seek to offer a
similar model at lower cost.
Without wanting to sound precious, a key difference for us and other values-based
organisations, is that we offer individualised support because we believe it is the right
thing to do, not because we have to or because there is a market opportunity. What is
distinct about The Partners for Inclusion Group is that we see the people we support, not
policy makers or local authorities, as our key stakeholders. Long-term sustainability
depends on us remaining true to our core principles and trying to do right by the people
we work for, rather than trying to conform to external trends where we would expose
ourselves to the risk of becoming simply one of many in a crowded market.
Balancing the books is a critical concern. At this point in time, the Partners for Inclusion
Group retains a healthy reserve fund and has realistic financial projections for the next
three years. Details of our financial position are contained in the annual report submitted
to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Operational Goal 5. Communicating

Ensuring that key decision makers understand the real value of the work Partners for
Inclusion Group do is an important aspect of our communication strategy. Promoting
what we do is more challenging than selling an off-the-shelf service, however, we have
been in existence long enough to have established a reputation and track record. External
stakeholders are keen to see evidence that our approach can save them money as well as
deliver better outcomes.
We have started compiling data about what happens to people we support. There is a
clear overall trend towards reduction in support needs and subsequent costs. The most
striking observation is that people supported by Partners for Inclusion Group find their
lives change. The clear message we need to communicate is that people we support have
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

been getting on with lives. This strategy seeks to harness the spirit of change through the
medium of story-telling in all its forms. We plan to collaborate with creative people from
like-minded organisations and recruit local artists to help people create and tell their own
stories.
I feel engaged and informed of the overall developments in Partners. As well as
communicating what we do and why we do it, we need to work at our own internal
communications. The nature of the organisations that comprise the Partners for Inclusion
Group, carries increased challenges for timely dissemination of information. We aim to
make sure that staff are kept updated and have opportunities to feedback on and
participate in new developments. Changes in management personnel can be unsettling
for an organisation and it becomes even more crucial that people feel they know what is
happening and that their voice counts. In a learning organisation like the Partners for
Inclusion Group, where we dont have a top-down management approach, it is important
to articulate how strategic objectives will be operationalised. People need to be clear
about roles and expectations regarding who will do what and when.
Face-to-face communication and seeking broad participation in development activity, is
the most effective way of keeping everybody up-to-date. In 2014, we held a successful
conference entitled Everybody Matters which was very well attended. We will be
consulting with everybody in the organisation about what form any future event should
take. We also need to make more effective use of social networking and ICT and will be
looking to refresh the website and ensure it is updated more frequently.
Where appropriate, we will take opportunities to communicate our message in the form of
campaigns that champion putting human rights in practice through safeguarding access
to housing, adequate funds and public services like education and health.

Operational Goal 6. Community links and networking

Getting on with our lives and developing our own stories cannot happen independently
from others. The people we support are at risk of isolation and institutionalization within
the community and countering this requires more than putting people in their own homes
in the community. They need to be supported to take their place in all the arenas many
people take for granted. Helping people develop their own networks clearly has to be
done at a level that suits the individual, but one long-term aim would be reducing
dependence on paid staff for social and personal relationships. We will work on
developing natural contacts and circles of support.
We want to contribute to groups who have an influence and widen our pool of contacts so
we can learn from others. We will look for opportunities to invite people in, identifying the
people who will keep it real, simple and effective.
At a more strategic level, we will continue to maintain attendance at each local authority
providers fora and engage with local community planning groups. We will continue to
work closely with local authority decision makers and with the newly emerging health and
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The power of people to make their own stories

Julie's Story
My name is Julie Sym. I have been supported by Partners for inclusion for more than 11 years
and I would like to tell you how well this journey has worked for me.
When I first moved into my own home I was 18 years old and very anxious and unsure of what
was going to happen and how I was going to cope on my own, forgetting that I had 24/7
support. It took me a little while to settle in and get used to the idea that I had a home to run
and look after but thanks to my support team I learned how to look after myself and my home.
With a lot of prompting and guidance I learned how to cope with day-to-day stressors. I have
learned how to keep my house clean - ok I need to be prompted now and again, but who
doesnt.
I have tried a lot of new things with support, some of them worked and others didnt but that
did not put me off trying again with things that did work and waiting a while to try again the
things that did not work the first time. When I first started to go on holiday I used to go to safe
venues now I am more adventuress. When I went shopping I used to ask my support if I could
leave the shop if I became anxious this was usually when the shop was busy. I now choose
what shop to go to and I do my own shopping and am no longer worried about how busy the
shop is.
When I visited the doctor I used to talk to them from the safety of the doorway, now I
sometimes ask if I can go in by myself and shut the door. I used to always sit in the back seat
of my 7 seater car because I was too anxious to sit close to the driver. I now often sit in the
front or middle seat and regularly offer lifts to my friends as well as my family. Over the last
few years I have asked that my support be reduced as I felt I wanted more personal time to
myself.
My support hours and sleep overs have been gradually reduced and safety measures put in
place that suit my needs. I now have only 9 hours support a day and no sleep overs. I use my
support to go to my bank, to go shopping, to my clubs, to visit family and friends, to go on
holiday and whatever else I decide I want to do outside of my village. I am building confidence
by travelling on the bus, I have only gone as far as the next town so far and my support meet
me when I get off the bus. My future goal is to travel by myself, visit my family and do a little
shopping before returning home. I am also trying to travel longer distances by bus or train. I
still need support doing this.
I volunteer in my local community shop for 1 hour 2 days a week. This has given me the
chance to make connections with people living locally and get experience of following
instructions and asking for help to understand why things need to be done in a particular way.
I fill shelves and price new produce, I also serve customers in the caf if it is not too busy, I
sweep and mop floors and clear tables among other jobs. The cook from the shop has offered
to help me to cook simple meals and we do this after I finish working. We cook for an hour
when the cook is available. I walk to work by myself and when finished I walk back
home.
This is only a small part of my story so far, you would be here all
night for me to tell you all of the journeys I have been on,
there are many, some harder than others but all
important in the development of my life. I am happy
with the progress that I have made and look
forward to keep moving forward with the
help of my family and friends as well
as support from Partners
for Inclusion.
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

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The power of people to make their own stories

care partnerships. Where possible, we will seek to influence local commissioning plans,
but our main concern will be to ensure that these are focussed on offering people genuine
choice and control.
We have well-developed links with the Scottish Government and with representatives in
Westminster, and with national and international organisations and networks. We are
represented at the Centre for Welfare Reform which publishes best practice reports about
innovative services. We are also represented on a number of forums, including the InControl Scotland Board, putting us in a good position to influence how Self-directed
Support develops.
We hope that our reinvigorated focus on putting people at the centre through supporting
their stories, will be a catalyst for helping people we support and their families to engage
with policy makers. We will be assessing how well we support individuals to have a voice
as citizens and working with allies to promote opportunities for people to influence wider
spheres of concern than just social care, such as public transport and the environment.

"Support works around me, I dont work around the team

its all about me"
Lisa
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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

4. Keeping Track
Impact
Goal 1. Really listening to what people say
Goal 2. Respecting what people want in their life
Goal 3. Supporting people to live the lives they want
Goal 4. Allowing people to grow and develop
Goal 5. Respecting family and relationships
Goal 6. Paying attention to detail
We will know if our goals are the right ones if they contribute to people having positive
personal outcomes. What this will look like is difficult to say because all the best stories
have an element of unpredictability and surprise.

What we expect to see

People will have great stories of their own
People will have shared stories
Peoples stories inform their support
What we hope to see
People experience positive change in their lives
People are less reliant on paid support
Peoples stories inform how Partners evolves
What we would love to see!
Peoples stories impact on communities
Peoples stories inspire others
Peoples stories influence policy

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The power of people to make their own stories

Improving how we work

Monitoring is not an exact science. We use quality indicators to give us just that, an
indication of how things are going and whether we are meeting key standards. We know
that overreliance on indicators can be a distraction from core purpose and can lead to
important issues being overlooked. We therefore view these as a means to tentatively
take the temperature of the organisation before taking a closer look at what is going on.
They can also help us to track change over time. Indicators are not carved in stone and
will be changed if more relevant ones are discerned.
Operational Goal 1. People
Qualifications and Training
Support, Supervision and Appraisal
Job satisfaction
Personal Development
Participation
Recruitment and Retention
Working environment
Benchmarked T&C
IIP
Operational Goal 2. Performance
Care Inspectorate ratings
Internal and external accolades
Organisational performance
Quality
Standards
Impact
Compliance with regulations
Operational Goal 3. Leadership and governance
Keeping our people healthy and safe
Organisational compliance
Appropriate structures
Memorandum and Articles of Association
Board membership
Strategic direction
Management skills
Motivated workforce

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Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

Operational Goal 4. Money matters and sustainability

We balance the books
Financial planning
Financial controls
Financial information
Funding streams
Funding timescales
Full Cost Recovery

Operational Goal 5. Communicating

Reputation
Positive messages
Range of media
External and internal endorsement
Participation of workforce
Participation of people we support
Feedback

Operational Goal 6. Community links and networking

Stakeholder analysis
Visibility
Community involvement
Communities of interest
A go to organisation
Local presence
Civic participation
Public engagement
Political engagement

Partners Group Quality Indicators

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Phone

01563 825555

Email

reception@partnersforinclusion.org

Postal address

Partners for Inclusion Group

84 Portland Street
Kilmarnock
KA3 1AA
Scotland

Website

www.partnersforinclusion.org

The power of people to make their own stories: Partners for Inclusion Group Strategic Plan 2015 - 2018

Published by Partners for Inclusion Group 2015