Charity’s service users helps shape North Northamptonshire Council policy
Service users from Northamptonshire charity Teamwork Trust have been helping to shape North Northamptonshire Council’s autism strategy and Easy Read materials. In collaboration with North Northamptonshire Council, service users have played a key part of the county’s ‘Moving Forward with People Group’ this year.
Teamwork Trust has day centres in Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough and supports autistic adults, people with learning disabilities and individuals with mental health needs.
Tom Davies, Head of Service and Operations at Teamwork Trust, said: “Our service users sat on the ‘Experts by Experience’ panel and reviewed and revised several drafts of documents, assisting by making alterations to language and pictures which made them easier to read.
“They also described what they wanted from the services in their communities, how they wanted to be treated and to be listened to. Teamwork members had the opportunity to share the difficulties they have encountered in dealing with different arms of the council and offer constructive feedback as to how services would be easier to access and simpler to understand when taking into account their disabilities.
“This is all part of Teamwork Trust’s shared commitment to co-production, which simply means that services must always be informed and shaped by the people actually using them. Co-production is huge at Teamwork.”
Also, to mark National Co-Production Week Northamptonshire charity Teamwork Trust held a celebration event with North Northamptonshire Council in July, to recognise the service users’ efforts in co-producing a strategy which will shape North Northamptonshire Council services and the way it engages members of the public.
Becs, a service user at Teamwork Trust, said: “I like this whole project because we are involved and what we have to say matters.”
Ashley added: “I like it because the council’s staff help us to make a difference. I’m grateful they came to celebrate with us too.”
Gill Mercer, Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing at North Northamptonshire Council, said: “Teamwork Trust has helped us to create a space for our Working Together Experts by Experience Group to meet on a regular basis to inform how we will coproduce in the ways we work with people who use our services and others within the community as well as develop a Charter for the key principles of coproduction.
“We are really lucky to have this support. We also wanted to mark National Co-Production Week to celebrate the good work with our Moving Forward with People Grou, our experts and staff from NNC Adults services."
The charity recently launched its new three-year strategy, which has a clear focus on education, volunteering and a renewed commitment to putting service users firmly at the heart of all decision-making. This strategy was co-produced by service users, staff and trustees.