Leeds Involvement Project - Aims

Aims, Principles and Objectives

Aims:

• To enable people who use Community Care Services (service users and carers) to take control over their own health and social care needs.
• To promote the involvement of service users and carers in the commissioning, planning and development of health and community services.

Principles:

• To promote the Social Model of Disability.
• To promote a holistic approach to health.
• To ensure that a diverse range of service users and carers are involved, prioritising those who face additional discrimination or disadvantage.
• To develop innovative approaches to involvement work.

Objectives

1. To encourage and develop service users and carers' confidence and skills through volunteering, training and support to enable active involvement in the shaping of local services.
2. To actively encourage service users and carers from all sections of the community to use the service provided by the Project.
3. To empower service users and carers by providing accessible information on a wide range of service developments and involvement initiatives.
4. To help establish service user and carer groups that will actively advocate for improvements to services.
5. To advocate for partnership and liaison between agencies and service users and carers.
6. To support service users and carers groups to share experiences, needs and concerns; pursue training opportunities and speak with a united voice on common issues.
7. To advise and provide consultancy to service providers on how to involve service users and carers.
8. To engage with service users and carers to identify and promote new ways of providing services that give people more control over their health and social care needs.
9. To support service users and carers in carrying out involvement-related activities in their local communities.
10. To promote the benefits and principles of involvement to service providers according to perspectives identified by service users and carers.