Adult Services

Completing the Circle


Completing the Circle refers to the involvement of, and consultation with, service users and carers who use or may use in the future the services of the Adult Services Department.

It is called Completing the Circle, because involvement and consultation is a continuous dialogue. To support this dialogue, the Completing the Circle group has been set up to work with the Department to improve the process and practice of involvement and consultation. The group consists of service users and carers from a range of situations who work together with the support of the Department.


How to get involved

Can you help us make our services better ?

The Adult Services Department (formerly called Social Services) needs people who currently use our services, or care for someone who does, to work with us, to help us listen and respond to what people say.

We will offer you the chance to shape the future of how we consult and inform all citizens in Hampshire about our services. We offer training, support and all expenses.

Want to know more ?

Contact Geoff Woollan, Trafalgar House, The Castle, Winchester SO23 8UQ
tel 01962 847266 fax 01962 877681
e-mail geoff.woollan@hants.gov.uk

What the group does and what is expected of those in the group

The purpose of consultation and involvement is to make sure that service users and carers are listened to, have their ideas taken notice of, are given the answer as to what will happen about their ideas and involved in making changes and improvements to their services. (The Circle – a circle of improvement).

Consultation and involvement is a partnership between, in this case, Hampshire County Council Adult Services Department and the people who use its services and their carers.

Why is a group of service users and carers needed to make Completing the Circle work ?

  • The law says Adult Services must listen to people and must make it easy for them to be heard and take part in decisions affecting current and future services.
  • The best judges of whether a service is working well are the people who use the service together with the people who deliver that service. They must do this together.
  • The Adult Services Department therefore needs to work with service users and carers to make sure the Circle is completed.

The aims of the Completing the Circle Group

  1. To undertake a jointly agreed programme that assists both the Adult Services Department and the service users and carers.
  2. To make sure minimum standards in consultation and involvement are achieved
  3. To get the timing right – make sure there is enough time for consultation (see Cabinet Office Standards as a guide see appendix 3)
  4. To make sure that opportunities to be involved or consulted are made open to a wide range of people.
  5. To identify best practice, raise minimum standards and encourage the best way of doing things

Who would be on the group and what would they do ?

  • The group will be known as the Completing the Circle Group. This is because it is the name of the Adult Services plan and shows that the group is there to make the plan work.
  • The group must make sure different people, with different needs and ideas can take part.
  • The group members will be people who know about adult services and want to make things better for everyone.
  • The purpose of the group is to make sure that services respond to the needs of those who use them.
  • The group members will be able to give advice on how to be heard and give advice to adult services on how to listen to people.
  • The group members will encourage and help others to have their say and be heard, it is not for the group to speak for them.

How will the group work in practice ?

(appendix 1 for members ‘job description’ and appendix 2 for examples of work)

  • The group will have about 12 members and each year they will agree one person to be the chair of the group. Sometimes a group member will want and/or need someone to come with them.
  • It is important that everyone who wants to, gets a chance to take part. But a group has to work together and therefore should not be too big.
  • To become a member of the group, people will volunteer and will meet the group first to decide if it is the right choice for them.
  • Group members should expect to take part for up to three years, but it is important that the group finds and encourages new members at all times.
  • The group will be supported by the Adult Services Department who will provide the following:
    • Training – the group will  decide its own training needs.
    • Money – actual travel costs and alternate care costs will be provided by   the Adult Services Department. This to include the cost of supporters.
    • Administration – the Department will undertake all the administrative tasks for the group and will arrange and pay for meeting venues etc.
  • Adult Services will attend the group, but only to support and assist the group as required.
  • Every volunteer with the group will be encouraged and assisted to take part in consultation and involvement activities in some form either locally or across the county.
  • ‘Big change needs big involvement, little change needs less’
  • Target the consultation audience to make sure the right people are involved, but there also needs. to be different types of consultation i.e. discussions, questionnaires, written papers etc

For this information in an easy access version… link to word doc


Further information