Service User Reference Groups
Following research undertaken on behalf of the ODPM (Office Of the Deputy Prime Minister) into consulting with hard to reach service users to consult at a strategic level for the Supporting People programme, ROCC has put together a programme using the findings of the research and has developed (SURG) Service User Reference Group.
The groups will be challenge groups, consisting of Service users who are or have accessed housing related, social and care support services, funded by Supporting People. It will have no decision making powers, however, it will be a major influence on the Core Strategy Group and the Providers Forum. It will examine issues surrounding Supporting People from a user's perspective and challenge policies and decisions as they arise. SURG will provide response papers to, and have representation on the Core Strategy Group.
SURG aims to,
- Give Service Users a voice.
- Influence the strategic planning of Supporting People services.
- Offer a service user perspective to the planning, development and review of Supporting People services.
- Develop effective communication with both service users within Supporting People services, and with the Strategic Core Group.
- Develop the skills and abilities of the SURG members to consult as widely as possible with other services users and related networks, through training and support.
- Work in partnership with service providers to obtain access to service users and service user groups.
- Collate service user views and feed back how their views have influenced decision making at the strategic level.