Idealist................and proud of it!

Over a few beers recently I was introduced to the chief executive of a local provider. I took the opportunity to let him know about my new commissioning post. He listened to what I said about the future direction of travel that the local authority planned for commissioning. I also listened to him pointing out the drawbacks of the current system.
After we finished talking I heard that he described me as an idealist. I am assured that he meant it as a compliment, although I took a little convincing about that. I am used to being described as an idealist by people who mean it as far from a compliment. I don’t know why it should be that idealism is so frowned upon. I would like to think that most people who enter a career in social work or care do so with some degree of idealism. They allow the circumstances of their work to separate them from their ideals and then go on to criticise those who have fought to keep them.

I looked up some definitions of an idealist and came up with the following.

1.a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.

2 someone who believes that ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others

3. a visionary person.

4.a person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are

So I’m an idealist and proud of it! Are you?

Stumbling in the dark

Came across a couple of situations that paint a picture of the commissioning situation that I will be facing. I met a manager from a local voluntary provider who advised that five months into the new financial year they still had no idea of the budget that they are meant to be working to. This is a situation that I have faced myself as a voluntary sector provider. It is hard enough to provide services when funding is short term, but to try doing it when you don’t even know your budget is intolerable.

The second situation was a meeting with my new boss. He told me of a care package that he had become aware of. This was a service for a young man with a learning disability and challenging behaviour. Based on psychiatric advice this man had four to one support, which meant that he needed a large expensive house. All in all, the package cost £400,000 per year. This was a package that had social work managers at a loss. The question of whether or not this package met the man’s needs was lost in the mists of time. The commissioning strategy was simply to renew this expensive package year after year.

In practice though this man had not had a violent incident in over five years, and the strategy was one of containing a man who no longer needed to be contained. The plan now is hopefully to carry out some person centred planning, provide a self-directed budget and give this man his life back. At the same time it is likely that this will save the local authority a considerable sum of money.

I mentioned in a previous post that I have come over to the dark side to being some light. Seems it is urgently needed as many people are continuing to stumble around in the dark.

Swimming against the tide?

I have started this blog before I have even taken up my post, as I am very excited about my new career.

The job advert said the following “There are few opportunities in any career that offer the scope to define and shape the delivery of services. We’re investing in the future, embracing change to face the challenges ahead. We’re looking for people to join a new strategic team that commissions services across the social care sector. You’ll be operating in an environment where funding is under increasing pressure. By using an approach that is grounded in principles of inclusion as well as seeking the best value, we’ll ensure we continually improve services”

How could anyone fail to be impressed by the prospects of that challenge and excited about taking up the post? I met recently with my new boss to find out a little bit more about the post. Obviously the description in the ad is only part of the story. There are certainly people in high places who want to take a radical approach to changing the way that services are delivered. Of course though there are also people who don’t.

I have often found myself in a position of having to “swim against the tide” so this post will be no different. I am confident though that I will get enough support from my senior colleagues to make the difference. Having spent my holiday this year by the sea, I’m aware that tides do turn and one day I will find myself with a big wave behind me rather than in front of me.

Unfinished thoughts.........

Having just read my last post, I realise that I am not writing my posts with the full thought that they deserve. I know that I am not fully getting on the screen all that I want to. I considered re-writing what I have said, but have instead decided against this. Instead I will just accept that what I am publishing are unfinished thoughts. Future posts may help to verify, clarify or amplify something I have previously written. Or perhaps not!

Going over to the dark side

I have spent many years working as a care provider in the voluntary sector. In that time I have been rather critical of the local authority and all of their weird ways. I have always felt that they made decisions “on the run” with no regard to an over-all strategy. Indeed I once worked with someone who was new to the area, and came to be an area manager for learning disability services. He felt that a good start might be to meet with the local authority and find out what their strategy was for learning disability services. After meeting with several people he got the answer that they didn’t actually have one.

I’m doing something that I didn’t expect that I would ever do. Moving from the voluntary sector to the local authority, or “going over to the dark side” as I refer to it. I am however going there with the mission to bring them the light! As I mentioned, I have in the past been critical of the council. I know that there are former colleagues if mine who are saying that I now have to put my money where my mouth is.

Throughout my career in the voluntary sector I have had a great interest in Person Centred Planning, individualised budgets and self-directed services. These are the sorts of things that I am going to the council to introduce

Why an anonymous blog?

I am writing this as an anonymous blog. Why am I doing this? Do I want to make myself more exciting? Is it a small man wanting to look more important? Well I hope none of these.

I'm not really a person who particularly has an enormous ego, or wants to see themselves in print. This is why despite being a great user of the net I have never blogged before now.

In all seriousness, I don't really intend to put anything so contentious on here that I couldn't be indentified. It is safe to say though that I may hold opinions that are not neccessarily those of my employer. Hence the anonimity.

I hope I will cover topics that are of interest to many in the fields of social work and care. Lets wait and see!

The Brick Wall

This first post is to introduce you to the brick wall that identifies my blog! I am about to start a post as a Commissioning Officer with a local authority. From what I have heard, I will come up against a lot of brick walls. People who think that things are just great the way they have always been.

As the wall says, my choice is to continue banging my head, or to climb over. I hope you will join me on a regular basis to see how it goes!