“Shaping Our Future" Strategy - an opportunity to comment
Overview
“Shaping Our Future” brings together commissioning intentions for adults in Cumbria with changing requirements for Councils to support more people in their local communities. Councils have a role in stimulating, managing and shaping this market, supporting communities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises to flourish and develop innovative and creative ways of addressing care needs.
The attached draft strategy reflects upon priorities in an era of changing demand and aspiration with a focus on the wellbeing of whole communities as well as directly supporting the most vulnerable people to live safely. It highlights a shift towards supporting the whole population to look after their health and wellbeing through unlocking community assets in order to offer people more choice and control in their local neighbourhoods.
For people that need more formalised social care support this will become increasingly personalised offering individuals greater levels of choice and control through service improvement and commissioning approaches.Service transformation shows a shift towards commissioning a broader range of services that enable people to maximise their independence, whilst simultaneously ensuring that resourcesare used effectively to support more people.
Personal budgets enable people receiving publicly funded care to choose their own support services. Over time, it is anticipated that people who use social care services and their families will increasingly shape and commission their own services. The rurality of Cumbria provides unique challenges to the commissioning of person-centred and outcome focused services. Our commissioning strategies see individuals as citizens, with a full array of rights, choices and responsibilities.
The success of market shaping will depend on strong partnerships, shared risks and a willingness and ability by commissioners and providers to put people with support needs, their carers and families in the driving seat. If councils are to lead the way in shaping local markets, they will need to develop approaches that empower people to set the direction for change and work closely with suppliers in the independent and third sectors to better understand their capacity and capability so that innovation and best value are most effectively incentivised.
“Shaping Our Future” sets out the overall approach that the Council could adopt to address the issues set out above resulting in acommissioning framework that will benefit local citizens and communities. It will also allow for the proper recognition of the value that local communities and voluntary organisations supporting those communities bring to service delivery. It highlights the importance of the involvement of local people in shaping sustainable services.
We would welcome your comments regarding the draft “Shaping Our Future” strategy on the Response Form attached so we can listen to your views.
The feedback period runs from Monday 21st November 2011 to Friday 6th January 2012.
