At the recent Scottish Social Services Expo, Fit for the Future had a stand with sweets (always) and information for all the delegates.
The stand also asked a question: How do we engage with the independent sector?
We got some great responses which included:
- Move at a more strategic level
- Put something on the table – what’s in it for us?
- Give an opportunity locally
We didn’t have many people approach who were from the independent sector, and the ones that did, predictably, were already really engaged!
But what struck me was that some people mentioned ‘enforcement’ as a way to promote engagement. The idea being that collaboration may need to be forced
A theme that has arisen so far in Fit for the Future is that enforcement – through target-setting, inspection and regulation – has the opposite effect in many cases. A lot of the feedback I hear from providers is that when engagement is based on enforcement, it’s an unpleasant experience that doesn’t allow for positive, productive interaction.
I believe that the concept of target setting may also be part of this equation, which this recent report from Age Scotland (http://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/dementia-targets-harm-patients/) suggests.
So are engagement and enforcement two different issues? Or are they part of the same process – collaboration, but two very different approaches?
I’m hoping to gather evidence over the course of the project as to what have been the most successful ways that we have engaged with the independent sector to think about how collaboration could look in the future.