The Big Conversation

Looking at our culture, values and behaviour together

Terry Mears, our director of Operations and Quality, has identified culture, values and behaviour, as the main priority for us all… that’s the culture, values and behaviour towards the people we support and of course, to each other.

Terry wants us to challenge ourselves and ask how we, as individuals and as a team, enable the people we support to have a meaningful life, that they value for themselves. To help us achieve this we have a list of eight powerful statements, or indicators. If we can answer yes, to each statement and we have evidence of why we answer yes, then it is highly likely we are having a meaningful life of our choice. It will be exactly the same, for the people we support! Here is our list of indicators:

Having Meaningful Relationships

Being Healthy Physically & Emotionally

Having my Privacy Respected

Having a Safe and Stable Home

Having Meaningful Purpose to My Days

Having Choices

Being Heard and Feeling Respected

Having Financial Security

Each month, starting in March, we’ve been examining 2 of the indicators – but it’s not just about talking! In March and April, staff made mind maps together in their teams, to explore their chosen indicator, with fabulous results! We had some amazing and creative entries – one of which was presented as a giant poster over 6 foot tall! We also introduced a monthly competition for these mind maps in March and April and then moved onto a writing competition in May giving staff an opportunity to put into words their work with the people they support and to examine how this matches up to the indicator. The staff who have taken part say that they have enjoyed the experience and it has led to new discoveries.

The ‘Big Conversation’ competitions continue to the end of June, but there’s no doubt that the discussions we have had will help us to better  serve the people we support and enable them to have the lives they choose for themselves.