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Our publications

All Shaping Our Lives publications are developed by service users and are available in different formats on request.

Our newsletter

Shaping Our Lives newsletter ISSUE 15 Spring 2009

 

Click here for a page where you can download previous newsletters.

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Reports and other Shaping Our Lives publications

Assessing future housing need for older people (2009)

by Fran Branfield and Jenny Willis

This report was commissoned by Cumbria County Council and Primary Care Trust to inform their joint strategic needs assessment ‘Anticipating future accommodation needs for older and older disabled people in Cumbria’

To download the full report click here (Word)

To download the report summary click here (Word)

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Relationship Matters: Building our knowledge and networks (2009)

by Fran Branfield, with Joanne Williams and Nicole Drake (One Voice, Lancaster); Julie Earl (Gateshead Access Panel); Miranda Evans (Disability Wales); Tracy Jannaway (Independent Living Alternatives, London) and Paul Anderson (CONTACT, Bradford)

In autumn 2008 Shaping Our Lives supported five service user and/ or disabled people's organisations to hold networking events for service user led organisations in their own regions. The groups came together at the events and talked about their work and activities, and shared ideas with each other. This report highlights how important service users, both as individuals and in groups, see networking as being, if they are to be involved as active citizens in their communities and society.

To download the full report click here (Word)

To download the Report Summary click here (PDF)

To download the Report Summary click here (text only - Word)

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Transforming Social Care: Changing the future together (April 2009)

Report by Peter Beresford and Frances Hasler.

A new study for the first time reports what service users want for future social care and how they think it can be achieved. Findings are presented from a national consultation event jointly organised by Brunel University and the Commission for Social Care Inspection. Shaping Our Lives supported the involvement of service users and the event was also supported by 18 major social care organisations, bringing together key policymakers and a wide range of service users.

One year in, the government’s three year plan for the radical transformation of social care to personalisation, is overshadowed by inadequate funding and recession. How is the momentum for change to be maintained and what do service users want that change to look like?

Service users identify a radical and coherent programme for reform that goes far beyond the expansion of personal budgets.

To download a PDF version please click here

To download a Word version please click here

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Proposal for the replacement of six residential care homes in Cumbria: A service user consultation (May 2008)

In late 2007 Shaping Our Lives was commissioned by Cumbria County Council to undertake a consultation with service users at six residential care homes in the county.  The six homes are the first of the 33 Council run homes to be included in the Council's modernization plan.  The consultation was carried out between February and April 2008. 

To download the PDF version click here

To download the Word version click here

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SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) Knowledge review 17: Developing social care - service users driving culture change

By Shaping Our Lives, National Centre for Independent Living and University of Leeds Centre for Disability Studies

Published: November 2007

This knowledge review looks at current literature and practice around service user involvement, the extent to which service user involvement has brought improvements to social work and social care and where the change has become established practice.

To download the full report (PDF) click here

To download the summary report (PDF) click here

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We are not stupid

This unique book is about the experiences of people with learning difficulties, how they are treated and what needs to change. It is based on research controlled by people with learning difficulties. It tells us how they did the research, what they found out and what needs to be done. Copies are available for £6.50 plus £1.50 p&p from the Shaping Our Lives office. Just click the ‘Buy Now’ button below.

or click here to download a free PDF copy of ‘We are not stupid’. If you can afford to buy a copy we do appreciate it as we do not have project funding to cover the costs of this publication. 

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The Standards We Expect

Several reports have been published from the Standards We Expect project, which Shaping Our Lives worked on with De Montfort University, Brunel University and Values Into Action.

Person Centred Support - A Guide for Service Users (word document) or get in touch with Shaping Our Lives to ask for a printed copy.  
This information pack was developed for service users who took part in The Standards We Expect project.  However, we think it could also be useful to other service uses by providing some information and ideas about person centred support.

Person Centred Support- What service users and practitioners say (Full Report click here or Summary Report click here)

The Standards We Expect- Choices for End of Life Care (click here)

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Benefit barriers to involvement – finding solutions

(Commission for Social Care Inspection, October 2007)

This report outlines the key themes from a seminar organised by the Commission for Social Care Inspection, The General Social Care Council, Shaping Our Lives, Skills for Care and the Social Care Institute for Excellence. The term ‘benefit barriers to involvement’ is used to describe the ways in which the current benefit system discourages or prevents people in receipt of benefits from getting involved.
You can order a free, printed copy from the Shaping Our Lives office.

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User involvement in social work education

(Fran Branfield, Shaping Our Lives, 2007)

Report of regional consultations with service users to develop a strategy to support the participation of service users in social work education.
You can order a printed copy from the Shaping Our Lives office or

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Common Aims: A strategy to support service user involvement in social work education

(Published February 2007 by the Social Care Institute for Excellence)

This paper outlines a project commissioned by the Department of Health which focused on participation in the undergraduate and postgraduate social work degree. Focusing on how service user and care organisations can develop their involvement in the undergraduate and post graduate social work degree and drawing on successes of the first two years, the paper then goes on to identify existing barriers to successful partnership and possible ways forward.
This project was a joint venture between Shaping Our Lives, Department of Health and SCIE.
You can order a copy from SCIE (www.scie.org.uk) or

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Literature review of service user articles on social work

(Peter Beresford, 2007)

Shaping Our Lives, in association with other service user organisations, are putting together a report which is based on what many service users have said and written about social work over the years. We hope that this will also influence the current review in a helpful way and ensure that more service user voices are heard.
You can order a copy from the Shaping Our Lives office or

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Making User Involvement Work: Supporting service user networking and knowledge

(Fran Branfield and Peter Beresford, published by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2006)

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User Controlled Research: Its meanings and potential

(Michael Turner and Peter Beresford, Shaping Our Lives and the Centre for Citizen Participation, Brunel University 2005)

Full Report: Number of pages 137; file size 1209K. Commissioned by INVOLVE.

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Contributing on Equal Terms: Service user involvement and the benefits system

(Michael Turner and Peter Beresford, Shaping Our Lives and the Social Care Institute for Excellence, The Policy Press 2005)

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‘Independence, Well-being and Choice’ Green Paper Consultation

Click here for the report that was put together by Shaping Our Lives after we had talked to more than 60 service users to find out what they thought of this government Green Paper on adult social care.

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It’s Our Lives: A short theory of knowledge, distance and experience

by Peter Beresford (published by Citizen Press in association with Shaping Our Lives, 2003)

Please email Shaping Our Lives if you would like a copy. 

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Shaping Our Lives – from outset to outcome: what people think of the social care services they use

(by Shaping Our Lives in association with local groups, published by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2003)

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Our Voice in Our Future: Service users debate the future of the welfare state

(by Shaping Our Lives, published by Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2003)

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Cartoon of a report