Happy New Year!
It is of course traditional at this time to make some resolutions for the year ahead. Time has wisely taught me that setting lots of laudable personal ambitions is best avoided if one is to remain true to oneself. So I am not here to suggest that you ‘Make 2012 your year!’ ‘Live your dreams’, or ‘Lose weight’. However, what I do like about New Year resolutions is that they inspire us to do something we have the power to do all year long! So my word of advice is not to set resolutions that you can’t possibly keep or indeed don’t really expect to keep because you won’t keep them! Instead be inspired to do one or two specific things this year and believe in your ability to achieve them! Even better draw some friends and colleagues in to help keep you focused and motivated!
At Certitude resolution setting has been made easier this year thanks to envelopes that are now making their way to various in-trays across the organisation! At our Strategy day last October I along with about 40 of my colleagues from across Certitude spent a day together reviewing the organisation’s strategy. We particularly focussed on personalisation and the steps we are taking to ensure choice and control for all the people we support. Our Leading Change programme, in partnership with Groundswell and Helen Sanderson has helped us to develop the skills, expertise and ideas to make person centred working part of the everyday practice at Certitude. But we know there is so much more that organisations like ours need to do to enable the people we support to take control of their support. At this Strategy day each of us wrote on a card one thing that we would do over the next 6 months to offer choice and control to the people we support. Each person’s commitment was sealed in an envelope with their name on and a promise to post it back to them in January! How times flies! I am however really pleased to tell you that my commitment to have a plan for implementing Individual Service Funds in residential services is well on course. Individual Service Funds are a way that people living in shared services can take control of their funding and determine and choose their own support. Across Certitude we are introducing these in 8 accommodation based services, both with people with learning disabilities and mental health needs. We will use person centred tools to support each person to be empowered to plan what support they want, chose who provides their support, when it is provided, where it is provided, and how it is provided. We are keen to share our learning as we progress with this project so please do watch out for these both in my blog and other publications on the website.
I am also picking up some great stories of progress on commitments made by my colleagues including developing one page profiles, introducing positive and productive meetings and donating timebank hours.
So if you are stuck on New Year resolutions perhaps some of these ideas will have inspired you and remember you have the power to make these happen all year round!
Happy New Year!
Aisling
Chief Executive of Certitude
2 responses to “Happy New Year!”
I was very encouraged with the New Year resolution settings which, I have read in your (blog).
I was having one to one with one of our customers, who recently moved to Marmora Road, regarding her new resolution for 2012. She told me that she would like to reduce the intake of alcohol by engaging in some activities during in the day to occupy herself. We are in process of looking for some suitable activities for her with the help from ( HSRT) Vocational Team. We will keep you posted with the progress. Happy New Year.
Thanks Aisling, very inspiring. I normally set goals for each year which I rarely achieve because I set too many. And I almost did the same mistake at the end of last year setting numerous goals for 2012. But on speaking to a friend I decided to cut them down and have set only two for the whole year. I intend to do the same with my learning and development role too. Thanks and happy new year.