Ruils Strategic Plan 2013-2016

Ruils Strategic Plan 2013-2016

Adopted 5th June 2013

Ruils Strategic Plan 2013-2016

Contents

Section 1: Executive Summary

Ruils is a user-led organisation that is committed to ensuring that individuals who use social care services are in the driving seat. Our objectives for the next three years reflect this as they focus on working with our clients and the wider community to develop and provide personalised services and on putting structures in place to ensure that Ruils remains a robust and sustainable organisation.

Our business strategy recognises the political and financial context in which we operate, the challenges and opportunities that exist, and above all, the steps needed to strengthen the organisation as a whole to ensure that our clients get the services that they need.

We are faced with three important challenges:

1.  The difficult financial climate and the effect this is having, and will continue to have, on public expenditure,

2.  An increase and change in the demand for health & social care services as the number of older people living independently in their community increases,

3.  A wholesale revision of state welfare provision that seeks to devolve responsibility for funding and service provision from government to local communities and individuals.

Our strategic response to these challenges include; developing and delivering a portfolio of services that offer a holistic response to un-met needs in the key areas of employment, education, at-home support, advocacy, health and leisure and expanding our target population and catchment area to include social care self-funders, and service-users and local authority commissioners in neighbouring boroughs.

Section 2: Our Mission, Vision and Values

Ruils is a not-for-profit, user-led charity. We consult, represent and enable our ‘peer clients’ to access to the support that they need to live the life of their choosing. Our ground-breaking work is person-centered and engages individuals as active and equal partners in the planning and implementation of their support.

Vision
Our vision is for a society where all individuals (regardless of age, disability, impairment, health, capacity) are independent, valued, effective, equal and fully engaged members of society.

Mission
Our mission is to enable disabled people (both children & adults), older people, individuals who use mental health services and people with learning disabilities to live the life of their choice and to reach their full potential.

Our Values

We will:

·  Ensure that our clients’ views, needs and preferred way of working are at the centre of everything that we do.

·  Support our clients to become independent,

·  Collaborate with others to achieve our vision,

·  Campaign to ensure that the values and principles of Personalisation become a reality for all individuals,

·  Carry out strong financial management and sound operating principles.

Our Six Key Objectives:

Objective 1: Service Development

We will engage with our clients and the wider community to ensure that we develop and deliver the services that people want, in the way that they want it.

Objective 2: Agent of Change

We will work with our clients and partner organisations, to influence public attitude, central government welfare policies and local government’s implementation of Personalisation, Independent Living and Disability Rights agendas.

Objective 3: Financial Sustainability

We will ensure that we achieve financial sustainability in every service that we delivery.

Objective 4: Quality Assurance

We will continue to find new and better ways of delivering our services that meet our clients changing needs. We will operate a cycle of continuous improvement to ensure that the organisation is fit for purpose in terms of structure, policies, governance and service delivery.

Objective 5: Workforce Development

We will support and develop the capacity and skills of our staff and volunteers to enable them to deliver effective services to clients across all ages and categories of impairment.

Objective 6: Communication & Publicity

We will strengthen our brand and increase public awareness so that everyone knows who we are, what we do & why we do it.

Section 3: Ruils History & Performance

Ruils was formed in 1999 by a handful of disabled people who came together (round a kitchen table) with the common aim of improving their quality of life. Direct Payments was in its infancy, but they recognised it as the vehicle by which they could gain choice and control over the way in which they got their needs meet. After banging on many closed doors and the waving of placards, the founder members of Ruils managed to get the Council to develop Direct Payments.

Having established itself as a charity in 2003, Ruils went on to develop a number of peer led projects aimed at individuals who wanted to have more choice and control over their care and support. Promoting Independent Living through roadshows and newsletters, delivering training to local authority staff, providing peer support to new clients and establishing a Personal Assistant Register in Richmond, put Ruils on the map as a local, user-led organisation.

As the Council began to implement the Personalisation agenda locally, Ruils was able to share its experience and local networks and became a value partner in the development and delivery of this programme. In October 2007 Ruils was commissioned by Richmond Council to deliver the Direct Payment Support Service and to develop Support Planning and Brokerage in the borough. This project enabled Ruils to become a person-centred provider offering a range of services that enabled individuals, across all client groups, to have greater choice and independence.

Over the last three years we have worked with over a large number of people and have developed Support Planning, Direct Payment and Personal Assistant recruitment services that have received national acclaim. We have created two websites that enable individuals to find and employ their own Personal Assistant and we have taken the lead in developing Pooling Direct Payments. Some of our achievements include:

Winner Best Charity or Not for Profit (Richmond Business Awards) 2011/12

Ruils won this prestigious award for its user focused, innovative approach to delivering services. "Passion, compassion and total commitment to their users is in the DNA of this fantastic organisation” (Judge of the award).

Significant Contribution to Promoting the Independence of Disabled People 2011

We received a special commendation from the National Independent Living Awards hosted by Breakthrough UK for the work that we do promoting independent living opportunities for disabled people.

Finalist Radar People of the Year Award: Care and Support 2010

Ruils was short-listed for this award which celebrates organisations that have significantly increased disabled people’s independent living opportunities.

Local Innovation Award

Ruils and Richmond Council were short-listed for the Governments Local Innovation Award 2010. We were nominated for providing innovative services to the disabled and elderly residents of Richmond.

Office of Disability Issues – Support, Advocacy and Brokerage Project

Ruils and Richmond Council were selected, along with Essex and Southampton, to be an Action and Learning Site for the ODI Support, Advocacy and Brokerage Project. This project examined the advantages and disadvantages of elements of the care management process being delivered by User-Led organisations.

In October 2013 Ruils was unsuccessful in obtaining the Personalisation Contract for Richmond. This has had an enormous impact on the organisation, its staff, trustees, volunteers and finances. Over half of the staff team transferred to the new provider and the Board was faced with some very difficult decisions.

Ruils is still one of the only user-led organisations operating in Richmond and with disabled people facing some of the worst benefits cuts in decades; it was felt that Ruils and the services that we provide are more relevant than ever. The Board, staff and volunteers remain committed to developing services that enable individuals to live independently in their community. We are therefore facing the challenge head on. We are maximising our current resources and products and are developing new services and projects that will enable us to meet the needs of our clients and ensure the sustainability of the organisation in the medium to long term.

Section 4: Board of Directors and Management

Ruils is a user-led organisation and over 75% of our Board are living with a disability.

Chair: Richard Kember

Vice-Chair (& Company Secretary): Gareth Savin

Treasurer:

Current Board Profiles

Richard Kember

A former teacher and therapeutic counsellor, Richard has 30 years personal experience of living with a disability and receiving ‘care’ services. He has served as a Trustee of a number of local and national charities as well as advising local authorities on the implementation of Personalisation.

Gareth Savin

Gareth has studied for a degree in Business and Finance. He has a diploma in counselling and has completed a degree in Social Science with the Open University. Paralysed in 1992, Gareth’s fifteen years of living with a spinal cord injury has given him a wealth of experience as a recipient of social care services. A spell of institutional care has informed and strengthened his resolve to advance the benefits of independent living by becoming an active member of our Board and a volunteer trainer of Social workers and others.

Andrew Gairdner MBE (Finance)
A former Royal Naval Officer and career chartered accountant, Andrew has significant experience of working with businesses and charities at all levels. Since 1979, he has worked as a Financial Consultant assisting entrepreneurs set up in business and can include a number of significant client companies on his CV. Andrew has worked at Board level with responsibility for regulation and compliance matters and continues to provide a private tax and advisory service to smaller clients. As an Honorary and Chief Steward at the All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon since 1978, Andrew worked closely with the Club to help improve facilities and access for disabled people. He also has additional empathy due to his close relationship with his nephew who suffered spinal injuries some years ago. Andrew was awarded a MBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours.

Elizabeth Chambers

Retired Nurse Manager, Elizabeth worked in the NHS and with British Airways Health Services. She has served as a Trustee of a charity-run hotel (Ashwellthorpe Hall Association), which provided holidays for disabled people and is an associate member of the Disabled Motoring UK. She has life long experience of disability within her immediate family so has closely observed the many issues faced by someone living with a disability from childhood to old age.

Deborah Bloud

As a state registered nurse and midwife, Debbie has 21 years experience of working in the NHS. Her charity work includes 9 years as a volunteer for the Heart Foundation and the Baby Trust and other work experience includes that of an Administrative Secretary to a barrister. Debbie has been in receipt of Direct Payments since 2004 and is a vocal advocate of the personal freedom and independence that the scheme offers.

Jamal Mohamad

A political refugee from Iraq, Jamal was forced to abandon his 24 year long career as a Senior Chemist, following a period of imprisonment and torture by the previous regime. His escape also ended his charitable work in his home city where he had served as a Trustee of an organisation that helped people on low-income to secure land that provided a measure of subsidence. Despite having to re-build his life, Jamal has never lost his commitment to disadvantaged groups and has been an ever-present member of the Ruils Board where he provides a valuable insight into the experience of being a recipient of Direct Payments since 1998 and a member of a minority ethnic group.

Jean Hamilton

As a founding member of Ruils and a Direct Payment recipient for over 10 years, Jean Hamilton brings a wealth of experience to the Board. Jean grew up in Scotland and after attending secretarial college worked in the civil service. Her own experience of ill health and disability drew her to offering advice to others and she has volunteered for many years in that capacity.

Robert Burgis

A former salesman, sales manager and Director of Business Development, Robert brings a wealth of business experience and the experience of using Direct Payments to the Board. Robert is a also a Trustee for VISOR (Visually Impaired Society of Richmond), sits on the Joint Commissioning Group, Users & Carers Group, Disabilities Access Group and the Disability Equality & Access Partnership. Robert ran his own business which he had to close due to ill health.

Amanda Winterburn

As a former owner and manager of a preschool Amanda has extensive experience of running her own business and complying with stringent Ofsted quality requirements. She has worked with NHS Richmond and Council in both her professional and personal capacity and has provided valuable insights into service delivery for mental health service users. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and experience of managing a Direct Payment and Personal Assistants with others and is a valued Citizen Advocate. Amanda is the lead on the Ruils Schools Disability Awareness Programme.

Linda Campbell-Arthur
Linda is a clinical psychologist and had a private practice in South Africa for twelve years before relocating with her family to the UK in 2014. In her work, she has supported people through both the stresses and strains of life, and longer-term mental illnesses focusing on helping people to build their self-esteem and positive relationships. Linda’s son has autistic spectrum disorder and learning difficulties with the result that Linda has spent a lot of time finding the appropriate education and care for him

Management:

Chief Executive: Cathy Maker

Operations Manager: April Clifford

Cathy Maker (Chief Executive)

Cathy trained as a health psychologist and worked in the private health care sector as an operations manager where she managed a call centre and five private health care clinics across London. She has experience in recruitment and for many years volunteered for the Terrence Higgins Trust. She joined Ruils in June 2004 and has worked with clients to develop the services that Ruils currently offers. She has been instrumental in building our capacity, reputation and partnerships with other voluntary sector organisations and the Council.