Whose Shoes? - Putting People First

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   What is the game?
   Who is the game for?
   How does the game work?
   What issues are covered by the game?
   Why was the game developed?
   How was the game developed?
   Who are the customers?

What is the game?

is an imaginative, interactive board game. The game can be used on its own (for example at a team meeting) or more usually as part of a Learning and Development programme to make progress with delivery of the transformation of social care and personalisation agenda.

A flexible package is available to help tailor use of the game to your needs – please contact us to discuss your requirements or to find out more.

Typically the game will be used at workshops / seminars / conferences to help people work together to explore the issues presented by the government’s Putting People First agenda and jointly find a way forward.

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Who is the game for?

The game is designed to be played by anyone involved in the 'Putting People First' or 'Transforming Social Care' government agenda, for example:

Local authority and community leaders
Social care staff and managers
Service users and carers
Care providers and commissioners
Voluntary sector agencies
Health staff
University departments who are responsible for training the next generation of social care and health workers.
Training agencies involved in post-qualification training

John Bolton, Programme Lead for the delivery of 'Putting People First' at the Department of Health, says:
“This looks to be a really helpful tool for front-line workers and their managers who are grappling with the issues of choice and control within personalisation”

In a nutshell! ... the game is designed for anyone who is asking:

“How have we got to change in order to deliver this agenda?”

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How does the game work?

The game explores the perspectives of four groups of people, matching the key people identified as the participants in 'Transforming Social Care':

Service users and carers
Managers
Staff
Providers and commissioners

Together they build a “path to personalisation” consisting of the seven outcomes identified in the government’s Our Health, Our Care, Our Say White Paper.

Progress can only be made through the contribution of all parties (for example, the managers cannot forge ahead on their own leaving others behind ...... as if!)

The game contains over 160 important messages, either as playing cards or as part of another unique feature of the game – Poet’s Corner!

The messages aim to address the challenges, opportunities, frustrations and fears associated with the 'Putting People First' / 'Transforming Social Care' agenda in a realistic and thought-provoking way. People get the chance to step into each other’s shoes and understand other people’s perspectives.

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What issues are covered by the game?

The game captures a wide vision of 'Putting People First' in line with Department of Health guidance. Key themes include:

personal budgets and self-directed support
the importance of universal services such as transport, education and leisure
prevention and early intervention
the benefits of social capital – including involving family and friends and the local community
choice and control
a focus on outcomes

The game is not for the faint-hearted or those who thrive on spin –it is for those who want to move towards real and lasting solutions!

There is a useful two page summary of 'Putting People First' on the Department of Health web site, the above graphic is taken from this document.

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Why was the game developed?

'Transforming Social Care' is a vast agenda of change presenting unprecedented challenges to leaders and staff in public services and everyone else involved. It requires the biggest changes in social care since the National Assistance Act 1948.

The potential benefits, however, are equally huge as personalised services enable individuals to make meaningful choices and fulfil their potential.

'Transforming Social Care' makes it clear that the government expects councils to have made:

“by March 2011, significant moves towards fundamental system-wide change. … What is clear is that doing nothing is not an option”.

Early indications are that many councils are not finding it easy to understand and convey the breadth of issues involved. Good communication and the ability to engage all stakeholders is arguably the key to success.

Board games bring Learning and Development events alive and get participants actively involved!

Whose Shoes? – Putting People First is a popular and powerful communication tool – and fun to play! It helps people move on from seeing the vision to understanding what they need to do to implement it in practice.

Whose Shoes? Putting People First was developed after careful research using 'Transforming Social Care' and 'Putting People First' and other key documents such as the Demos report Making it personal and the CSIP's personalisation toolkit. It also reflects professional commentary, including debates in journals such as Community Care.

The game was tested and reviewed by people in a variety of roles within social care and health settings, involving individuals from a number of regions.

It was developed in collaboration with Coventry University’s Health Design and Technology Institute (HDTI) and the Design Hub.

HDTI undertook a usability study and gave the game a very favourable report!

enjoyable
intriguing
facilitated discussion
left people with questions they could look into later
ideal
straightforward
encourages all players to take part
many of the features were unique making the game more appealing to play
definitely enough to spark a conversation or a discussion
positive and negative experiences mixed in together and from different perspectives

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The Whose Shoes? logo is subject to UK Trade Mark No. 2502651.
The Whose Shoes? board game is subject to UK Registered Design No. 4009563.