Frequently Asked Questions

Customers - who is purchasing Whose Shoes? - Putting People First?

The game is proving popular with local authorities, universities and HE colleges, care providers and others trying to make progress with the personalisation agenda.

Who is the game being used with?

EVERYONE!....our customers are using the game with a very wide range of people…. with service users and carers, providers and commissioners, front-line staff, self-directed support champions, voluntary sector and other partners, training managers, senior management teams, elected members, other local authority departments, social work students, NVQ assessors, ….. the list goes on

Where is the game being used?

EVERYWHERE! - team meetings and development days, training sessions, open days, focus groups, conferences, induction of new staff, PQ training, undergraduate and post-graduate seminars, partnership boards, provider forums, user/carer forums..….

When is the game being used?

At any stage in the personalisation journey! Some people are using it to kickstart their personalisation programme, others who are a bit further ahead are using the game to revitalise their programme by looking at issues from new perspectives. The game is ideal for those who have to quickly “get up to speed” about the challenges of transformation - eg for induction purposes

How is the game be used?

The way in which the game is used largely reflects the culture of the organisation. Some people are using it in a very structured way (for example systematically with all teams), others are more creative and ad hoc, using it as required to challenge attitudes or enhance knowledge

How many people can play it - can it be played in teams?

The board is A1 size (approx 84cms x 59cms) so it is easy to get a larger number of people around. There are four counters (mini croc shoes) so four players will get the maximum hands-on experience and participation. However, more than four players will often mean richer discussions
If there are more than four, people can play in teams and theoretically the limit is the size of the table and how many people can fit round. Up to 12 can work for say a team meeting where everyone is looking at a single copy of the game and there is a single discussion in the room
For a staff development day, with multiple tables, up to 8 players per table (ie 4 pairs of 2 “sharing” a counter) tends to work well
It really doesn’t matter exactly how many people want to play as it is non-competitive. Instead of players playing “against” each other, one of the key messages of the game is that people have to work together to make progress - ie in the game this involves building a “path to personalisation” using foam squares of four colours representing the different groups (service users & carers, managers; staff; providers and commissioners).

How long does an average game take?

A game typically takes about 35 minutes to play in terms of simply building the “path to personalisation”. However, the real learning is derived if people have more time to discuss the issues raised in the course of the game (allow about an hour)
The game can be used very flexibly. If time is very short, there is no real need to “finish” the game (unless players are enjoying it so much they object, which is possible!)
People can either stop and discuss issues as they go or, say in a staff development day, you could ask each table to pick out one or two issues to discuss in a “plenary” session afterwards.

Can you tailor the game for different groups? Is it accessible to people who have no understanding of the personalisation agenda?

There are 36 messages in each pack of cards. You can safely reduce the number in each pack to 20 which makes it easy to tailor messages for a particular group. (The notes for facilitators provided to customers provide more details)
Messages can be selected / removed to emphasise particular topics (eg choice and control, involving the wider community etc)
Messages can be selected / removed to reflect the level of knowledge / detail required – ie some are more ‘in-depth’ than others
Another idea is to “mix” groups so that there is someone with a little more understanding of personalisation on each table
If appropriate, the game can be introduced by giving some sort of “context” – eg what your organisation is doing about transformation etc - and this would help to set the scene
Encouraging people to ask questions as they go is also a great way to get the message across and have a stimulating, interactive session!

Do you have to start at the beginning each time you play?

No, there are very few rules! Some people are using the playing cards as a “thought for the week”, picking one card to discuss briefly at each team meeting to keep personalisation alive. The notes for facilitators suggest many different activities that can be done.

What if the issues in the game don’t match our local approach to transformation?

The game does not advocate any particular approach. It does not provide the answers but is a tool to help you find your own answers. The scenarios are taken from real examples of good and bad practice and the viewpoints are those of real people. Those people could well live in your local area. It is only by understanding how people feel and the concerns and challenges they may have, that “hearts and minds” can be won and people truly engaged.
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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.