I’m a very big fan of Making it Real and will be writing more about it over the coming weeks. In the meantime, one of the Ambassadors from the Strengthening DPULOs Programme – Rachael Wallach – attended the launch of Making it Real yesterday, and has written a blogpost on it below.
Making it Real was launched yesterday by the Think Local Act Personal Partnership.
Making it Real is a framework comprised of 26 markers that can be used by councils and providers to check and build on their progress towards personalisation in social care.
Disabled people have led the development of the framework through the National Co-production Advisory Group. The markers have been designed to support councils and service providers to progress personalisation in their organization by helping them to identify areas where change is required and develop action plans for delivering change.
Making it Real is a great opportunity for DPULOs to ensure disabled people have choice and control and a strong voice in their local areas when it comes to social care.
There are two main things DPULOs can do:
- DPULOs should encourage their local councils and service providers to sign up to Making it Real and progress personalisation in their area
- DPULOs who provide services may also sign up to the framework, to demonstrate their commitment to personalisation and their support for Making it Real.
The Making it Real markers are focused around 6 themes:
- Information and Advice
- Active and supportive communities
- Flexible integrated care and support
- Workforce
- Risk enablement
- Personal budgets and self-funding
Each of the 26 different markers is an “I” statement that expresses what disabled people want to see and experience and how they would feel if personalisation was working well. For example “I have access to a range of support that helps me to live the life I want and remain a contributing member of my community”.
You can find out how to sign up to Making it Real here.
131 organisations have already publically declared their commitment to Making it Real. The framework is already being used and endorsed by many statutory organizations including the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Excellence in Councils Adult Social Care Board, The Local Government Group and the Department of Health.
Representatives from the Think Local Act Personal Partnership told attendees of the launch how they were supporting Making it Real by supporting national organisations to align their strategic priorities, running regional sessions to promote awareness amongst service users, providers and councils and hosting a series of themed networking events across the country starting with workforce development and employing PAs. If as a DPULO you’d like to know more about this, please get in touch with us.
Paralympic gold medalist Danny Crates gave his support for Making it Real. As he put it:
Something that enables disabled people top make their own choices and design their own care plans can only be a good thing.
To find out more information about Making it Real click here.
The Strengthening DPULOs Programme will be doing more work with Making it Real, so watch this space!
arbitrary constant 
One thought on “Making It Real and DPULOs (by Rachael Wallach, #DPULO Ambassador)”