Family Leadership
From the late 1990s central government policy and best practice guidelines has recommended that the voices of disabled children, young people and their families should lie at the heart of the way support is developed and shaped. However, the reality is that young people and parents are frequently marginalised in processes surrounding the support they are offered; lack the information they need to make informed decisions; and are absent from the decision making processes with respect to commissioning and shaping services. It is not, therefore, surprising that families continue to report a sense of alienation, disappointment, struggle and dis-empowerment.
The fundamental principle on which personalisation is based is that those of us requiring support should be able to shape and control that support with as much help as needed, but no more than is necessary. Families are the experts in knowing what they need to make things work for them and have the right to be in control of their own lives and to make their own decisions.
ibk is working with families, parent forums, family lead agencies, and statutory services to develop Family Leadership.
In her publication, Developing Family Leadership, Pippa Murray explains how families can be real leaders and how services and professionals need to change in order to form a new partnership with families.
To read the publication
To download the article, please click the link
Developing Family Leadership.pdf