Active Prospects held its first Joint Governance on the 23 November 2017 in association with the Pro-Active Committee. The conference included support staff, service managers, people we support and board members. The day was very powerful in empowering people from across the organisation to speak up about what matters to them, and highlighting key priorities for 2018.
Maria Mills, CEO, introduced the annual conference which had the theme of ‘What Matters?’ and included presentations from our Pro-Active Committee of people we support and keynote speakers, Gareth Owen, representing Crispin Blunt MP, and John Tizard, Governance Consultant. Maria celebrated the achievements of the previous year and outlined our ambitions for the future.
The day consisted of a joint co-production morning where delegates heard about the difference Active Prospects makes to people’s lives, and how it can get even better. Key members of the Pro-Active Committee led on important topics, presenting and talking about how we can all work together to achieve our goals with everyone playing an equal role.
Emma-Jane from our Shrewsbury Road supported living service, gave an inspiring presentation about how moving in to the service changed her life and how she now has lots of friends.
Leanne who also lives at Shrewsbury Road, told delegates that at the age of 10 she was told by doctors she would never ride a bike but she has just competed in the Special Olympics in Sheffield in August, where she won Bronze and Silver Medals in the road racing cycling events. Leanne showed off her medals, her Olympic kit and her road bike. We are all very proud of her achievements.
Pat, Chair of our Pro-Active Committee, who is supported by Community Prospects, told delegates how her life has changed since she became involved with running the Pro-Active Committee and volunteering in the Active Prospects charity shop. Her goals for 2018 are to visit Disneyland Paris, get a paid job, find love and eat more cake!
With the challenges being faced by the Social Care sector at present and in the future, working in partnership and listening to the people who use our services enables Active Prospects to plan ahead to rise to these challenges and concentrate on its top ten key areas for development. Having achieved 100% ‘Good’ ratings for all of its regulated services in 2017, Active Prospects is now looking to achieve ‘Outstanding’ ratings across its services with delegates at the conference beginning to identify the journey that will get us there. An internal culture of continuous improvement is just the starting point, with staff and people we support at the heart of decision making and everyone clear that we are aiming to be not just the best provider in Surrey but also one that is focused on providing the best support possible to individuals, each and every day.
