Presentation given by Boróka Fehér, BMSZKI, Hungary at a FEANTSA Conference on "Quality in Social Services from the Perspective of Services Working with Homeless People", Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, 2011

1. Workshop 7: Is genuine
participation of service users
in the homeless sector
possible as a quality
principle?
FEHÉR Boróka, Budapest, BMSZKI
Presenting the ideas of the Participation Working
Group
Luxembourg, 2011. October

2. 1. How would you characterise
meaningful participation in
homeless services?
„Participation is a word and an idea that is used a lot in
relation to all kinds of decision-making. It refers to
howdecisions are made and who is involved in making
them – whether it is a high-level political decision or a
smaller local decision, affecting only a small group of
people. … …
Everyone should have the right to
have a say in how things are run
and all citizens should be
included equally in society.”

3. How would you characterise
meaningful participation in
homeless services?
Participation is a way of working that
recognizes service users as
 Citizens with rights
 Consumers with choices
 Assets with a unique insight into the
practices, policies and perceptions
that affect them
(from Margaret-Ann Brünjes, Glasgow
Homelessness Network)

4. How would you characterise
meaningful participation in
homeless services?
5 stances of Involvement
 Information
 Consultation
 Deciding together
 Acting together
 Supporting Independent Initiatives
(from Groundswell UK)

5. How can meaningful participation
be done?
Participation Good Practice Compendium from FEANTSA‟s
website
(http://www.feantsa.org/code/en/pg.asp?Page=808
 Values for participation
 Developing participation structures within homeless
organizations
 Self organization of service users
 Involvement of service users in policy development
 Peer working and peer research

6. How can meaningful participation
be done?
The „4p Test‟ – Participation should
always have a positive impact at the
person level, PLUS one (or more) of
the other 3ps
 practice;
 policy;
 perception
(Glasgow Homelessness Network)

7. How can meaningful participation
be done?
25 Indicators of Good Practice (diagnostic or
self assessment benchmark of GHN)
 Leadership
 Organizational policy and commitment
 Organizational practice and procedures
 Organizational approach
 Resources and training
 Evaluation
Highly satisfactory/satisfactory (with room for
improvement)/ area that needs attention

8. How can meaningful participation
be done?
Leadership:
 We have one (or more) staff
responsible for service user
involvement within our organization.
 There is an overarching commitment
to service user involvement in our
organisation

9. How can meaningful participation
be done?
Organisational Policy & Commitment
 This commitment is shared across all
personnel
 Frontline staff
 Managers/Senior managers
 Board of Directors/Management Committee
 Volunteers
 We have a stated vision and aims for
service user involvement.

10. How can meaningful participation
be done?
Organisational Practice & Procedures
 Our service users are familiar with our
vision and aims for service user
involvement.
 We act upon information we receive:
 To improve our own service or practice
 To feedback to policy makers or other
stakeholders
 We encourage and create an interest in
involvement (e.g. included in induction
meetings; assessments; residents meetings
etc).

11. How can meaningful participation
be done?
Organisational Approach
 If we need a specific group for the particular activity
(e.g. young people; women), we ensure transparency
and clarity around how and why people have been
selected to take part.
 We routinely ensure that service users are
valued, acknowledged and recognised for their
involvement.
 We ensure that all service user involvement
opportunities have positive benefits for the participant
(e.g. personal development; learning; social
networks; empowerment).

12. 2. Should there be a legal obligation placed on all
services users to ensure users‟ participation in the
organisation and running of the service?
Yes.
A legal framework can provide the framework,
create leverage to encourage and assist
services in being more participatory.
In itself it does not ensure meaningful nor
efficient participation, but it can be a good
start.
http://www.feantsa.org/code/en/pg.asp?Page
=818

13. 3. What are the challenges to ensuring meaningful
participation of service users in homeless
services?
 Always provide feedback so people involved do
not feel ignored, disempowered
 Avoid tokenism
 „Consultation fatigue”
 “Professional service user”
 Fear – of staff, of other people‟s opinion, low
self-esteem
 Resources
 If not many changes are being made, it‟s not
being done right! (Catri O‟Kane, Simon
Community Ireland)

14. 4. What are the success factors in ensuring
meaningful participation?
 Business Case
 it helps service user engagement, higher
„stickability”
 User involvement is a good check to see if
policies and programs work – can be used
IN the planning phase!!!
 Shared Solutions – Scottish model of co-
production being mainstreamed

15. 4. What are the success factors in ensuring
meaningful participation?
 „People who want to see the end of
homelessness the most are people
who themselves have been homeless”
 Ending homelessness individually
 Ending homelessness structurally

16. Thank you for your attention!
The Participation Working Group would like to
encourage every service provider to
implement its own Participation Strategy!
Special thanks to Maggie, Catri and Sanna, as
well as all other members of the PWG.
fboroka@gmail.com