Service User Consultant Role in

Day Democratic Therapeutic Communities

Jean RobinsonService User Consultant

Fifteen, ManchesterTASTE, Tameside and Stockport

Service User Consultants

•What are our origins?•What are our credentials?•How are we recruited, engaged, appraised, developed? •What do we share of ourselves?•What do we bring?•Where may we take our contributions?•What next for the role and the person?

What are our origins?

• Henderson Hospital Residential DTC• Social Therapy

What are our credentials?

• Lived experience of PD difficulties• Personal therapy in tune with DTCs• Experience of hearing feedback and its impact

How are we recruited, engaged, appraised and developed?

• Application• Employees or not• Appraised or not• Training

What do we share of ourselves?

• Structure• Struggles• Risk management

What do we bring?

• Hope• Role model• Relating effectively, functionally and responsibly• Triangular relationship• Reminder of flattened hierarchy• Humour• Genuineness• Valued support to staff

Where may we take our contributions?

• DTC service delivery• PD service planning• Education, training and sharing best practice• Marketing

What next for the role and the person in it?

• Consolidating and expanding the role• Personal confidence, growth and new

opportunities