Stronger Voice
effective representation and consumer involvement
Who needs Stronger Voice?
More and more, organisations want to hear the consumer voice. Health service providers, government departments, professional bodies, housing providers and local councils are among those engaged in setting up consumer panels, committees and user groups, or seeking a consumer point of view in their expert or advisory groups. Groups of children, young people, patients, passengers, tenants and others have been formed to represent a wide range of needs and interests.
Service providers and regulators need to be confident that consumer participation in their committee or panel is working effectively. Stronger Voice training will ensure that organisations have meaningful participation and representation and will help demonstrate that they take representation seriously.
Taking on the role of consumer representative can be daunting. Stronger Voice exists to support all those people who are being drawn into the representative role, of which there are many variations. Some are working alone; some are part of a consumer or a user group; some work in a personal capacity. Some are experienced; others are new to the role.
Stronger Voice in action
Our flexible training packages are aimed at organisations working with consumers / service users and those within the local community who want to engage in the process of service delivery.
Examples include:
- Health and Social Services: patient and carer groups
- Housing Services: tenant and resident groups
- Local Government Scrutiny
- Sure Start Schemes: parent forums
- Voluntary Groups: local community councils
- Connexions Service youth groups and forums
- Drug Action Teams: service user groups
- Consumer Advisory Committees: for public utilities and trade bodies
As a result, many more people are participating as consumer representatives and through Stronger Voice training have developed a range of skills and knowledge to enable them to take on their role with confidence.
