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Service Quality
What's Worth Working For? Leadership for Better Quality Human Services [pdf document]
by John O'Brien
part of a series of articles by John O'Brienand Connie Lyle O'Brien / Responsive Systems
Associates on the Centre for Human Policy website
This is the key article on the web on the "five service accomplishments" and
it is one which is worth reading over and over again, both as an introduction
and as a reference text. This isn't a particularly
simple read, but that's what makes it worth reading.
Assistance With Integrity - The search for accountability and the lives of people
with developmental disabilities [pdf document]
by John O'Brien and Connie Lyle O'Brien
part of a series of articles by John O'Brienand Connie Lyle O'Brien / Responsive Systems
Associates on the Centre for Human Policy website
Another powerful and rich article, on quality in service provision. Two of
the introductory sentences are worth reading more than once in order to absorb
their implications: "People with developmental disabilities rely on a service
system which
is in a crisis of accountability. Efforts to assure safety and quality have
become activity traps which threaten the developments most necessary
to improve the quality of community life for people with developmental
disabilities."
A Chance to be Made Whole - People First Members being Friends to Tear Down Institution
Walls
by People First of Tennessee
part of a series of articles by John O'Brienand Connie Lyle O'Brien / Responsive Systems
Associates on the Centre for Human Policy website
" Get on board the freedom train is what I want to do
tell this institution that my days here are through"
When People Matter More Than Systems
by Michael Kendrick
from the The Person Centered Planning Education Site
This is a more difficult read, not least because of the poor visual quality
(this seems to be an image of a photocopy). However this article should
be useful for anyone thinking that implimenting person centred planning will
be
a simple
solution
to poor
service
quality. It investigates, among other things, "personcentredness".
Vive la Difference - A Medical School Course With a Difference
by Jack Pearpoint, Marsha Forest
and Y Talbot
Part of a series of articles on Inclusion.com
I don't normally include articles that are descriptions of projects, but this
one deserved it. The authors talk about a course for medical students - which
could just as well have been for other professions - which set out to change
values.
"Itʼs How You Look At Your Work That Makes the Difference" - Direct Support Workers Consider the Meaning of Their Jobs
by John OʼBrien with Staff from Creative Community Living Services
part of a series of articles on the Responsive Systems
Associates page on the Centre for Human Policy website
"Itʼs how you look at your work that makes the difference.
If you look it as a just a list of personal care tasks and
household chores for clients who really donʼt have much to
offer, there isnʼt so much room for pride in your work. If you
look at your job as the chance to make a positive relationship
with people who can offer a lot if they have the right support,
then you find your reason to work right there with the people
themselves."
Barney's Harmonica
by Mayer Shevin
Part of a series of articles on the Shevin Consultingsite
" We like things.
They fixate on objects.
We try to make friends.
They display attention-seeking behaviors."
The story that led to this poem. Worth reading.
A speech by Sid Gardner
from the California State University Intercultural Proficiency Project site (1998
conference proceedings)
I don't know how to classify this speech because it covers many different
ideas, but I enjoyed reading it. It is addressed to people who are teaching
future professionals.
Quote:
"So, if we are client centered, we must be collaborative because the client
needs more than one service at a time. If we are client centered, we must
also be outcomes driven, and community based, and family focused, and culturally
centered. This is not for management reasons or for dollar reasons, but
because it's better for people. For the ethical reasons I think, that inform
the best
practice regardless of our profession. That's hard work. It's harder than
the way we do it now.
"
Good places to look for more:
The Person Centred Planning page of this site.
The Citizen Advocacy page of this site
The Inclusive Education page of this site.
The Disability page of this site.
The Normalisation/SRV page of this site.
The Other page of this site.
The Center on Human Policy site.
The Responsive Systems Associates page of the Center on Human Policy site.
The Inclusion Network/Press site.
The Inclusive Solutions web site.
The
Asset Based Community Development Institute site.
The Person Centered Planning Education site.
The Shevin Consultingsite