developing a common purpose -...

Developing a common purpose

Survey report

November 2014

UK Council on Deafness | Developing a common purpose | Survey report November 2014

Contents

Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 3

Executive summary..............................................................................................................4

Process................................................................................................................................5

Respondents........................................................................................................................5

Results.................................................................................................................................8

Conclusion......................................................................................................................... 18

Appendix 1 | Task force terms of reference........................................................................19

Appendix 2 | The survey.....................................................................................................22

2


Introduction

1. Following a review of its governance, in February 2014 the UK Council on Deafness

held a workshop to discuss the outcomes with its members. Attendees said the Council

should develop a common purpose for those involved in improving the lives of deaf

people.

2. At a subsequent meeting the Board agreed to launch a project to develop a clear vision

and aims for working together. In April the Board invited colleagues from across the

sector to join a task force to manage the project.

3. The task force met in August to consider its terms of reference and a draft action plan.

It was agreed the aim of the project was to draft a statement of common purpose that

will enable organisations to work together to achieve the outcomes deaf people expect.

The terms of reference are at Appendix 1.

4. A survey was launched on 27 August 2014 to explore the opinions of individuals and

organisations concerned with deafness and deafblindness on a common purpose for

the sector. The survey is at Appendix 2.

5. The purpose of the survey was to help the Common Purpose Task Force develop a

draft statement of common purpose for the sector. It did that by asking respondents

about their existing mission, values and objectives. It also asked them their thoughts on

developing a common purpose and what they thought it should be.

6. The survey was only the first stage in a process of stakeholder engagement. The draft

statement will be distributed and the opinions of stakeholders sought. The Task Force

will then redraft the statement. It will be approved by the Board in February 2015.

3


Executive summary

7. Respondents believe everyone has the right to the same access to society. That right

is key to more people living better, independent lives over which they have control.

They think that right will be realised by

a. providing personalised, high quality services that enable, help, support and/or

empower people; and

b. working with government, other organisations and wider society to raise

awareness and effect change.

8. Respondents value their services and other activities being led by deaf people. That

may mean deaf people actually deliver the activity or inform its development. And

organisations that deliver local services value the knowledge and understanding that

comes from being a part of their community.

9. If given a significant amount of money by government, deaf awareness training for

public service staff and the general population would be the priority. The next priority

for investment would be improved access to education.

10.Most respondents think a statement of common purpose would be useful. It would

a. increase our individual and collective impact;

b. provide a focus for collective and individual work; and

c. make us individually and collectively stronger because currently the sector is

fragmented.

11.The common purpose should be to secure equal access. An important element of that

is to provide the best support and services possible, or make sure they are provided.

12.Respondents feel the biggest barriers to working together on a common purpose are

a. the resources available collectively and to individual organisations;

b. the divisions created by differing priorities, views and approaches of those

organisations; and

c. the existence of vested interests.

4


Process

13.A request for a response was sent via email to all UK Council on Deafness members, a

list of communication service agencies held by NRCPD and the UK Council on

Deafness Access to Work group. Attached to the email were a draft email and draft

article to be used for further promotion.

14.An article about the common purpose initiative was published by Limping Chicken on 4

September and Hearing Times on 5 September. An article based on a subsequent

interview with Jim Edwards was published by Limping Chicken on 23 September.

Articles were also published by the UK Council on Deafness and Signature.

Respondents

Table 1: Who are you responding on behalf of?

me (individual) 47.3% 97

charity 15.1% 31

me (sole trader) 9.8% 20

department within an organisation 5.3% 11

company 5.3% 11

group 4.4% 9

other (please specify) 4.4% 9

me (consultant) 3.4% 7

unit within an organisation 1.5% 3

education institution 1.5% 3

social enterprise 1.0% 2

public service 0.5% 1

government department 0.5% 1

15.The majority of the respondents to the survey as a whole were individuals. However, of

the 205 respondents, only 91 answered all the questions about the group, unit,

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department or organisation (questions 7 to 13) and 80 the questions about a common

purpose (questions 14 to 17).

Table 2: Who are you responding on behalf of? (answered questions 6 to 13)

me (individual) 32.9% 30

charity 20.9% 19


group 7.7% 7

department within an organisation 6.6% 6

other 6.6% 6

company 5.5% 5






government department 1.1% 1Table 3: Who are you responding on

behalf of? (answered questions 14 to 17)

me (individual) 35% 28

charity 20% 16

other 8.8% 7


group 7.4% 6

department within an organisation 5% 4

company 5% 4






government department 1.3% 1

16.There was apparently some confusion about how to respond to the survey. Of the 30

individuals who answered questions 6 to 13, 15 said their response represented the

view of a group, unit, department or organisation. Of the 28 who answered questions

14 to 17, 11 said their response represented the view of a group, unit, department or

organisation.

6


17.Respondents worked in an even spread of areas. Almost half worked with older and/or

younger people. Areas added under 'other' included education (5), complex

communication difficulties, religion, employment (2), advice and information (2),

advocacy (2), mental health, research (2), visual impairment/sight loss (3).

18.Responses were dominated by those that worked in England. No responses were

received from those working in Northern Ireland or Wales.

19.Given the

a. aim of developing a common purpose that can be adopted by a wide range of

organisations;

b. desire to secure individual support for the common purpose;

c. confusion amongst some respondents about how to respond to the survey; and

d. small number of responses from some organisation categories,

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the responses to questions six to 17 were analysed as a single set ('respondents'),

rather than by category.

20.Unless otherwise stated

a. responses were analysed by identifying key words and phrases; and

b. all words and phrases mentioned more than once were recorded.

What do you believe? You might call this your values, beliefs or something else.

21.Equal access to society is clearly the strongest held belief amongst respondents. It has

two sides:

a. everyone has the right to the same access to society as everyone else; and

b. the services people need to make sure they have access to society should be

provided.

Table 4: What do you believe?

Mentionsequality/equal opportunity/equal access (to services, information, communication etc) 35

everyone should get the support (services, information etc) they need 16

deaf people have a right to communication support 8

people have the right to make their own choices/be involved in decisions that affect them

8

provide high quality services (inc. communication professionals) 7

respect 8

technology has an important role 6

honesty 6

everyone has the right to live independently 4

(equal access to) education (to maximise potential, empower) 4

collaboration/partnership 3

information is important for decision making, empowerment, equality 3

trust 2

fairness 2

understanding 2

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acknowledge staff/volunteers 2

communicate clearly 2

deaf children have a right to access spoken communication 2

fairness/justice 2

What do you exist to do? You might call it your mission, aim, vision or something else.

22.Taking together the top four things respondents do, and in relation to what they believe,

it appears they think equal access to society is best achieved by providing services

that enable, help, support and/or empower people. Important among those services is

the provision of information to both deaf and hearing people.

Table 5: What do you exist to do?

Mentionsprovide service(s) 20

promote/increase equal access/inclusion/accessibility 18

enable/help/support/empower people (to achieve a better quality of life)

13

provide advice and information/educate the public 12

promote/enable effective communication 7

support/promote the provision of quality services 5

raise awareness 4

understand the current situation with a view to offering solutions 3

research and/or policy 3

How do you intend to do it? You might call this your list of strategic aims or objectives, or something else.

23.Respondents' top aim is to provide language or communication services. About half of

those responses were from individual communication professionals.

24.But it is clear that, in terms of organisational aims and objectives, providing

personalised services that are constantly improved is the main focus. Talking to deaf

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and deafblind people about their experiences – and providing them with information - is

key to meeting that aspiration.

25.Following closely on those aims is working with others to raise awareness and effect

change. That includes government, other organisations and wider society.

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Table 6: How do you intend to do what you exist to do?

Mentionsprovide language/communication services 15

develop bespoke/personalised/tailored/responsive solutions 14

constant improvement in services 14

develop partnerships 11

engage with/represent people to local/national government/public services

10

talk to people about their experiences 9

engage with society in general/raise awareness/educate 9

provide information/advice services 7

provide training services 6

research 6

provide clinical services 6

foster/deliver support networks 5

provide/develop technology (services) 3

hold workshops/seminars 2

involve volunteers 2

provide employment services 2

What do you hope will happen because of what you do? You might call these outcomes, results, effects or something else.

26.The outcome respondents hope to see is more people living better, independent lives

that they have control over. Key to that is a society in which everyone enjoys equal

access due to better awareness and understanding of the challenges deaf, Deaf,

deafblind, deafened and hard of hearing people face, the needs they have and the

contribution they make.

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Table 7: What do you hope will happen because of what you do?

Mentionsmore people have more control/live independently/have a better quality of life

17

society deaf aware/better informed/attitudes changed 15

more equal/more accessible/less discriminatory society 15

beneficiaries have access to information/are better informed 11

more people reach their potential/fulfil their aspirations 8

more and/or better service(s) 8

better educational attainment 5

more people better employed/better employment outcomes 5

better access 5

people better able to challenge discrimination/influence policy 4

more people have access to technology 3

evidence based practice/services 2

maximised hearing ability 2

reduced isolation 2

recognition and protection of the interpreting profession 2

What makes you different to other individuals/organisations working in the same area? You might call this your unique selling point, or something else.

27.Respondents value their services and other activities being led by deaf people. That

may mean deaf people actually deliver the activity or inform its development.

28.Unsurprisingly, they want those services to be of a high quality. That means different

things to different people, such as delivering services in BSL, being flexible or

innovating.

29.Small organisations that operate locally value the knowledge and understanding that

comes from being a part of their community. Larger organisations that deliver local

services feel the same.

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Table 8: What makes you different to others working in the same area?

Mentionsdeaf/user led/responsive 10

service quality 10

local knowledge/only local provision 8

work with people with dual sensory loss 4

innovation 3

direct provision 3

understand diversity/have awareness 3

front line staff BSL users/support delivered in BSL 3

flexible/nimble 2

Would a statement of common purpose with other organisations working in the field of deafness be useful for your organisation? Please explain your answer.

30.All reasons given for answers to the question 'would a statement of common purpose

be useful for your organisation' have been included in the tables below. This is because

they are disparate but still provide an insight into respondents' thinking.

31.41 respondents made it clear they think a statement of common purpose would be

useful. The main reasons were that it would

a. increase our individual and collective impact;

b. provide a focus for collective and individual work; and

c. make us individually and collectively stronger because currently the sector is

fragmented.

32.Five made it clear they think it would not. However, three of those gave the reason that

it would not be possible to agree something that was meaningful. They did not say it

would be unhelpful.

33.Another 17 were not sure. Most reasons for these responses related to the detail of the

content, with respondents apparently wanting to 'wait and see'. Other reasons included

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it needing to be adopted by the right organisations and people, and needing to have

practical consequences.

Table 9: Why would a statement of common purpose be useful?

Mentionswe will have greater impact 9

as a point of reference/focus (for campaigning/influencing/working) 7

would make us stronger/more confident (individually and/or collectively) 5

because there is disparity/fragmentation 5

collaboration is always beneficial 2

will make it easier for others to understand deafness and deaf people 2

will show we are working towards the same goals in different ways 2

will aid understanding between us 2

they can be subscribed to publicly 1

would strengthen funding bids 1

raise the profile of UKCoD 1

would make us part of a larger movement 1

will give us a stronger voice 1

could support our work 1

you can always learn from each other 1

Table 10: Reasons given for answering 'no'

Mentionswe will not be able to agree on something meaningful

3

deafened people feel excluded and isolated 1

Table 11: Reasons given for answering 'maybe' or 'not sure'

Mentionsif it is aligned with our organisational mission and vision 2

depends on what it says 2

if it embraces the diversity involved whilst being meaningful 2

if it is embraced by the right organisations 1

if we can agree 1

it would need to be different for adults and children 1

if it has practical consequences 1

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if it included children and young people with additional complex needs 1

it would be more useful to be a united voice 1

we are regional 1

as long as there's no hidden agenda from organisations that focus on BSL 1

What should our common purpose be, and why?

34.A large majority of respondents think the common purpose should be to secure equal

access. An important element of that is to provide the best support and services

possible, or make sure they are provided.

35.Two suggested outcomes matched those respondents hoped would be the result of

their work. They were

a. raising society's awareness and understanding; and

b. making sure people are able to reach their potential or fulfil their aspirations.

Table 12: What should our common purpose be, and why?

Mentionsto secure equal access (services, education, employment, information, communication, involvement/inclusion in all aspects of society)

40

to give/ensure best service/support possible based on needs is available and accessible

15

to raise awareness and understanding 10

to make sure people have the opportunity to reach their potential/fulfil their aspirations

9

collaboration (with each other, other organisations, other relevant issues) 4

to respect individual choice (and provide information and advice to facilitate it) 3

recognition and protection of the communication professions (including standards)

3

to focus on the child and the family 2

to facilitate/ensure/enable access to technology 2

to secure legal status for BSL 2

15


What might get in the way of working together on a common purpose?

36.Respondents feel the biggest barriers to working together on a common purpose are

a. the resources available collectively and to individual organisations; andb. the divisions created by differing priorities, views and approaches of those

organisations

which may be why some respondents feel it will be difficult to identify and agree a meaningful one.

37.The existence of vested interests was also mentioned a significant number of times.

Table 13: What might get in the way of working together on a common purpose?

Mentions(limited and differing) resources 14

different priorities 14

different views 10

vested interests 9

difficulty of identifying and agreeing a meaningful one 7

divisions between Deaf, deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, deafblind and associated organisations

6

different approaches 5

lack of awareness/understanding of each other and what we do 4

competition between organisations (real or perceived) 3

lack of awareness and understanding amongst politicians, service providers etc

3

communication differences 3

not respecting different views and choices 2

sacred cows/entrenched ideas 2

ignorance 2

lack of understanding of the need for one 2

too many organisations 2

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If the government asked you for advice on how to spend £100m to improve the lives of deaf people, what would you say?

38.Respondents suggested many ways in which £100 million of government money could

best be spent. Top of the list was deaf awareness training, particularly for public

service staff but also the general population.

39.Close behind was improved access to education. It included

a. more and better training for teachers of the deaf;

b. training for teachers of all communication methods and techniques; and

c. special schools.

Table 14: If the government asked you for advice on how to spend £100m to improve the lives of deaf people, what would you say?

Mentionsdeaf awareness training (public services, private sector, general population) 18

access to education (teachers of the deaf, teachers of all communication techniques, special schools)

15

access to public services (communication support) 11

funding for professional training in communication 10

access to technology 8

service improvements (audiology, screening, mental health) 8

ask them/us – and listen 7

access to employment 7

initiative to review policy impact and make recommendations, develop a strategy

5

training in communication techniques for deaf people and their families 5

access to health care 4

sign language/deaf awareness learning introduced in all schools 5

community support 3

research 3

video relay services 2

legal recognition of BSL 2

access to entertainment (captioning, subtitling) 2

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Are there any questions we haven't asked that we should have?

40.18 respondents suggested there were questions we didn't ask that we should have.

None of the responses raises any cause for concern about the survey. One suggested

we should have asked respondents how they define themselves as “not all people use

[the] generic word ‘deaf’”.

41.The responses may be useful when designing communications regarding the common

purpose initiative. For example, two suggested asking if the UK Council on Deafness

needed to exist.

What else do you want to say?

42.Many of the 44 additional comments were positive and supportive of the UK Council on

Deafness and the common purpose initiative. They included several offers of

assistance.

43.There were a couple of criticisms of the survey itself. One said it took much longer than

10 minutes to complete – feedback that was received via other means from several

respondents. Another said the survey should have been made available in BSL.

44.One respondent said we "need to identify how it would provide leadership, implement

and support member organisations through the development and implementation of a

common purpose strategy". Another thought it would be useful to explore "the

methodology for establishing a common purpose statement and the scope/focus and

selective participation of relevant groups bodies/individuals to support this exercise,

along with potential timescale, resource implications and potential working model."

45.There are mixed views about us and our role. One respondent urged us to "prepare

well for general election, and produce some kind of shopping wish-list and ask all

political parties how they will meet those targets/outcomes then make official

recommendation to all Deaf people who they should vote for based on the findings".

Another thinks our reputation is "an organisation that has no interest in enriching the

lives of deaf and deafblind people but a place where organisations can come to

publicise their own agenda".

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Conclusion

46.The main 'conclusion' of the survey will be the draft statement of common purpose

itself. But it is worth saying that task will not be difficult given the level of agreement

about values, mission, aims and hoped for outcomes.

47.Whilst the respondents were not as broad or varied as we hoped, that should not be

considered a problem for two reasons. Firstly, the agreement on key values, aims and

hoped for outcomes. Secondly, this was only the first stage of a process. Its intention

was simply to help us draft a statement on which we will conduct further consultation.

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Appendix 1 | Task force terms of reference

Terms

1. 'The sector' means all individuals, groups and organisations that want to effect positive change for deaf people.

2. 'Deaf' includes people who are deaf, Deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, deafblind and those for whom deafness is one of a complex of conditions.

Purpose and role

3. The taskforce will prepare a comprehensive statement of common purpose for the sector.

4. The statement of common purpose will enable organisations to work together to achieve the outcomes deaf people expect.

5. The statement of common purpose will include a clear vision and set of values; a common outcomes framework; priorities for establishing networks and issue based groups; and recommendations for how a sector wide approach could be structured and

organised.6. The common purpose will be

broad enough to allow the vast majority of organisations working in the sector to adopt and enthusiastically promote it; and

sufficiently focused to be clear to anyone an individual, group or organisation wants to influence.

Membership

7. The maximum membership will be seven people. Others may be co-opted for specific tasks or for their expertise.

8. The group will be representative of the sector. It will not be overly influenced by particular charities, interest groups or commercial organisations.

9. Deaf and deafened people will be represented on the taskforce.

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10.Specific roles include Chair: Mike Bishop; Project Manager: Mike Elliott; and Secretariat: Dan Sumners (Signature).

Commitment

11.Taskforce members will be involved for the duration of the project (August 2014 – February 2015); attend the majority of progress meetings in person or via conference call; help confirm the task list and approach; help refine draft reports and recommendations; and help gather feedback by meeting sector leaders during the project and sharing key

findings; help gain acceptance of draft reports and recommendations; and provide resources, such as meeting space, if possible.

Accountability

12.The taskforce will report to the UKCoD Board.

Progress reporting

13.The Chair will give progress reports to the Chair of UKCoD before Board meetings.

Approach

14.The taskforce will collect, interpret and synthesise vision, mission and policy statements from across

the sector; consult with key sector people to establish content and emphasis; create a draft statement of common purpose for discussion; and present a recommended statement of common purpose for the UKCoD Board.

Meetings

15.The taskforce will initially meet face to face. It will then meet via teleconference and in person as appropriate.

16.The Chair will convene meetings, invite guests, set agenda and agree venues.17.Topics for the agenda will be proposed to the Chair seven days before each meeting.18.The Project Manager will take minutes and circulate papers for any formal taskforce

meetings.

21


Sharing of information and resources (including confidential materials)

19.Taskforce members will use all information with discretion and respect requests for confidentiality or “off the record” discussions.

20. If information needs to be made public it will be hosted on the UKCoD website.

Required resources

21.Required resources include meeting space; tele/video conferencing; communication support; report production; and making information available on the UKCoD website

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Appendix 2 | The survey

Following feedback from its members, the UK Council on Deafness wants to develop a

comprehensive statement of common purpose for organisations concerned with deafness

and deafblindness.

The statement will enable us to work together more effectively. It will help us achieve the

outcomes we want and deaf and deafblind people expect.

The statement will include

a clear vision and set of values;

a common outcomes framework;

priorities for establishing networks and issue based groups; and

recommendations for how a sector wide approach could be structured and

organised.

To do this, we need your help. We therefore hope you will complete this survey. It asks

about you, your group, unit, department or organisation. It asks for your views on a

common purpose. It also gives you the opportunity to make other comments you think are

relevant.

The survey will be open until Friday 12 September. We will ask some respondents for

more information in November.

The statement will be completed in December. We will present it publicly in January 2015.

Data protection

The information provided by you in this survey will be used to help us develop a statement

of common purpose. It will not be used in a way that would make it possible to identify your

individual response.

The taskforce leading this project for the UK Council on Deafness will not have access to

your response in a way that would make it possible to identify your individual response.

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We ask for your personal information so we can contact you for more information if

necessary. It will not be used for any other purpose.

We ask for information about your group, unit, department or organisation to help us

develop the statement of common purpose. It will not be used for any other purpose.

Completing the survey

In the survey, we use the terms ‘deaf’ and 'deafness' to include people who are deaf, Deaf,

deafened, hard of hearing, deafblind and those for whom deafness is one of a complex of

conditions.

We have tried to use accessible language in the survey. But if you need to access it in a

different language or format, please contact Dan Sumners via

[email protected].

About you

The first section asks for information about you.

1. What is your name?

2. What is your job title or role?

3. What is your email address?

4. Who are you responding on behalf of?

a. me (individual)

b. me (consultant)

c. me (sole trader)

d. group

e. unit within an organisation

f. department within an organisation

g. charity

h. social enterprise

i. company

j. public service

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k. government department

l. education institution

m. other (please specify)

5. Does your response represent the view of who you are responding on behalf of?

Yes/No

You/your organisation

The second section asks about you, your group, unit, department or organisation. Your

answers will help us understand what you do, why you do it and where you sit in the field

of deafness.

6. What is your group, unit, department or organisation called? If part of a larger

organisation, please tell us its name too.

7. What areas do you work in?

a. deafness

b. deafblindness

c. children

d. younger people

e. older people

f. health

g. technology

h. professional development

i. disability

8. What region do you work in?

a. whole of the UK

b. Great Britain

c. England

d. Northern Ireland

e. Scotland

f. Wales

g. international

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9. What do you believe? You might call this your values, beliefs or something else.

10.What do you exist to do? You might call it your mission, aim, vision or something else.

11.How do you intend to do it? You might call this your list of strategic aims or objectives,

or something else.

12.What do you hope will happen because of what you do? You might call these

outcomes, results, effects or something else.

13.What makes you different to other individuals/organisations working in the same area?

You might call this your unique selling point, or something else.

Developing a common purpose

The third section asks for your views about the idea of developing a 'common purpose' for

organisations working in the field of deafness. Your answers will help us understand how it

could be useful and what it might be.

14.Would a statement of common purpose with other organisations working in the field of

deafness be useful for your organisation? Please explain your answer.

15.What should our common purpose be, and why?

16.What might get in the way of working together on a common purpose?

17. If the government asked you for advice on how to spend £100m to improve the lives of

deaf people, what would you say?

Anything else?

The third section gives you the opportunity to say anything else.

18.Are there any questions we haven't asked that we should have?

19.What else do you want to say?

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer the survey. We will contact you if we

need to discuss your answers in detail. We'll also tell you how the project is going.

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If you want to discuss any of the issues or have any questions, please feel free to contact

Dan Sumners via [email protected].

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