“What is this life, if full of choice
If you take control, and we have no voice?”

  Are you passionate about helping people to do things for themselves? Does the notion of co-production and recovery excite or intrigue you? Do you run a social enterprise? Are you a digital guru? An innovator working across Essex? Or perhaps all of the above? If so you might be interested in an immersive workshop on 29th January, in Chelmsford, Essex. A bit of background During 2016, Essex County Council (ECC).

Read – Listening, Learning & Telling Stories – a new publication in which we share what’s been happening so far in our work to support radical new approaches to citizen engagement in Essex.

Yesterday Essex colleagues gathered for Deliberation Day: the mid point in a review of the Early Years system commissioned by Dave Hill, the Executive Director for People Commissioning, and led by Chris Martin, Integrated Commissioning Director. In a wonderful space at Zinc Arts, we curated a space and time for consideration, deliberation, and voting. And stickers.

It was a real privilege to join West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group’s Board awayday this week, to which I’d been invited to bring a provocation around patient/citizen insight and ethnography. Whilst the brief family stories I shared on film and with quotes/photos were not primarily focused on health-related themes, CCG Board members needed no encouragement to grasp the implications for integrated commissioning of health and social care.

This week we have taken over a fantastic space in the snazzy Harlow Leisure Zone, to run kick-off workshops with colleagues from across Essex who are seeking to change the way they deliver services for working age adults with disabilities.

How can we find better ways to support and enhance the lives of the people of Essex? First we’re working out what the real issues are.  Colleagues from across Essex County Council are doing some very different kinds of activities as part of an ambitious project to improve the support we provide for children and families. This week a group of leaders from across the council (and representing different service.