Local people with lived experience of poverty were recruited as community commissioners in Dundee's first 'poverty truth commission'. They worked alongside 'civic' commissioners who represented organisations with significant roles to play in tackling hardship and offered support and responses where needed. Together, they formed a strong and powerful voice to challenge inequality.
The community commissioners came together to develop the confidence to contribute fully in a unique and challenging setting alongside senior and experienced professional members. They were supported to share their personal stories, highlighting the impact that poverty has played in their lives, including ongoing struggles with poor mental health, physical health conditions, low or no incomes and tussles with the benefit system and the introduction of universal credit. Despite many pressures, community commissioners showed huge commitment to participate in an 18 month process. Their courage in sharing often intimate and powerful stories about their experiences helped civic commissioners to better understand the reality of living with little or no money and the impact this has on the way they are treated by services and the public. They developed skills and understanding in reaching out into communities and turning their well-researched ideas into deliverable recommendations which were presented to large audiences and powerful officials and politicians.
The challenge
Given that levels of deprivation in Dundee have been consistently among the highest in Scotland (e.g. over 29% of our population live in the 15% most deprived datazones in Scotland), the City Council and Dundee Partnership recognised the need to take new, more effective action and made a commitment to work with local people to deliver its Fairness Action Plan. The poverty truth commission model was adapted to reflect the Dundee context and designed to achieve a number of outcomes:
- a meaningful voice for people with lived experience of poverty, along with an opportunity to work with others and to facilitate personal development
- a deep and personal experience for civic leaders to gain a new perspective by working alongside and developing relationships with community commissioners and influencing their professional practice
- action to address identified poverty issues/opportunities during the lifetime of the commission
- genuinely co-produced recommendations for better responses.
This collaborative learning approach empowered citizens to significantly shape the council's and the Dundee Partnership's current and future planning on the city's biggest strategic priority. Placing the voice of those struggling against poverty at the heart of this work also honoured the principle underpinning poverty truth commissions that `Nothing About Us, Without Us, is For Us'.
Actions and approach
Much of the commission's work focused on how council and other public services can be much more poverty sensitive. Once service providers understand the causes and consequences of poverty on individuals and their families, they are much more likely to respond compassionately and look for ways in which they can tweak and target services effectively.
Examples from the commission include a new approach to letters, texts and emails to tenants in rent arrears so that they are more likely to come forward for help and stop the problems that can be exacerbated by escalating levels of debt.
Members held a focus group with frontline service providers on front desks at Skills Development Scotland, Hillcrest Housing Association and Dundee House, the Council's main office. They gathered views on the impact of continuous pressure of dealing with members of the pubic who are in need and have often been treated poorly by other services. The commission included recommendations to support and train frontline staff so that they don't feel overwhelmed, especially when they have dealt with a crisis or someone who is aggressive.
The Commission as a whole agreed to investigate common themes emerging from stories that they knew were big issues for people in Dundee. They selected stigma, money and mental health for further work. This included holding focus groups and surveys with service users and providers, study visits to local projects and groups, interviews with local editors and journalists about the way they portray people in poverty, and engagement with leaders from the new Social Security Scotland which is headquartered in the city and has pledged to put dignity, fairness and respect at the heart of everything they do.
After working with local stakeholders to co-produce a series of recommendations, the Commission's final report was launched at a conference in November 2018. Community commissioners introduced the event, participated in creative presentations to illustrate the day-to-day impact of poverty and presented their recommendations. They also presented the final report in person to the Dundee Partnership, to Dundee City Council's Policy and Resources Committee and, finally, to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Communities at the Scottish Parliament.
Impact and results
Picture a room of 24 people. Half of them who feel powerless and aren't used to being heard. The other half of them have significant influence in organisations that can shape the quality of life for people in the city. Look again a year later. Here's a strong unit that has formed relationships and share a real understanding of the impact of poverty in Dundee. Finally, picture those same `powerless' people presenting their recommendations at a conference, in the City Chambers and at a face-to-face meeting with a Cabinet Secretary at the Scottish Parliament.
Even during the course of the commission, its work began to have an impact:
- A test of change prompted by the People and Money sub-group led to joint work to improve the rent arrears communication of Hillcrest Housing Association with their tenants.
- Commissioners were given the opportunity to comment on the draft job descriptions and person specifications for positions at the new Social Security Scotland Agency that has its HQ in Dundee. This enabled members to highlight that the person-centred values of the new service were not reflected in the recruitment materials. The proposed changes recommended by the group were inserted, so they were more likely to attract people who would show empathy and respect.
- The research into the experience of mental health services has been particularly impactful. This has been presented to the Dundee Drug Commission and adds to the wealth of evidence that is shaping the recommendations that will be made on reducing drug deaths in the city. It was also acknowledged as evidence to the ongoing inquiry into Mmental Health Services in Tayside.
- Commission members met the Chair of the NHS independent review of mental health services to ensure that their findings influence the shape of future services. Even more influentially, members of the commission are working closely with the managers of mental health services in the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership to develop proposals for a 24/7 drop in self-referral service that will be designed with, and around, the needs of clients and carers.
Results are not just about numbers. This work has given people a voice and has led to a culture shift in how people regard inequality, and that change in mindset will have an impact on service delivery. Here's what some of the civic commissioners said the experience meant for them:
“We have to be able to truly understand what it feels like to be fighting against poverty day after day. And the only way of doing that is to listen to the stories, views and ideas of the people experiencing it firsthand. That's why it has been such a privilege to work alongside members of the Commission. Our discussions and investigations helped me to understand what life is like for Dundonians trying to get out from under debt, searching for work that earns a decent wage or sliding towards a physical or mental health crisis and the hardship that can follow” - John Alexander, Leader of Dundee City Council.
“My thinking has changed; I'm looking forward to putting some of those ideas into action in my own organisation and trying to influence others to engage differently as well” - Gordon McDougall, Skills Development Scotland.
“The stories I heard about the experiences individuals have had, and are still having, really shocked me. It was important to hear them and it was really powerful that we were all united together in our desire to deliver real change. Sometimes as officers we try to fix things. The Commission taught me that the best solutions come from honest conversations based on mutual trust and understanding and that no one person can have all the answers” - Elaine Zwirlein, Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services, Dundee City Council.
“Being part of the Fairness Commission has been a great privilege. Hearing people's stories was simultaneously deeply moving, infuriating and inspiring, and I was deeply affected and galvanised into action by listening to commissioners' experiences. The actions we have recommended are ones that we believe will make real difference to people in our city, because they are directly informed and shaped by those experiencing the effects of inequality” - Angela Vettraino, Developing the Young Workforce, Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce.
Some of the most profound results are the changes in participants themselves, thanks to going through this learning and change process together. There is a new and deep understanding and commitment on the part of the civic commissioners to act on what they've learned about the real impact on the lives of families in Dundee. For community commissioners, there has been the opportunity to develop their own confidence and skills while influencing the attitudes and ongoing practice of their civic colleagues. They have said: “I've grown in confidence through this process. If we can get one thing changed, it will make a difference”; “The Commission is a place I can express myself and feel useful”; “I used to think `Oh, I can't say that, that's really stupid!' But now I feel I can share my thoughts and speak up”.
How is the new approach being sustained?
Now that the process is complete, community commissioners are still contributing. They have been invited to participate in mystery shopping for services, they continue to discuss new mental health services and are to be consulted on the emerging Fairness/Child Poverty Action Plan that will include their recommendations. The long-term impact will be secured through the new Fairness Leadership Panel in which the community commissioners will be participating as full and equal partners.
Lessons learned
Commissioners were determined to broaden the conversations on their priority issues to ensure that they genuinely reflected broad experience in Dundee. As a result they designed and facilitated a number of surveys and focus groups. The mental health group, in particular, strove to reach people who would not usually have a relationship with shaping services. They designed a questionnaire asking about people's access to and experience of mental health services. With support from many partner agencies, they were able to conduct 122 questionnaires face-to-face with individuals; they held eight focus groups reaching another 42 people; and organised an online survey which received 90 responses. All of these were analysed and pulled together into an in-depth report that has already been shared with the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, the Dundee Drugs Commission and the Tayside Mental Health Independent Inquiry Team.
It is clear that the participation of senior elected members and officers has reinforced their views that our people have to be at the heart of the Council's planning and decision making and another commission is being recruited to build on the work of the first.
Next steps
A Fairness Leadership Panel will be formed by the end of 2019, bringing together members, officers, community planning partners and community commissioners to ensure that the implementation of the forthcoming Fairness Action Plan is being driven forward. Recently members met with similar groups from North Ayrshire and Shetlands to provide advice on how they might build on the Dundee process.
For further information on this case study, please contact
Peter Allan
peter.allan@dundeecity.gov.uk
01382 434465