Participate in the Community

LearningGuide

Participate in the community

23382 Support a person to participate as a member of the community in a health or wellbeing setting / Level 3 / 3 credits
Name:
Workplace:

Contents

Introduction

Community participation

Supporting people to make choices

Growing relationships

Having dignity of valued social roles

Making choices

Finding opportunities for participation

Community resources

Sharing ordinary places and activities

Identifying aspirations

Know the person you support

Choose the right environment

Level of support

Assisting a person to participate in the community

Resources

Risks

Prepare the person

Monitor and record progress

Tips for monitoring and recording progress

Participate in the community (US 23382) Learning Guide © Careerforce – Issue 3.0 | July 20151

Participate in the community (US 23382) Learning Guide © Careerforce – Issue 3.0 | July 20151

Introduction

This learning guide is about supporting and encouraging people to make their own decisions to be part of a community and supporting them to put those decisions into practice.

How to use your learning guide

This guide supports your learning and prepares you for the unit standard assessment. The activities and scenarios should be used as a general guide for learning.

This guide relates to the following unit standard:

• 23382Support a person to participate as a member of the community in a health or wellbeing setting. (level 3, 3 credits).

This guide is yours to keep. Make it your own by writing notes that help you remember things, or where you need to find more information.

Follow the tips in the notes column.

You may use highlight pens to show important information and ideas, and think about how this information applies to your work.

You might find it helpful to talk to colleagues or your supervisor.

Finish this learning guide before you start on the assessment.

What you will learn

This topic will help you to:

• support a person to make choices about how they want to participate in the community.
• find opportunities for community participation.
• assist a person to participate in the community.

Community participation

Community participation is about being involved in the social life of the community through a network of personal relationships. A community is made up of:

• the physical community – where people are, work and live.
• the social community – where people are involved in the activities of the community.

Community participation is all about the interaction between people. Even the most modern types of communities (such as online) are all about interaction.

The best way to help people participate in their community is tohelp them to build connections.

Some of the things that contribute to community participation are:

• sharing ordinary places and activities.
• making choices.
• contributing.
• growing relationships.
• having the dignity of valued social roles.

These aspectslead to inclusion and participation. If people are to feel included in their communities, it is important to focus our support on these areas – either encouraging people to do those things themselves, or providing support so that they can.

Community participation should not be treated as a special activity that is scheduled into a person’s life, but should be an ongoing way of living. As much as possible all activities should take place in ordinary places.People have valued roles to play and should always be encouraged and supported to make choices, contribute in whatever it is they are doing, and develop relationships.

To meet these goals can be challenging for people and organisations that support them. However, we should do our very best to assist so that the people we support can live full and happy lives.

/ Participation should be treated as an ongoing way of living.

Supporting people to make choices

Many people who we support have lives that focus on the services that they use. This can lead to people becoming isolated from their communities and only having social connections with family members, other people who need support, or paid support workers. You can help to maintain existing relationships by encouraging people you support to keep in contact with their friends, for example, writing letters, sending emails.

As people get older and their family are no longer as available, they are in danger of losing their social contacts. Being an active member of a community helps people to feel part of something, to be able to contribute and therefore be valued and feel valuable, and have fun! This can help increase self-esteem and enjoyment of life. It can help prevent people from becoming isolated and lonely, two problems that are common for people who have limited social networks.

Supporting community participation is about:

• visibility, normalisation and acceptance.
• ensuring participation.
• promoting relationships.
• knowing what resources are available.
• accessing resources.
• having the right support at the right time.
• having choices.
• helping to create an inclusive society.
• providing equal opportunity.

The benefits of community participation include:

• feeling valued.
• having a wide circle of contacts and friendships.
• being valued for playing a particular role.
• having other people look out for you.
• not feeling isolated.
• access to a range of local services.
• improved self-esteem.
• better mental health
• less likelihood of exhibiting challenging behaviour.

Growing relationships

Maintaining relationships makes people feel valued, increases
self-esteem and gives enjoyment.

/ Relationships/friendships/contacts make us feel we are part of a community.

It is this aspect of community participation that is the measure of success for most people, whether they have a support need or not. For example, people who move to a new city often only feel ‘at home’ in their new place once they have developed a circle of friends in the local area – until then people often feel lonely and isolated.

What you can do

Network, network, network – the more people you know in the community, the better you will be able to help people to build their own networks.

You might need to purposely introduce yourself and the person you support to particular individuals or groups, so that they become known and the person you support can start to participate.

Introduce people in ways that gives information about their strengths, not their difficulties.

Help people to maintain existing relationships. For example, support people to send birthday cards, make regular phone calls, send an email, or help with arrangements to meet others.

Help people identify who they would like to get to know better and facilitate the relationship where necessary. For example, you may need to help people to stay in touch, extend an invitation for a coffee, or make a phone call.

Keep records of who is in the person’s network, their contact details (as appropriate) so that the people you support can maintain contact with their networks into the future. People with disabilities may lose contact with friends because details aren’t recorded, or the knowledgeable support worker changes jobs.

Teach skills so the person can build and maintain the relationships that they develop. Some people may not have well-developed skills in this area.

Having dignity of valued social roles

“It is through sharing ordinary places that we become known in our communities. Most people are known as students, co-workers, parents, friends, sports people, club members, neighbours, volunteers and so on. In these roles they contribute to communities and meet others who share their interests. Some people they meet become their friends, and through them their lives are enriched.” John O’Brien.

Having ‘a role’ has double value. It is usually valued by the person who holds the role, and also helps others to see the person in a positive light and be ’valued’ and ‘valuable’ to others. This in turn increases self-esteem, sense of belonging, and happiness.

What you can do

/ Help the people you support to identify their strengths and the roles that they could play in existing and new situations. Often the people we support are already using ‘ordinary places’ but don’t feel ‘part of the community’. Taking on a role can be a way to do this.

Some roles could be adapted so that the person you support could do them, for example, someone might be able to take a turn on the morning tea roster at their church if they had the right support. Someone else might be able to collect money at the school car-wash fundraiser even if they cannot physically wash the cars.

/ Support people to take a turn on the morning tea roster.

Find out what is required of a role, so that you can help the person you support to prepare or practice. Help the people you support to fulfil these roles. Encourage and provide support as required.

Making choices

Choices can be small choices (such as what to eat for lunch, what clothes to wear to the movies, or what time to catch the bus to the rugby game), or big choices (such as where to live, who to live with, what job to do, when to retire). People need to have the opportunity to make the small choices as well as the big choices.

Making choices improves community participation because:

• it gives people a chance to have their say and participate in the ways that they want. This makes it more likely they will want to take part and want to do it again.
• it ensures that the people you support are able to stand up for themselves when required (empowerment).
• it’s a way for people to show their character and personality, and more easily meet similar people.
• a person’s choices can give us clues about the types of activities and situations that they would like to do more of.

What you can do

Give the people you support opportunities to make choices about all of the things that influence their lives.

Provide them with the information they need to make informed choices.

When people are not able to make their own choices, make sure that someone who knows them well and can advocate for them is involved in the decision making.

Finding opportunities for participation

Community resources

There are many community resources that offer support to people, depending on their circumstances. Some of these are:

• Total mobility scheme- offers parking permits so that people can legally use accessible parking spaces. This can make the community easier to access. Contact your local CCS Disability Action for more information.
• Maps- highlight where there are accessible car parks, toilets, or facilities in the community. For example, Wellington City Council has one available on their website, as well as information on accessible accommodation options (motels and hotels) for people visiting the city.
• Discount cards- make community activities more affordable for people with disabilities or limited incomes. For example, Christchurch City Council offers the ‘Kiwiable’ card, which provides discounts to many activities and services.
• Disability Information and Advisory Services (DIAS) in your local area will be able to provide information on issues such as public transport options, accessible eateries, discounts, and directories.
• is a government run website that contains information on all aspects of disability and support. It has links to regional disability information centres.
• The Yellow Pages is a directory of businesses, organisations and services. This can be a good place to search for information on what is available in your community.
• Citizens Advice Bureau is in most main cities and towns. The people at the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) are able to help with enquiries about the local community and services, or point you in the right direction if they are unable to provide assistance. To find a CAB near you go to
• The Internet is also a great resource for finding out what is available in the community.

Find out what else is available in your community.

What you can do / Comments
When activities can take place in community environments (rather than segregated environments) make sure that they happen. Shop at the local supermarket, use the local library, go to the local pool, join a sports team instead of a segregated club, use a supported employment service and get a regular job in the community. / Being physically in the community makes it easier to develop connections.
Know your community – know what activities and services are available and who can help you or give information. / Either get to know the community yourself or find someone who already knows it.
Local, regular, and targeted, ie, doing things locally oftenallows people to ‘bump into’ people locally and start to build a connection over time. Going on ‘outings’ might provide an experience but it does not build community membership. / Your local council might have information about discounts or schemes to help people with disabilities.
Help open the door – familiarity helps people break down barriers about people with disabilities. Provide enough support so that unskilled community members don’t have to take on more than they can handle. As time goes by you might not need to offer so much support. / Contact the local Disability Information and Advisory Services (DIAS) for information on community resources.

The internet is a great resource for finding out what is available in the community.

Sharing ordinary places and activities

Here are some places and activities you might consider when assisting the person you are supporting to meet other people:

• cafes, bars, andrestaurants.
• museums and art galleries.
• sports clubs, sporting fixtures.
• picture theatres and concert venues.
• swimming pools, gyms.
• library.
• church, temple, mosque.
• shops, malls, markets.
• parks, walkways, beaches.
• schools, polytechnics and universities.

As an example, here are some activities that people can do at a park or on a walkway.

• walk.
• exercise.
• play games.
• take photos or paint a picture.
• collect things such as stones, leaves etc.
• meet friends.
• have a picnic or BBQ.
• read.
• relax in the sun.
• feed the ducks.

/ Joining in is important.
Write
Think about a person you support and answer the following questions.
What ‘ordinary places and activities’ does the person you support participate in?
What community resources do they use?
How do they choose what they do?
Who do they have relationships with because of these activities that they would not have otherwise?
How does this participation make the person feel valued?
How does participating in the community enable the person to live a ‘full and happy life’?

Now that you know how the person chooses to engage with their community, it is time to explore how to plan for it and make it happen.

Remember, many people who you support may have at some time had some negative experiences of community participation. Sometimes this is because careful planning hasn’t taken place, the wrong environment was chosen, the person was ‘thrown in’ without the skills they needed to participate, or they weren’t given the support they needed. This can lead to people being worried, sticking to their comfort zone, not wanting to try new things, or being less motivated to try again. For these reasons it is really important that you plan your support well, to avoid negative experiences for the people you support.

Being an active member of a community means ‘giving’ (contributing something) as well as ‘receiving’ (using services, resources).

Encourage the people you support to do something for others, so that a mutual relationship is developed.

Encourage the people you support to do things that benefit individual community members and/or the whole community, for example, community improvement days replanting trees, neighbourhood watch.

Emphasise what people can contribute and encourage people to make use of their skills so that they are seen in a positive light.

Making a contribution improves a person’s participation because:

• other people notice the person, value them, and are more likely to invite them to participate next time.
• the person will probably get positive feedback about their contribution, which makes them want to continue.
• it’s a way to build long lasting relationships and connections within the community.
• it’s a way to be seen in a positive light and alter the way that people might think about others with disabilities.

There are many aspects to consider. It can be helpful to have a table or chart to fill in, such as the example on the next page.

Name of person:
Name of support person:
Person’s learning outcome (goal or aspiration), choices and abilities.
Community environment - the environment(s) where the plan will be implemented.
Resources required: Costs, aids, equipment, transport, etc
Adaptations. Outline any adaptations required to make the activity achievable for the person.
Learning/teaching strategies. List specific strategies required, eg encouragement, teaching one step at a time, providing feedback.
Preparing the individual. Changes to the environment, making the situation easier.
Exit plan. Describe how to leave the environment if required.
Possible risks and management strategies andwhat will be done to lessen or eliminate them.
Other. List any other relevant factors or support requirements.

Identifying aspirations

Information about a person’s wishes and aspirations can often be found in their personal plans. There is usually a section where the person explains what they want in their life, their general goals or dreams, and what is important to them. However, it is also important to make sure that information is up to date as people’s aspirations change over their lifetime and what someone is interested in as a child is usually different to their interests and aspirations as an adult. Community participation is still an important part.