in control first phase report 2003-2005

19The Board’s main job is to push forward the development of the model.80 authorities are now members of in Control, actively implementing thesystem and feeding back learning within in Control network events. TheEditorial Board then further develops aspects of the model in line withfeedback.During the early phase of in Control a Project Group gathered the informationlearned from the six pilots and this is summarised below.Learning from the pilot sitesIn September 2003 in Control began working with six local authorities totest the model and, in testing it, to develop it further.Each authority agreed to apply the system locally such that 15 people in theauthority would be allocated a personalised budget, create their own supportplan and arrange support that suited them.The six pilot authorities each adopted a particular focus in order to maximiselearning in the project as a whole:✳ Essex – support brokerage.✳ Gateshead – reproviding a hostel✳ Redcar and Cleveland – modernisation of a day service✳ South Gloucestershire – people in out-of-authority placements✳ West Sussex – people with high support needs✳ Wigan – young people in transition from childhood to adulthood.Findings from the evaluation of these projects are included in later chapters.In addition, information about what worked well and not so well in thesix sites was gathered in local stakeholder events.Some of the feedback is included below:✳ In Essex the Brokerage Project played a strong role in helping people achievedesired changes in their lives. At the same time there was an often-repeatedcomplaint that the brokerage role was not made clear enough and this ledto some resistance and discontent amongst care managers. (See the fullreport: Essex Brokerage Pilot – Report on Research Evaluation on in Control’swebsite: www.in-control.org.uk.✳ Gateshead found that the use of a Resource Allocation System to setpersonalised budgets proved very useful, allowing them to allocate funds topeople leaving a hostel and to help people develop services that were moreappropriate. The major obstacle to change was one of achieving a sharedunderstanding of what this new approach would mean to families and tostaff. Gateshead also supported a provider forum that aimed to ensure thatthose people without strong family connections would be able to move outof the hostel into arrangements with strongly individual supports. A new Operating System