in control first phase report 2003-2005

42The outcomesin Control set out to implement a new system and learn from the experience,rather than formally to evaluate an ‘intervention’. In terms of traditionalresearch design, this means that we have to be cautious about interpretingthe questionnaire results, particularly in terms of assuming that the inControl pilot project caused the changes reported here. It is also importantto note that information was collected from 31 people – not all of thosethat participated. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we would see thesame changes if information could have been gathered from everyone whoparticipated in the project. Having taken these cautions into account, wecan say that the in Control pilot project has been associated with importantimprovements in people’s lives. What is more, improvements in relation toevery key to citizenship were reported less than a year after the introductionof in Control.Findings in the first area – self-determination – are included below. Findingsfor the other five key areas are presented in the chapters that follow.Self-determinationPositive changes were found in several areas associated with personal controlin life – self-determination.The number of people taking important decisions over their lives doubled.At Time 1, for example, only 3 people had chosen their own staff. By Time2 this had increased to 13.FIGURE 16Do you make make important decisions decisions in your life? inyour life?BeforeAfterA report on in Control’s first phase 2003-2005