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Whose Shoes?® has received great reviews throughout the country and is widely renowned as a genuinely useful tool for helping people to think about the bigger picture, and how personalisation can be realistically achieved"

Leicestershire County Council

Whose Shoes?® was an excellent tool to use as part of our Inter-Professional Learning Workshops with nursing and social work students. It really helped the students to explore each other’s roles and it helped to create really useful discussions regarding partnership working"

Sarah Booth
Practice Education Facilitator, Community Health Stockport

Really useful learning tool which helps creative and practical thinking”

Rose Bradley
Practice Trainer, Worcestershire County Council

People have universally enjoyed the game”

Jo Yelland
Lead: Putting People First and Integration, Plymouth City Council

It stimulated a lot of very good discussion, it raised a lot of issues and concerns from the team which were aired and clarified”

Carol Rowe
Workforce Development Manager, Bradford City Council

Whose Shoes?® has been very well received in Newham. In July (2010), we will be focusing on Self Directed Support as part of the Mayor's town show. We will be using the board game to assist members of the public to ask questions and participate."

London Borough of Newham

The poems were fab and funny”

Gill Manning-Smith
Programme Manager, Adult Social Care Transformation, Buckinghamshire County Council

It’s a fantastic idea which worked well during training sessions with social work teams”

Steve Morgan
Workforce Development Officer (Adult Provider Services), Gateshead Council

It went down very well and provided an excellent way of EVERYBODY getting involved and talking about issues and it was FUN”

Maggie McNamara
Commissioning Officer, (Self Directed Support), Nottinghamshire County Council

We really liked the idea that you weren't playing in competition with each other, but as one team, driving to co-deliver changes to adult social care."

Laura Walker
Communications Advisor, Adult Transformation, Newcastle City Council

... a very different way to engage in conversations / capture issues with regards to Transformation."

Laura Walker
Communications Advisor, Adult Transformation, Newcastle City Council

Feedback from the staff reference group was very positive. The game generated a lot of discussion from different points of view and helped staff to see the bigger picture. Discussions were more informal and interactive than generally occurs at large meetings and staff found the experience enjoyable and beneficial…"

Sandrina Mapletoft
SDS Commissioning Officer, Nottinghamshire County Council

Middle managers are looking for answers - but answers will emerge as we move forward. It is all about professional judgements. This is an excellent tool to help us find those answers and make progress”

Learning and Development Manager
Kent County Council

The feedback was very good – we particularly liked the way in which the cards prompted lots of discussion (too much at times!) and that even people with no prior knowledge of personalisation were able to contribute. We are using the game as part of our training programme"

Kerry Davies
Senior Development Consultant, Walsall Council

Whose Shoes?® is the best facilitation tool I have seen in over 30 years in social work"

Dorothy Hall
Independent Social Worker and Practice Assessor

I've played Whose Shoes?® to learn what it was all about and found it extremely useful. It's a really useful tool to help spread the personalisation message!"

Melanie Turnbull
Commissioning Policy & Planning Officer (Personalisation) Durham County Council

We are still using Whose Shoes?® in personalisation training with internal and external staff - the feedback they give is very positive and it breaks the ice during the training session"

Helen Tindell
Workforce Planning and Development, North Lincolnshire Council

The Whose Shoes?® material is exceptional in its ability to promote questions about both the process and our understanding of personalisation and its outcomes”

Ray Massey
Training Coordinator, Learning & Development Team, London Borough of Redbridge

Whose Shoes?® should be a mandatory exercise for all involved in personalisation!"

Community Engagement Officer
NW MBC

Brilliant..Personalised..Creative, Effective & Stimulating Facilitation!"

Dr Karim Saad
Regional Clinical Lead for Dementia, NHS West Midlands

On behalf of the team I would like to thank you for your input into our away day. It was really excellent. I would recommend this to other staff groups"

Pat Ashby
Team Leader, Young Onset Dementia Service, Coventry

All those who participated in the Macmillan Cancer Support workshops found the Whose Shoes tool extremely useful, particularly when used to deal with challenging topics and difficult questions."

Tony Banach
Learning and Development Manager, Macmillan Professionals, Macmillan Cancer Support

The tool enables users to explore different perspectives in a constructive way."

Tony Banach
Learning and Development Manager, Macmillan Professionals, Macmillan Cancer Support

This is an excellent way of exploring the range of views held in relation to personalisation."

Ali Gardner
Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Work, Manchester Metropolitan University

It is fun, non-threatening but very challenging. It’s a great teaching tool."

Ali Gardner
Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Work, Manchester Metropolitan University

In Nottinghamshire, the Self Directed Support Team love the game and are becoming sufficiently confident to champion it wider across the adult care workforce now."

Veronica Bell
Team Leader (Training) Self Directed Support, Nottinghamshire County Council

It is so exciting that we have good robust collaborations with service users and carers and are working hard now to develop collaborative learning with health colleagues …I feel the game can support us here. "

Veronica Bell
Team Leader (Training) Self Directed Support, Nottinghamshire County Council

Thank you for giving this learning opportunity. As a student and almost a newly qualifying social worker, the game developed my understanding of the personalisation agenda and how it’s implemented in practice."

Angela Yeboah
Final Year Social Work Student, Manchester Metropolitan University

The discussions when playing the game outlined some dilemmas and challenges within practice. I now feel equipped, taking on what I learnt within my future practice and remain committed to the values of the personalisation agenda."

Angela Yeboah
Final Year Social Work Student, Manchester Metropolitan University

Whose Shoes? was an excellent tool to use as part of our Inter-Professional Learning Workshops with nursing and social work students. It really helped the students to explore each other’s roles and it helped to create really useful discussions regarding partnership working"

Sarah Booth
Practice Education Facilitator, Community Health Stockport

It gave me more of an understanding of nurses' roles; I enjoyed the game, it created good discussions"

Social Work Student comment via Sarah Booth
Practice Education Facilitator, Community Health Stockport.

The impact Whose Shoes? can have re developing User and Carer knowledge and understanding about the Personalisation Agenda is fantastic - and with the additional social outcomes it has for partnership and peer learning - its phenomenal. People absorb more when they are having a good time!!!"

Barbara Dalby
Carer, Hull

We have really loved this session. It's a far more creative approach to learning than anything we normally do. We will ask our lecturers to purchase it!"

Social work students on placement with a housing provider who attended a Whose Shoes? workshop (... and did indeed persuade their lecturers to become customers!)

I was blown away with how much any one person coming from whatever perspective can gain in knowledge by playing a game in the right context (training days/ presentations & interactive workshops etc)"

Sharon Terry
Expert by Experience, East Riding

As both a freelance and an employed development worker, I have been pleased to introduce Whose Shoes? to citizen groups keen to make their own experiences available to policy makers and professionals as part of working towards more personalised responses to individual support needs."

Jeff Wheelwright
Independent Social Care Consultant

Gill gave us an inspirational session and responded positively to the differing views of our participants - who were from a wide variety of care sectors."

Ray Massey
Training Coordinator, London Borough of Redbridge

The feedback we received for this training event was overwhelmingly positive - even from those individuals who were not initially certain about the concept and the material."

Ray Massey
Training Coordinator, London Borough of Redbridge

I can whole heartedly recommend Gill and her company Nutshell Communications as a Value for Money champion around Personalisation, Service User involvement and positive ways forward for everyone involved in care provision."

Ray Massey
Training Coordinator, London Borough of Redbridge

Gill has produced a thought-provoking resource. By bringing people with different viewpoints together, you have an automatic exchange of perspectives and powerful exchange of ideas"

Gerry Nosowska
Research and Development Officer, (RIPFA) research in practice for adults

Gill is a very creative, person-centred worker whose board game Whose Shoes is an excellent tool to stimulate discussion, and sometimes argument, in addition to enjoyable learning around all the key issues and themes of personalisation. Her creative scene setting is worth participating in if you get the chance"

Ken Stapleton
Social Work Advisor, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Carrie created a wonderful graphic record of the session which has just now gone up on our wall for all staff to see."

Allison Rosenthal
Training and Communication Officer, London Borough of Barnet

The session included Carers, Experts by Experience, Social Workers who all looked at personalisation issues from different perspectives. It was a very energising and engaging workshop the benefits of which are still being experienced."

Allison Rosenthal
Training and Communication Officer, London Borough of Barnet

Gill demonstrated her fantastic board game 'Whose Shoes?®' to over 50 senior managers of social care provider organisations delivering across Glasgow. Gill's enthusiasm and passion for the subject of Personalisation and Self Directed Support shone through."

Charlie Barker-Gavigan
Director, Social Care Ideas Factory, Glasgow

The phenomenal feedback about Gill and the game was astounding ..."

Charlie Barker-Gavigan
Director, Social Care Ideas Factory, Glasgow

Gill is as an entrepreneurial change maker! She helped us in our aim to 'nudge' the concept of personalisation & SDS onward and upward with staff and organisations in a way that encourages intelligent, thought-provoking conversations and thinking differently."

Charlie Barker-Gavigan
Director, Social Care Ideas Factory, Glasgow

We bought the board game Whose Shoes?® - it is very good indeed!"

Dorothy Jarvis-Lee
CEO, UBU

This is a fantastic tool which I've used many times to guide staff through change, interact with commissioners and explain to service users about what services are available."

Philippa Codd
Service Development Director - Housing, Health & Social Care, Mears Group

It enables discussion and flow of ideas for all - it's fun and makes you think outside of the box. Gill is the creator of something truly wonderful, which has the opportunity to develop and get better and better!"

Philippa Codd
Service Development Director - Housing, Health & Social Care, Mears Group

Gill Phillips understands that implementing personalisation is complex, as is meeting everyone’s needs and aspirations in life. Whose Shoes?® reflects that complexity. As a facilitation tool, it is empowering and insightful to all who engage with it - an ideal tool to kick start some proper co-production!"

Angie Carter
Specialist Occupational Therapist in Assistive Technology and Personalisation

Whose Shoes?® is such an innovative approach to a sensitive subject and 100% fits with the learner-centred and brain friendly approach that First Class Learning and Development is so passionate about."

Helen Ashton
Facilitator, Learning and Development Specialist and Partner, First Class Learning and Development

The rich conversations that took place meant that potentially contentious or sensitive issues were explored in greater depth without people feeling awkward. This resulted in good quality information being gathered in a relaxed environment."

Carrie Lewis
Facilitator and Trainer, New Possibilities who acted as graphics facilitator at "Growing Our Community", a service user engagement event in Oxfordshire

I very much look forward to being part of such innovative events with Gill and Nutshell Communications in the future!"

Carrie Lewis
Facilitator and Trainer, New Possibilities who acted as graphics facilitator at "Growing Our Community", a service user engagement event in Oxfordshire

We are really grateful for the excellent contribution you made to our Festival of Ideas in Leeds. Thank you for a really successful, interactive Whose Shoes? session!”

Maria Brodt
Services and Marketing, SITRA

We have really loved this session. It's a far more creative approach to learning than anything we normally do. We will ask our lecturers to purchase it!"

De Montford University Social Work Student
On placement with a housing provider who attended a Whose Shoes?® workshop ... and they did indeed persuade their lecturers to become customers!

I have been involved in running Whose Shoes? sessions with Extra Care residents. What was immediately apparent was how the tool empowers tool residents of care establishments to have a voice. I can see huge potential in promoting debates that support people to speak up.”

Dorothy Hall
Independent Social Worker and Practice Assessor

I have spent my career as a social worker supporting very vulnerable people who are the subjects of the care industry, but whose views are often unheard. The game spontaneously exposes negative views & facilitates good ideas. It is the best facilitation tool I have seen in over 30 years in social work.”

Dorothy Hall
Independent Social Worker and Practice Assessor

I wish you every success in your venture, Gill. I believe in the importance of the work that you do. I know that it makes a big difference in my life and in the lives of people affected by dementia."

Larry Gardiner
International speaker and dementia advocate, living with dementia

On behalf of the team I would like to thank you for your input into our away day. It was really excellent. I would recommend this to other staff groups"

Pat Ashby
Team Leader, Young Onset Dementia Service, Coventry

Whose Shoes?® was a fantastic way to discuss the issues of personalisation in a friendly, comfortable, non-threatening environment."

Stephanie Flower
CEO, Enrych (previously Ryder Cheshire Volunteers)

The workshop Gill ran for us had such an impact on our work that we bought two copies of the game, which can be used to broaden thinking (and horizons) across the wider organisation. Well done Gill - an invaluable resource for all."

Stephanie Flower
CEO, Enrych (previously Ryder Cheshire Volunteers)

Thank you so much for the day, Gill, we have received a lot of very positive feedback. It was great and people were thrilled with your game"

Kym Billington-Baddley
Head of Staffordshire Social Care Workforce Partnership (SSCWP)

Thanks again for your time, enthusiasm and support yesterday to make our festival of ideas event another fabulous success! Well done to you! I attach the evaluation we have pulled together from everyone’s comments. Great stuff!"

Charlie Barker
Director, Glasgow Social Care Providers' Forum

I really enjoyed the workshop. Whose Shoes?® is a challenging, but safe, fun way of exploring a range of views and perspectives on personalisation. A great learning and development tool it can also be used in other arenas such as team meetings to generate personalisation big picture discussions"

Dorothy Lowe
Learning and Development Business Partner, Care and Person Centred Planning, National Autistic Society

As a student and almost a newly qualifying social worker, the game developed my understanding of the personalisation agenda and how it’s implemented in practice."

Angela Yeboah
Final Year Social Work Student, Manchester Metropolitan University

I now feel equipped, taking on what I learnt into my future practice and I remain committed to the values of the personalisation agenda!"

Angela Yeboah
Final Year Social Work Student, Manchester Metropolitan University

Gill is passionate about her work. She understands her subject and this is reflected in the content of the Whose Shoes?® tool. She makes her workshops interesting and educational and encourages all levels of staff to discuss problems associated with health or social care. Gill is a great colleague and service provider"

Val Barcroft
Organiser of Whose Shoes?® workshop at Bangor University

We have used the Whose Shoes?® game as part of our Inter Professional Learning (IPL) workshops with nursing and social work students, and the session was really well evaluated. One of the evaluation comments from a social work student was "it gave me more of an understanding of nurses' roles; I enjoyed the game, it created good discussions"

Sarah Booth
Practice Education Facilitator, Community Health Stockport