The Hertfordshire Micro Market Project
Increasing local choices by helping people to set up and run micro care and support services
Tracy AhernHertfordshire Micro Market Coordinator
Introducing the Hertfordshire Micro Market Project
This project is being run until August 2013 by Community Catalysts in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council
It is helping local people to set up very smallcare and support servicesWe call these local people micro providers
This will help make personalisation happen so that peoplewho need care or support, have more things to choose from
Things covered in this presentation
What a micro provider is
What micro providers do
The kind of people that become micro providers
Things that are good about micro providers
Problems that micro providers can have
How the Micro Market Project helps micro providers
Finding out about the micro providers we are working with
What a micro provider is
Provider of a very small care or support service
5 or less paid workers or volunteers
Completely independent and doesn't belongto a larger organisation
May be run on a self-employed basis, small business, or community venture
Some may be offered at no cost, and others willbe paid for by people’s personal budgets or own money
What micro providers do
Each micro provider is different
They offer different services in different ways to different people
Some micro providers work with people with a learning disability
Other micro providers work with people with a physical disability, older people or people with mental health needs
What micro providers do
A few examples of the sorts of services set up by micro providers
1-1 care or support Opportunities to take part in leisure or sporting activities
A chance to meet Opportunities to learnfriends new skills such as farming
The kind of people that become micro providers
People who are passionate about giving the right care or supportand who want to do it on a very small basis
People who become micro providers might include :People who have worked in social care Family members of people who may have needed care or support People who may have care or support needs themselves
Things that are good about micro providers
They want to make a real difference to the lives of the people they support
They have a very personal interest in how the service is delivered
Things that are good about micro providers
They work with very small numbers of people
They know each person very personally and what they like and don’t like really well They work flexibly in a very personal and individual way
They put each person at the centre of things
Things that are good about micro providers
A micro provider is their own boss
People can give their own ideas about what they want to do A micro provider doesn't have to ask management if it is ok to do it
Things that are good about micro providers
Each micro provider is uniquejust like each person they work with
They can come up with newways of doing things that noone else has thought of
Problems for micro providers
There can be a lot of standards and rules to follow
Micro providers can be very isolated
It can be hard for them to find things outand to let people know about what they can do
All of this can make it very hard for someone to set up a micro service
Help from the Hertfordshire Micro Market Project
The Micro Market Project is here to help micro providers
We give them the recognition, advice andinformation that they need
We are helping more of these services to set up This means people who need some extra help or support have more chance of getting the kind of help they want
How the Micro Market Project helps micro providers
One person to contact for individual help
Help with ideas for new services
Help to understand personalisation
Help with marketing opportunities
How the micro market project helps micro providers
Help to fix and solve problems
Help to find organisations that can offer
expert advice
Help to find training
How the Micro Market Project helps micro providers
Help for micro providers to support
one another
Letting people know the good things
about micro services
Working with the County Council to help
reduce barriers
Finding out about the micro providers we are working with
We regularly send an updated list to a wide range of organisations and peoplewho are in contact with people who may be interested in using services that are offered by micro providers.
We are also helping micro providers to register on the new eMarketplace