News

Curriculum Vitae
Name: Des Kelly. Current Job:  Director, National Care Forum.
Qualifications: BSc and MA in Applied Social Studies, CQSW.
Last job: Partnerships director, BUPA.
First job: Care assistant.  

The Forum's aims

• To speak as one "not for profit" voice for members at a national level.
• To inform the Department of Health and other bodies of the facts, potential solutions and to have a seat at the relevant policy forums.
• To develop improved standards for service users and staff.
• To be acknowledged as a source of expertise in the care sector.
• To work in partnership with councils and health services.
• To improve the effectiveness of members through information, policy analysis, knowledge exchange and representation.

Establishing a new membership organisation takes more than just advertising and sitting back and waiting for people to come along. Des Kelly, director of the National Care Forum (NCF) believes that keeping your focus on the organisation's core purpose is the key to building both membership and profile. "It's easy to get side-tracked into things which may be interesting but are not central to what you are doing," he says. "There's a danger of being very busy but not very effective."


In the debate about the future of care and support services, the NCF is increasingly being seen as the representative voice of the not-for-profit sector. Kelly says that its aim is to promote quality in care services. "We were concerned that the only message being heard was that councils don't pay enough. We want to move the debate on and focus on quality and modernising services."

Part of that modernisation process means residential care services being adapted for respite or rehabilitation. "Our members are increasingly doing this kind of work. We want commissioners to recognise that quality and innovation matter."

Although residential care for older people looms large, Kelly emphasises that NCF covers a range of clients and care services, including adults with disabilities or drug and alcohol problems. For example, home and day care services and assisted living are the fastest growing part of the membership, reflecting changes in the sector.

Since Kelly joined NCF at its launch in 2003, membership has almost doubled from 17 to 32 and now includes large organisations such as Anchor, Abbeyfield and Community Integrated Care (CIC). He finds that personal approaches work best in attracting new members. "We are still at the early stages of developing the organisation so we appeal to people who are interested in contributing to its future shape. We involve members as fully as possible in forming the strategy."

Tailoring approaches to individuals and emphasising the benefits of membership is important. "We identified those organisations we wanted to talk to. It's a bit like a courtship. You get your first opportunity to talk about the Forum and then you invite them to a meeting or give them some information that will be useful for them. I try to respond in a way which demonstrates we've been listening to what they say."

With a staff of only two, most of the work of NCF is done by eight committees, including marketing and communications, social care policy and training and development. Committee members are all directors in their organisations. "The hardest part is remembering people have full-time jobs so it takes a long time to get things done," says Kelly. "I get as involved as I can in committee work to help complete work so timescales don't drift."


Keeping on message can also be a challenge. "You're judged on everything you do and it's important to be consistent. Someone's perspective from their individual organisation may not always line up with what is right for NCF as a whole," he says.

Probably the biggest benefit for directors of being part of a member organisation is the opportunity for learning and peer support in what can be isolated jobs. "Directors usually find they are all dealing with similar issues so they can learn from one another. They value that. It's easier to pick up the phone when you've got to know someone sitting on a committee together."

As a representative voice of its sector NCF is involved in discussions with the Department of Health and the Commission for Social Care Inspection on policy developments, but it may be some time before the Today programme rings Kelly for a comment. "Because the sector is so fragmented there's a lot of competition for air time. You reach a tipping point when your profile and membership mean that people start to knock on your door. We're making progress but we haven't got there yet." 

TOP TIPS

• Focus on your core purpose and make sure that everything you do is consistent with it.
• Be aware of what your competitors have to offer and emphasise the benefits of membership.
• Tailor your approaches to the individual needs of potential members.    

RUBBISH TIPS

• Rely on mail-outs and advertising to promote the benefits of membership.
• Spread yourself thin and get involved in everything that's going on.
• Treat committee members like staff and expect work to be done quickly.