Coaching health and social care colleagues in South Tyneside

Blog by Lindsay Henderson, Head of Communities at Your Voice Counts

During International Coaching Week 2024 we attended the Yes We Can ‘Coaching... Making a Difference’ conference in Newcastle to talk about our new project that trains people with lived experience of learning disabilities and autism to be coaches for people working in the health and social care sector in South Tyneside.

The project is funded by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENEC ICB) in South Tyneside and directly supports the South Tyneside's Learning Disability Alliance strategy that ensures the voices and views of people with learning disabilities are at the centre of how services are planned and delivered in the area.

Read more about the project and why we wanted to get involved in this blog from our Head of Communities Lindsay Henderson.

“Colleagues in the health and social care sector work in some of the most challenging situations and with the most vulnerable people in society who often feel they don’t have a say in how or if they are supported.

“Here at Your Voice Counts we are really excited to be working alongside six people with lived experience of learning disability and/or autism and Yes We Can to co-produce a new and innovative coaching model in South Tyneside to help improve this. Made possible by funding from the NENEC ICB in South Tyneside and based on the 'Grow' model that is widely used in coaching, we are co-producing an accessible training programme and training these six people to be Lived Experience Coaches.

“This groundbreaking project supports the strategic aim of South Tyneside's Learning Disability Alliance to ensure that the voice and views of people with a learning disability stay firmly at the centre of any support planning.

“Using their newly developed coaching skills, the coaches offer three coaching sessions (plus an introductory meeting) to health and social care staff, helping professionals in different health, housing and social work roles to find their own solutions to particular goals they’ve identified in their working practice.

“We have co-produced accessible processes to match coaches with coachees and the coaches are really enjoying putting these skills into practice. Since joining the programme the coaches have a new set of skills and increased confidence that will help them in both their personal and professional lives as seen by the quotes below.

“I am a strong believer in co-production and how people with lived experience can make a real difference to how services are shaped and delivered. This pioneering coaching model is an absolute delight to be part of. I am learning so much as we go on this journey together and can’t wait to see where it takes us!”

“My experience of the coaching training so far is that it’s a really good opportunity for people with lived experience to be able to coach and help staff in South Tyneside to think about how they improve the support they give to people with a Learning Disability.” Shaun Armour, Lived Experience Coach Trainee

For more information about our coaching project, please contact lindsay.henderson@yvc.org.uk.