Learning to hear voices: Listening to users of mental health services

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Abstract
This article reports findings from a User's Councils project developed as part of a multi-dimensional approach to the development of user-led community care services: the Birmingham Community Care Special Action Project (CCSAP). The evaluation of the user involvement dimension of CCSAP sought to answer three basic questions: Who was involved? How were they involved? What were the outcomes of involvement? This article highlights the particular significance of enabling users of mental health services to express a ‘voice’ which is recognized as valid by those professionally involved with their care. It identifies the different motivations and purposes which encourage users to become involved in user councils and emphasises the need for clarity and openness about the objectives to be achieved. It considers provider responses to those voices and discusses the importance of establishing means through which voice can be translated into action by those with responsibilities for services.