The People for Public Services forum was held at the Tally Ho Centre in early November, organised by Birmingham City Council. It is a monthly forum that focuses on discussing issues of social care for adults. The forum was attended by delegates from the Bosnia UK Network, along with citizens, members and staff from organisations across sectors. The monthly forum is an ideal opportunity to connect citizens and their organisations, and to engage and co-produce with citizens in all areas of social care for adults. It is also an opportunity for citizens to ask questions and express their opinions on key areas of service provision, which will greatly influence service provision in the future.
The welcoming speech was given by Mayor Mary Locke, and Chery Dale, Chair of Birmingham’s Safeguarding Adults Board, continued her address to the audience. She informed those present about the work of this department and addressed the audience with the hope that they would help the work and progress of this department with their suggestions and proposals. This forum discussed how the City of Birmingham can properly inform citizens and support them with the right advice and guidelines for a healthy and independent life for each individual. The topic of the forum was how to ensure that citizens receive the right information at the right time and in the right format, and the suggestions and opinions of those present contributed greatly. Everyone agreed that the current public information about adult social protection is not enough, and if it is present, it is information that simply does not capture the public’s attention for intervention. Information material should be more accessible to different audiences, more media-covered, and designed in a more modern way. One thing is certain; Social protection of adults is a topic that needs to be promoted more, in order to ensure a healthy and quality life and protect the fundamental rights of every adult.
