One-Page Profiles in Action

27 November 2015 | By Amanda George

It’s been over 6mths now since we introduced the use of One-Page Profiles at KPAIS  for all staff and volunteers, so I’d like to give you an overview of where we are now and how it’s been working for us.

The model of One-Page Profiles is a versatile one and can be used to engage with people in a number of different settings. We’ve made use of it as a tool to engage with volunteers and staff, to help to embed new volunteers into the organisation and to direct and support supervision sessions.

We have included staff who have been working with us for many years, longstanding volunteers and brand new volunteers and it has been a positive and successful initiative for people as individuals and for KPAIS as an organisation.

Now we are going to use the One-Page Profile model in another setting. I have started to develop a project that will take trained volunteers into care homes. There they will work with residents to build relationships using this model as a basis to begin conversations, to spend time talking and to fully appreciate the value of the people they engage with.

The resulting one-page profile will be in the person’s room in a prominent place so that all staff and visitors can see what is important to that person, how they like to be supported and can value and appreciate their qualities.

The project will be addressing loneliness in care homes which is a serious issue and will have a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the older people involved.

I’ve had a very encouraging response from care home managers and I am hoping to secure funding to begin the new project in 2016.

So the volunteers on the project will have worked on their own one-page profiles within the team and will then take that learning forward to the people they are working with in care settings. We expect the relationships that form to be ongoing but the One-Page Profile model will give them a strong, structured foundation.