We suggest that completing the Star Chart is done during natural discussions with a service user. It is up to you how you do this. You can use the Outcomes Star ladders to open or structure discussion – asking the service user where they think they are, discussing why and whether your impression is the same. Alternatively, you can have a general discussion on each area, drawing it together to agree a scale point.
The Outcomes Star can be kept on the table for easy reference as you talk about each scale. You can also refer to the more detailed scales at the end of this guide, if you need to, at least until you are more familiar with the Outcomes Star.
The scales can be completed in any order, though your agency may decide an order. Otherwise, you can choose where feels most natural to start with each service user. This may be an area the service user is keen to talk about or has already discussed with you. We do not recommend starting with the first scale ‘Motivation and Taking Responsibility’ as this is less concrete than others and can be harder to explain.
You can choose to complete the Star Chart during more than one session if that works better for some clients.
Record each point on the Star Chart. Do this either as you go along or once you have covered all the areas. Once you have recorded them all, you or the service user can then join the points to create a shape. This can be a useful jumping off point. Decide which areas to work on and draw up an action plan. Points close to the centre indicate an area of need and points near the edge show where service users are managing well already.
Questions you and the service user may want to ask when looking at the completed shape are:
- Which aspects of the service user’s life are working well?
- Which areas are holding them back?
- What does the overall shape tell them?
- What would they like to address in key work?
The service user may want to keep a copy of their completed Outcomes Star Chart. Another copy should go in the service user’s file and the numbers scored on each scale should be entered into the information system for analysis. Explain what will happen with the information and thank the service user for their involvement.
Recording and discussing the completed Star Chart
You can use the scales in The Outcomes Star to stimulate discussion about each area. Agree a scale point and mark it on the Star or select the relevant option on the
online Star Chart form.
You will need to complete the Star Chart with a service user every three to six months, depending on the guidelines developed by your agency. It should be easier after the first time, as the service user will already be familiar with the Outcomes Star. Key points at review are:
- Agree where the service user is on each scale. Do this without reference to the previous readings. This way, their previous Outcomes Star will not influence how you and the service user decide where they are at the review point.
- Add the new scores to the previous completed Outcomes Star and join them using a different colour to see how the shape has changed.
When positive change occurs, reviews can be very helpful in encouraging and motivating both the service user and you, as the Star makes progress very evident. Change is hard and the middle of each scale can be a really tough place to be, so seeing progress can help to encourage people and reinforce change as they start to shed old habits and try new ones. You can use your discussions with your client to help point this out.
- Specific questions for you and your client at this point include:
- What has changed – both positively and negatively?
- How does the service user feel about what they see?
- Does what they see on the Star fit with their own sense of how they have changed?
- In the light of the changes they have made, what goals would they like to set themselves for the coming weeks and months?
The answers to these questions can then be fed into support or action plans, as with the initial Star Chart. Take a look at our example completed support plan in appendix four.
With each review of the Star, the scale scores need to be input into your information
system, a paper copy of the completed Star Chart kept in the service user files and another given to the service user to keep, if wanted.