The majority of the feedback we have had has been very positive, both from service users direct and from keyworkers about those they work with. Most popular with service users is the visual aspect of the Star; they appreciate being able to see a picture of where they are, including their strengths and any progress made. Further, because there is a clear summary on the table, service users can feel more engaged and clearer about any assessment or review process, unlike with pages of notes. To quote one service user:
 
'I felt fully involved; it was clear and easy to understand and focused on me as a whole person, not just a problem... It felt like a conversation, felt like the first time someone had really listened to me. You can really get to know someone using the Star, even though you may think you know them.'
 
Generally, where scores are low or decreasing, service users have told us they knew anyway that they were not doing so well in a particular area, so seeing this on the Star was either helpful or neutral. As one service user said: 'It is best to call a spade a spade' (show it how it really is). Often we find the initial concerns of workers about the Star evaporate once they have tried using it with a few service users and heard the response. Some service users do not engage fully with the Star or have much to say about it, but they tend to be those who do not engage in keywork discussions fully anyway; the Star itself is not seen as worse than any other form of assessment or review.
 
One organisation asked all service users to complete a short evaluation of the tool and found that 80% were happy to use it, with over half finding it positively useful and almost all agreeing it would help them see progress while in the project. Almost all the remaining 20% were not actively involved in keywork.
 
If you are a worker concerned about introducing the Star, we would urge you to try it out with a few people and see what response you receive. If you are a manager of workers with concerns, urge them to first try the Star with two to three service users and then come back with queries. Seeing positive feedback from service users is often a key factor in shifting resistance to using the Outcomes Star. For example, one manager found:
 
' Staff were not over the moon at the start, but the project soon found that service users understood the tool straightaway and rapidly became familiar with the journey of change so that after completing three or four scales they could quite quickly estimate where they were on the others and have a conversation with the worker to check'.


Author: Triangle Consulting for the London Housing Foundation
Updated: 2 January 2008