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The
Social Inclusion Planner:
the knowledge to be creative |
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| Learning from
feedback |
Summary
of additional SIP resources
- see the rest of this
page for more details
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The
database of
inclusion strategies. This
Acrobat document is a 'paper'
version of the database of inclusion strategies
that forms the core of the SIP software.
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A guide,
using PowerPoint slides, that takes you, step-by-step,
through the processes of downloading, installing,
registering, and using the SIP.
This can be downloaded as the slideshow
itself - which probably means it will launch
in your browser window.
Alternatively, download as a self-extracting
Zip file. This will give you the slideshow
to view at your leisure (look for it in a folder
called SIP manual on your desktop). However, it
will look like an application, and so will make
your browser nervous, and it also won't run on
a Mac.
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Extended
SIP support information
on this Website.
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NDT
training to learn how to promote social
inclusion effectively.
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Online registration
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Several hundred people have registered a copy of the SIP,
and recently we've been inviting feedback from them. It's
been very pleasing to find some people who are not only busily
using the SIP, but also successfully implementing plans and
helping people to achieve real social inclusion. But we have
also learned that a significant proportion or SIP users have
'got stuck' at some point.
Sometimes there's not much we can do about this - the SIP
isn't going to be the answer for everybody. However, we've
also seen some areas where we can do more to help. Here we
outline the main problem areas and how we are aiming to respond
to them -
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Technical problems installing
and accessing the software |
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By far the most common problem occurs when installing on
office PCs which have been deliberately set up to prevent
unauthorised software installations. There is nothing we can
do about this - it's something the IT people will have to
resolve. Some people have also had problems after registering
their copy, usually because they forget the details of the
account they created. Here again, there's usually nothing
we can do to help, because the SIP has been designed to protect
confidential data against unauthorised access - including
access by the NDT! (For more information on common technical
issues, please see the SIP support page.)
We do appreciate, nevertheless, that for one reason or another
some people will be prevented from using the SIP.
So we have created a paper version of the strategies for inclusion
which you can download
here. This will provide you with the key resource
to develop inclusion plans, though of course you'll miss out
on the recording and analysis features of the SIP.
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Problems and delays registering
the SIP |
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Problems understanding
how the SIP supports social inclusion |
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We were keen from the outset monitor downloads of the SIP,
so that we could find out who was using it and what benefits
or problems they discovered. For that reason we set up registration
process that involve phoning to ask for a registration password.
But it's been difficult to keep up with the demand for registration,
which has caused delays. (It perhaps fair to mention that
the work involved in supporting and maintaining the SIP is
a 'sideline' for NDT staff that is not funded in any way.)
We've now, we hope, resolved this issue by creating an online
registration facility. This simply issues the appropriate
password for registration, and sends us an email with some
basic information about the person who has registered. Even
if you have a version of the SIP that tells you to make a
phone call, you can still register online. (If you're ready
to register now, go to the registration
page.)
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The SIP is based on the idea
that while a creative, individualised approach to social inclusion
is vitally important, it needs to happen within a framework
of systematic thinking and planning. The SIP offers this framework.
It's our impression that the people who are making effective
use of the SIP tend to be people who've received training from
the NDT which explains the framework and how it can be used.
For them, the SIP is simply a tool that supports a method of
planning social inclusion that is already familiar.
We continue to believe that the SIP can be used without receiving
training, but it may present a double 'learning curve' - learning
to use the software, and learning a new approach to support
for social inclusion. Social
inclusion training from the NDT will remove this problem,
and have many other benefits. |
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Problems using the software |
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It always takes time to get to
know how to use new software, and the SIP is a case in point.
There is a substantial set of Help pages, accessible through
the SIP itself (from the Help menu at the top of the window),
and a little time spent roaming around - perhaps creating a
plan for an imaginary person - should make the basic structure
clear.
That said, it was clear from feedback that some people wanted
more assistance. So we've now created a step-by-step guide to
downloading, installing, registering, and using the SIP. It's
a PowerPoint slideshow with pictures of each screen and Web
page, so that you can see exactly what you need to do at each
stage.
The slideshow is available for download in two forms. The first
option is to download the slideshow
itself. It will probably open in your browser window, which
makes things easy but isn't the best way to view the slides.
Alternatively there's a self-installing
Zip file, which will drop the slideshow into a new folder
(probably on your desktop) called 'SIP manual'. However, because
the downloaded file is a small application, your browser may
give you a warning - which in this instance you can disregard
- that it's risky to download. Also, the slideshow won't unzip
on a Mac. |
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