Section 3

Mission & values of the Cheshire Foundation

 3.1   Mission statement

At the time of writing, the Cheshire Foundation is in the process of defining its strategic direction for the next few years.  As part of this process, the Foundation will define and adopt a mission statement which will serve to guide our activities into the medium term.

However, the lack, at this stage, of a written mission statement does not mean that the Foundation lacks a mission.  Many of the components of a mission statement have already been defined based on the Foundation’s primary objective, the Cheshire ethos and the definition of independent living.  The issue of choice is central to what we do and the promotion of choice is a major issue for us.  What follows is intended to indicate to the public the type of organisation we are and what we aspire to become.  A draft mission statement is included as indicative of future developments.

Original, primary objective:  The primary objective of the Cheshire Foundation in Ireland is set out in the original Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Foundation (1963). There it is stated that the Foundation exists to:

Provide residential accommodation be run as far as possible on the lines of a home and not an institution for the care, nursing and general well-being of people regardless of creed who are chronically ill or permanently disabled, especially those of limited means.

Cheshire ethos: The Foundation also operates within the distinctive Cheshire ethos, as espoused by Leonard Cheshire.  This ethos is captured in the following definition, known as the Singapore Declaration:

A Cheshire Home should be a place of shelter physically and of encouragement spiritually; a place in which the residents can acquire a sense of belonging, and of ownership, by contributing in any way within their capabilities to its functioning and development; a place to share with others and from which to help others less fortunate; and a place in which to gain confidence and develop independence and interests; a place of hopeful endeavour not of passive disinterest.

Independent living:  The Foundation acknowledges the central role played by the world-wide Independent Living Movement in shaping modern disability services, particularly in promoting independence, as in this definition from the Movement:

The philosophy of independent living espouses living like everyone else, i.e., having the right to self determination, to exert control over one’s life, to have opportunities to make decisions, take responsibility and to pursue activities of one’s own choosing regardless of disability.

 Practical application of the Cheshire philosophy:  Independent living is not and should not be about what a person can physically do. It is more what a person emotionally, spiritually and intellectually chooses to do with his/her life.  By focusing on the core issue of choice, Cheshire services aspire to implement the Independent Living ideal in practical, realistic ways.  In our services, we are trying to create an environment where choice occurs at various levels, as shown in the diagram below.  We are also trying to ensure that service users can make informed choices – i.e., are aware of alternative courses of action or challenging options which they may want to consider.

People’s choices cover a spectrum from deciding to move into mainstream housing, to the decision to enter a personal relationship; to what colour clothes to wear on a particular day. But whatever the type or scale of choice involved, the practical promotion of individual choice, and the related promotion of individual control, are at the centre of what we are trying to do.

We recognise that implementation of this philosophy is not easy and we do not claim to have yet achieved its full implementation throughout our services.  However, the constant challenge to put this ideal into practice is a central feature of life for all involved in Cheshire services.

Draft Mission Statement:  The challenge to the Cheshire Foundation in 2000 is to build on its strong tradition of service by becoming a modern, responsive service-providing organisation capable of delivering services which meet the needs of individual service users.  The following draft mission statement is intended to indicate our current thinking as regards the mission of the organisation:

Our mission is to become a service provider which listens to people with disabilities and responds to their wishes and needs in ways that respect individuality and maximise opportunities for choice.

3.2   Values statement

As with the mission statement, the Foundation has not yet formally adopted a value statement.  However, the following list of words are intended to indicate the types of values which we see as core to the organisation:

Listen       Respond       Understand         Respect           Integrity         Choice          Individuality

Up-to-date strategy statement:  At any time, members of the public (including current and former service users and staff) are welcome to contact the Foundation’s Freedom of Information Officer for a copy of the Foundations strategy statement.  For contact details, please see Appendix 1.