Frequently asked questions
Why should we use Knowing the People Planning (KPP) when we already complete a lot of paperwork and data entry?
KPP is simple and quick to use. It requires few additional resources and can provide immediate information. It can help you discover whether what was promised to service users has been delivered, resulting in a better quality of life. KPP can easily be incorporated into your existing data collection processes.
How is KPP different?
KPP uses the judgement of those who know. The information and results relate to actual people and their needs, rather than 'planning norms'. KPP takes a bottom-up approach and produces 'can-do' tasks, not big worries.
How soon can we start?
KPP does not require a long preparation time. It is cost-effective and does not require a large resource or time commitment. Check out our getting started guide or download the toolkit.
How will it benefit me?
KPP is a flexible planning method to explore what is important now. It shows what you are doing for people and how it is working for them.
How will it benefit my clients?
KPP produces measurable and understandable changes for people. For example "six people were moved to better housing", not "a new accommodation policy was drafted for consultation".
We are a health service, why should we be involved assisting with social issues like housing and accommodation?
Te Tāhuhu1 stressed the need for services to acknowledge the effects of social issues on mental health, such as poor quality housing, lack of appropriate education, income and employment. Having a central point which coordinates the provision of such services has been demonstrated to assist in recovery.
How will it benefit the service I work in or manage?
Changes to your service can be made on the basis of ‘real’ information - not opinion or anecdote. KPP will provide evidence about service gaps and also service successes and improvements.
How can we identify who to use KPP with?
The most common method for defining or identifying the population for KPP is service users whose first contact with secondary care was two or more years ago. However, there may also be people in primary care with enduring mental health conditions who have not required secondary care. The two year rule has been found useful, but is not a binding stipulation. The first step is to compile a list of long-term clients – check out the getting started page for more advice.
How is it different from other data collection systems?
No special research skills are required. It's speedy, responsive and flexible, which means it can be adapted to address local needs. KPP’s simple assessment questions can act as a prompt for you, and the service user you are working with, to check what is in place and what might be missing from the services being provided.
When will I get the results?
Immediately. The KPP survey questions immediately highlight areas where a change is required for your service user. Aggregated results across your service are also immediately available as data is entered into the toolkit spreadsheet.
My service has no problems with ensuring our long-term clients have good accommodation, but we have real problems with drug and alcohol use. How can KPP assist us to look at this problem?
The KPP survey can be adapted to local service needs. Additional fields can be added if services want to find out more about particular issues that may be affecting their clients. Contact us for more information on how you can adapt the spreadsheet to fit your needs.
If you would like more help or advice email us at kpp "at" tepou.co.nz or check out our community of practice where you can ask questions and swap ideas with other people who are using KPP.
- Minister of Health. 2005. Te Tāhuhu – Improving Mental Health 2005–2015: The Second New Zealand Mental Health and Addiction Plan. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Page last updated: 3 August 2009