Listening Loop

What is it?

The Listening Loop is an easy template to document the great work that goes on within services when they listen to the people they work with, think about what they said, respond by making changes and then let people know how their views have made a difference. Lots of listening goes on and doesn’t get recorded or shared at the moment and The Listening Loop is designed to show and share this listening and the learning that goes with it.

Who is it for?

The Listening Loop is really simple to complete and works as a tool for individual workers, for a team, a whole service or a system. Examples will be different, but the Listening Loop works at each different level.

When to us?

Any time that workers want to show how you have listened and responded to people who use services:

• To demonstrate engagement and participation activity

• To show how feedback makes a difference

• As a tool for co-production - shard understanding of the change process

• In annual reports - to demonstrate participation and change

• To share the listening with other services - to learn together

• As a reflective tool in supervision

How to use?

Share what work has been done with children, young people and families and what difference this made using the wheel template boxes. Feedback to everyone who participated. The comments box to share what was said – these quotes should be anonymous and not give identifying information or details. In a sentence summarise a change that has been made in response to what people said.

What next?

Several Loops can be used to show how the cycle led to more activity and other changes. Email a copy to participation@blackburn.gov.uk. These listening loops can then be shared with service users, teams, managers & leaders. They can be used within reports and communications as assurance of the difference that listening makes. Examples will be brought together for wider learning via the Participation Champions and Virtual Participation team.