Hello dear reader. Something I have always tried to do is to take positives from difficult situations. Its one of the things that, at risk of sounding very old indeed, has got me where I am today. So I have been reflecting on my experiences of the PIP process, and how best I can make a constructive contribution. The feedback on my blogs has been very kind, but that doesn’t seem enough..I still feel the need to make a tangible contribution.
This particular idea has been inspired by Fran, who has been working really hard on producing journals of her own. ‘Why not do a guided journal for the PIP process?’ she said to me one evening, and that really hit home with me in a good way. Having done some research on it, there are lots of great guides produced by organisations, which this journal can refer to, but it struck me that there was something missing.
This something was a bit of a first hand perspective, and a guide that could effectively function as a bit of a companion to the PIP process, trying to break it down, and to help people record information on the form in particular, that was relevant when it came to completing the application form. The application is long and complicated, but if broken down, can seem a lot more manageable.
So this is what I am working on. Since talking about it on twitter over the past couple of days, this project has already taken on a life of its own, so I hope that it will be helpful when it comes to other people who have to go through the process. I know that from my own experience, a voice of someone who had been through it and got to the other side was really useful, and I want to capture that.
I’m also looking to test early drafts and get feedback from people, so that this is something which hopefully hits the mark. I’m trying to set up a bit of an informal testing group so that we can explore things together. This project is a bit of a personal venture, so I won’t be looking to formally partner with any organisations to do it, and my intention is to make the product free of charge so it is accessible. Unfortunately, this means I also can’t pay anyone for the time they take to feed in their views, but I am hoping that the promise of a useful product is enough. What I will do is set up a mailing list, so that I can keep people posted about any updates
I’m not in a position to comment on timescales at the moment, as I’m concentrating on trying to get a decent journal out in an efficient timescale, as well as juggling a few hats in life (don’t we all!). The standard disclaimer applies, this is a purely personal project unconnected to any of those other hats, and the views expressed within it will be purely my own, but then you knew that already, yeah?
If you’d like any further information, please send me an email via the contact me page, and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can 🙂
