Be Inspired! Shirley Ayres Consulting

Angela Catley

The providers of high quality care and support services are eager to show that what they offer is valued by customers, their families and supporters. Care and support choices are increasingly being made by people and not local authorities and we need ways of ‘badging’ or accrediting providers that takes this into account. The new Quality Mark developed by Community Catalysts could offer the answer.

Community Catalysts works with people with good ideas, offering the help they need to get their new enterprise established. This has the knock on effect of providing greater choice for people who need care and support to live their lives kind of “market shaping from the bottom up”

Evidence from our work is that lots of enterprises are not covered by local contracts or care regulation and as a result are unable to get ‘registered’ or ‘approved’ as care services were in the past. Others spend time and money jumping through the hoops necessary for registration or approval only to find these don’t have a focus on the quality issues that users and families are looking for. There are a plethora of new and emerging systems and initiatives which are attempting to address the quality issue but are not designed to work for the kind of small and/or quirky service providers that users are looking to purchase from.

The Quality Mark gives providers access to advice and information before assessing their systems and paper documents. It also recognises that all the paperwork in the world will not guarantee that the service will deliver good outcomes for customers and uses very simple feedback systems to allow people to say what they think about the service they have received. An independent Citizen Panel makes recommendations as to whether the provider should gain the quality mark awards

The system is designed to be accessible to as wide a range of providers as possible. We hope that providers and councils in other areas will be interested in using it and will be licensing its use in order to offer more comprehensive and continuing support.

We believe that people will appreciate this simple but robust approach to tackling the very real issues we face in this new (but a little confusing) personalised world of care.

About the author  Angela is the Director of Operations at Community Catalysts, an organisation that works to harness the talents of people and communities to provide high quality small scale and local support services. Angela began her career as a nurse for people with a learning disability, moving on to manage nursing, residential and day services and supported living projects.

For more information about the Quality Mark contact Angela  angela.catley@communitycatalysts.co.uk

Tags: adult social care, Community Catalysts, evaluating care services, micro providers, personalisation, Quality Mark

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I am inspired to write this post because of a discussion with  Computers4carers  a small organisation with a big and simple vision to provide computers for carers.  Chill4us is a not for profit organization who have been able to supply nearly 100 free  laptops to carers through donations from individuals and organisations including Norfolk County Council and Virgin Money.

It occurs to me that this is one way to address the problem about the lack of information and support to help people plan for care and recognising the value of carers. I am just finishing a report which explores how service users and carers are using social media. There are so many online resources which support carers including  forums and facebook groups.

“I use the internet  to help me as a carer.   I have researched and ordered specialist items not available locally. When my relative had to go into a care home, the internet was one of the first places I tried to see what was available. It’s also useful if you want to find out about benefits and  to get advice from other carers.” from an online discussion with a carer

 I agree with the Commission on Funding of Care and Support that urgent  reform of the current social care system is needed. But I also think we need more joined up thinking about the resources available that can improve the quality of life for carers now.

If your organisation has a spare laptop in working order with at least Windows XP do contact Chill4us who will find a good home for it!  A small investment for the community “social capital” provided by our 6 million plus carers.    
 
I also recommend reading the informative Thrive and Survive  report by Race Online 2012 which has great case studies, including Carers UK,  and explores how the third sector is using digital technology and social media.

Tags: computers for carers, free computers, personalisation, social media, support for carers

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It was with some trepidation that I read the Coalition’s new “Vision for Adult Social Care” this week. Would there be any surprises?
It’s great to see the new government taking up the baton of “Putting People First”. The key themes of choice, empowerment, using social capital from communities and partnership working (rather than professionals having a monopoly of wisdom) fit perfectly with “Big Society” principles. Most importantly, once you start to give people a voice – like any democratic approach – there is no turning back. Personalisation is here to stay.
I am, however, particularly pleased to see that my learning and development tool Whose Shoes? is still valid – not just valid but proclaiming loud and clear, and often in uncompromising terms, the key messages included in the new vision statement. As I read on, key messages kept leaping out at me which are totally in line with my Whose Shoes? scenarios  … “free the frontline from bureaucratic constraints”….“a proportionate approach to the management of risk”….”the system should support rather than hinder people’s goals”….“educational or employment opportunities”….“reduction of inflexible block contracts”….. “nothing about me, without me”
  Whose Shoes? was developed 18 months ago. So does this mean that nothing has changed or moved on? No, it means that change of this magnitude takes time; it must evolve through a shift in power and the creation of new ways of working. Top leaders are using imaginative ways of engaging staff and communities, using the synergy that comes from genuine involvement. Creative approaches to learning, exchanging practical solutions – concentrating on outcomes which may or may not require state-funded services.
Working in silos is no longer an option as personalisation dictates new partnerships. Partnerships start from building relationships. Relationships start from getting to know each other and building trust. Whose Shoes? is inclusive, enabling service users and carers to engage with a wide range of professionals in an extremely natural way. Empathy and innovation are key – it is only through breaking down existing barriers that the conditions will be laid to speed up the journey to personalisation – but avoid derailment.
“Training – for personalisation – is not just acquiring a tick-list  of ‘competences’, but developing understanding of how it is for this individual, walking in their shoes…..”  - Barbara Pointon, MBE, Ambassador for Alzheimer’s Society

“Whose Shoes? was the winner of the national Dragon’s Den style “Thinking outside the Box” event in Newcastle.

About the author Gill Phillips has 30 years experience in social care. She became passionate about the personalisation agenda while working for Coventry City Council as Service Manager, Performance Improvement. Wishing to pursue innovative ways of engaging people, Gill established Nutshell Communications Ltd and developed Whose Shoes?  She gives lively, challenging talks and workshops across the UK. Contact Gill through her website  www.nutshellcomms.co.uk and follow her on twitter @WhoseShoes

Whose Shoes? is featured as a “good practice” example in the Department of Health: Putting People First Communications Toolkit:
Watch the lovely Whose Shoes? videos

Tags: encouraging innovation, personalisation, social care, workforce engagement

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The simple answer is yes. This conclusion was prompted by one of the many emails I receive asking for help and advice. With the writers consent and personal details changed I will be publishing our correspondence and the discussions I have with relevant care organisations over the next few weeks. Finding a specialist dementia care home which exemplifies best practice is a serious challenge which is being confronted by an ever increasing number of people who care for older relatives and friends. 

My parents belief in social justice has been a guiding force in my professional and personal life. The care they received at the end of their life was important to me, my family and our friends. With over thirty years experience in the care sector I was able to navigate and understand what often seem to be very complex systems and information. I hope that these  posts will help the many people confronting a similar dilemma about finding good quality residential care for people who have been affected by Dementia and Alzheimer’s.  

 I am currently developing the Click Guide to Personalisation which brings together online resources for professionals supporting adults receiving care services. For the benefit of carers, relatives and social entrepreneurs developing new services, the Guide will now include further information about how adult social care services work, and the roles of the various national, regional and local bodies.

Dear Shirley,

I am the sole carer of my mother who suffers from Dementia with Alzheimer’s.  After several years of caring for her in her own home I find myself physically and emotionally exhausted and in my forties I can see the rest of my life mapped out for me if I don’t take action now.  I am looking for an outstanding home to care, engage and love her. I have explored all publicly available sites for information but only two places have inspired me in their approach which are Spring Mount in Bradford and Merevale near Birmingham, both of which are full to capacity and have waiting lists.  Those homes that I have visited do not cut the mustard or are protectionist and will not signpost me to good practice elsewhere.  So I am hoping you can help.
My mother is in good physical health, is involved in daily tasks of life and living and is a creative, gentle spirit.  We live in London but ultimately I’m willing to place her outside London if this ensures she gets the best possible care and am willing to travel.
I do hope you can help to sign post me in the right direction. If you are unable to do so, perhaps you know of someone who can help me, with unbiased information that I can research further? Its a mine field and I’ve discovered that the CQC rating is a pile of crock.  In helping me you will go a long way to supporting my duty of care towards my mother, who you can imagine is the most precious person in my life and who deserves the best care possible.  She is Asian too so any culturally specific places could be worth exploring.  I’ve looked at a few in XXXXXXX which are very institutionalised.

Kind regards and in anticipation,
K

Dear K,
Thanks for your email and I understand the challenges you are facing. My mother had dementia, she was precious to us all and we loved her dearly. We fought long and hard to find the right home for her when she could no longer be cared for at home. In my experience the care provided is very dependent on the manager and we eventually found a place for my mother at XXXX (NB The name of the home has been deleted following my discussions with the Care Quality Commission which will be reported in the next post). A brilliant home with a committed manager and an excellent example of best practice. We did have to fight with the local authority who were more concerned about a single room being available and the cost rather than the philosophy and approach underpinning the care.
 
I believe that as our knowledge and expectations increase about what is appropriate care for people with dementia we, as a society, have to challenge inadequate and bad practice. But I also see the potential for conflict with the budget cuts being used as an excuse for justifying the lack of improvements which need to be addressed by strong leadership, staff training and supervision.
 
I would have recommended Spring Mount in Bradford and Merevale near Birmingham but since they were highlighted in TV programmes I guess it is understandable that they now have long waiting lists. Have you been in contact with the national charities representing people who have dementia and carers?
 
You may have picked up that I am a keen advocate of the potential of social networking to improve care standards. With your consent and without identifying you or your mother I would like to post the content of your email across a number of professional networking forums and on my website to highlight the issues you raise in your email and to see what homes would be recommended. Do let me know whether this is an idea you would be happy for me to pursue.
 
As a matter of professional curiosity can I ask why you contacted me?
 
With all good wishes
 
Shirley

I would really welcome feedback about the issues raised in this post, recommendations for care homes which provide “person centred” dementia care and thoughts about any websites which provide an “Amazon” style ratings system locally, regionally, nationally or internationally.

About Shirley Ayres Consulting

Tags: Alzheimer’s, care homes, care quality commission, choice and control, Click Guide to Personalisation, dementia, personalisation, social care, workforce development

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In our recent publication The Architecture for Personalisation Kate Fulton and I explore how best local leaders, social workers especially, can promote personalisation. The challenge is to promote personalisation as if we really mean it, promoting citizenship, family and community – not developing it as some new industry which will just be applied to ordinary people.

Social workers are at the cutting edge of personalisation – both its successes and its failures. At best they are discovering that it can be a liberating force, an opportunity to help people create new, flexible and community-focused support solutions. At its worst it is becoming more work, more forms to fill in, more complicated rules and – although its hard to credit it – more panels to try and get through. It is perhaps not surprising, given the thoughtless way in which government has gone about promoting personalisation, that we should be in this situation, and there is nothing inevitable about it. Local leaders can still protect people and staff from the encroaching madness.

One key lesson is to be entirely honest about the resources we have. If personalisation means giving people the chance to build more creative solutions with limited resources then the same principles should also apply within our systems. We can begin by being honest about how much time and energy social workers actually have and help them focus that time on things that really add values. Our estimates show that there is probably an average of £700 of care management time available for each individual served. This is a significant but very modest amount of time and it won’t be used well if it is spent largely on filling in forms to feed the system itself.

The only way of making better use of this limited time is to follow the principle of trust. We need to trust people more:

1. Trust people and families more. Give people information, contacts, simple systems and let them get on with it. Letting people make mistakes, solve problems and control things themselves is the key to good social work.

2. Trust community more. Encourage services to connect to people to design services with them directly. Make sure people are connected to community organizations and peer support groups.

3. Trust social workers more. Let people focus on those who need most help. In particular let social workers use their judgement. If they know of a good service, let them refer people to it. If they can see a quick solution to a problem then let them set it up.

Everyone fears that others cannot be trusted. Experience even teaches us that sometimes trust will be abused – people will lie, cheat or just make human mistakes. But a system that doesn’t encourage trust is expensive, stupid and disabling – by trying to put in systems that stop people making mistakes we delude ourselves that processes and rules will do what humans can’t do for themselves or if we shift power and control away from people then we shift it away from the point at which it can do most good. When we expect solutions to come from ‘on high’ then we are really expecting solutions from those who are least able to understand what really needs to be done and who are already trying to do far too many things for far too many people.

Trust, delegation and empowerment are efficient and effective – make them central to all your strategies and your work.

Simon Duffy is Director of The Centre for Welfare Reform www.centreforwelfarereform.org whose recent publications include The Architecture for Personalisation, Personalised Support, Personalised Transition and Personalisation in Mental Health

Tags: empowerment, integrated working, personalisation, simon duffy, Social Work

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I first met Simon when he accepted an invitation to speak at the Social Workers Educational Trust conference. “Being Inspired by Social Work”. A big thank you to Simon for sharing his thoughts following the Personalisation Conference held in London on the 21^st May 2010.

“If we can each work together, accepting our weaknesses, we can make things happen.”

Thus spoke the social worker, reflecting on the tensions that can flare up between those who want to help other people and those they are trying to help. These words beautifully captured the spirit of Friday’s conference, at the Tavistock, on personalisation and social work. The conference organised by Skills for Care, in partnership with the Department of Health and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust Foundation, focused on exploring changes in the role and responsibilities of the social work practitioner within transformed adult services. 

The event had “hope and purpose”, but it also revealed an array of challenges that face social workers who try to make sense of ‘personalisation’ – a word which is full of meaning and unmeaning. It is hard to remember the purpose of all these personalisation ‘technologies’ (direct payments, individual budgets, self-directed support, peer support etc.). It is very hard to recall, amidst the consultants, government milestones, and official guidance, that these ideas didn’t start in government. These new ways of working were developed by disabled people and by social workers. And they were developed in order to take forward the ambition of social work – to achieve social justice.

Keeping a focus on social justice is hard, but it is essential when it comes to making sense of all the new processes associated with personalisation. Many social workers described the insanity they face working in a system which asks them to keep running the old bureaucratic system, while also setting up and running the new system. Processes are becoming more confused and over elaborate, and they are damaging our ability to respond quickly and sensitively to people’s needs. Sometimes ‘personalisation’ is leading to less personalisation.

Senior managers need to protect their staff from this chaos; but they are struggling to make sense of the overall policy direction. How deep and serious is the government’s commitment to personalisation when these new systems are developed in ways which lack any legal, financial and policy coherence. It is easy to suspect that a system which is being developed without any clear and rational plan will, in time, fade away.

But progress is being made, despite the madness, and we must be optimistic – not because we can expect things to get better – but because we can each take responsibility for making the most of this opportunity to build a fairer world.

Simon Duffy Director of The Centre for Welfare Reform

There are a number of interesting publications which can be downloaded at www.centreforwelfarereform.org

About the author

Dr Simon Duffy is Director of the Centre for Welfare Reform. Simon created Individual Budgets, Self-Directed Support and the Citizenship Model and put these ideas into practice at Inclusion Glasgow and In Control. He was awarded the RSA’s 2008 Prince Albert Medal for his work on personalisation.

Tags: be inspired, empowerment, Learning and Development, personalisation, post qualifying awards, professional practice, simon duffy, Social Work

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SCIE have recently updated this excellent free guide to Personalisation which is also available in Easy Read format. I believe that everyone involved in adult social care should have their own reference copy. It is a credit to SCIE that the guide can be ordered as a printed book. Whilst I am all for the paperless office there are some essential publications that do need to be available in hard back.

This publication aims to tell the story so far about the personalisation of adult social care services. It is intended to set out our current understanding of personalisation and its implementation, exploring what personalisation is, where the idea came from and placing the transformation of adult social care in the wider public service reform agenda.

The report contains the following key messages and recommendations:
By identifying and transferring knowledge about good practice, SCIE has a special role to play in transforming adult social care services.
Person-centred planning and self-directed support will need to become mainstream
It will ultimately mean universal services such as transport, housing and education are accessible to all citizens.
The personalised system will need to be cost-effective and sustainable in the long term.
Approaches to early intervention and prevention need to develop further so that people are encouraged to stay healthy and independent.
The social care workforce will need to acquire new skills.

This guide is aimed at frontline practitioners and first-line managers in statutory, voluntary and independent sector social care services, although it is an indispensable summary for all those interested in this important area.

Published: October 2008, Updated: April 2010

SCIE Personalisation: a rough guide By Sarah Carr Order your copy now

Tags: integrated working, personalisation, rough guide, scie

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Get the picture with Social Care TV. An online channel for everyone involved in the social care and social work sector.

“Personalisation enables me to do the things that I took for granted for so long. My personal assistants help me to achieve my independence. Managing my own budget means that I can go to concerts, for instance at the English National Opera. I feel like I’m part of the world to which I once belonged.” Stephen Page, on Social Care TV.

It’s not always easy to explain what social care is, and Social Care TV, aims to stimulate debate about the big issues in the sector. Social Care TV programmes bring real world examples to social care staff, managers, commissioners and trainers.

This is the first time that social care has had its own TV service. Films are ‘on demand’ so they can be watched in the workplace, the training room or at home. But there aren’t just films; each web page also includes lots of guidance and advice, multimedia and e-learning resources. Social Care TV can be used as a training and learning tool; it aims to understand the needs of people who use services, by presenting real life stories and linking these to easy-to-use resources, giving staff a better understanding of good practice.

Ann Macfarlane is featured on Social Care TV. Ann now works as a social care consultant but she spent the first twenty-five years of her life in residential settings and hospitals. She says this about the film which shows how she has succeeded to change her life because of personalisation:

“It makes me proud about my achievements. I was brought up in a place where other children were dying in front of me. I didn’t have a childhood and so I feel like I’ve been making up for borrowed time. The film shows that I now live at home, run my own consultancy business and crucially, have choice, voice and control. I’m sure this film will help the workforce to do a better job and understand the role that they have to play.”

The project is run by The Social Care Institute for Excellence and has a number of innovative features. 

• You can watch the films, but you can also download them from the site into presentations for training
• You can watch segments of films. You can go to a specific point of a film to address a key issue in social care practice.
• You can email a film or just a segment of a film to a colleague, making the sharing of good practice very efficient
• Users won’t just see a film on a site. There are useful text and links to specialist areas. 

SCIE Chief Executive Julie Jones says:

“The films bring to life what we do every day in our work. The social care workforce is in for a treat. Along with the accompanying care and support information on the web pages, the films are thought-provoking, interesting and full of strong messages about delivering good quality, personalised social care.”

Watch Social Care TV now

Tags: education, elearning, personalisation, scie, social care, Social Care TV, Social Work

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Written by John Plummer, Third Sector Online, 16 November 2009

A group of leaders from the voluntary and public sectors have called for the creation of a powerful new Cabinet Office unit to oversee the personalisation of public services.

The Government has proposed giving people individual budgets to spend on their care as part of a reform of public services. The move could have huge implications for all service-providing organisations, including charities.

Chief executives body Acevo convened a Commission on Personalisation to consider the way forward. Its interim report, published this week, includes a series of recommendations that it says would lead to a “revolution in public service delivery”………………. http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/Channels/Finance/Article/967171/Sector-prepared-individual-care-budgets-says-report/

Tags: Direct Payments, empowerment, individual budgets, not for profit sector, personalisation, Social Work

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The new regulations for Direct Payments came into force on the 9th of November 2009. To coincide with this change, Cheryl Lewis and Marcia White, on behalf of the Department of Health Personalisation team, have thoroughly overhauled the Direct Payments Solution set. It can now be located in the Personalisation toolkit under the topic heading Direct Payments. Click here

The Direct Payments Solution Set is an online resource aimed at sharing what works through examples and resources produced by people with experience. It will help others promote and provide direct payments, both where personal budgets are available and where they have yet to be introduced.  The Solution Set will be updated regularly.

In conjunction with the Direct Payments Solution Set, the Direct Payments Uptake Group DP is a private group to enable members of all regional Direct Payments groups to share a single message space. Click here to join the DP Solution Set Yahoo Group

Did you know about the DH Care Networks? This very useful online resource provides information around integration and whole system reform, housing with care, assistive technology and partnership working. Click here for more information

Shirley Ayres Consulting, in conjunction with Cheryl Lewis, have developed a Direct Payments Training programme for managers and staff to explore how Direct Payments support Personalisation, Self Directed Support, Individual Budgets and Personal Budgets. For more information contact info@shirleyayresconsulting.co.uk

Tags: cheryl lewis, Department of Health, DH Care Networks, Direct Payments, personalisation, Putting People First, research, Resource Allocation System, Self Directed Support, shirley ayres consulting, Social Work

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