SCIE news and events
In this section:
Latest news
Personalising home care services
SCIE has today published a new briefing specifically designed for home care providers, to address the implications and opportunities that personalisation brings. Personalisation means including a person’s strengths, preferences and aspirations and putting them at the centre of the process of identifying their needs and making choices about what, who, how and when they are supported to live their lives. SCIE says that home care services are ideally placed to adapt provision for individuals because it is delivered to people in their homes.
- See media release for details.
- See At a glance 7: Personalisation briefing for home care providers.
Personalisation briefing for commissioners
SCIE has published a short briefing for commissioners of social care services. SCIE says that smart commissioning is critical in helping to achieve the vision spelled out in the Government’s Putting People First strategy. 'At a glance: Personalisation briefing for commissioners’ is the first of a new series on personalisation for various social care professionals. The publication summarises implications for commissioners and includes examples of new approaches being developed.
- See media release for details.
- See At a glance 6: Personalisation briefing for commissioners.
Julie Jones is social care personality of the year
The Ceretas National Home Care Awards took place on Saturday 6th June 2009. Hosted by Ruby Wax, the sector’s premier awards culminated in a gala dinner in London’s Grosvenor Square. The Department of Health-backed national event received nominations and support from all corners of the home care sector. The purpose is to promote good practice within the sector and to raise the profile of home care. There were a total of eighteen award categories representing all aspects of the home care.
- See media release for details.
Mental Capacity Act website launch and conference
SCIE has held a conference to support workers, carers, researchers and lawyers who need to know about the Mental Capacity Act. It’s vital that people who use social care services can be sure that those caring for them will make the best decisions on their behalf. SCIE wants its new support websites to be the ‘first port of call’ for anyone who is responsible for implementing the Act.
- See media release for details.
Progress on personalisation
SCIE Chief Executive Julie Jones welcomes the progress that’s reported by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association: “It’s vital that understanding is raised about what personalisation means, wherever it applies in the sector. As regions in England take the next step in the delivery of ‘Putting People First’, we at SCIE will be developing our offer of working with joint improvement partnerships.”
Swine flu
Social care staff working in all settings need to be aware of the threat of swine flu. The World Health Authority considers a global pandemic to be imminent. Please click on the link below for help in protecting people who use your services and yourself against swine flu, plus advice on what to do if you have flu symptoms. Along with attending to personal hygiene, care workers should also be frequently cleaning hard surfaces using a normal cleaning product. Employers will need to consider whether their Business Continuity Plans are appropriate for the challenge represented by a possible flu pandemic.
- Click here for some links to websites with information about swine flu.
Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy – SCIE response
“We warmly welcome the announcement of the apprenticeship and management training schemes as a solution to the challenge of building and retaining a skilled and qualified social care workforce. SCIE hopes that the apprenticeship scheme will encourage employers to take up this model more widely as it offers a new way of attracting younger people into social care.” SCIE’s response to the Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy.
- See media release for details
Guardian's article about the European approach that some believe could fix Britain's failing children's homes
On Tuesday 21st April 2009, Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman looked at "the European approach that some believe could fix Britain's failing children's homes". It introduced the idea of social pedagogy and SCIE's Chief Executive Julie Jones wrote a response letter to the newspaper, which you can see here.
- See the Guardian's article about the European approach that some believe could fix Britain's failing children's homes
- See SCIE's Chief Executive Julie Jones response letter to the newspaper (second letter in list).
SCIE response to the budget
"The Chancellor is right to point to a new generation of workers who are being attracted to the social care profession and so the traineeship investment announced today is more than welcome." SCIE’s response to the budget.
- See media release for details
SCIE welcomes the CQC
Commenting on the day that the Care Quality Commission starts its work, the Social Care Institute of Excellence’s Chief Executive Julie Jones, says, "I welcome the new, integrated approach that the CQC will take."
- See media release for details
Care staff need to support drive to prevent falls
Responding to today’s announcement from the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) highlights the role that domiciliary and residential care staff need to play in preventing falls in older people.
- See media release for details.
Co-production requires more empowered frontline staff
According to a new report published today by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), frontline staff as well as people who use public services must both be empowered in order for genuine co-production of services to take place. Speaking at the launch of the report at the SCIE, Department of Health and Community Care Magazine conference, Progress on personalisation, Julie Jones, SCIE Chief Executive said: “Co-production means involving citizens in collaborative relationships with more empowered frontline staff who are able and confident to share power and accept service users’ expertise. Staff should be trained in the benefits of co-production, supported in positive risk-taking and encouraged to identify new opportunities for collaboration with people who use services. It is a potentially transformative way of thinking about power, resources, partnerships, risks and outcomes.”
- See media release for details.
SCIE prioritises dementia care support
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) is prioritising the development of training resources for care staff working with older people – including those with dementia.
“We recognise the situation highlighted in today’s Laing and Buisson report,” said Allan Bowman, SCIE chair. “Despite best intentions, many staff are not adequately trained to deal with the rising need for dementia care. All care home and domiciliary care staff need to be able to recognise and deal with the early stages of dementia – and those in specialist dementia services need real expertise in managing this increasingly common condition. That is why SCIE is developing a programme of support for trainers, managers and frontline staff working with older people.”
- Click here to read SCIE's response to the Laing and Buisson report.
Move from the ‘what’ to the ‘why’ – SCIE’s response to Lord Laming’s report
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has responded to today’s report from Lord Laming by calling on local authority children’s services to adopt new ways of learning from case reviews. Responding to the report, Deputy Chief Executive of SCIE, Amanda Edwards, said: “What’s evident from this review of progress is that learning from practice still focuses on what and who went wrong, rather than addressing why workers acted as they did. The questions now must move beyond ‘why did they do that?’ to ‘what factors influenced that decision?
- See media release for details.
Individual budgets – messages for success
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has today launched Research briefing 20: Individual budgets (2009). This updated briefing reviews the UK and international evidence on individual budgets. “There is growing UK and international evidence that, given the right level of skilled support, people who use services are very positive about individual budgets. They report improvements in their lives, including health gains.
- See media release for details.
Carers must benefit from individual budgets
SCIE has welcomed two new reports showing how carers can benefit from individual budgets. The reports are The Individual Budgets Pilot Projects - Impacts and Outcomes for Carers from IBSEN (Individual Budgets Evaluation Network) and Putting People First without putting Carers Second from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Caring for Carers.
- See media release for details.
Developing inter-agency protocols - SCIE’s response to CSCI’s 'Supporting disabled parents – a family or a fragmented approach?' report
If local authorities are to achieve the right balance between meeting the needs of disabled parents and supporting children who have caring responsibilities for their disabled parents, it is essential that adults’ and children’s services work very closely together. Unfortunately, according to CSCI’s new report, which is launched today, ‘only 30% of councils have developed any kind of joint protocol to establish a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities within the council and with other partner agencies’.
- See media release for details.
Media contact
Annie Goss | Press and Public Affairs Manager | T: 020 7089 7117 | M: 07739 458 192 | Email: annie.goss@scie.org.uk
