Get the picture with Social Care TV
It’s not always easy to explain what social care is, but a new broadband service, launched by SCIE on 21 October 2009, aims to stimulate debate about the big issues in the sector.
Social Care TV brings real world examples to social care staff, managers, commissioners and trainers. It was launched by Care Services Minister Phil Hope at the National Children and Adult Services Conference in Harrogate.
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.
The project, which was sponsored by the Department of Health and managed by SCIE, and has several 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 resources and related programmes.
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.”
Minister of State for Care Services Phil Hope MP says: “It’s really good to see the arrival of Social Care TV. Almost three million people in Britain use social care and support services and they want independence, dignity and well-being. Social Care TV highlights the work of staff who are providing care and support. For the very first time, you can have a TV window into the world of social care practice material.”
“The launch of Social Care TV is welcomed. Workers in the care sector should really benefit from it. There are many examples of how good practice can bring about positive results in both domiciliary and residential settings. What is particularly encouraging is that the films and resources highlight the challenges that staff face and how they can be addressed. The films also show how passionate people are about their work. It’s like a moving advert for a social care career.” Des Kelly, Executive Director, National Care Forum and Chair, Care Provider Alliance
From 21 October, there will be 25 films available to view on Social Care TV , covering eight social care topics. Two new programmes will be released per month.
Initial topics:
- Dementia
- Safeguarding vulnerable adults
- Personalisation
- Children of prisoners
- Seldom-heard groups
- Safeguarding vulnerable children
- Days in the life
- Nutritional care for older people
Topics coming soon:
- The needs of children with complex health needs
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- Principles of participation
- Gay and lesbian perspectives on social care
- Assistive technologies – ethical code – issues
- Managing risk, minimising restraint
- Parental mental health and child welfare
Social Care TV programmes were produced by Teachers TV on behalf of SCIE.
