SCIE opinion - 25 February 2011

Any comments on this opinion? Please email media@scie.org.uk

Personalisation: what we know now

Robert Templeton, Head of Transforming Adult Social Care

'Self-directed support and personal budgets can lead to better outcomes at the same cost as traditional services'

Personalisation has been our theme this month at SCIE and the statement above is just one of the facts we know through our research on the topic, as featured in our Personalisation, productivity and efficiency report. Our research highlights proven practice for commissioners, social workers, care workers and others. Commissioners need to focus on outcomes, and be creative about the services they commission to support them.

All of SCIE's resources on personalisation

Personalisation means starting with the person and their individual circumstances. However, it's not just about social care. People need a full range of support from public services, so professionals from other sectors need to be engaged with. More and more care and support is being integrated between various agencies. SCIE is here to help. Our briefing, Implications for NHS Staff, is useful, as is our briefing for housing providers. We also have similar briefings for other professionals, for instance occupational therapists, and staff in community mental health services. You can order a copy of our very popular Personalisation: a rough guide.

Find out more: See all of SCIE's personalisation resources on this topic, or view ten films on personalisation on Social Care TV.

SCIE's new resources on personalisation this month

In February, we've discovered more facts on personalisation, along with tips for good practice:

• Frontline staff - The environment that staff work in can make frontline staff risk-averse and restrict people's right to take informed choices. People who have self-directed support and personal budgets can make decisions over their care and support. They can do this by being supported to manage risks safely. 'Risk enablement' is central to personalised care. Social workers and other staff should be freed up to help people, and their families and carers, to identify and manage their own risks. Find out more: Enabling risk, ensuring safety: Self-directed support and personal budgets.
• Consistent contact - People with a mental health problem, who use personal budgets, need consistent contact with a worker who knows their circumstances. We've been analysing people's experiences of using self-directed support and personal budgets. These enable people to have more control over their care package. Carers should promote them, providing access to clear, accessible information. Find out more: Keeping personal budgets personal: learning from the experiences of older people, people with mental health problems and their carers - Report.
• Reducing social isolation - Self-directed support can reduce social isolation and the need for paid support. People with personal budgets are using them to be more active and engaged in their communities. This is called 'co-production'. It means moving away from 'doing the same thing, only trying to do it more cheaply'. Instead, there's an appetite for sustainable public services that 'prevent needs arising and provide better outcomes'. Find out more: Personalisation, productivity and efficiency
• Social workers and personalisation - Social Care TV goes to Hull to see how social workers are working within adult care and support, providing personalised services. One clip - at time Code 00:02:00 - is entitled 'Getting back to the heart of social work' and it sums up how the social workers in the film feel about personalisation.Find out more: See the film: Personalisation – making it happen: the social worker’s perspective

Next month's theme

The theme for the month is Social Work. Keep an eye on the homepage for links to our social work resources. Our first opinion in March will be about the Social Work Reform Board, how we've contributed to it and how it affects our work. We will be releasing a new film on Social Care TV and remember that it's World Social Work Day on 15 March.