SCIE 10th anniversary

SCIE’s top 10 contributions to social care

Explaining and developing personalisation

SCIE’s most widely recognised and used resource is Personalisation: a rough guide. The guide, plus the accompanying briefings for specific audiences, Social Care TV films and e-learning resources, continues to be relevant to providers, commissioners and users of care. SCIE also hosts the Think Local, Act Personal consortium.

Highlighting dignity and respect

As well as continually updating our dignity in care guide, we have also produced a series of guides, briefings and films on minimising restraint in care homes. And we now host the Dignity in Care Network and administer the dignity champions’ scheme.

Safeguarding adults and children

SCIE has pioneered a new approach to learning from child protection cases. Learning Together has gained national and international recognition and we are now training local authorities and reviewers to use the model. We are adapting it for adults’ services, and providing training and consultancy services on how to develop multi-agency adult safeguarding policies.

Creating a knowledgeable workforce

As well as providing resources to build a skilled, knowledgeable, and confident workforce, we have facilitated the creation of other workforce support projects including The College of Social Work, the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO) and the National Skills Academy.

Modernising how we share and learn

SCIE has developed a range of interactive, online resources including Social Care TV and e-learning materials that are being used in formal and informal training and development. We also managed a £12 million grant scheme, Get Connected, which has helped hundreds of providers to use technology more effectively.

Supporting improvements in older people’s care

SCIE developed the first joint guidelines for dementia health and social care services with NICE, and we manage the Dementia Gateway – a comprehensive web resource of tips, tools and activities on dementia care.

Improving families’ and children’s services

The wellbeing of families and children remains a high priority for our society. As well as our work on child protection, we have developed joint guidelines on the wellbeing of looked-after children with NICE, and we are a core consortium member of C4EO.

Understanding mental capacity

SCIE has developed a wide range of MCA materials, including guides, briefing and films. We run a series of training courses, and have seconded staff to work with care provider networks to help their members understand their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. ‘Social Care TV has been really helpful Bridging children’s, families’ and adults’ services Our work on parental mental health and child welfare helps both adults’ and children’s services to take a family-focused approach to mental health. We are currently developing a guide to help manage the transition from children’s to adults’ mental health services.

Working in partnership

People who use care services and their carers know what works to improve their lives. We combine their knowledge with formal research and practice. We are increasingly collaborating with partners such as NICE, the College of Occupational Therapists and the Office for Public Management to pool our skills and evidence and share good practice beyond the traditional care sector.

Commissioners need access to reliable information about the outcomes and costeffectiveness of different types of care. SCIE provides us with that information.

Peter Hay, President, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services