CONTENTS


OPINION


UPDATE


INTERVIEW


BOOKS


what individuals and those close to them can do and at what they have the potential to do with help. Whereas assessments now require people


In the current system, social workers can


feel under pressure to minimise provision of over-stretched services and there are concerns that, if assessments look at what people, their families and communities can achieve themselves, this will provide another excuse to off er less. The bill mitigates those risks through a new right to request that an assessment is reviewed and through clear entitlements to services to meet eligible needs. Eligibility will be set nationally and be framed in relation to wellbeing. However, regulations


will need to set out the intent carefully and the change in framework must be matched with a profound culture change in the profession. Instead of looking only for an individual’s


Assessments will include not just


physical and mental health but also family relationships, employment, housing and active citizenship


problems, vulnerabilities and at what they cannot do, professionals and organisations will need to adopt a strengths-based (or ‘assets- based’) approach, which means looking fi rst for


to defi ne themselves in relation to a narrow range of service off ers, maximising their dependency and minimising their resilience in order to receive support, every truly eff ective social care intervention leaves an individual better informed, better connected to those around them and more confi dent. Consequently, every intervention should support the individual’s unpaid relationships and informal networks of support and avoid undermining key relationships or isolating the individual from natural support networks. A strengths-based approach recognises and values the contributions of families and friends, rather than ignores or exploits them. This suggests that responses off ered after assessments will also look very diff erent, with greater value placed on approaches that support family and community contributions. An example of this that is already established is Shared Lives, used by about 15,000 adults. Fully 152 registered Shared Lives schemes recruit, train, approve and monitor their carers. They are matched with up to three adults who need support and perhaps accommodation. The adult moves in with or regularly visits their carer and they share family and community life. In many cases the individual becomes a settled part of a supportive family, although Shared Lives is also used as day support, as breaks for unpaid family carers, as home from hospital care and as a stepping stone for someone to move to their own place. A good Shared Lives carer not only meets the individual’s needs, but is also their community development worker, helping them to feel a sense of belonging with a growing network of friends and supporters.


Alex Fox is CEO of Shared Lives Plus, the UK network for small community services; chair of the Care Provider Alliance; and co-chair of Think Local, Act Personal. The New Social Care: Strengths- based approaches is published by the Royal Society of Arts, 20:20 Public Services Hub and Shared Lives Plus.


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