Prevention Framework

The Social Care Evidence in Practice (SCEiP)[1] project has worked with a range of local authorities since January 2013 in order to gain a better understanding of prevention services in social care in England. To do this it is exploring; the research base for reablement and wider prevention services, cost-effectiveness methods, joint working and outcomes measurement/monitoring.

We aim to support local authorities to be better equipped to make decisions about service priorities by having good consistent data collection and monitoring strategies which will be supported by a draft prevention framework. In August 2013 we will be asking engaged councils to complete a survey that will collect data on:

  1. the approach taken to preventions services
  2. prevention services provided
  3. the procedures currently in place for measuring outcomes, what data is collected/available, and the information systems in place to record data, and
  4. the procedures used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of prevention strategies, including how data is collated, what is accessible and how that data is used in relation to services.

Data from the survey will be used to inform a discussion paper for local authorities on outcome measuring and cost-effectiveness in prevention. This paper will be circulated at the beginning of September 2013 to those who completed the survey,who will then be asked to join us for a one-day action workshop on 25 September 2013, at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The workshop will allow for discussion on thediscussion paper, and willaim to; formalise a definition of prevention and create an index of prevention strategies currently in use by participating authorities; and formalise strategies for outcome measuring and evaluation of services. The discussion paper and action workshop will inform development of a provisional Prevention Framework that will be freely available soon after the workshop. We then hope to work with some local authorities to implement the draft framework.

Please complete the survey electronically and return (with any additional attached documents) to fore 28 August 2013. Surveys returned after this date will not be included in the initial analysis and discussion paper.

Instructions

Section 1 of the survey is focused on your definition of and strategy for prevention, and aims to capture data on what you expect from prevention services. We would also ask you to provide case studies of best practice and good services in prevention that can be shared.

There are six questions in this section, please feel free to add as much information as possible. If you believe you have documents that are relevant to a question, please write the title of the document in the answer section and attach it when you return the survey.

Section 2 of the survey looks at what prevention services you provide, what data is collectedon services, how the data is used and whether it is accessible. Please add as much data as you can to strengthen the analysis.

This section is spread across two sheets in excel, on the first sheet please include information on services included under social care, and use sheet two for services that are joint funded or provided with health/public health ect.

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this work, if you have any questions or require any assistance to complete the survey please contact .

Please provide us with a contact name and email for the person responsible for the survey in your local authority and state which council you are from.

Section 1

Approaches to prevention

We would like to know how your organisation approaches and understands prevention. This includes looking at whether you currently have a prevention strategy, your definition of prevention and what services you currently provide under prevention.

  1. The draft Care and Support Billstates that local authorities have a responsibility to prevent the needs for care and support (Clause 7):

(1)A local authority must provide or arrange for the provision of services, facilities or resources, or take other steps, which it considers will-

(a)contribute towards preventing or delaying the development of needs for care and support by adults in its area, or

(b)reduce the needsfor care and support of adults in its area who have such needs.[2]

  1. Does this encompass what you are trying to achieve with prevention services?

Yes
No
  1. If not, how would you expand the definition to reflect your understanding of prevention services?
  1. Do you currently have a prevention strategy in place, in your local authority?

Yes
No
  1. If yes, canyou share this with us?Yes/No

Please share the document by attaching it to the survey when you return it, or share a contact name in the box below.

  1. If yes, can you provide information on; its design, duration, joint strategies (with health providers/public health ect), and any other information you feel would be useful.

In the next section of the survey we will ask for information relating to the specific prevention services you provide and the data you collect for each service, but here we would like to get your perspective on what you view to be the most effective prevention services provided by your local authority.

  1. In your opinion, what are the top three prevention services you provide, in terms of effectiveness? Please provide detail as to why you believe these interventions to be the most effective.

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  1. Could you explain to us if and how you capture information on the pathways to and from prevention services?Please include information on how people are referred to services, level of need, and how data is captured on when they re-enter services or require higher level services, following prevention interventions.
  1. Can you provide us with any case studies on effective interventions in prevention that can be included in the analysis and framework as innovative or successful approaches to prevention?If yes, please describe the intervention and the impact it has had, and please provide a contact who we can liaise further with if necessary.

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  1. Can you provide us with any evaluations on the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of prevention services? If yes, please describe the evaluation, its findings, and how it has been utilised, and please provide a contact who we can liaise further with if necessary.

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[1] The Social Care Evidence in Practice project is funded by the London School of Economics and Political Science’s Higher Education Innovation Fund, and is a collaborative project led by the Personal Social Services Research at LSE and the NIHR School for Social Care Research, working with partners such as research in practice for adults and the Social Services Research Group. The project is working to develop greater understanding between researchers and practitioners, and to explore best practice for knowledge exchange between these two groups.

[2] Draft Care and Support Bill, Department of Health, 2012, p.32.