Middlesbrough Department of Social Care
Middlesbrough Department of Social Care
March 2013
‘Making it Real : Our Action Plan’
This action plan has been made with the following principles.
1. Make the action plan easy to understand (so that everyone can understand it)
2. Do not use jargon or acronyms (apart from initials of peoples names)
3. Have goals that are measurable and realistic.
4. Keep linking the actions back to ‘Making it Real’
This plan will be reviewed 6 months from the date it is published on the Making it Real Web Site to measure progress.
A further plan will then be co-produced with people who use services and their family relatives.
For further information contact IainMackenzie on: 01642 729493
Priority 1: Feeling safe and in control. I feel safe in my own home and in my local community, with the support I need to manage risks.What this means?
-Right support to take risks and enjoy life – Good Support Planning – Good Community Partnerships (eg Police, Fire Brigade), Community Groups, Community Wardens, Housing, Education, Health & Social Care joint support, Joining Personal Health Budgets and Personal Budgets. – Safeguarding Alerts and Procedures (perception and reassurance).
How we can measure improvements?
- Survey people that use services to find out what they think about risk once the actions have been completed.
Action / Lead contact / Expected result / User/carer involvement / Target Date for Review
-Make sure there is good information that lets people know where to get training for Personal Assistants, for example Skills for Care. / ElisePout / -Numbers of carers or personal assistants that receive training in their caring role. / Include user / carer experiences in developing and training programme / July 2013
-Find out and understand why people say they feel unsafe by consulting with service user and carer groups in Middlesbrough.
-Provide good information and advice about how to protect people using services from risk (based upon facts and not myths).
-Provide good information for people on the different types of support, including Connect (Telecare) and how this can help people live safely. / ChrisWalker / -Reduce why people think they will be at risk based on fact and not myth.
-Improve the way people get good information and support to minimise risk. / Taking part in surveys. Bring together all responses and share the findings. / July 2013
Provide workshops on managing risk for support planners.
- Positive Risk taking.
- Employing PA’s (recruitment)
- PA risk assessments.
- Financial monitoring.
Sometimes you don’t get the right Personal Assistant.
Work with Penderels Employment Support Agency and Skills for Care to improve training and choice of other personal assistants. Make sure people know the Insurance company can help with the management of staff, by delivering workshops. / SandraConway / Service users, family relatives and assessors will know how to access support to train personal assistants. Service users, family relatives will know where to get advice on dealing with personal assistant employment issues. / Get the views of service users and family carers about training and managing personal assistants. / July 2013
Share research from local police and community neighbourhood services. / Safer Middlesbrough Partnership / -Provide information from Police and M’bro Community Partnership on how to keep and stay safe. / Service users and Carers to take part in Awareness sessions. / July 1013
Establish a Support Scheme (in conjunction with Darlington Association on Disability) to help people with support planning that makes sure the persons right to take risks is included. / SandraConway / -Three people who use services are providing peer support.
-Number of Support Plans have been developed and agreed by managers / Service users and Carers to be involved to make sure peer support is included at all times. / July 2013
Make sure there is good information about what abuse is and who to ask for help if people think they are at risk from abuse / BridgetFarrand / There is easy to read and understand information about the different types of abuse and what to do if people think they are being abused. / Service users and Carers to take part in Awareness sessions. / July 2013
Priority 2: People - Improve two way communication with people who use services and carers, so people can get information and advice on support available, easily, that is understandable and up to date.
What this means?
Citizens Portal – Complete ‘your view’ on line - Marketplace – Local Services Directory – Community Hubs – Peer Mentoring (people who have been through the assessment and support planning process)– Less ‘handovers’ – Improve persons experience of social care.
How we can measure improvements?
-Make sure people know where to find good information
-Find out what people think at the beginning and end of the process
Action / Lead contact / Expected result / User/carer involvement / Deadline
Hold “drop in” sessions at Community Hubs. Social Workers and peer advocates can provide information and advice (with particular reference to guiding people through information available online) / AndyPickover / -Better access to information for people in need.
-The information is helpful and up to date. / Train peer mentors (outlined above) so they know what information and advice is available to help and support people in the local community / October 2013
Improve communication between the Department of Social Care and service users / AndyPickover / -Improve communication in the department and make sure it is up to date
-A secure system is in place so service users can access their social care information online and communicate directly with operational social workers / Involve service users and carers in the development of the new communication systems. / October 2013
Have a system to gather information on services people have been asking for from all delivery points in the Council so we can make sure we are giving people the information they want / AndyPickover / -Make sure we record information about what people have asked for and look to see where there are gaps in what people need / Provide feedback to users and carers and seek their views. / October 2013
Make better links with other organisations so that information is shared / AndyPickover / -Make sure information/advice available locally is used by a wide range of organisations/services across the town / Involve users and carers in networking and contacting agencies. / October 2013
Make sure our printed information is available in a variety of locations across the town (including the community hubs) / Saul Cleary / -Create a link with community buildings throughout the town (including community hubs) and make sure there are systems in place to keep information up to date / Seek views of services users and carers on quality of information. / October 2013
Link in with the Healthwatch / ChrisWalker / -Make sure Healthwatch link in with information and advice provided by the Council and it’s partner organisations / Make sure users and carers are an active part of Healthwatch. / October 2013
Priority 3: Personal Budgets and Self Funding. Making sure people know how much money they have to meet their care and support needs and have control over how it is spent.
What this means?
Good information and advice – Ability to complete own assessments – carers know their entitlement to support - Peer Mentoring in support planning – more support and training for personal assistants – social work focus on interpersonal support -
How we can measure improvements?
- More people know how and where to get the right information, support and guidance about what they can spend their personal budget on and the range of services available. The process will be quick and easy. A satisfaction survey could be used to measure this.
Action / Lead contact / Expected result / User/carer involvement / Deadline
Workshops to take place with social work teams, allied health professionals, support planning agencies, local area coordinators and community hub workers.
Community Hubs will be in place, with staff trained to support people so they get the right information. / Iain Mackenzie
AndyPickover / All assessors and support planners will know how to support people through the process.
Information will be available in community hubs, and on the Council website / Involve users and Carer in delivering workshops to staff.
Involve users and Carer in training community hub workers. / August 2013
August 2013
Review the Personal Budget support to make sure staff have better skills to make the process quicker. / Iain Mackenzie / Process will be quicker for service users and families. / Involve users and Carers in reviewing improvements and the time it takes to get a service in place. / July 2013
A review of the current system to reduce handovers. / ColinHolt / The new operating system for social work will reduce the amount of ‘handovers’ to a minimum. / As above. / July 2013
Improve information for family carers on what they can include within the person they care for Support Plan. / Maureen McKay / Information will be available at the community hubs and on the Council website. / Involve users and Carers on how to make information better. / July 2013
This Action Plan will be reviewed every 6 months.