Help us celebrate our work and plan our future offer
We are currently working with our colleagues in Department of Health and Social Care to prepare the adult social care improvement programme for 2024/25.
As part of this process, the department is running a survey to capture insight from the sector over the last 12 months and inviting local authority colleagues to comment on how the impact the improvement support they have received has had on their ability to deliver their services.
Please take the time to fill out this important survey and particularly highlight the expertise and unique value of our support offers.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) assurance: supporting staff sessions, communications response in-person event and post-inspection residential training
To support council staff with preparation for CQC inspection, we are offering a programme of facilitated in-person workshops.
During the course of the day-and-a-half workshop, frontline staff and managers will have an opportunity to practise answering the sort of questions the CQC will ask; have space to tell their own story confidently using evidence; and see their contribution in the self-assessment. For further information and to book a session, please email pch@local.gov.uk.
In addition, we are running a free in-person event in London on 5 December 2023, which will cover the principles of effective communications planning following CQC assessments; the support on offer for councils and learning from authorities that have gone through the assessment pilot phase. This event is aimed at council leadership teams. Book your place
Lastly, due to high demand we are offering a third free residential peer and consultant training event for adult social care assurance and post-inspection in January. The aim of this event, which will take place on 25 January at Warwick Conference Centre, is to refresh the skills of our existing peers and consultants and encourage new recruits.
Places are limited. Please email us at pch@local.gov.uk to secure your place.
The Carers Challenge 2023 and improving support for unpaid carers
As part of the Carers Challenge 2023, social care teams and their partners in integrated care systems and communities are being encouraged to put forward examples of initiatives which improve support for carers.
To coincide with the launch, we've published a downloadable and customisable slidedeck template for councils to use when briefing and raising the profile of unpaid carers among integrated care system colleagues.
Other resources are also available on our new Improving support for unpaid carers page.
Safeguarding adults bespoke support
Following the success of our pilot, we've secured additional funding to extend our consultancy services.
Up to five days of tailored support will be available to individual directors of adult social services or Association of Directors of Adult Social Service (ADASS) regions encountering particularly complex challenges. If your local authority or region is interested in receiving bespoke support, contact your regional Care and Health Improvement Adviser or email us at pch@local.gov.uk. We're especially interested in receiving expressions of interest from the London region.
To help us deliver this support, we're looking to build our pool of specialist safeguarding consultants. If you are interested please send an expression of interest (no more than one page) with your CV to pch@local.gov.uk.
Learning disability and autism joint working principles
To help improve the lives and outcomes of people with a learning disability and autistic people, we have developed, in partnership with NHS England, a set of guiding principles and an easy read version for integrated care systems and their local partners.
Colleagues supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people across health and social care are invited to join a webinar on 1 November from 4.00pm to 5.00pm to find out more about the principles and how they encourage a partnership approach. Among the speakers will be Hazel Summers, our Director of Adult Social Care Improvement. Book on the Joint Guiding Principles webinar.
Adult social care information and advice community of practice
In partnership with councils, sector organisations and Socitm Advisory, we're working to improve information and advice in adult social care.
Before March 2024, we will be developing a toolkit to support local authorities in improving their information and advice offer; establishing a community of practice; working with community navigation and social prescribing networks to help build stronger links with adult social care and delivering a series of webinars on aspects of information and advice activity.
The first meeting of the community of practice will take place online on 16 November 3:30pm to 4:30pm. To register your interest to attend email WwP@local.gov.uk.
In addition, we're running a webinar on 28 November 2023 from 2.00pm to 3.00pm which will cover partnership working to promote community activities and services, with a focus on information and advice. Book on the Partnership working webinar.
Flexible working in social care
As well as the Social Workers Union, the British Association of Social Workers and Unison are partnering with us to help promote our resources aimed at supporting flexible working in social care teams.
We’re seeking a small number of councils to test the resources, over an 18 week period. Please email pch@local.gov.uk if you might be able to help.
Call for case studies: Care and health career academies and values-based recruitment campaign
Following on from the publication of our Care and Health Career Academy Toolkit and maturity matrix, which we developed with North West ADASS and West Midlands ADASS, we're working with York Consulting on a series of case studies. The resource aims to capture impact and lessons learned to support other places in the process of, or considering, the development of an academy.
In addition, we're looking for up to six councils to share good practice examples and showcase their innovative approaches to values-based recruitment (VBR) campaigns. Their work will form part of a series of case studies and practical insights.
For further information or to submit a case study for either project, contact katarzyna.arendt@local.gov.uk.
Use of Resources reports for 2022-23
The data tables from the Adult Social Care Finance Return (ASC-FR) and Short and Long Term (SALT) collections detailing adult social care activity and finance for councils in England for 2022-23 were published last week. We're in the process of updating the Use of Resources reports in LG Inform.
Updated reports will be shared with Directors of Adult Social Services via ADASS Regional SLI Leads in the first instance. Access to the interactive reports covering the financial year 2022/23 will be restored to all local authority users of LG Inform before the end of next month. If you have any questions, please contact pch@local.gov.uk.
Learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews - discrimination and discriminatory abuse
1 November 2023, 2pm - 4pm | Virtual
This webinar will provide insights from a safeguarding adults' perspective into various forms of discrimination and discriminatory abuse and discuss the complex issues and challenges of this practice area. There will be contributions from various experts. Book on the Learning from Safeguarding Adults Review webinar.
Online care needs self-assessments
6 November 2023 - 1:00pm - 2:00pm | Virtual
We're delivering, with DHSC and Social Care Institute for Excellence, a series of webinars with the Chief Social Worker for Adults, Lyn Romeo, exploring key themes around the digitising and streamlining of care needs assessments.
The latest instalment will explore the principles of implementing online care needs self-assessments and will be accompanied by publication of a good practice guide that has been developed by DHSC and Mason Advisory. Book on Online Care Needs Assessment webinar
Diverse by design for adult social care: supporting councils to embed fair values, systems, and behaviours in the workplace
7 November 2023, 10:00am-11:30am | Virtual
We're helping councils to identify ways to improve equality, diversity, and inclusion so that their adult social care workforce can better reflect and better serve communities. If you are involved in recruitment and retention, please join us to hear more. Book on the Diverse by Design webinar.
Co-production in action: Putting people at the heart of care and support
15 November 2023, 2.00pm - 4.00pm | Virtual
Organised jointly with the East of England and West Midlands ADASS, this webinar will showcase a range of emerging practice to develop better ways of co-producing service change. Book on the Co-production in action webinar.
National Children and Adult Social Care Conference and Exhibition 2023 (NCASC)
29 November - 1 December 2023 | Bournemouth International Conference
Join us at this must-attend event for individuals or organisations with responsibilities for children and adult services in the statutory, voluntary and private sector.
Among the key note speakers will be Helen Whateley, Minister of State for Social Care and David Johnston OBE MP, Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing. We will also be on hand at Stand D30 to answer your questions about the PCH programme.
What Good Looks Like: Well-led and support workforce
26 October 2023 11.00 - midday | Virtual
Modern slavery risk assessment and due diligence guidelines for adult social care
31 October 2023 10.30am - midday | Virtual
Learning disability and autism joint guiding principles for ICS partners
1 November 4.00pm - 5.00pm | Virtual
What Good Looks Like: Healthy populations
2 November 2023 11.00am - midday | Virtual
Online care needs self-assessments
6 November 2023 1.00pm - 2.00pm | Virtual
Diverse by Design for adult social care: supporting councils to embed fair values, systems and behaviours in the workplace
7 November 2023 10.00am - 11.30am | Virtual
What's the story?: Using national carer data to develop your narrative for CQC assessment
8 November 2023 11.00am - 12.30pm | Virtual
Extra care housing: Past, present and future
10 November 2023 | Crown Hotel, Harrogate
Co-production in action: Putting people at the heart of care and support
15 November 2023 2.00pm - 4.00pm | Virtual
National Children and Adult Services Conference and Exhibition 2023
29 November 2023 - 1 December 2023 | Bournemouth
Adult social care assurance - the communications response
5 December 2023 | London
Shared outcomes toolkit for integrated care systems
Department of Health and Social Care
Joint guiding principles for integrated care systems - learning disability and autism
NHS England
The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England
Skills for Care
Top tips for adult social care information and support
LGA
Health and social care workers winter vaccinations campaign 2023
Department of Health and Social Care
Supporting council improvement - 2022/23 highlights
LGA
The 2023 National Workforce Benchmarking Survey of the Social Worker and Social Care workforce within mental health services across England
NHS Benchmarking Network
Adult Social Care activity and finance report, England, 2022-23
NHS Digital
Ten things to do now to prepare for CQC assessment around unpaid carers
PCH
Digital switchover and scams risk guidance
LGA
Suicide prevention strategy for England: 2023 to 2028
Department of Health and Social Care
Contact us at pch@local.gov.uk
|
