Agenda item

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People)

The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (People) regarding the Adult Social Care Practice Framework ‘Adults and their Carers at the Heart of Practice’.

The report noted that Adult Social Care had a simple vision and strategy which underpinned its work, all work, at whatever level should continue to support the strategic intent of ‘providing support, in the least intrusive manner possible, based on the assets, resources and abilities that were available to people’.

Essential to the delivery of this was taking a ‘strength-based’ practice approach. Strengths based approaches were key to effective social work, occupational therapy, social care interventions and achieving the best outcomes for people.  In addition, the Care Act 2014 emphasised that local authorities should consider the person’s own strengths and capabilities, and what support might be available from their wider support network or within the community to help meet their outcomes.  The Promoting Independence approaches within Adult Social Care provided an example of strength-based working in action.  Expectations about how staff operate, the tools they would be required to use and the support availble in order to deliver positive outcomes for adults and their carers was what the ‘Adults and their Carers at the Heart of Practice’ framework aimed to achieve.

A practice framework brings together, in an accessible way, an organisations approach to practice, identifying what underpinned the work, how this informed interventions and as an organisation how we supported front line practice. However a practice framework could only be effective if it also identified approaches to understanding the experience of the person receiving any intervention and support.

The practice framework contained four key elements:

•  Provided clarity on the key focus of Adult Social Care in Coventry

•  Defined what was expected from practitioners working within Coventry Adult Social Care

•  Described the practice tools that were in place to support practitioners to undertake their role

•  Described how staff would be supported by the City Council to deliver good quality social work, occupational therapy and social care

The framework was the product of work that had taken place over approximately 18 months to develop the approach to social work practice.  The framework brought all this together in one place and formalised it in terms of expectations of staff and expectations of the people we support. 

To reach a position where the framework was fully embedded and our ‘normal way of doing business’ would take a period of employee development and cultural change activity and would therefore form a major element of the training and development requirements for Adult Social Care over the following 2 years.

The Shadow Cabinet Member questioned the officers present on research into the strength-based approach, looking at existing care packages and how staff were managing with the changes.

The Cabinet Member welcomed the promotion of independence which she felt was a great gift to give a child or an adult.  The Cabinet Member discussed practice, managing risk and partnership working.  The Cabinet Member felt that a progress report would be useful.

The Shadow Cabinet Member and the Cabinet Member were in agreement that the framework was a positive way forward.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for Adult Services

1.  Approve Adult Social Care Practice Framework ‘Adults and their Carers at the Heart of Practice’

2.   A progress report be considered this municipal year