Suchergebnisse

Drawing on the best available research evidence, 'Managing transitions' highlights issues common to all experiencing transition as well as the dilemmas specific to particular situations. It addresses significant transitions relevant to policy and practice, covering key transition points in social care from childhood to old age.

AbstractThis paper presents the findings from an analysis of 56 significant case reviews (SCRs) in Scotland. In contrast to England and Wales where national analyses have been undertaken for many years, until this study was undertaken, the findings from SCRs had not previously been collated nationally. The paper discusses child, parent, environmental and agency factors that were identified in the SCRs and, whilst noting that the pathways to death or harm will be unique in individual cases, tries to further our understanding of the ways in which these different factors may interact to result in death or harm. A significant finding was the high number of SCRs that relate to the care and protection of children living in families whose lives are dominated by drug use and the associated issues this brings, including criminality and neighbourhood problems. Another challenging finding was the lack of suitable resources for the placement and support of troubled teenagers. Finally, a number of SCRs involved long‐term neglect and/or sexual abuse of school or nursery age children who had been known to statutory services for many years.

This paper explores ways in which IRISS (Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services) promotes the delivery of cost effective social services in Scotland that support the achievement of positive outcomes. The approach to evidence-informed practice is characterised as four pillars of activity. The first focuses on improving awareness and access to evidence. The second refers to strengthening the evidence base and is discussed in the context of work on self-directed support. Improving skills and confidence to use evidence forms the third pillar. The final pillar is embedding evidence in organisations, through coproduction, creating spaces to test and challenge evidence, and through the development of evidence-based products.

Abstract  An emphasis on the outcomes of health and social care services has become increasingly apparent within public policy in the United Kingdom. Alongside this, working in partnership has been a key theme, despite a relatively underdeveloped evidence base. Of central importance, however, must be whether directives toward partnership working are delivering improved outcomes, and in particular, the outcomes that are valued by service users. The authors describe a project that sought to identify the outcomes important to people with intellectual disabilities, and where possible, whether partnerships delivered these outcomes. The research was primarily based on interviews with service users and carers, and involved people with intellectual disabilities as both researchers and research subjects. The project categorized key outcomes in two categories (quality of life and process) and identified ways in which health and social care partnerships can deliver the outcomes service users want. If agencies are to deliver good outcomes to users, as increasingly emphasized in policy, this focus should accurately reflect the outcomes that users themselves define as important.

Background: Evidence-based practice in social care and health is widely promoted. Making it a reality remains challenging, partly because practitioners generally see practice-based knowledge as more relevant than empirical research. A further challenge regarding the creative, contextual use of research and other evidence including lived experience and practice-based knowledge is that practitioners, especially in frontline care services, are often seen not as innovators, but recipients of rules and guidelines or followers of pre-determined plans. Likewise, older people are not generally recognised as co-creators of knowledge, learning and development but as passive recipients of care, or objects of research.
Aims: This study aimed to address the above issues, through a collaborative and appreciative endeavour involving researchers; social care and health practitioners; managers; older people and carers in 6 sites across Wales and Scotland.
Methods: We used participatory action research methodology, applying a dialogic storytelling approach, which enabled participants to explore and address 7 already published research-based 'Challenges' regarding what matters most to older people with high-support needs.
Findings: Participants discovered and addressed five elements required in developing evidence-enriched practice; the creation of supportive and relationship-centred research and practice environments; the valuing of diverse types of evidence; the use of engaging narratives to capture and share evidence; the use of dialogue-based approaches to learning and development; and the recognition and resolution of systemic barriers to development.
Discussion and conclusion: Although existing literature covers each element, this project was novel in collectively exploring and addressing all five elements together, and in its use of multiple forms of story, which engaged hearts and minds, positive outcomes were achieved.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Tables -- Foreword -- Notes on the Contributors -- Introduction -- 1. Devolution: Scorecard and Prospects -- 2. Does the Community Care? -- 3. Housing, Neighbourhoods and Communities -- 4. Attitudes Towards Illegal Drugs Use -- 5. Religious Beliefs and Differences -- 6. Identity Matters: The Personal and Political Significance of Feeling Scottish -- 7. A Classless Society? Social Attitudes and Social Class -- 8. Disengaged Individualists? Young People in Scotland -- Conclusion -- Technical Appendix -- Index

This collection focuses on the relationship between social care, community and citizenship, linking them in a way relevant to both policy and practice. It explores key concepts, policies, issues and relationships and draws on contrasting illustrations from England and Scotland. The authors examine the ethics of care exploring the theoretical and moral complexities for both those receiving and those delivering care. The book also incorporates practice-based chapters on anti-social behaviour, domestic violence, community capacity to care, black and minority ethnic care, volunteering, befriending and home care and provides international comparisons and perspectives with chapters from Sweden, Germany and Japan