If you’re a social care professional whose favourite part of the job is meeting people rather than filling in forms, you’ll fit right in at Buckinghamshire county council. It has just rolled out its new better lives strategy, designed to put people at the heart of adult social care – and it’s eager to hear from those who share that ethos.
“You – the person – are at the centre of everything we do,” says Jennifer McAteer, director of adult social care (ASC) quality, standards and performance at Buckinghamshire county council. “The time we spend with people is the most important time. It’s all about asking: how do we help you on your journey? How can support enable you to maximise your quality of life?”
The strategy takes a strengths and solutions approach to adult social care, enabling people to use their personal strengths to find the solutions that work best for them. “Most people do have solutions to the issues that they experience. The question is: how do we enable and articulate that conversation?” says McAteer. “For example, say you’ve had a stroke and you want to return to the job you did before you had it. You’re likely to know the help you will need in order to do that.
“Or perhaps you are struggling with your personal care. You’ve found someone you are very comfortable with, at a small agency. Through the direct payment mechanism, you can sort that out yourself. Prevention is also part of this – perhaps you have type 1 diabetes and you want to have better control over your blood sugar levels. Technology could have a role to play here. But you have the autonomy and the control.”
Adult social care professionals at Bucks are encouraged to make the most of their training and experience, taking a rounded view of the people they help and be creative, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. Strict age categories, for example, are less important – it’s all about the help you need at a particular point in your life, rather than being eligible for a certain service once you hit a certain age bracket. The system needs to be flexible and agile, enabling people to move in and out of it – you might only need it once or twice in your life, at times of crisis, or you might use it regularly.
Here, the social worker isn’t the rescuer, but the enabler. “Independence, for example, is not just something you read in an assessment,” says McAteer. “It’s what we can do to enable you to live the lifestyle you want. It means something different to everyone. And that independence could involve many different roles and functions, from occupational therapist to nurse to social worker. The better lives strategy changes the emphasis from what you can’t do to what you can do – with safeguarding, of course, remaining at the heart of everything we do – and working at the pace of the individual.”
The strategy also places great emphasis on giving the adult social care workforce the tools – and the time – to deliver care. That means going back to basics and looking, again, at what’s important for the individual. “We need to develop those human relationships that, sometimes, have got burdened with layers of bureaucracy over the years,” says McAteer.
The three conversations model, which Bucks has recently introduced, is a big part of this. The approach replaces complex, prescriptive equations back down to very simple questions – for example: “What are the outcomes we’re trying to achieve?” – backed up with professional analysis and knowledge. “Three conversations is helping us move away from paperwork and harnessing social workers’ analytical and creative skills,” says McAteer. “The focus is on the individuals, the family, and everyone who is part of that network – but looking at how things are going in a very simple way.”
You’ll find rich learning and development opportunities at Bucks, too. It is launching new training initiatives this year that will, says McAteer, both go back to the basics of social work and skill up adult social care professionals in the new approach. “When you change the thinking, it alters the conversation. We’re looking at how we evolve and develop the skills of our workforce, and that might be something as basic as how to write a good strength-based assessment. Numbers certainly have a role, but it’s quality that matters in everything we do.”
It’s a hugely exciting time to join Bucks adult care services, she says, and this is only the start of the journey. So, if this kind of people-centred approach is for you, get in touch. “We are transforming the way we do things. Spending time with individuals is what social work is all about. Rather than being in an office, we need to be out there, working in our communities, enabling people to have a good quality of life and do the things that they care about. It’s about inspiring people to change – both our communities, and our staff. It’s about enabling, giving, hope, pride – it’s about people. It’s about those relationships that are key to everything we do.”
