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Views of the Third Sector 2012 In Rural Areas of Scotland Self Directed Support
Views of the Third Sector 2012
In Rural Areas of ScotlandSelf Directed Support
Self Directed Support
Views of the Third Sector: September 20122
Contents
Introduction page 3
The events page 3
Summary of findings page 4
Delegate feedback page 6
Appendix 1: Sectors represented page 11
Self Directed Support
Views of the Third Sector: September 2012 3
Contents IntroductionThis report brings together feedback from delegates who attended Self Directed Support (SDS) conferences and training events held for social care provider and advocacy organisations in 4 Scottish Local Authority areas. Events were held from March to May 2012. A standard delegate feedback form was used for each event to enable us to collate results.
A total of 297 delegates attended the events. Nearly all (267) were from the third sector and included support organisations from across the social care sector. Completed feedback forms were received from 198 delegates.
This report gives an overview of delegates current level of engagement with the SDS agenda and the opportunities and challenges it is perceived to
bring. Much of the content is in the form of direct quotes taken from delegates feedback forms.
All of the events were held in rural local authority areas, so this report may be of particular interest to those in similar areas.
All events were organised by ARC Scotland in partnership with local provider organisations and networks using funds provided by the Scottish Government 2012 - 2015. Feedback received will inform our future activity to help increase third sector organisations capacity to implement SDS.
For more information please contact Sylvia Crick, Project Manager ARC ScotlandE: [email protected]
The eventsConference events were held in:
• Scottish Borders (59 delegates)• Fife (63 delegates)• Aberdeenshire (64 delegates)
Five training events were held in Dumfries and Galloway (111 delegates).
Reports showing delegate feedback from individual events can be viewed at:www.arcuk.org.uk/scotland
Most (267) delegates were from voluntary or independent sector social care provider organisations. Others were from the Local
Authority, National statutory bodies or were people who get support from social care organisations.
Most of the people who attended were in management or leadership positions.
Delegates represented a broad range of social care sectors, however attendance was not representative of the overall make-up of the sector. Providers that support people with learning disabilities were proportionately over-represented (26% of delegates), while children’s services (4%) and services for young care leavers (0.4%) were very much under- represented. Delegates that support older
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Views of the Third Sector: September 20124
Summary of findingsThere was wide variation in delegates current level of engagement with SDS. Despite this, there was remarkable consistency in their perception of the challenges and opportunities that it presents. There was also similar views about what action providers would like to see happening in order to help improve their capacity to implement SDS. Most delegates (63%) indicated a good awareness of the principles and values of SDS, but fewer (48%) indicated a good understanding of what impact it would have on their organisation.
Fewer still (45%) indicated a good understanding of local authority plans to implement SDS in their area. Many mentioned improved information sharing with their local authority as a key factor to help increase their capacity to implement SDS.
Delegates generally had very mixed feelings about SDS. Most were strongly supportive of the principles and values underpinning SDS and viewed it as an opportunity to improve both the quality of support and quality of life for people they support. Interestingly, 22 delegates responded
that SDS was also an opportunity to positively re-shape the social care sector.
In marked contrast to this, many also had significant concerns that SDS will increase the vulnerability of people who get support and their carers, particularly the potential impact of untrained and unregulated personal assistants.
SDS was viewed as creating significant leadership and management challenges for third sector provider organisations, particularly in respect of HR and organisational change processes. There were also concerns about how the local authority would interpret SDS and that the process would become over-complex and under-resourced.
For most delegates these views were based on perceptions of what might happen, rather than direct experience. Some delegates (26%) indicated that their organisation had already made quite a lot or a lot of change in response to SDS. In contrast many others (40%) said their organisations had made little or no changes at-all.
people, the largest social care sector, made up (25%) of delegates.
Appendix 1 shows a full breakdown of attendance figures for each sector.
The events were publicised as widely as possible in each area with a particular focus on local provider networks and forums. The comparatively low representation from some sectors may be an indication of a lower priority given to SDS in those fields of social care provision. It may also
be because ARC Scotland and many of the organisations involved in organising the events were associated with the learning disability sector.
As a result, we cannot be sure that delegates views are representative of all provider organisations in the 4 local authority areas. However we believe that their feedback gives an informed and interesting overview of providers current level of engagement with the Self-Directed Support agenda and the opportunities and challenges it presents.
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Views of the Third Sector: September 2012 5
Where organisational change had occurred, most were at the planning, rather than implementation stage. Some organisations had practical experience of SDS, although nearly all examples given were from their work in other Local Authority areas. This work also tended to be at an early stage.
Many delegates felt that good networking and information sharing between provider organisations (in addition to their local authority) was a key factor in helping to increase their capacity to implement SDS. There were, however, diverse feelings about how successful providers are at doing this. Some (36%) felt that they were not at all, or only a little successful, whereas fewer (23%) felt they were quite or very good at this.
Many delegates were seeking improved involvement of people who get support and carers in the planning of local SDS strategies and greater availability of accessible information.
It is also worth noting that 42 delegates indicated that they did not know what they would like to see happening in their area to help increase their capacity to implement SDS.
In summary, the most important next steps identified by provider organisations that would help increase their capacity to implement SDS were:
• Improved information sharing with their local authority SDS teams
• Improved / continued opportunities for networking between providers
• Improved involvement and information for people who get support and their carers
• More training opportunities, particularly in outcomes focused approaches and change management processes
• More practical examples of SDS in action
When asked what action they would take as a result of the event, nearly half of delegates said that they would pass information to staff or senior management teams. Some (26) delegates said that they would now actively start planning to implement SDS. A significant number (30) said they did not know what steps to take next.
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Views of the Third Sector: September 20126
Delegate feedbackThe following information is compiled from 198 completed feedback forms. Not all delegates answered every question whereas some answered with multiple comments. This has affected the total number of responses to each question.
To begin with, we asked delegates to score their responses to the following 5 questions:
Q1. How would you rate your understanding of the values, principles and methodology surrounding SDS?
Q2. How would you rate your understandingof the practical issues arising from SDS?
Q3. How would you rate your awareness of local authority plans to implement SDS?
Num
be
r o
f Re
spo
nde
nts
Score (1 is none 5 is a lot)
105
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
1 2 3 4 5
Num
be
r o
f Re
spo
nde
nts
Score (1 is none 5 is a lot)
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
1 2 3 4 5
Num
be
r o
f Re
spo
nde
nts
Score (1 is none 5 is a lot)
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
1 2 3 4 5
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Views of the Third Sector: September 2012 7
Delegate feedback Q4. How much change (if any) do you think your organisation has already made in response to SDS?
Q5. How successful do you think local providers are at working together to implement SDS?
We then sought more detailed written responses from delegates. We have divided their comments into the most common themes mentioned to give the figures below.
Q6. What action has your organisation already taken to engage with SDS?
0 Don’t know23 No action46 At planning stage40 Implementing strategy18 Involved in practical application
No action: • ‘Not enough information, could do with a
person in our organisation to implement this’
At planning stage: • ‘Discussions taking place to plan – involving
departments (Finance, HR)’• ‘SDS Champions in each area of
organisation’• ‘In control Leadership programme for a
number of senior managers. Completed ‘Progress for Providers’ and developed an organisational position on Self Directed Support’
Implementing strategy: • ‘We have delivered training and secured
funding for part-time SDS worker’• ‘Service in place with team leader and
advisor to take forward and promote and support people with gaining advice knowledge and SDS if desired’
• ‘We have members of staff involved across Scotland, who share their knowledge with others’
Num
be
r o
f Re
spo
nde
nts
Score (1 is none 5 is a lot)
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
1 2 3 4 5
Num
be
r o
f Re
spo
nde
nts
Score (1 is none 5 is a lot)
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
1 2 3 4 5
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Views of the Third Sector: September 20128
Involved in practical application: • ‘We support individuals in England through SDS’• ‘Already supporting a number of people with
their own budget’
Q7. What key concerns (if any) do you have about SDS?
8 Don’t know70 Increased vulnerability53 HR / organisational change issues27 Local implementation / lack of resources
Increased vulnerability: • ‘Whether clients get enough support to make
an informed choice’• ‘Clear recognition of need for
safeguarding in balance with choice and self-determination’
• ‘Lack of basic monitoring or registration of PA’s’• ‘How will the personalisation of services for
the service user still meet the needs of the carers when their priorities are different?’
• ‘Concerns around high level of health needs of those with PMLD and complex medical needs’
Concerns about the organisation – HR and organisational change: • ‘Workforce implications are a major factor.
Balancing service user rights with the rights of employee/employee legislation’
• ‘The logistical management required to deliver more flexible services’
• ‘Being a small organisation not being able to complete with the larger orgs’
• ‘Where does residential housing fit in to it all?’• ‘Marketing of own service – how we do this
needs to change’
Concerns about the local implementation / lack of resources: • ‘Local authority reluctance to embrace our
(voluntary sector) role’
• ‘Ensuring the process is easy for the person to work through and happens in reasonable timeframe’
• ‘Lack of resources especially in rural areas. Lack of transport links to enable service users in rural areas to access services’
• ‘Social workers to give all users a choice of providers that can be used’
• ‘Setting unrealistic expectations due to current financial restrictions’
Q8. What key opportunities (if any) do you think that SDS offers?
15 Don’t know118 Improved choice, control and flexibility of support53 Promotes personalisation, individual outcomes and potential22 Help to re-shape the care sector
Improved choice, control and flexibility of support: • ‘Opportunities for people to access support
to develop quality of life issues that are denied them under social work eligibility criteria’
• ‘Improved choice, control and flexibility of support’
• ‘Potential for person to purchase the support hey really need’
• ‘Make decisions, have control and choice, self determination’
• (Many comments with the above themes were received)
Promotes personalisation, indivdual outcomes and potential: • ‘The ability to identify own self worth and
personal expression’• ‘Enabling them to live a more fulfilling life full
of more opportunities’• ‘Better lifestyle, creativity, new opportunities,
shift in power’
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Help to re-shape the care sector: • ‘Keep providers on their toes! (long overdue)’• ‘Cost effective use of resource. Potential to
strip out ineffectual services over time’• ‘To get rid of chess board services where
one size fits all and encourages communities to look at local/personal solution’
• ‘Options of people coming together to commission jointly – better solutions’
Q9. What (if anything) would you like to see happening in this local authority area to address key concerns and promote opportunities?
42 Don’t know40 Networking and sharing information26 Involve users and carers26 More training23 Other action
Networking / sharing information: • ‘Close working between LA and
organisations to develop processes and systems that meet the needs of all parties’
• ‘More engagement/info sharing with providers about development of SDS within Council’
• ‘SDS network created for providers’• ‘More events like today with real life
experience. People coming together to address the fear factor and connecting “isolated” people’
• ‘More liaising with other providers who have already a good grasp of the pro’s and cons and can share their experiences’
• ‘SDS policy is evolving all the time, we need transparency and a way for everyone to keep up to date i.e. a website/e-forum or one stop shop for answers’
• ‘Staged approach and gather robust evidence base support for voluntary organisations to develop and sustain changes’
• ‘Full exploration of SDS and people with drug and alcohol issues is required’
Involve / better information for users and carers: • ‘Clear and open discussion with carers to
allay some of the fear and concern that they currently have’
• ‘SDS information in alternative formats for service users/carers’
• ‘Communicate to wider community all the opportunities SDS has to offer in clear and simple language’
• ‘Use of citizens panels and local groups to gain views of present users of services’
More training: • ‘Support/training re. managing change both
internal and external’• ‘Outcomes training sessions for front line staff
– opportunity to change the way of thinking’
Other action: • ‘More money from commissioning should
be allocated to the organisations assisting people with their plans so a more detailed service can be offered instead of “add ons” to our current workload’
• ‘Compulsory PVG checks, monitoring / supervision of PA’s i.e. agency providing this’
Q10. What action (if any) do you plan to take as a result of today’s event?
30 Don’t know70 Discuss / disseminate learning from today’s event25 Gather more information about SDS26 Begin planning process
Discuss / disseminate learning from today’s event: • ‘Discuss and share wealth of information
generated with MD and management team’
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Views of the Third Sector: September 201210
• ‘Feedback to team meeting – encourage learning in SDS process, promote a ‘can do’ attitude’
• ‘Get SDS on the agenda for the Alcohol and Drug Partnership and the Service Redesign of addiction services. Involve Service Users in our developing understanding for their expertise’
• ‘To make information learned today available to better inform families of SDS, alleviating worries and concerns they may have’
• ‘Look into and use the information provided to feedback to staff teams and also seek further information about where the organisations are with their plans’
Gather more information about SDS: • ‘I need to gather more information re –
SDS look in more depth at possibilities / practicalities’
• ‘Reading info at policy level’• ‘Make links with people I made contact with
to develop knowledge and share practice’• ‘Link with Local Authority to explore
opportunities – attend more training and increase knowledge’
Begin planning process: • ‘Start re-evaluating our services, look at how
we can be creative and expand to meet potential, needs services’
• ’To be more aware of people’s outcomes and listening to what people require in regard to their support, person centred in achieving these goals, to be thinking outside the box’
• ‘To look at ways staff teams are working with service users in preparation of SDS’
• ‘A lot of work to be done on outcomes and training of staff. Improve tenants choice of staff’
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Views of the Third Sector: September 2012 11
Appendix 1
Sectors Represented
Sector No.
Advocacy 3
Adults 16+ 5
Autism 5
All client groups 45
Carers 1
Complex health needs 4
Children 10
Care leavers 1
Sensory impairments 4
Families 3
Homless 2
Learning disabilities 69
Mental health 26
MS 2
Older adults / dementia 65
Physical disabilities 8
Substance misuse 6
Forensic services 1
