Self Directed Support Newsletter March 2015

Transcription

1 Self Directed Support Newsletter March 2015 Social Work Services - Keeping You Informed Welcome to the first Self Directed Support (SDS) newsletter This newsletter is a way of sharing information and highlighting the difference self-directed support is making to individuals, families and communities in Fife. In this issue we have some excellent examples of how service users and families are using SDS to achieve their goals and outcomes. They illustrate how SDS emphasises person centred support and provides personalised and outcome focused services. We also want to update you on the implementation of the new SDS legislation in Fife. As part of this we are training staff and under taking community mapping exercises to help people access services and activities locally. For SDS to be successful Fife Council, service users, carers, and other support organisations all need to work together. The SDS reference group is made up of people who have used Self Directed Support as a way of organising their care and support and members of staff who have supported them. They have been actively involved in shaping how SDS is implemented in Fife. I would like to thank everyone for joining in and helping us to make SDS work well for people in Fife. In this edition uuwhat is Self Directed Support? uumeet the SDS Team uusds Reference Group uuself Directed Support SDS (Scotland) Act Fife Update uustaff Development and Training uusds Information Website uufree OU courses uucommunity Asset Mapping Project uused Older People s Test Site uusds - A Provider s Perspective u u Scottish Government Funded Groups Julie Paterson Head of Adult Services

2 What is Self-Directed Support? Self-Directed Support is a way of helping people who need care and support to have a good quality of life by having more choice and control over how their care and support is arranged. When they speak to their Social Worker they will talk about things that are important to them and the kind of care and support they need to reach their goals or outcomes and how this should be arranged for them. There are four options for arranging care and support: 1. A Direct Payment managed by yourself. 2. You direct your support through a third party. 3. The Council arranges your support for you. 4. A mix of options 1, 2 and 3 above. For more information refer to the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on our website uuwww.fifedirect.org.uk/sds Our Self Directed Support Team The SDS team have been involved in various pieces of work as the implementation of SDS in Fife continues. Team members provide valuable mentoring and support to colleagues from across the service. This includes providing advice, guidance and clarity around the SDS assessment and support planning process, in addition to supporting service users, families and carers through their SDS pathway. The team is involved in a wide range of local, regional and national SDS related groups and activities. Future projects include the development of outcomes focussed recording tools and systems to streamline processes for staff and the development of an independent information website. This will allow the public, practitioners, providers (private and voluntary) to search for information about support services available in Fife. The team is continuing to streamline processes based on feedback from everyone involved. We are committed to improving choice, control and flexibility for all supported people.

3 Kevin who is 22 has been dependent on his Dad, Shane to help him get about since he had a road traffic accident in This had a big impact on the family and since his discharge from hospital in 2009 his Dad had to give up work to help look after him. The traditional route to providing for his care was not flexible enough to provide the support he needs. By using Self Directed Support Kevin has employed a Personal Assistant who supports him to develop his social life and interests. Kevin is now enjoying going out for lunches and getting out and about more, gaining access to new activities. This support is helping me be less dependent on help from my mum and dad which makes me feel better. Kevin s increased mobility means life is less physically demanding for his parents and his Dad is thinking he may be able to get back to work. Supported by my PA, I am getting out and about more to do things I enjoy like going to the cinema. I have been trying new activities and recently enjoyed going rifle shooting for the first time. The SDS Reference Group The SDS reference group was set up 3 years ago so that all the groups and partners involved in SDS and the Social Work Service could work together to decide how SDS should be implemented in Fife. I have also become self-employed to give me more independence and security. I now feel more in control of my life because I know I have choices in relation to the way I want support and what direction I want my life to take. Members of the reference group are actively involved in the implementation of SDS in Fife and work in close partnership with the SDS team. They have been involved in the development of outcomes focussed recording tools, awareness raising about SDS, training and more recently are involved in the development of Fife s new information portal. Ali Fisher who is a service user on the SDS reference group said: Throughout the time I have been involved with self-directed support I have achieved a lot. During the last two years I have passed a NC in creative arts and moved house with the help of Energi support services and my personal assistant.

4 The Self Directed Support (Scotland) Act 2013 Fife update In 2010 The Scottish Government launched their 10 year strategy for the implementation of self directed support. The strategy detailed their plans to embed Self Directed Support as a way of delivering more personalised services. The SDS Act makes it a duty for local authorities to offer 4 options to children, adults and older people who have been assessed as being eligible for care and support. All adults who have recently been referred to the Social Work Service and are eligible for care and support are already automatically following the Fife SDS pathway. Are you eligible? To find out if you are eligible to receive support from Fife Council contact Social Work. Call or visit 1 Direct Payment - Self Managed The Self Directed Options 2 Direct your available support through a third party 3 Council arranges support 4 A mix of options 1, 2 and 3 Information about the SDS approach to social care Explore the SDS Options and how they meet your outcomes Agree your support plan Begin your social care assessment in partnership with your social worker and any relevent support Identify, discuss and agree your outcomes Reviewing your plan regularly Your support starts

5 Dillon and Aileen became involved with SDS at the very beginning when they were asked to participate in the SDS test site. Dillon is 20 years old and has a severe learning disability and epilepsy. Aileen said: SDS has allowed Dillon to have a much greater variety of experiences and activities in his life. Because of this we can see big differences in the way he communicates and behaves. Once you get to know him he is a very sociable happy contented young man. He is interested in doing different things and wants to join in. Up until now he was only able to make noises but recently he has started to say some words that we can clearly make out. It s wonderful to see him making progress. I really appreciate the help I ve received to help me put in place the range of support we now have for Dillon. SDS has given me the feeling of being in control and I know I can change things if I need to. We have an incredible freedom through the activities we have set up. He even has a sensory room that we were able to create through charitable funding we received from various organisations. She added: When he goes to the day centre he uses a visual timetable made up of pictures and symbols to make choices about what he wants to do each day. He has fun swimming and goes along to ceilidhs and discos where he enjoys the atmosphere and the music. He has also started to participate more when he is in a group, this combined with1:1activities is helping him to progress and develop. I am very excited about the change I see in Dillon. SDS has given him the chance to get out and about without us. He has an All about me booklet that tells anyone meeting Dillon for the first time what kind of person he is, what he likes and dislikes to do and to eat, his health, his family etc. This is a level of independence I didn t imagine he could achieve. Aileen chose a person centred care provider who provide a personalised service for Dillon to meet his outcomes. They involve him in activities where he can socialise and participate and he gets on really well with every member of the team allowing him to build up his relationships with them in a familiar and trusting environment.

6 Staff development and training Enable Scotland were awarded the contract to provide SDS training for the council in September They will provide training courses for staff who are carrying out social work assessments and for all inhouse staff who are involved in service delivery. The key themes of the courses will be undertaking outcomes focussed assessments and delivering outcomes focussed services. In addition, courses will be offered to our partners in the private and voluntary sector. Places on the courses can be booked through the CLMS portal or through Workforce Planning and Development. Trudy Doidge of Enable Scotland said: We are delighted to have been awarded the contract for providing SDS training to Fife Council. We are passionate about providing personalised support and assisting people to identify and achieve their own personal outcomes. ENABLE Scotland is working within 23 of the 32 local authorities in Scotland and can evidence the impact SDS has in people s lives. We as Practitioners must come together to find creative solutions to some of the challenges faced to ensure that everyone has choice and a voice. It is exciting to be working with Fife Council staff to develop the new practices to support people to take control of their lives and live it as they want to. A new information website for SDS A new information website is going to be developed to provide information about SDS and the options and choices available. To make sure the website meets the needs of everyone who will be using it, the SDS team asked people to fill in a questionnaire to find out their views. It is anticipated the website will be used by members of the public, staff from health and social work and support agencies. A sub group of the SDS Reference Group and members of the SDS team are in the process of analysing the results of the public survey which was issued on their behalf by Fife People s Panel. FREE - SDS OU course The Open University is offering a free course aimed at professionals and lay people who have an interest in finding out more about SDS. It is rooted in real lives and practice and is designed to encourage innovation and an understanding of how to use and benefit from SDS legislation. Foundations for self-directed support in Scotland is available for free at Anyone accessing the course can study at their own pace at home, at work, on the train whenever and wherever it suits you. The course provides a thorough grounding in the practices needed to implement self-directed support. It takes about 60 hours to work through the entire course which is divided into six manageable sections. Each Section offers an opportunity to reflect on what you ve learnt. Hazel Ness social worker said, I found the content really informative and practical. There are some very good videos that show some very interesting videos of case studies. If you want to find out what SDS is all about I would strongly recommend that you take a look at this course. The is no need to register to start studying, just go to www. openuniversity.co.uk/sds-scotland or if you would like more information about the OU s work on self-directed support contact pat.black@open.ac.uk.

7 Stephen has complex needs, loves getting out and is very sociable. He needs care 24 hours a day 7 days a week and Mum Judith is always there to give him the help he needs. Judith was recently nominated for and won a Local Hero s award for her constant commitment. But she can t do everything and can t do it all on her own. She says: SDS has made a huge difference to Stephen s life. Until we got an SDS package we were restricted as to what Stephen could do. Now in addition to the time he spends at the Glenrothes All Day support service (GLAD) and Forward Centre Community Support Service he has James his PA who takes him out to meet people. This has transformed him. Although his verbal communication is very limited, people who know him are very aware of how he is involved in everything and doesn t miss much. So now when James takes him out to meet friends, to the pub and to places that he couldn t go before I can tell he is really happy and content with life. When Judith needs a break or when she is doing something else James also takes Stephen to dental and hospital appointments. Judith has chosen SDS option 4 (a mixture of independent support and Council support) The SDS team support and advise her on commissioning services and hiring personnel but she pays all the wages and invoices herself. Because of Stephen s needs he has home care, attends 2 day centres and has his PA. Judith adds: I can imagine that SDS can be quite scary for people who have been used to having the Council decide everything for you. But I ve found it very good because I now have the help I need when I need it and Stephen has a much better quality of life. It is clear to me that Stephen is very happy with the way things are working.

8 Community Asset Mapping Project Local Area Co-ordinators based in the Self Directed Support Team and staff from BRAG Enterprises are working together on a Fife wide community asset mapping project. It is important that practitioners are able to direct people to local community resources. The information will be used to direct people to meaningful activities and organisations in the community. Community asset mapping is a process whereby participants identify people, places, activities, organisations and groups which are valued by local people. Post-it notes are used to identify each resource on a map of the area. The Local Area Co-ordinators are meeting community groups and holding local mapping sessions to find out what people value the most in their local community. Once this information is gathered it is then entered into the ALISS search engine uwww.aliss.org u The ALISS search engine organises the information by local area. It has been developed and maintained by the Health and Social Care Alliance in Glasgow. It is hoped that the information gathered will be useful to local citizens who are looking for community opportunities. It will also help people who require care and support to identify community groups, organisations and activities which will help them to achieve their outcomes and to have a good life in their local community. If you would like to be a partner in the mapping project or are a member of a group or organisation and would like to take part in the asset mapping project or would like to add your organisation to ALISS please contact Gerry or Sylvia on ext / or John or Sarah at BRAG Enterprises on Read the blog about the Fife Asset Community Mapping Project online at

9 SDS older people s test site Work has been going on for some time to introduce and implement SDS in Fife. To test how the new process will work in older people services, staff, service users and carers have been using the person-centred approach to identify outcomes and arrange support. Here are two examples of how it can work. Mary and Bill made different SDS choices but each was involved in the decision making and are now benefiting from services that meet their individual outcomes. Mary chose Option 1 - Direct Payment and Bill chose Option 3 - Local Authority selected, arranged and managed support. Mary found that the process has on the whole benefitted her, with significant positive changes in her life being noted at her review. She was very pleased because she felt involved in making choices for herself and felt she was listened to. Bill chose option 3 where the local authority (Fife Council) arranges his services for him. Although his key worker arranged for an agency to support him, he remained central to all the decisions that were being made. The agency was chosen on the basis that they could provide the support he needed to achieve the outcomes he had identified. Overall the older people s test site has demonstrated that for most service users, identifying personal outcomes and using a person centred approach is beneficial for meeting their needs and outcomes in a flexible and innovative way. SDS - A Provider s Perspective Jane, Regional Manager for a local support organsiation said: We are currently providing SDS services to people in Fife. I noticed a difference in how support is identified and commissioned using an outcomes focussed approach. For example, a relative of one service user approached ourselves and other care providers for information on the services we could provide. We were then shortlisted and invited to an interview with the service user, their family member and a member of Fife Council s SDS team. The interview was different to what we had previously experienced. It focussed on the service user s needs and outcomes and how we could support them to achieve the outcomes that had been agreed in the person s support plan. Because we offer a very flexible service we were able to meet those requirements. We have always provided services in a person centred way, but SDS ensures that the person is at the centre all the way through the process and has a real sense of ownership. It makes a real difference to service users lives and we as a provider can see clearly what we need to do to support them to live the way they want to live.

10 Scottish Government Funded Groups There are a number of organisations in Fife who have been funded by the Scottish Government to provide SDS information, advice and support to individuals, families and carers. Here is a short introduction to some of the projects. PAMIS Self Directed Support Projects PAMIS is a registered charity working throughout Scotland with families caring for a relative with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and complex healthcare needs. PAMIS provides a range of services and projects. The Self Directed Support Project is funded by the Scottish Government and aims to provide information to new and existing service users of Self Directed Support (SDS) within 3 years. They network with other organisations and offer services and support for SDS and also highlight the importance of family carers needs within any SDS package. For anyone wishing more information about PAMIS please contact Lesley.pamis@btconnect.com B.garrard@dundee.ac.uk call or write to: PAMIS 15/16 Springfield, University of Dundee, DD1 4JE Citizen Advocacy Project: Self-Directed Support The Fife-wide citizen advocacy project aims to match short-term advocates with people who are accessing Self-Directed Support (SDS). These advocates can provide assistance in completing the supported self-assessment questionnaire and the self -directed support plan, can provide support at meetings and will ensure that the person s opinions and views are being taken into consideration There are three Citizen Advocacy organisations in Fife: Dunfermline Advocacy (West of Fife), Equal Voice (Central Fife) and IncludeMe (North-East Fife) which provide support for citizen advocacy partnerships across Fife. Citizen advocacy matches local people with vulnerable adults in their communities to provide support and friendship, and gives each individual the opportunity to have their voice heard. If you feel that you, or someone you know may benefit from this service, please contact: utom u Bishop on

11 Deaf Action and Fife Society for the Blind Deaf Action and Fife Society for the Blind are working in partnership on the Self- Directed Support Joint Sensory Project, to make information and services for SDS more accessible for people with sight and/ or hearing loss in Scotland. The project involves helping Local Authorities and Support Organisations to translate/transcribe their materials into Braille, Large Print, Spoken Word and British Sign Language Film. The project also makes use of Peer Volunteers, who experience some degree of sensory loss. The aim is for those volunteers to provide information and support about SDS to other people with similar sensory loss so that they are better prepared, and can navigate the process more effectively. Outside the Box - Making Choices Project Outside the Box have been continuing to develop the Making Choices resource which provides information about selfdirected support aimed at Older People. It will help people to have choices about the services they use and how local services and supports can help older people do more of the things that they want such as keeping in touch with friends and getting involved in their community. The resource has been developed using feedback from discussions with older people and services in Fife but is aimed at older people living in any part of Scotland. The final resource will be completed in early To find out more go to: uwww.otbds.org/makingchoices u and to get in touch admin@otbds.org ARC Scotland Self Directed Support Consortium ARC Scotland supports 49 organisations from local and national provider organisations, self-advocacy and carer groups who work in 4 local authority areas, including Fife. Their work aims to build the capacity of providers to enrich the lives of people who require support. ARC s objectives are to: 1. Nurture the capacity of provider organisations operating in rural areas to work individually and collectively to develop and deliver self-directed models of support. 2. Strengthen the ability of provider organisations to involve the people they support and their carers in the development and implementation of self directed support in their organisations and engage with potential new purchasers. 3. Support care providers to work together to contribute, influence and support the implementation of the Self Directed Support National Strategy for Scotland within their local authority area and at a national level. For more information about the work of ARC go to uwww.arcuk.org.uk/scotland u or telephone Over the Fence Over the Fence is a website with lots of information for older people and their families or friends. It has lots of information to help you when you are thinking that you need to start organising some sort of care or services to help you stay at home. For more information go to: uuwww.overthefence.org.uk

12 SDS Awareness Week 30 March to 2 April 2015 In order to mark the first year of the legislation, the SDS Team is marking SDS Awareness Week with a series of public information roadshows through out Fife. The roadshows will run from Monday 30th March 2015 to Thursday 2nd April Our Revolution Bus will be in various locations across Fife providing information about how people can be more involved in directing their own support as well as where they can go for more information, both from the Council and our partners in the private and voluntary sector. Details of where the bus will be parked will be issued through various community venues very soon. Further Information For information about Self Directed Support in Fife: Online Phone (9am to 5pm) BSL Translation SMS service BT Text Direct (9am to 5pm) Alternative Formats To request information in large print, braille, audio CD/tape and BSL interpretation call Language lines Polskojęzyczna linia telefoniczna: You can also find out more about SDS in Scotland by visiting the Scottish Government s Self Directed Support Scotland website