Local Government Association

Develop opportunities for individuals and communities to come together and support strengths.

Strengths-based approaches are not a project; they are a way of working - continuous learning and development are essential.

Leadership is embedded in all of the High Impact Changes, but because it is so important, it has a change of its own as well. Research tells us that leadership is important to implementing strengths-based approaches , particularly when trying to make safeguarding personal. Leadership must have a strengths-mindset. This is not a project or a model but a way of working. It can be achieved through lots of small changes.

We want to make sure that adult social care systems and ways of working are focused on promotion of strengths. This includes supervision structures that support a strengths-based focus. We want people working in adult social care to be able to have structured and supported spaces to think about how they work with people and whether these are promoting a person’s strengths. We want adult social care professionals to be aware of how their presence in a person’s life or home has an impact.

Strengths-based approaches should be about people not about systems. As professionals:
We will try and make things as straightforward as possible. Embed lived experience in all design, testing, and review of tools and guidance so that we know that the way we work makes sense to people who draw on care and support.

Every interaction with a person should focus on building trust, empathy, and purpose. This includes assessments.

We want to make sure we are using language that focuses on people’s strengths. We need to change the language that people in adult social care use, so that it focuses on who people are, rather than on what is wrong with them. This means being careful about the words we use when we talk to people, about people, and particularly what we write about a person.

Feedback: 9 January 2026