The number of interactions or conversations does not give an indication of strengths-based approaches, so using a simple count as a key metric will not help ascertain whether approaches are strengths-based.
Research paid for by the National Institute for Health and Care Research provided a set of outcomes that could be considered to see if a strengths-based approach was working. These outcomes were grouped together under the following headings, to help understand this:
- People with lived experience / people who draw on social care or social work.
- Family, friends, and unpaid carers
- The community
- The adult social care workforce
- Timeliness of access to support
A full list of the proposed outcomes for each of these headings in Appendix three of this report.
How can systems do this
Using the I,” “we” and “together” statements
I statement: I want to know that my experiences and feedback make a difference.
We statement: We use lived experience to guide improvements, not just metrics or hours.
Together statement: Together we learn from each other and continuously improve the way we support people.
- Focus on outcomes that matter: confidence, purpose, relationships, and independence. Include reported measures from people who draw on services, and their family, friends, and unpaid carers on strengths-based outcomes, such as control, achieving goals and wellbeing.
- Replace time and task support measures (for example the number of hours of care or visits per day a person has) with measures of things that make a difference to the person’s life (purpose, connection, confidence).
- Include measures of practitioner's confidence and understanding and applying strengths-based approaches.
- Celebrate stories and small changes to sustain strengths-based approaches.
Highlighted pages
A High Impact Change Model to support a strengths-based approach in adult social care
Partners in Care and Health (PCH) asked the Social Care and Health Collaborative to help to develop a tool for councils to help people who work in adult social care to focus on strengths-based approaches. This resource sets out the High Impact Change Model to support strengths-based approaches.
Making it work – putting the model into practice: seven "making it work" action cards
References and resources
This page contains a list of references and resources that informed this model; as well as a list of organisations and individuals who contributed to the discussions, drafting and re-drafting and shared best practice examples to support this tool.