What our Citizen Survey told us
People reporting that they have received the right information and advice when they needed it
72% of carers, 77% of children and 79% of adults agreed with this statement. Some people were unsure what was available to them and therefore felt unable to ask the right questions. Others found it difficult to access information and felt that they would benefit from more frequent and consistent contact with us once their care and support plan is underway.
People reporting that they were treated with dignity and respect
98% of carers, 80% of children and 93% of adults agreed that they were treated with dignity and respect by Social Care staff.
I have a great team of carers who are always kind and gentle with me.
Always, and the understanding of our social workers have made the process of caring more manageable.
People with a care and support plan reporting that they have been given written information of their named worker in social services
83% of carers, 85% of children and 81% of adults agree that they know who to contact about their care and support, however, additional comments reveal that some feel frustration with the process of accessing support and feel that they are passed between departments. Some carers commented on how valuable particular members of staff have been in supporting their caring duties and what a positive difference it has made to their lives.
Support with respite care has been the only thing that has kept us sane and enabled us to holiday with family and friends without worrying – amazing support thank you.
People reporting that they felt involved in any decisions made about their care and support
81% of carers, 76% of children and 76% of adults agreed, with respondents from all groups stating that this responsibility is shared with or carried out on their behalf by other family members.
People who are satisfied with the care and support they received
70% of carers, 78% of children and 87% of adults are satisfied with the care and support they have received from Conwy. The additional comments received demonstrate a range of views; some wish they could receive more support but acknowledge that resources are limited. Others appreciated that support was necessary for their well-being and praise the staff involved in their care.
If there is one thing I was happy with, that was the ladies who cared for me, all of them were A1.
It is important to us that people who receive care and support in Conwy are treated with dignity, respect and kindness, therefore it is a pleasure to receive feedback and thanks from service users and their families which confirms this. Our Older People reablement team regularly receive letters and cards which demonstrate the sense of relief and appreciation that good quality care is being delivered. Here are some examples of the comments received:
My wife appreciated the friendly, professional and dedicated way [the carers] carried out their duties…….May I also thank the ladies for quelling any apprehension that we may have had, as we were embarking on ‘uncharted experiences’.
Members of staff had a lovely relationship with my mother and attended to her needs with kindness and warmth…..I would like you to know how valuable this service is for people like my late mother and ask you to pass our deep appreciation to the wonderful team of care staff who did their best for her.
I would like to thank and give a big hug to each lady that came to me during my six weeks care. You were all so lovely and kind, I could not have managed without you. Love you all.
Other Performance
81% of adults who received advice and assistance from the information, advice and assistance service did not need to contact the service again in 6 months. We are proud of this achievement as we are significantly above last year’s Welsh Average with this result. (PMA23)
We completed 100% of assessments for children within statutory timescales (PMC24)
Community Resource Teams Programme
We have been working closely with our partners to plan for the future and to consider ways to improve our accessibility to citizens throughout Conwy. We are looking to set up Community Resource Teams which will be made up of teams of professionals, working within communities to provide health, wellbeing and social care support to designated areas.
Engagement events were held to discuss how diverse teams can work in a more integrated way and to ensure that the new model of service is fit for purpose and sustainable in the future. Feedback has highlighted recurrent themes around information technology, the need for local coordination and communication, the streamlining of current processes and the importance of harnessing the expertise of the right staff at each locality.
The objectives of the Community Resource Team Programme are to ensure:
- An integrated health and social care service delivery model to each community
- Coordinated, person-centred services delivered to all citizens who require them
- Partnership working around the individual
- A preventative approach to maximise independence and resilience
- An efficient and integrated working model
- Services which operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Work will continue to explore the opportunities to build on current partnership working arrangements and establish the most effective working model. In simple terms it should look like this model on the right.
Outcome-Focused Conversations
Outcome-focused conversations are at the heart of a pilot project within Conwy’s Children and Families Service and are already established within the Older People’s Service. The purpose of the pilot project is to explore the opportunities and challenges of implementing a focus on personal and family outcomes.
An outcome approach begins with time taken to understand what matters to the individual and their family. This encourages organisations to move away from service-led approaches and challenges them to think in a person-centred way. Outcomes cannot always be achieved through a single service provider. The positives of this approach include improvements in relationships between social workers and service users, core issues being identified in a new way, and services users feeling engaged and empowered to make decisions about their future.
This approach recognises that outcomes are achieved within a wider network of family, local community and social care systems.
Feedback has been positive:
When I was fighting with my brother she [Social Worker] would talk to me and would calm me down. She also tried to help me as much as possible and just listened to me.
She [Social Worker] calms me down when I see her. She is easy to talk to as well. She has just really helped us.
It is recognised that it will take time to implement this change in approach. It will also require skilful negotiations to strike a balance between delivering care and protecting against harm, whilst respecting the wishes of different family members.
Going forward the aim is for individuals to engage with the outcomes that are important whilst practitioners work towards sustainable changes. It is hoped that this approach will lead to a decrease in referrals, decrease in caseloads and a reduction in the number of children becoming looked after or registered on the Child Protection Register. Based on the impact there will be a continued rollout within the Older People Service and all other services in 2018-19.
Edge of Care Team
In Conwy we aim to support families to keep young people safely at home and prevent children and young people from entering the care system. Our Edge of Care team has been created to help prevent family breakdown, reduce the need to receive children into care and improve the experiences of children who are already looked after. By delivering intensive, practical support to the family within their home environment the team’s work centres on the individual needs of the family and adopts an integrated approach to avoid crises in the home. Staff are experienced and trained to a high standard to balance the need for immediate, targeted intervention and working with families on longer-term aims to develop problem-solving skills, build resilience and achieve positive, sustainable behaviour change.
The team work alongside other teams and agencies such as Team Around the Family, the Substance Misuse Service, Housing, adult mental health services, and others, to ensure that interventions are as effective as possible.