Adult services - Community of support
Our Adult Social Care Community of Support programme provides support for local authorities working to personalise their adult social care services.
Our Getting Excited, Getting Going programme aims at working with local councils who are looking to reimagine support in their area alongside the people who draw on it, to make this Social Care Future vision a reality for local citizens and communities.
In Control pioneered self-directed support in public services. We are committed to offer support which helps to enable people of any age and their families to have control over their lives.
We are able to offer flexible support from our staff team, associates and partner organisations across a number of sectors. The Adult Social Care community of support programme and additional bespoke support offers councils a combination of practical development in all aspects of delivery with access to up-to-date advice and information about good practice which supports integration and the delivery of personalised services.
What is Community of Support for Adult Social Care?
If you are working in a council and want to connect with others and with progressive support providers, trying your best to help build a brighter Social Care Future when times are really tough, what can you do? Three years ago, a group of Directors of Adult Social Care inspired by the Social Care Future vision asked if we would bring their colleagues together in a supportive community for inspiration, support, ideas, methods to help them plan and act locally. Over 45 councils have taken part so far, getting time and space in a supportive environment with others sharing the same challenges and aspirations.
- A community of support, set up at the request of Directors of Adult Social Services to facilitate peer support and practical, themed assistance to help close the gap between
where we are now and the social care we want - Regular, on-line, opt-in sessions open to multiple council staff and citizens
- Opportunities for peer support – where people can come to problem solve and explore practical solutions to common issues – without judgment but with support to focus
- Sharing ‘glimpses of the future’ and practical resources and things people have tried from around the country
- Themed sessions supporting people to create the conditions and take steps forward, connecting co-production to changing practice and strategy
- Support to people who draw on social care from member councils to be powerful coproducers with their councils
- Opportunities to link to and influence the external forces shaping what we do – for example debating assurance issues with the Care Quality Commission Chief Inspector, helping shape national commissioner training, identifying the ‘Plumbing and Wiring’ issues inhibiting change to be negotiated with those responsible for them.
The Communities of Support has a focus on elements of the Time to Act Roadmap published by ADASS and supported by the national Time to Act TTA) Reform Group which In Control and Social Care Future (SCF) helped to establish. TTA emerged from discussions between ADASS and SCF starting when Stephen Chandler was president. He was a strong supporter of the SCF vision and wanted to find a way to help councils and their partners by “working back” from it to clarity about the gap between social care now and the vision and how that could be bridged. TTA seeks to do that, pointing to important action, how it might be pursued as well as how national government needs to act. We are pleased that new ADASS president Jess McGregor and vice-president Phil Holmes are a strong supporters of the Community. The Casey Commission, developing recommendations for social care reform has started and we will keep closely connected to it’s work, providing a conduit for community members.
‘Nottinghamshire is proud to be part of it. I can recommend joining!’ Melanie Williams ADASS President March 2025
What does it look like practically?
The Community of support is primarily an on-line space, a range of types of sessions offer a combination of input, sharing, problem solving, connection-making. There are peer support sessions for and three core themes which are key to progressing towards the vision, these are currently:
- Peer support sessions for councils to come together and share and learn
- Sharing power through Co-production: how we can make sure we work in partnership with people and families in everything we do
- Early action and asset-based commissioning: making sure people get the support they need when they need it and that we make use of all local resources
- Glimpses of the Future: sharing where great stuff is happening towards the Social Care Future vision
- A web-based resource of materials relevant to community activity and themes and discussion forums
Sessions will include input from people able to share great approaches and examples. Community members can opt in to as many theme areas as they wish and spread attendance across a range of people – paid workers and people who draw on support and families.
How will the community work?
- Each council will nominate a link who can connect colleagues to the program elements relevant to their focus of interest
- Each theme will consist of a minimum of six two-hour on-line sessions to assist colleagues with their efforts to make change in the focus area via external inputs and facilitated peer support. Dates for the year are shared in advance.
- After each session materials and resources will be shared and available via community web pages.
Cost and sign up:
£2,500 plus VAT per year. Please contact admin@in-control.org.uk
Download the Community of Support flyer for Councils Adult services below
Getting Excited, Getting Going
This programme aims at working with local councils who are looking to reimagine support in their area alongside the people who draw on it, to make this Social Care Future vision a reality for local citizens and communities.
1. Getting Excited….
We’ll help you to co-design and facilitate a fun, engaging and inspiring event drawing together local people to start a different conversation about support in your area. The event will be an opportunity to introduce the Social Care Future vision and theory of change, share some initial reflections on how things are now and begin to talk about local priorities for action.
Outcomes:
- A shared commitment to the need for – and the direction of – local change, and the energy and enthusiasm to get started.
- A baseline understanding of what’s working well and what needs to change, from the perspective of people working in, around and drawing on support.
- An identified group of people who want to play a key role in defining local strategy and approaches to support, potentially forming a smaller group to act as a local account.
2. Getting Going….
We know that you’ll only achieve significant and lasting change locally if you have a clear focus on where you’re trying to get to, co-designed with – and owned by – local people with cause to draw on support and the local people and organisations working alongside them.
In a second, smaller session, we’ll support the group identified at the ‘getting excited’ event to develop a shared local vision. We’ll help you use the learning from the event to reflect on where you are now in relation to the vision (and how you got there) and identify opportunities to build on, and barriers to remove. This could include the steer for and development of the process for a Local Account and targeted early action.
Outcome:
A co-produced local vision and story of change to steer phasing of action, and the identification of early wins to demonstrate your commitment to reform.
3. Getting Support
We have great relationships with organisations who are already offering innovative approaches to support. We can offer advice on – and help you connect with – key people and organisations who can help you build local capacity and embed new ways of working aligned with your local vision. In addition we ourselves can offer help in some areas of follow up action, to be negotiated.
Our ask:
You will need to be prepared to work alongside and in support of local people and communities to agree your local vision and story of change, and to bring new ways of working to life. This will involve putting control into the hands of people and communities, connecting up people and resources, and learning together to make lasting change happen.
Costs and sign up:
- Total cost for support for Getting Excited and Getting Going £7.5k plus VAT and expenses or £8.5k plus VAT including expenses
- Getting support: To be negotiated
Please email: admin@in-control.org.uk
Download the flyer for ‘Getting Excited, Getting Going below
How we’ve helped councils:
- Improving personal budget strategies including streamlining process; checking results using the Personal Outcome Evaluation Tool; direct payments uptake; developing Individual Service Funds, increasing take up with people; workforce development.
- Resource Allocation System (RAS) support for developing personal budgets
- Individual Support Funds (ISFs) strategy and development.
- Community Fund Holdings
- Awareness days
- Basic training – legislation, personal budgets, personal health budgets, person centred planning, values, asset based working, change management etc.
- Reducing the use of external placement.
- Developing Local Accounts using the Think Local Act Personal Making it Real markers of personalisation progress.
- Supporting provider development including use of the Progress for Providers personalisation tools, helping providers to reduce use of paid support, introducing Individual Service Funds for homecare.
- Mapping and building community capacity.
- Dispute resolution/mediation and mentoring
- Leadership programmes with disabled people and families to develop local “Partners in Policymaking”.
If you would like to have an informal chat about how our Community of Support programme for Adult services could help you, please get in touch contact Admin@in-control.org.uk or call 0121 474 5900