PS

Season Greetings from all the team

2011-12-22T09:45:00.002Z

Video briefing by Jonathan Morgan

2011-08-12T19:04:00.007+01:00

Seminar Date - September 21st
Time - 9.30am - 12.30 am
Place - Ty Antur, Navigation Park, Abercynon
For more information, please contact beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk

Jonathan Morgan joins the team

2011-08-07T21:24:00.009+01:00

Jonathan served as one of the original Assembly Members from 1999 until May 2011 and built up a strong working relationship across the public, private and third sectors. During his 12 years at Cardiff Bay, he worked with a number of health, social care and charitable organisations to assist them in their work, in promoting and advising their development in relation to government policy and legislation. He is passionate about ensuring that organisations have the right tools and knowledge to effectively influence political development and legislation, arguing that the business of government is everyone's business where legislation can be greatly improved by civic involvement.

Jonathan served on the health committee from 2003 & took the Chair of the Health, Well-Being & Local Government Committee (2007 - 2009 & 2010 - 2011). As Chair of the Health Committee he gained a reputation for fairness and impartiality, guiding the committee through controversial and sensitive policy reviews. In 2006 he became the ITV Wales Assembly Member of the Year when his work in health policy was praised as "substantive, well thought-out and overwhelmingly constructive".

During the third Assembly term Jonathan became the first non Government AM to take through a Legislative Competence Order to devolve powers from the UK Parliament to the National Assembly, in the field of Mental Health. This, a first for a member of the opposition, saw Jonathan pursuading both the National Assembly and the UK Parliament to agree that Wales should be able to pass laws in relation to Mental Health. Towards the end of the term, the Assembly legislated in this policy area and passed the 2010 Mental Health Measure, which will be implemented over the next couple of years.

July 20th 2011 - Let’s get Flipping!

2011-06-01T13:21:00.003+01:00

One day practical workshop @ Navigation Park, Abercynon

This practical workshop aims to explore why and how Flip video cameras might be used by social care providers as an accessible tool for person centred planning and social engagement. It will be productive, practical and highly interactive.

The workshop is suitable for social care professionals looking to implement the use of digital video into their organisation. Previous experience of using flip cameras is not essential.

Sarah Day will work with participants to begin to explore the skills and knowledge required when using the Flip camera to support service users. For further information about the facilitator, please visit our website at www.practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk/about-us.

The Programme
9.30: Coffee and Introductions

9.45:Why digital video?
How can it be used positively within the context of social care and person centred planning?

10.45: Break

11.00: Practical exercise -The Flip camera and it’s benefits

11.20: Practical exercise – Let’s get flipping

12.45: Lunch

13.30: Practical exercise -The flip editing session – how to make an effective use of the tool and it’s embedded software

15.00 Group presentation - Flip Share

15.40 Break

16.00: Group discussion – Flip and social engagement

How might the flip video tool be used to support individuals accessing social care services?

Future planning – the practicalities of flipping

16.30: Close

The fees for this workshop is as follows:
For Voluntary sector organisations - £ 75+ vat
For Private sector organisations - £ 95 + vat

Equipment will be provided, however if you already have your own flip cameras, it would be a good idea to bring them along. Lunch and refreshments is included.

The workshop will take place at Practice Solutions, Ty Antur, Navigation Park, Abercynon.
For further information, or to book a place, please contact beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk. You can also call her on 01443 742384. Places are limited, so early booking is recommended.

Tina Donovan joins the team

2011-02-04T14:48:00.002Z

Tina has worked in the health and social care sector for over 37 years, initially training in childcare and learning disabilities as a nurse, working in the NHS in Leicester, Gwent and South Glamorgan as well as working with children with complex learning disabilities and challenging behaviours in Jersey for a period of time.

She has worked in both the Private and Public Sector in Wales commissioning and as a Service Provider ranging from Secure Service Provision through to Supported Accommodation following having an instrumental role in managing the closure of Ely Hospital in Cardiff. Tina has recently retired from running her own Company for the last 7 years in providing support and accommodation for young adults on the Autistic Spectrum and Asperger’s Syndrome.

She has a wealth of experience in the development of services, service provision, and training within the field as well as strong links with other colleagues and professionals. The main underlying principle in her work is that Tina strongly believes it is essential to have a very sound values base and a passion in the way people with learning disabilities, mental health, and any vulnerable adults are treated within our society, and that individuals should be empowered and supported to reach their own aspirations in their lives.

Free Events for the third sector and private providers in south Wales

2011-02-04T14:20:00.004Z

On March 8th and 9th we will be hosting free seminars at our training facility in Navigation Park, Abercynon for third sector and private sector providers to explore how, through these challenging economic times, to deliver more effective results using ‘Results Based Accountability (RBA.

RBA is increasingly being used to deliver better outcomes for vulnerable people in communities across the UK.

Our Associate, Val Connors, who will be leading the sessions, has a wide range of experience of working in Social Services across Wales and has used RBA extensively as an approach to improve outcomes in public services. She firmly believes that RBA offers many benefits for organisations who want to deliver beneficial outcomes for their customers.

The aim of the sessions will be to:
• Provide a brief overview of RBA and share experience of its’ use
• Explore the benefits of integrating the RBA approach into business planning processes
• Identify the challenges of linking RBA to commissioning and service provision

The 3rd Sector event will take place on March 8th (2pm -4.30pm) with the private provider event taking place on th 9th March (2pm - 4.40pm).

These events are free and spaces are limited, so to book your place, please call Beth on 01443 742384 or email her at beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk by Tuesday 1st March 2011.

Results Based Analysis (RBA) & Business Planning

2011-01-21T15:20:00.003Z

Results Based Analysis (RBA) is a powerful organisational tool which can provide data to monitor progress and evaluate why services, programmes and interventions are succeeding or failing.

RBA provides a basis for answering the questions:

What are we trying to achieve, and why?
How are we progressing?
Have the desired results been achieved?

Evaluation using an RBA approach , in practice, can help to answer different, but equally important questions:

What are the results we want to achieve?
Why were results achieved or not?
What is the connection between intervention and outcome?
Do we need to repeat or discard anything we do?
Have there been any unintended consequences?
How do we need to change?

Val Connors, our associate consultant, recently ran a seminar on how RBA maybe used effectively to enhance business planning and the development of the ACRF within Wales. Here are some reflective notes based on the discussions held.

Perceived benefits of RBA

Increases opportunities for engagement of ‘customers’ and other stakeholders in a shared vision and how to achieve it
Increases ownership of outcomes and means
Supports creativity and ensures interventions are relevant and timely
Provides a gateway to move from a reactive to a proactive culture
Provides increased opportunity to explore how joint intervention can be integrated to achieve shared outcomes
Improves ‘customer’ focus by examining success and failure through collection and analysis of ‘customer' experiences
Supports more accurate commissioning of internal/external services
Improved performance management, better use of resources
Provides a continuing opportunity to demonstrate results and build public confidence
Can cut across departmental , corporate and collaborative joint‐planning processes
Supports political scrutiny and organisational governance

Challenges

The focus of RBA must be on outcomes and improvement
Careful choice of performance measures is critical
Data should be chosen to illuminate difficult issues, rather than to show the organisation in the most favorable light
If RBA is to become more than a ‘flavour of the month' concept, personnel must see a direct link between what they do and the data they collect
Implementing, organisation wide RBA, needs a longer‐term strategy with a shared language
Collaboration and trust will be needed, if RBA is to deliver required results, particularly in
relation to population accountability
Welsh Assembly Government PIs do not fit well with an RBA approach and will need to be
adjusted
In return for measurable results, agencies, with commissioning and contracting
responsibilities, will need to delegate authority and resources

Implementing & RBA will require additional capacity to:

Develop a shared language
Engage customers and stakeholders
Set clear outcomes
Agree shared indicators and measures of success
Collect and use data beneficially

The current financial climate is challenging. Sharing costs in a collaborative venture, across
geographical and agency boundaries, offers a possible solution to the issue of capacity.

Gabe Conlon
Practice Solutions
17.1.2011

How Practice Solutions benefit from Cloud computing

2011-01-06T16:38:00.005Z

In the early part of 2010, to manage our expanding team of associates, we identified a need to develop our existing IT setup. We were aware of the concept of cloud computing and sought the advice of M2i Communications to provide us with a hosted IT solution that would meet our business needs. The whole process took less than two weeks to complete. M2i set up the system, imported our email archives and showed us how to get the most out of the new services. They also upgraded our existing mobile phone set up, and we now have smart phones that are synchronised and configured with our email and calenders. Nearly a year on, we feel our organisation has really benefited from using M2i, they understand our business and provide us with a reliable infrastructure that contributes to our continued success. Furthermore we have saved several thousands of pounds in set up costs for a traditional email and data storage server, and a further one thousand pounds per year with ongoing maintenance contracts.

The hosted technology we now use gives us email, diary and contact management for everyone within the business, making a real difference from from using individual email accounts and diaries that aren't connected. It works with Microsoft Outlook, via a web browser and our smart phones. This is vital as it means our staff and associates can connect from any device, anywhere at any time. We continue to operate whatever the weather!

The SharePoint solution, which gives us access via a web browser to the latest versions of working documents has also really improved our time management processes, because we can always find what we need. There's a lot less time spent emailing others trying to find documents.

Everything is hosted in secure data centres which can be accessed over the Internet. We are billed on a monthly basis and are charged per user. M2i manages our account so we can easily add new users as we develop and grow however, we only pay for what we use. Besides saving money, using hosted services also reduces a lot of risk for us, as the M2i solutions provides back up, continuity of service, hardware and software maintenance, upgrades and disaster recovery. All Practice Solutions staff and our associates need to work effectively is a laptop, or smart phone, with a connection to the Internet.

Seasons Greetings from Practice Solutions

2010-12-20T10:35:00.003Z

Find out about our recent DVD production with The Your Life, Your Choices transitions project

2010-12-10T17:19:00.011Z

Watch the video to hear about the 'Your future, Your choice transitions project. Or, read below...

The Your Life, Your Choices project was set up by the Local Authorities of Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent to support young people with disabilities as they progressed from childhood into adulthood. A key aim of the project was to promote the positive use of transition coordinators in transition planning. In 2009 we were commissioned to produce a DVD on behalf of the project team, which would be used to provide information about transition planning for young people, parents, carers and professionals.

It was agreed that the projects' transition coordinators and a group of young people they were engaged with, would be the main focus for the DVD. Thus, to ensure that everyone involved could benefit as much as possible from the experience it was decided to kick start the process by inviting a number of young people to attend a five day film making course. The aim was to introduce participants to the experience of creating digital films and more importantly, to get to know us and warm to the idea of appearing in front of a video camera.

The approach was incredibly successful and really helped to develop the skills, confidence and trust of the participants who now form a key part of the final DVD. As Mike Logan, the Your life, Your Choices project manger commented, 'We had nine young people who had never met each other before from three different local authority areas...we found them working together as a team much quicker than we had expected. And also, because they were then listening to each others voices as they recorded each other and as they planned some of the film clips, we found that they started to think for themselves about their own experiences. By the end of it they were comparing quite deep experiences, quite emotional experiences of things they had in common, like being bullied at school and some of the things they'd done about it...(we)found the whole experience extremely powerful, but it was also clearly powerful for the young people who were involved.'

The second phase of the process involved the actual production of a series of digital stories that documented the transition experiences of four young people, their families and transition coordinators. Three of the four stories were based on the experiences of young people who had accessed the initial training programme and at least two individuals volunteered to assist with the production work.

We worked very closely with the transition coordinators and the individuals whose experiences we were planning to film to ensure they understood why we wanted them to be involved. It was also important for them to understand that their contribution would be made public to other young people, their parents, carers and professionals who were interested in finding out more about transition planning.

The second phase of the project took approximately two months to complete and the first draft of the DVD is currently being reviewed by all the key stakeholders prior to it's final completion. The project was immensely rewarding and it was gave both John and I a great buzz to see how much the young people grew in confidence and self esteem, simply by getting involved. It was clear from the comments made by Mike Logan, the project manager, that he also valued our approach to engaging with the young people, 'From those very first training days, John and Sarah engaged with the young people really well. They recognised their skills and potential and brought them along. Their work was incredibly empowering'.

The Your Life, Your Choices project now has an extremely useful resource that can be used by any young person and their families who are thinking about their transitions into adulthood. It's also being used a as a training tool for practitioners working directly with young children with disabilities. 'John and Sarah really helped us clarify what we wanted the DVD project, and from our point of view they've helped us produce a really effective product' Mike Logan, Your Future, Your Choices Project Manager. If you'd like to find out more about the project, see the digital stories, or explore how Practice Solutions can assist you in the production of a digital media project, then please don't hesitate to give us a call on 01443 742384.

The new Equality Act 2010 Seminar - Janurary 27th. Book two delegate places, and receive the opportunity to register one further delegate FOC

2010-12-03T14:08:00.025Z

At Practice Solutions we realise that in this challenging climate, training budgets have been reduced considerably, so in response we would like to offer those wishing to book two delegate places, the opportunity to register a further delegate at no extra charge.

If you would like any further information, Robert Corteen, the seminar facilitator, will be more than happy to discuss this with you, just send an email to beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk with your contact details.

For your convenience, you can download our electronic booking form to book onto the seminar. Click here to book. The form can be downloaded to your computer, filled in, and then returned to us via email or post.

For more information, please contact Beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk

Geoff Waites joins the team

2010-11-11T10:42:00.004Z

Geoff has recently joined Practice Solutions and brings 35 years of experience of working with children's services in both local authority and voluntary sectors. Geoff is a registered social worker and has worked as a senior manager for the last 10 years, with key involvement in quality assurance and performance management as well as the development of multi-agency safeguarding.

His particular interests include improving the management and leadership of social care services and developing outcome based practice in the safeguarding of children.

Rhondda Cynon Taf respite review winner!

2010-11-11T10:17:00.005Z

As part of our review of respite services for Rhondda Cynon Taf Social Services, Practice Solutions conducted a survey that gave respondents the opportunity to enter a free prize draw. The draw has now been made and Mrs Dyer (pictured opposite with Phil Tyrrell and her husband) who lives near Pontypridd, and cares for her husband, was the lucky winner of the £50 pound shopping voucher.

The survey attracted a significantly high response rate and has produced some really insightful results that will assist RCT in the planning and development of respite care in the future. If you are interested in finding out more about the review, and how this approach may be used to help your organisation, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Val Connors joins the team

2010-10-20T10:39:00.007+01:00

Val has ex
tensive experience working in the field of social care across Local Government, the Welsh Assembly and the Wales Audit Office. Her early career includes post graduate research and teaching at Cardiff University, as well as work in the Voluntary Sector in the area of substance misuse. Between 1991-1998, Val held a variety of managerial and strategic posts in Mid Glamorgan Social Services Department and, following Local Government Reorganisations in Wales, in Bridgend SSD.

Val joined the Social Services Inspectorate Wales (SSIW) at the National Assembly for Wales in 1998 where she spent the next four years developing and leading inspections across a range of service areas, and also undertook a period of secondment with the Joint Review Team carrying out reviews in Wales and England. In recent years Val worked for the Wales Audit Office where she provided specialist social care expertise and knowledge. During this time, she had specific responsibility for managing the second programme of joint reviews in Wales in partnship with CSSIW and more recently played a key role in developing the methodology for new inspection and review arrangements in Wales.

Flipping benefits!

2010-09-24T13:42:00.003+01:00

We've had our Flip HD camera since May and since that time we've uncovered a number of significant benefits the Flip can offer us and other organisations working in the health and social care sector. For those who are unaware, the Flip is a simple to use camcorder, lowcost (approx £120) that is lightweight, portable and powered by AA batteries. The camera records HD quality video and can be plugged directly into your computer's USB port, to preview or edit any recorded video footage. The Video can be shared online or exported to DVD.

Our Flip is now used as a key tool within our business, and has significantly enhanced the ways in which we communicate and work with our customers. In particular we now use our Flip to

Capture relevant and expert information regarding the social care sector on our public blog
Document what our customers think about our work
Work with individuals to help them make their own video presentations in a supported and purposeful way

We're confident that other organisations could benefit from the use of a 'Flip', and as a result we've developed a number of training programmes that aim to develop the skills and knowledge of health and social care professionals and service users in the use of Flip cameras. If you want to find out more about our training programmes, or how we could help your organisation benefit from the use a Flip camera, please contact sarah@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk

Seeking the views of service users and carers in the Rhondda Cynon Taff area

2010-09-13T11:34:00.002+01:00

We are currently working with Rhondda Cynon Taff local authority to review their Respite Care Services. During September and October 2010 we will be seeking the views of service users and carers to find out what they think of the respite services they currently receive. If you know of anyone living in the area who you think my be interested in sharing their views, either by questionnaire (for which there will be a prize draw for all completed questionnaires), focus group, or telephone interview, please contact Beth on 01443 742384 or email her on beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk.

Successful Dementia Training

2010-08-09T10:59:00.002+01:00

Last month our associate trainer, John Lewindon delivered a one day Dementia Awareness Programme for one of our regular clients as part of their workforce development programme. For your information, here are some of the comments that were made by participants.

Before taking this course I had little knowledge of dementia and Alzheimer's. I strongly enjoyed the course and found it very beneficial to myself as a carer. The activities learnt and carried out were thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you for giving me an insight into a very difficult subject, and for giving an understanding of dementia and what it could mean to that person to still be treated like a human being. Thank you.

John was an enthusiastic trainer with clear, vast knowledge. This is the second time I have completed this course. An excellent refresher with a good balance between factual information and managing in care settings.

When coming to the course, I thought I knew everything there was for me to do my job. I was wrong. I have learnt a great deal. The teacher was perfect for the job. Really enjoyed the course. Thank you.

An excellent course and has made me think differently about a number of my cases, and will encourage me to explore different methods and ways of communicating with people with dementia. I would like there to be regulation refreshers of this training.

For more information about our dementia training, or any of our other programmes, please contact beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk.

Successful Open Day

2010-07-26T09:31:00.002+01:00

Thursday the 15th July saw us open the doors of our office for free consultations with local health and social care providers. The idea was to let other businesses operating within the same sector to come and discuss the types of digital media solutions we are able to provide, and more importantly, have a look at the work we have produced for other organisations.

We had a very positive response from the invitations we sent out and had the opportunity to speak to several organisations who seemed very interested in what we could do for them and how we operate at Practice Solutions. We have already planned a number of follow-up meetings to take our discussions forward.

We plan to hold another open day in late autumn, where we will be offering free consultations for those interested in our training and consultancy solutions. If you would like to attend, please let us know.

A customer insight

2010-07-15T10:56:00.005+01:00

See what Heather Yeomans, from NAS Cymru, has to say about our work...

Get people involved early!

2010-07-12T11:13:00.003+01:00

The future will inevitable mean changes in the way services are provided. In exploring the options and choices for the future, there may be an inclination to protect key stake holders from the realities of change. Key stakeholders need to be involved at an early stage in planning and implementation. There may be a protective inclination to shield and protect vulnerable people from the debate. There can be a variety of cogent and understandable arguments offered for this approach; the desire not to raise unnecessary anxiety; concern that debate will be hijacked by powerful forces; or the belief that professionals know best!

I can't but think that any attempt to defend people from the consequences of change however well meaning, might deal a fatal blow to any attempt to build future services 'fit for purpose'. Those who might propose this approach may ultimately have the unenviable task of defending something which has excluded local people in the debate about future social care services for their community.

We know it's not easy to engage the wider community, but it is a challenge that we have to face full on if future decisions are to be empowering, understood and accepted.

Gabe

Monday update

2010-07-05T23:17:00.002+01:00

Monday morning update

2010-06-28T11:04:00.002+01:00

Fresh look for our website

2010-06-21T09:40:00.002+01:00

We've lots to tell this week.

Firstly, we have launched our 'new-look' website. It has been updated to include our design service that has really taken off over the past few months. Make sure you have a look at our portfolio www.practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk/design-services to see how this service could help to promote your organisation. Our digital media library includes more of our recent video projects. Thanks to viewing platforms such as YouTube, online viewing is becoming even more popular, so it's a great tool that can be utilised to promote your message without the excessive costs of video hosting. We've also added this blog that will enable you to keep informed and up-to-date with the goings on at Practice Solutions. It is also our plan to add testimonials and comments about our work here. If you have any comments on our new site, please let us know what you think by emailing beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk.

Secondly, there is an open invitation to providers of health and social care services to attend our 'digital media - engagement and inclusion in social care' open day at our office in Abercynon on July 15th 2010. We are offering short consultation sessions where you can come and find out how we can help you to use digital media to support your organisation. To find out more, or book a session, please contact beth@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk or call 01443 742384.

Finally, check out our Autumn series of 'Open Access Training' that can be found at www.practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk/training-services. The forthcoming series focuses specifcally on issues relating to managing the safeguarding process of vulnerable adults in social care.

Successful joint workshop with The Equality and Human Rights Commission

2010-06-11T15:30:00.003+01:00

The joint workshop with Amelia John, from the Equality and Human Rights commission was well received by the MA Social Work students at Cardiff University this morning. The presentations relevance to social work practice was welcomed and it seems likely that it will now form a regular part of the curriculum for future post graduate students.

Both Gabe and Amelia enjoyed the opportunity to explore these issues with soon to be qualified social work practitioners.

Monday Morning update

2010-06-07T12:22:00.003+01:00

Creative Team Development day feedback

2010-05-26T12:08:00.000+01:00

Last month we ran a creative thinking team development day for one of our regular clients. We've just received feedback and here is a collection of some comments that were made...

"I found the customer insight and the practical activity most useful"

"I found the 'dealing with difficult customers' session most useful. I was able to gain new skills in dealing with the subject and put them into practice through the role play"

"I felt at ease throughout the day. Everything was relaxed and laid back. The discussions flowed well and were informal and very constructive"

"There was a very friendly and familiar atmosphere about the day. The trainers made an effort to refer to us all by name, and encouraged all to get involved."

"The best development day I've been to so far!"

For more information about our development days, please contact us on contact@practicesolutions-ltd.co.uk

Monday Morning update...

2010-05-24T11:36:00.000+01:00