Transforming Suffolk Adult Community Services through Supporting Lives, Connecting Communities
Suffolk Adult Community Services (ACS) embraced a new approach called Supporting Lives, Connecting Communities (SLCC) to address the evolving needs of the aging population and individuals with disabilities in the region. By actively involving the community, prioritizing independence, and collaborating with various stakeholders, SLCC aims to enhance the quality of life for residents. The transition to SLCC was driven by the desire to enable individuals to live independently, engage with their communities, and have control over their choices and services. This strategic shift reflects a commitment to supporting vulnerable groups and adapting to demographic changes while delivering cost-effective solutions.
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Presentation Transcript
Supporting lives, connecting communities
What we wanted to do 2 years ago Suffolk Adult Community Services (ACS) looked at how it worked with people. This new way of working is called Supporting Lives, Connecting Communities (SLCC)
People told us they wanted: to be active, valued members of their communities to live at home, and be supported to do so to have independence in their own home if they have a disability to be heard when they need help to make their own choices, and to be listened to to have a trusted source of information and advice their families and carers to be supported, so they can lead their own lives too Source: Community Conference, Kesgrave and the POPs Voice Reports
Why we needed to change We are all getting older, especially in Suffolk! The number of people over 65 is set to grow by 49% from now until 2025 The number of people with dementia will double by 2030 By 2031 the number of people with severe learning disabilities is set to grow by 18% and the number of people with autism by 23%. Demand for local mental health services is set to grow by 12% by 2030. Many family carers look after both a child with severe disabilities as well as older parents All this and the council needs to save money too. Source: SCC Cabinet Paper: ACS New Operating Model 21 February 2012
What does this mean for services? We need to Make it easier for people to live independently of public services. Build on what we have in our local communities Work with local people and organisations and recognise their expertise and experience. Work better with other public services, like councils and health Make sure that what we do helps people to be in control of their lives.
So how did we start SLCC? We looked at the good work we d done in the 5 years before and built on that We developed it with people who use services and with partners The way of working was agreed in 2012 After that we tried it out in Felixstowe, Sudbury, Bury, Stowmarket There was also a pilot with people with learning disabilities. SLCC is based on 3 responses to the community and to people
Tier 1 Firstly, we re working to keep as many people living independently in the county as possible. Help to help yourself This includes preventative work, advice and information. It builds on the wealth of local, community and social assets we have in Suffolk for the whole population.
Tier 2 Secondly, we are looking at helping those who need extra support just for a short period. Help when you need it: immediate, short-term help This means offering swift and appropriate support to them to help them to regain the independence they want and value. It means sticking with people to see that it works
Tier 3 Thirdly, for people who need more ongoing support for their care or needs we will work with them to make sure it s what they want, appropriate, and tailored to them individually. Ongoing support for those who need it We will work with them to find out what would make a real positive difference to their lives, using their allocated funding and other resources.
What do we want for people who use our services? We want it to be High quality - that means advice that connects people to what's happening in their community Quick that means a rapid response in a crisis situation to get people back to independence if possible Clear this means being clear on the type and level of support that is available for people and for carers About keeping independent or moving towards being independent Personalised that what works for people and un understanding that people themselves know what will work best for them
Challenges for the council working differently in communities We are used to offering standard solutions - this is the opposite of local tailored solutions We can be slow and bureaucratic The debate can become about what we will and will not pay for Our procurement rules can make us unresponsive and inflexible Yet some of the best community solutions come from working around rules and regulations Despite this we really believe we can respond to make it work
We want to: Make this our way of working across Suffolk which we are doing now keep people living independently help people to take responsibility for their lives for as long as possible without formal care Support people who need extra support but based on what works for them, not what works for our systems work in partnership to achieve this
Where are we now? SLCC practice has been rolled out cross our teams and we are embedding that learning through a continuous and proactive learning programme for our practitioners Neighbourhood Networks events have been created in a number of localities to start sharing our thinking and encourage our communities to think about how we can all work together more creatively and effectively We have signed up to the National In Control - Making It Real Programme and have started the process of agreeing shared actions that we need to deliver effective personalisation for people We have started the process of using the SLCC model to deliver the requirements of the Care Act We are working closely with Health to test what a Integrated neighbourhood team would look like and how it would work to achieve better outcomes for people We have commissioned a Equality Impact Assessment for the SLCC programme which has given helpful feedback on how we can make sure that no particular groups are negatively impacted upon by SLCC
