New learning network launched to embed sustainability in social care

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The UK Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) has launched a new national learning network on sustainable social care, sponsored by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and the Department of Health. Membership of the network is open to local authorities across England and other potential partners involved in social care commissioning.

The objective of the network is to strengthen the capacity of the social care sector to embed sustainable development in the way it works.

The network is funded by a grant from the SCIE and contributions from the network participants.

Policy context

Adult social care is facing major challenges and reform: principally, the Green Paper on the future of social care funding, Shaping the Future of Care Together; current and future financial pressures; and the further development of personalisation in social care and health. The sustainability of social care requires a sound economic base, but this has to be underpinned by environmental and social foundations that will enable services to meet the needs of future generations.

The network will highlight how social care should be contributing to a local authority's sustainable community plan, the local strategic partnership and to the Comprehensive Area Assessment.

It will demonstrate ways in which social care departments can respond positively to the increasing imperative to address climate change and develop sustainably as service providers, commissioners and employers.

The gap between resources for social care and demand is growing, and is at the core of the sustainability discussion. The network will emphasise ways of achieving efficiencies and value for money that, at the same time, generate environmental, social and economic benefits for individuals, communities and society.

How the learning network will work

There will be a minimum of 10 local authority members from across England. Membership will also be extended to other potential partners involved in social care commissioning.

The members of the learning network will be senior council officers and elected members and participants from partners, particularly from health and the voluntary sector. Each organisation can have two participants in the network. For example, a senior officer and a councillor, a representative from social care and a representative from sustainability or an organisation could delegate one participant to attend through the life of the network and take the opportunity to send different individuals to specific events.

There will be four learning network events, held at the LGiU offices, between October 2009 and March 2010. Each session will be headlined by a high profile national speaker and include a sustainability expert and a social care expert. There will be facilitated roundtable discussions and each session will conclude with recommendations for practical delivery of the proposals discussed.

Network themes

• Sustainable commissioning: needs assessment and its relationship to the three dimensions of sustainable development: social, economic, environmental; designing social care to meet wider community needs for the long term; procurement and contracting and the impact of social care on carbon emissions; delivering value for money through sustainable commissioning.
• Services designed for resilience: planning locally in the face of a new climate reality - flooding, extreme temperatures and possible resource restrictions; and the adverse health effects of climate change on vulnerable groups.
• Creating the environment for care: the relationship between social care and living environments; future proofing the environment for communities and the individual; linking social care to wider objectives.
• Individual choice and collective responsibility: analysis of political dilemmas; assessing delivery challenges; and assessing practical options in the development of the personalisation agenda.

International experience

There will be an additional evening session as an extension to one of the core network sessions which will involve speakers with relevant international experience.

Key benefits for participants and participating organisations

The network's main aim is to develop good practice in dealing with an emerging agenda.

It is a major opportunity for local authorities and partner organisations to contribute to the development of new thinking, with unprecedented access to national experts in both sustainability and social care.

The learning that develops from this network, based on the experience of professionals from the two disciplines, will add significantly to understanding to date. This will be disseminated in a national publication.

Practical outcomes:

• Capacity building in the commissioning process - reinforcing good practice in commissioning and developing awareness of sustainability models.
• Identification of the relationship between sustainability and value for money and how efficiencies can be delivered through sustainable commissioning, service integration and coproduction.
• Providing practitioners with the means to tackle commissioning and contracting practice that does not meet standards of sustainable development
• Understanding how to review long term plans relating to climate change and measures that need to be taken to make plans more resilient.
• Awareness raising of risk factors and resources available to allow practitioners to understand risks and data relevant to their local area.
• Strengthening the role of social care professionals in local strategic partnerships and in delivering partnership outcomes relevant to establishing the evidence base for comprehensive area assessment.
• Development of theoretical context to enable practitioners to assess delivery challenges coherently and support better decision making.
• Assessment of practical options in the development of the personalisation agenda to determine which avenues currently open will stand the test of time.
• Identification of steps services can take to support service users to contribute to community goals such as reducing carbon emissions.

Take part

For more information or to join the network, please contact
Natalie Penn, natalie.penn@lgiu.org.uk or 020 7554 2855.

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