Connecting People in Torbay

One of the key issues we are grappling with in the Connecting People study is how local authorities and NHS Trusts can become more community oriented in their practice.

We are investigating how different types of agencies and teams are able to adapt to implement the Connecting People Intervention. Some are better placed than others to do so. But it is clear that in the context of austerity and increasing workloads it is not easy to introduce new ways of working.

I am having conversations about community social work, community development and community oriented practice with senior managers in a number of sites beyond the study. There is definitely an interest in how the Connecting People model can support practice innovation and development.

I came across similar interest yesterday in Torbay, where I spoke to a conference of social workers from across adults services (and a few from childrens’ services). I spoke about the need to evidence our practice to demonstrate outcomes and articulate the unique contribution that social work makes to multi-disciplinary health and social care services. The presentation I used can be found by clicking this link.

In a workshop I led on the Connecting People model I found interest from both senior managers and practitioners. The model appears to provide the opportunity for practitioners to articulate their practice and provide a rationale for how services should be delivered in the future.

We’re a long way from seeing it happen, but the interest is encouraging and a good foundation for future developments.