Changemakers by Ashleigh Fox

Dear Colleagues in the Care Sector.

Welcome to our first edition of Changemakers, the official newsletter for our community of commissioners, social workers and health professionals.

Our community is growing fast, and we know how busy you all are, making a huge impact in the lives of the people you serve – we are grateful to you all.

Thank you for making the time to get involved!

The goal of these newsletters is to share interesting insights, signpost to great opportunities across the care sector, share case studies with you and, in time, build a community of practice truly committed to supporting one another and, in turn, changing lives.

In this month’s edition of Catalyst Talks, we are talking about all things “Transforming Care”. We truly hope you find it beneficial, and we would love to hear from you about topics you’d like us to discuss.

Remember:

Grab your coffee, lean back and dive in! It’s great to have you here!

As a commissioner, health professional or social worker, you’ve likely heard about the Transforming Care Agenda. But what does it really mean, and why is it so vital for our work with autistic people and people with a learning disability?

The Transforming Care Agenda is a nationwide initiative focused on improving health and care services, with the aim of supporting people with a learning disability or autistic people to live more independently. Its core mission is to move individuals from institutional settings, like hospitals, back into their own homes and communities where people can thrive.

Why is this important?

First and foremost, it respects the rights and dignity of people. Living in the community allows people to have more control over their lives, make choices and build relationships. It’s about seeing the person, not their diagnosis, and recognising individual potential and aspirations.

As professionals, embracing person-centred support planning and commissioning is essential in this process.

Here are a few pointers:

And the list goes on.

Transforming Care isn’t just a policy – it’s a commitment to better lives. By prioritising personalisation, we help ensure that every single person can live with dignity, respect and opportunity in their own community.?

The aim of this year’s White Paper Survey is to show us what progress has been made in the past twelve months, but also dive deeper into the current experiences and challenges of families, carers, commissioners and healthcare professionals.?

We invite you to join the conversation as we continue with our commitment to building the right support for people.

Take the Survey here

The Key Principles are:

1. Presumption of Capacity: Every adult has the right to make their own decisions and must be assumed to have the capacity to do so unless it is proven otherwise.
2. The Right to Make Unwise Decisions: People have the right to make decisions that others might consider unwise or eccentric. This principle supports autonomy.
3. Support to Make Decisions: All practicable steps must be taken to help a person make their own decisions before concluding that they cannot do so.
4. Best Interests: Any decision made or action taken on behalf of a person who lacks capacity must be done in their best interests.
5. Least Restrictive Option: When making a decision on behalf of someone who lacks capacity, the least restrictive options on their rights and freedoms should be chosen.

***CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL GUIDE***

The SDS Network is an organisation working to advance self-directed support across England, with a focus on:

1. Sharing information on best practice and research.

2. Offering training and support to one another.

3. Mapping progress on self-directed support around the world.

This is a community for commissioners, social workers and allied health professionals to come together across various streams of practice, sharing information and knowledge to others across the UK.

Our vision is to advance access to self-directed support for all, through sharing ideas, working together and promoting change as a group.

You can join us as an individual or a group, and membership of the network is completely free.

Join the Network here

We always want to finish our newsletters with a smile – meet Will, a member of our Catalyst Care Group family.

Love,

Ash