From social care to wellbeing: #SocialCareFuture awarded grant by Hallmark Foundation to develop and secure resources for a multi-year campaign #SocialCareFuture is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant by Hallmark Foundation to develop and seek investment in plans for a long-range campaign to bring about a marked, measurable improvement in the wellbeing of people with cause to draw on support to live their lives.    Building on the foundations laid by #SocialCareFuture since 2018, this step change in our work is inspired by campaigns such as Caring Across Generations in the USA and Every Australian Counts,

Reframing in the here and now By Neil Crowther   It’s true that #SocialCareFuture’s vision was developed to offer a compelling sense of future direction, rather than only to describe the current state of affairs.  As we’ve previously explained, this was deliberate and the decision to do so rooted in well-developed evidence on how to motivate people to support social change.   Simply repeating that a system is broken and in crisis gives no sense of possibility and generates despondency when repeated over time.  But the vision and narrative were also developed to shift how people understand the current systemic

“Commissioning” for a Better Future. A Starter for Ten This week Social Care Future brought together people from more than 20 council areas that have said they want to use the SCF vision to steer local change.   This Community of Practice takes place within a context of big challenges and some opportunities. Everyone here from councils is working so hard to help people survive the present really difficult times. Its hard at times like this to create much time and space for practitioners to senior managers to think about a very different future, let alone take strong practical steps

Evidence and the Social Care Future A co-produced Evidence Review between Research in Practice and Social Care Future begins   Jeanette Sutton: Associate Research in Practice   A few months ago, Social Care Future and the organization I work with, Research in Practice, embarked on a new partnership. At Research in Practice, we were very inspired by the Five Key Changes proposed by the Whose Social Care is it Anyway inquiry and we all discussed how we could best work together to support the case for change.   Research in Practice have been going for over 20 years in the

What can England learn about social care reform by looking to our neighbours? By Anna Dixon As Chair of the Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care I have the privilege of hearing directly from people who draw on care and support and their carers. These stories are powerful and are shaping my thinking and that of the other commission members as we reimagine what the future of care in England could look like. Through our listening and engagement exercise, we have spent the last few months hearing people’s views on what is good and not so good about their current experience

Getting Better All the Time—Reflection, Learning, and Experiments   It was the end of the day, after our recruitment workshop in Thurrock. We were at the Community House—the local community centre—and the room that we were using was festooned with bunting. There were flowers on the table, and a large map of the local area hung on the wall. At the end of each recruitment workshop, the recruitment team sits in a circle and does two speaking rounds before deciding on candidates. This begins our process of reflection and learning. In the first round we answer the question, “What went

What Happens after an Offer Is Made? Continuity of Experience Matters Michelle looked at me, aghast, and said, “That is like stalking!” We were talking about ways to show our appreciation for our first brand new colleagues, the first Wellbeing Workers in Wigan. It was a week before Christmas, and I had suggested that I deliver Christmas cards personally to people, rather than trusting the post at this time of year.   Instead, we decided to go bigger than a card, and eventually decided on the beautiful handmade Christmas gingerbread people from Biscuiteers. In the office, Claire worked hard to

How We Demonstrate Our Values Throughout the Recruitment Process “I have never had a recruitment experience like this. Even though I was not successful, I want to tell you that you now know more about me than my own manager. It was a brilliant process.”   “I have been telling my friends and family about the recruitment process. You should expect some of them to contact you to apply!”    One of the books in my bookcase is called Raving Fans, and it describes the power of trying to create an experience for people that turns them into fans and