Lives Plus.org.uk The futures of social care Alex Fox, CEO Shared Lives Plus Karl and Clare with carers Blossom and Mike, at their wedding, before moving to live independently

Lives Plus.org.uk The current challenges often seem unsurmountable: 1. Less money, fewer staff. 2. Higher costs of care. 3. Increasing numbers of people needing support. When something is scarce, the common sense response is to ration it, pare it down, cut costs but: 1. Gatekeeping also costs money. 2. Revolving door policies cost money. 3. Crises are expensive and harder to fix. Is gatekeeping the only way?

Lives Plus.org.uk Barnet ‘graph of doom’

Lives Plus.org.uk We’ve come a long way The 2012 hospital looks like the 1912 (even 1812?) hospital. But social care has completely transformed in a few decades. warehousing people in long-stay institutions almost stopped individual and family control is the accepted goal attitudes to disability are changing: eg Paralympics But also: we’ve lost community and whole-family social work we still don’t value and work with unpaid family carers we are still searching for the elusive ‘community’

Lives Plus.org.uk We’ve got the mechanisms of personal control, like Direct Payments, but not always a real choice of services. We’ve helped (some) people become empowered as consumers, but not as citizens. We’re better at understanding individual needs, but not people’s relationships. People have more rights, but you’re only an active citizen if you’re seen as having responsibilities – some way to contribute. The White Paper starts to draw an alternative picture…. We’ve got a long way to go

Lives Plus.org.uk Look for people’s gifts, skills and resources first, rather than their needs, vulnerability, diagnosis. Refuse assumptions about people’s potential to contribute to own life and to those around them. People and communities as experts in their own lives: co- production. Connectedness to family & community is crucial. Shared Lives, Homeshare and micro-enterprises achieve better outcomes at a lower cost by tapping into the gifts, skills and assets of people, families and communities. Taking an ‘assets’ approach

Lives Plus.org.uk We have to do more than just keep people healthy and out of hospital…We need as a society to understand that people with care needs very much have something to offer. Care and support should not just be about making people comfortable but about helping them to fulfil their potential... Personalisation is achieved when a person has real choice and control over the care and support they need to achieve their goals, to live a fulfilling life, and to be connected with society. Care and support will be transformed to focus on people’s skills and talents, helping them to develop and maintain connections to friends and family. Communities will be encouraged and supported to reach out to those at risk of isolation. Assets thinking in the White Paper and the Bill

Lives Plus.org.uk social care from crisis-only to well-being system duty on councils to develop preventative services information, advice and decision making support family carers are recognised in law for the first time community contributions and active citizens a move away from medical models of care & assessment The White Paper promotes: Shared Lives micro-enterprises Tyze care networks Assets thinking in the White Paper and the Bill

Lives Plus.org.uk How do we make the most of the White Paper’s messages? We have to show that Shared Lives is better at: keeping people safe and meeting their care needs helping people find a place to belong and ways to contribute helping people to find work, volunteering or a way to contribute value for money prevention

Lives Plus.org.uk Making the most of the opportunities? We have to show that Shared Lives is: a service for older people and also one which the NHS should be commissioning: NHS Herts has a Shared Lives scheme for people in the acute phase of mental illness. Re-ablement and intermediate care. A choice for NHS personal budget holders and continuing care. A way of closing down the remaining ‘special hospitals’.

Lives Plus.org.uk Making the most of the opportunities? We have to show that Shared Lives is a choice which should be offered to many more groups: older people, young people, people with mental health problems, parents and their children offenders…. We know how to develop these specialisms but we need your help: stories, learning, tools, challenges, success to celebrate, messages for decision makers.

Lives Plus.org.uk Shared Lives as part of a wider movement. Doing things on a ‘micro’ scale; mixing paid and unpaid, personal and professional. Drawing on family homes and real relationships could shake up a whole range of public services. Shared Lives in context

Lives Plus.org.uk Where next? Benefits and risks of growing awareness: Growth, but without losing quality. Diversification, but keeping strong core values. New providers, but greater learning needs. Making the value for money case, but avoiding ‘cheap’. We’re cutting edge – and lagging behind?

Lives Plus.org.uk Where next? Help us to plan for the next five years: A Quality Mark, new learning materials, guidance pack. More resources for member support. A programme of development in specialist areas. More peer support & shared learning, despite competition. Attracting new investment and the ‘right’ providers. An active Shared Lives carer group for every area. Service users and families in the lead at every level. A more visibly diverse membership.

Lives Plus.org.uk Where next? Where do you want Shared Lives and Shared Lives Plus to be in five - or ten - years’ time?!

Lives Plus.org.uk Alex Fox, CEO, Shared Lives Plus, Contact details