Key Community Supports provides support for people with disabilities thoughout Scotland. During 2013 IRISS worked with Key to explore how mobile technologies might provide context-based information and training for care workers.
On Tuesday 18 March, social services organisations from the public, voluntary and independent sectors, as well as individuals that use services in Scotland, came together to celebrate World Social Work Day at the second Social Services Expo 2014, which was held at Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The event highlighted the range of social services and supports available across Scotland and showcased some of the good work that is happening.
Pilotlight is working with teams of people who access and deliver support to design pathways to self-directed support. The co-design team in Moray identified a need for an accessible introduction to self-directed support. They wanted it to be inviting, fun and easy to understand, and so came up with the idea of 'Pick 'n' Mix - helping you pick 'n' mix the care and support services to live the life you choose'.
The Scottish Government has issued guidance: Navigating ethical approval and access in social care research (PDF). This has been developed by a working group involving Scottish Government, ADSW and Iriss, and explores the routes for navigating social care research ethics.
Iriss's new flagship project Plan P: New approaches to prevention with older people will be running over the next 2.5 years and will focus on tackling the key issue of loneliness and isolation in older people.
We will look at the current evidence in this area and what this means for practice in health and social care, as well as produce case studies documenting effective current support and interventions.
What might social services look like in 2025?
In 2013 Iriss ran a series of workshops to help us understand the technical, medical and cultural forces that will shape the future. These workshops informed three 'think pieces' or reports - on citizenship, the workforce and technology.
Food for Thought is an ESRC-funded project led by Ruth Emond, Samantha Punch and Ian McIntosh of the University of Stirling. A website of resources has been launched today as part of the project, which includes food-based training, assessment and intervention tools for carers of looked after young people.
The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 goes live on the 1st April 2014 and the implementation of the National Strategy is well underway across Scotland. Pilotlight is contributing to these preparations.
We are working with co-design teams of people who use and deliver services across Scotland to design pathways to self-directed support. Using a design approach, the project is demonstrating how to implement support for seldom heard groups, provide more personalised and appropriate services and increase the marketplace of support providers.
Since 2010, the Innovation and Improvement programme has worked with several partners to develop and test innovative ways of working, as well as developing service innovations designed to improve care and support. In 2012-13 we continued to work with partners to embed the learning from these projects in practice.
'It is essential that everyone has access to the right technology and are capable and confident in its use at home and at work'
So says the Scottish Government in its aspirations for Scotland's digital future.
