What Works in Community Profiling? Initial reflections from the WWS Project in West Dunbartonshire

This paper discusses the experience of WWS, Glasgow Centre for Population Health and the West Dunbartonshire Community Planning Team in developing community profiles for the purposes of place-based working. The key learning points from this paper are: With new legislation in Scotland driving a renewed emphasis on place-based working, both Community Planning Partnerships and Health & Social Care Partnerships will need to be able to work more flexibly with data at a range of small area geographies, and in response to different thematic areas of public service reform. A lack of capacity to work in this way could be a barrier to collaboration between services and partnerships and to the potential for turning evidence into action. For some CPPs, community profiling - a process that involves bringing local data together in a concise, accessible, presentation style- will require investment in a new technological infrastructure; in-house training for staff with some level of analytical ability and/or recruitment of staff with specialist analytic skills; and specialist support to develop the capacity of staff to interpret and make sense of local data so that it is more accessible and meaningful to local partners and communities. In the context of the Community Empowerment Act 2015, community profiling could be used to promote greater openness and transparency between service providers and communities, to highlight differences – and often inequalities - and to provoke discussion and responses

An exploration of the range of approaches a children’s centre can adopt to maximise collaboration with professional stakeholders in responding to postnatal depression

"The project stemmed from the need of a local children’s centre team and multidisciplinary practitioners to further address maternity and child outcomes as part of key national and local targets, together with addressing approaches a children’s centre could adopt. We decided to set up a pilot group to look at how we could better address the needs of mothers experiencing low level postnatal depression (PND), as well as supporting the ongoing development of integrated working within a children’s centre. A group of managers, practitioners, a GP practice, a link health visitor (HV) and commissioner, who are already working together with children’s centres, agreed to dedicate time to meet regularly to support the project. Anecdotal evidence from practitioners was that mothers experiencing low level PND had increased. It was agreed by the group to focus on this as a priority." - Page 4

Reflections on a 'virtual' practice development unit: changing practice through identity development

Aims. This paper draws together the personal thoughts and critical reflections of key people involved in the establishment of a ‘virtual’ practice development unit of clinical nurse specialists in the south of England. Background. This practice development unit is ‘virtual’ in that it is not constrained by physical or specialty boundaries. It became the first group of Trust-wide clinical nurse specialists to be accredited in the UK as a practice development unit in 2004. Design and methods. The local university was asked to facilitate the accreditation process via 11 two-hour audio-recorded learning sessions. Critical reflections from practice development unit members, leaders and university staff were written 12 months after successful accreditation, and the framework of their content analysed. Findings and discussion. Practice development was seen as a way for the clinical nurse specialists to realize their potential for improving patient care by transforming care practice in a collaborative, interprofessional and evolutionary manner. The practice development unit provided a means for these nurses to analyse their role and function within the Trust. Roberts’ identity development model for nursing serves as a useful theoretical underpinning for the reflections contained in this paper. Conclusions. These narratives provide another example of nurses making the effort to shape and contribute to patient care through organizational redesign. This group of nurses began to realize that the structure of the practice development unit process provided them with the means to analyse their role and function within the organization and, as they reflected on this structure, their behaviour began to change. Relevance to clinical practice. Evidence from these reflections supports the view that practice development unit participants have secured a positive and professional identity and are, therefore, better able to improve the patient experience

"Challenge Current Practice and Assumptions! Make waves!!” : What Works Scotland Collaborative Learning Event 23 & 24 February 2016 Queens Hotel, Perth

No abstract available

The Blended Learning Unit, University of Hertfordshire: A Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Evaluation Report for HEFCE

The University of Hertfordshire’s Blended Learning Unit (BLU) was one of the 74 Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) between 2005 and 2010. This evaluation report follows HEFCE’s template. The first section provides statistical information about the BLU’s activity. The second section is an evaluative reflection responding to 13 questions. As well as articulating some of our achievements and the challenges we have faced, it also sets out how the BLU’s activity will continue and make a significant contribution to delivery of the University of Hertfordshire’s 2010-2015 strategic plan and its aspirations for a more sustainable future. At the University of Hertfordshire, we view Blended Learning as the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance the learning and learning experience of campus-based students. The University has an excellent learning technology infrastructure that includes its VLE, StudyNet. StudyNet gives students access to a range of tools, resources and support 24/7 from anywhere in the world and its robustness, flexibility and ease of use have been fundamental to the success of the Blended Learning agenda at Hertfordshire. The BLU has comprised a management team, expert teachers seconded from around the University, professional support and a Student Consultant. The secondment staffing model was essential to the success of the BLU. As well as enabling the BLU to become fully staffed within the first five months of the CETL initiative, it has facilitated access to an invaluable spectrum of Blended Learning, research and Change Management expertise to inform pedagogically sound developments and enable change to be embedded across the institution. The BLU used much of its capital funding to reduce barriers to the use of technology by, for example, providing laptop computers for all academic staff in the institution, enhancing classroom technology provision and wirelessly enabling all teaching accommodation. Its recurrent funding has supported development opportunities for its own staff and staff around the institution; supported evaluation activities relating to individual projects and of the BLU’s own impact; and supported a wide range of communication and dissemination activities internally and externally. The BLU has led the embedding a cultural change in relation to Blended Learning at the University of Hertfordshire and its impact will be sustained. The BLU has produced a rich legacy of resources for our own staff and for others in the sector. The University’s increased capacity in Blended Learning benefits all our students and provides a learning experience that is expected by the new generation of learners in the 21st century. The BLU’s staffing model and partnership ways of working have directly informed the structure and modus operandi of the University’s Learning and Teaching Institute (LTI). Indeed a BLU team will continue to operate within the LTI and help drive and support the implementation of the University’s 2010-2015 Strategic plan. The plan includes ambitions in relation to Distance Learning and Flexible learning and BLU will be working to enable greater engagement with students with less or no need to travel to the university. As well as opening new markets within the UK and overseas, even greater flexibility for students will also enable the University to reduce its carbon footprint and provide a multifaceted contribution to our sustainability agenda. We conclude this executive summary with a short paragraph, written by Eeva Leinonen, our former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, which reflects our aspiration to transform Learning and Teaching at the University of Hertfordshire and more widely in the sector. ‘As Deputy Vice Chancellor at Hertfordshire I had the privilege to experience closely the excellent work of the Blended Learning Unit, and was very proud of the enormous impact the CETL had not only across the University but also nationally and internationally. However, perhaps true impact is hard to judge at such close range, but now as Vice Principal (Education) at King's College London, I can unequivocally say that Hertfordshire is indeed considered as the leading Blended Learning university in the sector. My new colleagues at King's and other Russell Group Universities frequently seek my views on the 'Hertfordshire Blended Learning' experience and are keen to emulate the successes achieved at an institutional wide scale. The Hertfordshire CETL undoubtedly achieved not only what it set out to achieve, but much more in terms of scale and impact. All those involved in this success can be justifiably proud of their achievements.’ Professor Eeva Leinonen, Vice Principal (Education), King's College, Londo

Gender and Food Access in Adams County: Food Provisioning, Identity Formation, and Survival

This project analyzes food access issues in Adams County, specifically within the setting of South Central Community Action Programs and the Gleaning Project through the collection of individual testimonies. Budget, time, transportation, health, and household composition emerged as common themes that affect food access within this rural community and limit choice and agency, and also serve as a major influence in the process of food provisioning and identity formation, especially in terms of motherhood, parenting, and caregiving. In most cases, due to these systemic shortcomings, individuals and families navigated multiple solutions to these challenges in order to sustain themselves and to be active members of their communities

Learning from safeguarding adult reviews on self-neglect: addressing the challenge of change

Abstract   Purpose – One purpose is to update the core data set of self-neglect safeguarding adult reviews and accompanying thematic analysis. A second purpose is to address the challenge of change, exploring the necessary components beyond an action plan to ensure that findings and recommendations are embedded in policy and practice.   Design/methodology/approach – Further published reviews are added to the core data set from the web sites of Safeguarding Adults Boards. Thematic analysis is updated using the four domains employed previously. The repetitive nature of the findings prompts questions about how to embed policy and practice change, to ensure impactful use of learning from SARs. A framework for taking forward an action plan derived from SAR findings and recommendations is presented.   Findings – Familiar, even repetitive findings emerge once again from the thematic analysis. This level of analysis enables an understanding of both local geography and the national legal, policy and financial climate within which it sits. Such learning is valuable in itself, contributing to the evidence-base of what good practice with adults who self-neglect looks like. However, to avoid the accusation that lessons are not learned, something more than a straightforward action plan to implement the recommendations is necessary. A framework is conceptualised for a strategic and longer-term approach to embedding policy and practice change.   Research limitations/implications – There is still no national database of reviews commissioned by SABs so the data set reported here might be incomplete. The Care Act 2014 does not require publication of reports but only a summary of findings and recommendations in SAB annual reports. This makes learning for service improvement challenging. Reading the reviews reported here enables conclusions to be reached about issues to address locally and nationally to transform adult safeguarding policy and practice.   Practical implications – Answering the question “how to create sustainable change” is a significant challenge for safeguarding adult reviews. A framework is presented here, drawn from research on change management and learning from the review process itself. The critique of serious case reviews challenges those now engaged in safeguarding adult reviews to reflect on how transformational change can be achieved to improve the quality of adult safeguarding policy and practice.   Originality/value – The paper extends the thematic analysis of available reviews that focus on work with adults who self-neglect, further building on the evidence base for practice. The paper also contributes new perspectives to the process of following up safeguarding adult reviews by using the findings and recommendations systematically within a framework designed to embed change in policy and practice.     Keywords: Safeguarding adult reviews, change, self-neglect, action plans   Paper type: Research pape

Reducing social isolation and promoting well being in older people

This paper reports on a three year research project exploring the impacts of an intervention seeking to reduce social isolation in the older age group. The research team initially reviewed the literature focusing on quality of life and the older adult and found that the term itself includes a broad range of life areas, with little consensus about the definition of the term itself. The literature clearly demonstrated however, that social and family relationships are embedded within the definition of a ‘good quality of life’ for older adults. The overarching themes which guided the research process were: 1. A participatory approach to the research to enable club attendees, volunteers and staff to be meaningfully involved with the study as it progressed. 2. Three areas of learning to inform the study design, the existing literature on this area, the initial responses (data) collected and the `iterative` reflective process of being involved as researchers in this study. 3. To ensure data collection captured not only the `amount` or `degree` of impact on social isolation which the clubs may have for those who attend, but also the narratives or `stories` which offer the details of their experiences. Overall the perceived benefits for attendees of attending the friendship clubs fell into three key areas; improved well being, social relations and mental and physical health. Key Words: Older people, social isolation, social suppor

Experiential learning: A narrative of a community dance field trip.

In this paper we offer a co-constructed narrative of experiential learning in the context of a community dance trip undertaken by tertiary students. We describe the unfolding experiences of a weekend field trip and reflect on community dance practices and values with a view towards articulating a shared vision for community dance. A framework for community dance (Kuppers, 2006; Peppiatt, 1996) provides a context for the students' learning and for situating our understandings of the interrelationships between art, education, politics, society and environment. Literature on community dance practice and from sociology, experiential learning, and environmental and cultural education provides direction as we interpret our experiences. While this paper is presented as a co-constructed narrative based on our observations during the field trip, we also include comments made by students, along with reflective interludes as we discuss the field trip in relation to dance education

Will the lessons be learned? Reflections on local authority evaluations and the use of research evidence

Sure Start programmes are complex, community-based initiatives - forerunners of the Children's Centres Initiative - that have been evaluated nationally and locally. Using an in-depth, retrospective case study of an evaluation of one local programme, the authors raise key issues pertinent to both practice and evaluation in the field, highlighting conflicts and dilemmas both within evaluation generally and, specifically, relating to the evaluation of this programme.We illustrate the difficulties placed on local evaluators by the lack of clear structures within which to work, and provide useful lessons as we move forward into the development and evaluations of new services for children and families