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ASA Welcomes Alex Fox New NAAPS CEO
In-house or out-sourced?
Posted on August 23, 2010 by alexfoxblog to go to Alex's blog click here
I really enjoyed visiting ASA (Adults Supporting Adults) Lincolnshire this week (www.asaorg.co.uk). ASA has 60 Shared Lives carers offering long term and respite support to around 70 people. They also provide 4000 hours per month of support for people wishing to remain in their own homes or develop new independence. 12 of the Shared Lives carers just support people with dementia. As usual, meeting the people who use Shared Lives and the Shared Lives carers was the highlight. One lady told the group that it was because of Shared Lives that she can live in her own place, whilst still visiting her parents every week. She saw her Shared Lives carers as friends or family, rather than a service.
ASA is one of a growing band of Shared Lives schemes which has moved from being a council-run service to becoming an independent charity. It’s an example of how successful this model can be, as was evident from the enthusiasm of the busy Shared Lives carers and people they support who had very kindly given up their time to take part in the day. This year, ASA has even produced a surplus which it has ploughed back into supporting people, partly through a new scheme to provide supported shopping to older and vulnerable people in this largely rural area. Its Shop2together project will involve volunteer drivers, providing one-to-one shopping trips for people who need some support to buy their weekly shop. It was prompted by the problems older and isolated people faced in the snows of last winter. Local older people are currently spending £10 plus on taxi fares, whereas for 40p a mile, they will be able to enjoy a shopping trip which can include a cafe visit and help with unpacking shopping when they get home. Like everything related to Shared Lives, this won’t just be a service to meet a need, it will be about real relationships as well. Contrast this with the privatised meals on wheels services in some areas which have been so successful in cutting out human contact from their service, in pursuit of “efficiency”.
Of course, flexibility and creativity are not the exclusive preserve of the Third Sector. Alongside the ASAs of the world, I’ve also come across charities which are moribund and stuck in red tape of their own making. And anyone who wishes to make lazy assumptions about jobsworths in councils should look no further than the dedication that abounds in many of the council-run Shared Lives schemes in the UK. A couple of years ago, the Guardian’s public servant of the year was a chap from Nottingham council who took the deeply unsexy business of accessible public toilets and turned it into one of the most uplifting campaigns around (see people’s stories at www.changing-places.org). So outsourcing of previously in-house services will not always equal added value, but I have little doubt that outsourcing is coming to Shared Lives (along with everything else still provided in-house), whether we like it or not.
With this in mind, a small group of council-run Shared Lives services are gathering into a learning set led by our colleagues at Community Catalysts, to support and learn from each other as they face this possibility. ASA is one of many examples of this model working brilliantly, but if outsourcing does become the norm, it will also present huge risks as new contracts are negotiated in a financial climate when many budget managers are thinking primarily about the short-term and some are panicking. I don’t feel it is NAAPS’ role to push one model against another – the diversity of our members has always been our strength. But it will be up to all of us to make sure we are prepared for any eventuality. People who give and receive Shared Lives care will suffer if we don’t.
Excerpt from NAAPS July 2010 bulletin
ASA providers receive Shared Lives Accreditation
"ASA have been trailblazing on Shared Lives carer accreditation and now have their first batch of accredited Shared Lives carers. The accreditation scheme is a new way for schemes to provide extra training and recognition for experienced Shared Lives carers, who keep an Evidence Log on the twelve Learning the Ropes modules with the support of our accreditation associate Christine Lawrence.
Shared Lives carers involved say that the process has been reassuring, confirming that they were undertaking their role professionally and giving them the opportunity to get together with other providers to share experiences. Completing an Evidence Log will be an expectation of all new providers joining ASA, although it will be up to them whether they wish to apply for the full award."
NAIDEX 2010
15,000 people attended this annual event in the social care calendar between the dates of 20th to 23rd April at the NEC Birmingham.
Adults Supporting Adults was a popular stand and received many new enquiries for the bespoke resource they provide.
A film made by ITN productions with a theme demonstrating good practice or excellence in social care was played continuously throughout the 3 day exhibition and ASA received favourable acclaim for it's innovative approach to person centred service delivery which can be viewed on the home page of this website.
ASA make the Headlines
Extract from the Lincolnshire Echo...
TV spot for support charity
Countywide charity Adults Supporting Adults (ASA) works with adults who need help to live an independent life. In the past 18 months, it has been awarded a Care Quality Commission 3-star excellent rating and a 5A rating from Supporting People. The organisation has now been asked to take part in an ITN production narrated by veteren newscaster Martyn Lewis, which will identify quality and excellence in social care. A film crew will be spending time with ASA clients, providers and staff. The documentary will be shown at the Naidex exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham, in April. Trixie Bennett, Chief Executive of ASA said: "I am delighted all the hard work of all those involved with ASA has been nationally recognised and we are looking forward to taking part in the ITN production."
An event to honour 120 people from the charity is to take place at the Bentley Hotel in South Hykeham on Wednesday 17th March.
ASA Conference... Working Together...Achieving Together... 17th March 2010
Over 120 people celebrated with ASA providers as they were presented with their Shared Lives award by Sleaford Mayor Gordon Blythe, these awards were the first of their kind to be awarded in the UK, ASA Chief Executive Trixie Bennett said "That ASA were immensely proud of the providers achievement and was delighted that so many people could share in the celebrations of the day".
Lifestyle Brokerage Launched
Lifestyle Brokerage a subsidiary company of Adults Supporting Adults offering support and administration to those with a personalised budget or direct payment.
Your Life..... We'll Help You Live It.....
Adults Supporting Adults awarded 5A's in Supporting People QAF
Adults Supporting Adults have been awarded the highest accolade from the Lincolnshire Adults Supporting People team in their recent review.
It is the only Shared Lives organisation in the East Midlands to have achieved such ranking.
Adults Supporting Adults
Achieves CSCI 3 Star Excellent Rating
Adults Supporting Adults is proud to announce that it has been awarded a 3 star excellent rating by CSCI on the 10th December 2008. This is a result of a great deal of hard work and committment from clients, providers, staff and directors and rounds off a fantastic year for ASA, a BIG THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED.
North East Lincolnshire Launch
From the 23rd September 2008 Adults Supporting Adults has expanded it's services to North East Lincolnshire, a press release from our luanch day can be found below.
"Adults Supporting Adults (ASA) a not for profit charity with it’s Head office based in Sleaford has opened its first Grimsby office in Freeman Street Resource Centre.
The organisation offers support to adults with learning difficulties, older persons, people with mental health problems or physical disabilities live more independent lives.
The service offers a range of options, from extended stay with families to respite and day service provision, to enable family carers to take a break.
Chief executive Trixie Bennett said: “We support vulnerable people who need a little extra help to live independently.”
“Our main aim for the first three months is to recruit providers to the service. We are looking for families or individuals who have a natural skill to communicate with people".
“The Providers will be supporting someone to live a more independent life. It may involve cooking, assisting with hospital appointments, or going to the local pub to meet new friends.”
“Providers will be paid expenses for having someone in their home and will receive support and training for the role from ASA.”
ASA, which is based in Sleaford, already provides services across Lincolnshire.
Ron Long (64), from Louth, is an approved provider with ASA and provides respite care with his wife Brenda.
He said: “Sometimes we have people for a weekend, sometimes for a fortnight.
“We take the person out and help them to enjoy life a bit more. It’s more than a job. I would recommend it to anybody.”
Maggie Winship, who has been named as ASA’s new area manager for North East Lincolnshire, said she was inspired by what the charity do.
She said: “I was overwhelmed when I was offered the job. It’s just what the people of North East Lincolnshire need.”
If you are interested in becoming a provider in Lincolnshire, contact the Sleaford office of ASA on (01529) 416270 or visit www.asaorg.co.uk".
Excerpt from a recent Skills For Care magazine article
Adults Supporting Adults is a not for profit organisation in Lincolnshire. ASA provides community based support to adults either in their own homes or in the home of the ASA Provider. The ASA Provider works on an individual basis with the person following a matching process to achieve the Client's indentified needs. Each person is supported to be indipendent within their community being encouraged to make their own decisions and choices about what they as individuals want to achieve.
ASA has a strong belief and commitment to ensuring Clients are involved in the organisation especially in the recruitment of its staff. The person receiving services is recognised as someone who has the experience and knowledge to ensure an appropriate choice. For ASA it was a natural step to recruit and train potential clients to become Co-Workers on the interviewing panel. It was important that the Co-Workers became a part of the interviewing process. This has been acheived and Clients now participate fully, voicing their opinions which contribute to the decision making process. During the years since the Co-Worker Group has been operating the contribution the Group has made to the recruitment of staff has be invaluable, on many occasions their experience o fpeople in the interview process has led to those individuals not being employed by ASA.
ASA believes the contribution from the Co-Worker Group to the recruitment and selection process of its staff is realistic and meaningful, it epitomises the core beliefs and values of the organisation and what it strives to achieve with and for its Clients.
The Co-Worker Group and Staff from ASA attended the Skills for Care Conference in September to play a role in the running of two workshops, which were well attended and received excellent feedback. The Group felt able to contribute with their viewsand ideas about the role they play in the interviewing process of ASA. We hoped through our contribution to the Conference to enthuse and motivate other groups and organisations to look at their own way of working creatively to involve their Clients and reap the benefit of such valuable knowledge and experience from the wonderful feedback the Group received."
Sleaford Business Park
Sleaford NG34 7EQ
Tel. 01529 416270
Fax. 01529 414012