Meeting the Information and Training Needs of the Social Care Workforce

1. Meeting the Information and Training Needs of the Social Care Workforce Andrew Booth, Director of Information Resources and Helen Bouchier, Information Officer, ScHARR, University of Sheffield

2. Background • Government imperative for health and social care interface “joined-up” working • Social Care information provision was at best patchy, at worst non-existent • National and regional initiatives to improve information provision • Trent Institute for Health Services Research was seeking to broaden its remit

3. Three Initiatives • Social Care Information Outreach (SCIO) Project [funded by TIHSR] • Social Care Information Skills and Training in Electronic Resources (SCISTER) [funded by TIHSR] • Social Care Access to Research Evidence (SCARE) [supported by Trent Focus, TIHSR and Regional Knowledge Unit]: – • Case Study – SCARE Briefings [funded by SCIE]

4. Social Care Information Outreach (SCIO) Project • To review literature on evidence-based practice and related training in social care; • To identify Trent social care practitioners’ research skills training and exposure to ideas of evidence-based practice; • To determine interest in professional development based on research or information skills training.

5. Questionnaire Survey • Opportunistic sample - five LAs – children and families, adults, mental health, disabilities and older people, variety of levels and roles. • Not truly random sample. • Postal questionnaires (early July 2002), most responses returned by end of July. • 161/595 questionnaires were returned (27% response rate).

6. Interviews • Semi-structured interviews (May-July 2002). • 20 face-to-face interviews plus 7 over the telephone. • Face-to-face interviews recorded with extensive note-taking; Telephone interviews not recorded but extensive notes taken. • Responses analysed qualitatively for overarching themes.

7. Results – Evidence based practice a good idea? • Evidence needed before service development or resource allocation • Hopefully reduce wasting of time, money and effort with clients getting services they need. • Services should be based on identified need rather than just someone’s “good idea”. • Chances of a positive outcome greater when evidence informs service planning. • Process adds to professionalism and credibility of sector.

8. Results: What needs changing? • Heavy workloads, • Lack of accessibility • Lack of allocated time • Practitioners and managers need training (but who will pay?). • Responsibility for assessing and using research should be with organisation. • Budgets/politics dictate services rather than research evidence. • Social care fails to recognise and disseminate good practice.

9. Results: pitfalls of evidence-based practice • Suspicion of research, its accuracy and lack of local relevance. • Time to produce research - no longer relevant to client situation and government policy. • ‘Fashionable’ clients might receive more services than “research poor”. • Difficult (impossible?), to apply research, given practical nature of work and need for flexible individualised approach to clients.

10. Results: Recent Evidence Based Practice • 139 respondents (86%) had specific instances of need to find research or other material to support decision-making. • Internet most popular (36%) source for evidence. • Large proportion (30%) spoke to or visited colleagues in their own organisations or in external organisations. • Less than 20% took literature-based approach by reading research (18%) or other information (14%), using library (6%), conducting (or intending to conduct) own research (3%) or doing literature search (1%).

11. Social Care Information Skills and Training in Electronic Resources (SCISTER) To develop an evidence based practice course for social care. Three formats: • Course for Social Care Practitioners (Piloted July 2003) • Course for NHS Librarians (Sept 2003) • Web-based self-directed course with materials for cascade training to NHS librarians (Forthcoming - 2004)

12. Main findings • Need to separate into Information for Practice track and Information for Management track • Greater interest/affinity for qualitative research • NHS librarians very enthusiastic about developing services to Social Care but concerns about resourcing • Increasingly useful toolkit of Social Care resources (including SCARE briefings!)

13. SOCIAL CARE ACCESS TO RESEARCH EVIDENCE BRIEFING The purpose of this briefing is to provide a summary of relevant information and resources so that practitioners and policy makers can locate in-depth information of interest to them. SOCIAL CARE BRIEFINGS

14. Briefings 1 - 5 Preventing falls in care homes Access to primary health care for people with learning disabilities Aiding communication with people with dementia Transition from children’s to adult’s services for people with physical disability or chronic illness Short breaks for children with learning disabilities Briefings 6 - 10 Parenting capacity and substance misuse ADHD – what is it and what works in its treatment Preventing teenage pregnancy in the looked after population Palliative care in care homes Discharge of older people from hospital to community care Social Care Briefing topics

15. What is a Social Care Briefing? • Information summary to inform/update practice at health/social care interface • Gateway to more in-depth information • Has a focused question • Involves searching of many sources • Information obtained is filtered for documents of high quality

16. What does a briefing contain? • Brief subject summary, its importance and ethical issues • User views • Action points for practitioners • Implications for policy and practice • Good practice examples • Further information and resources

17. What information sources are used? • Medical and social sciences databases • Organisation websites • Voluntary body websites • search • Sources used and their relative importance vary between briefings

18. The Briefing Process Search results Expert comments User views Draft briefing Editorial Team comments Expert comments Final briefing Placed on website Online discussion Briefing updated

19. Quality Issues How is the evidence sorted? • Date and type • Use of expert comments and suggestions • User input • Style/presentation issues

20. SCIE’s Sources of Knowledge for Social Care See: http://www.scie.org.uk/sciesproducts/knowledgereviews/KR03summaryonlineversion071103.pdf

21. Briefing Evolution • Organisation, titles and sections • Changes in source searching and use • Quality control – work of experts and Editorial Team • Moderated discussion list

22. Conclusions • First Social Care briefing has been born – but assessment and development are continuing • Future briefings will be shaped by expert, user and practitioners input • Social Care knowledge is in the process of being reviewed and classified: future briefings will reflect this

23. www.shef.ac.uk/~scharr/scare/home.htm

24. The Way Forward? • Adding Information Skills Course to Trent Institute Training Portfolio • Negotiating a further year of SCARE Briefings • Working on Web version of the SCISTER course, AND • Using SCISTER materials to deliver first full NeLH FOLIO course for NHS librarians on Information for Social Care

25. Further Reading Booth, S. H., Booth, A. and Falzon, L. J (2003) The need for information and research skills training to support evidence-based social care: a literature review and survey. Learning in Health and Social Care, 2 (4): 191-201. Acknowledgements: Sonja Booth, Louise Falzon (SCIO); Caroline White, Jo Cooke and Fiona Addison (SCISTER), Trent Institute and Trent Focus, SCARE Steering Group and Social Care Institute for Excellence