Meeting the Information and Training Needs of the Social Care Workforce

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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 someones good idea.
• Chances of a positive outcome greater when
  evidence informs service planning.
• Process adds to professionalism and credibility
  of sector.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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)

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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!)

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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
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Social Care Briefing topics

• 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 childrens to adults 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

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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

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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

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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

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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
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Quality Issues

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

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SCIEs Sources of Knowledge for Social Care
See http//www.scie.org.uk/sciesproducts/knowled
gereviews/KR03summaryonlineversion071103.pdf
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Briefing Evolution

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

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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

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

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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