In 2014, a research partnership resulted in significant improvements in social care practices, including a 60% drop in challenging behaviors and enhanced staff motivation. The 'train the trainer' model enabled 440 sponsors to facilitate the adoption of new support principles across various service settings, focusing on eight domains of care. The implementation of a technology-driven approach, utilizing software for monitoring outcomes, has led to measurable progress for individuals supported, with over 1,200 outcomes established and tracked across services.

1. Changing
Best Practice
In
Social Care

2. The research
In 2014, Dimensions partnered with The University of Kent Tizard
Centre and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, funded by the NIHR
school for social care research
The randomised controlled trial in 24 homes of 1-8 people over a year
resulted in
A 60% drop in challenging behaviour
A 33% increase in the use of meaningful support
A 25% increase in meaningful activity
Considerable increases in staff motivation

3. The research
As a founder member of the PBS Academy, it was also
essential that Activate responded to the demands of the new
PBS Competence framework.
Activate will help create the “high quality care and support
environments” that form the basis of tier 1 of that framework
Further information on the methodology and outcomes here

4. The Challenge
To teach thousands of colleagues across the country a new way
of supporting people – winning hearts and minds
To deliver a new technological infrastructure to support this
outcomes-based model
To convert the research into a practical approach to supporting
people whilst maintaining its integrity

5. The training solution
It is not financially viable to train all support workers face-to-face
A ‘train the trainer’ model was adopted, resulting in 440 Activate ‘sponsors’
Sponsors work alongside teams outside of their normal service to integrate
the principles of Activate at local level
Sponsors then re-enter their regular service. In this way, each service benefits
from two perspectives on Activate and we help overcome any local
resistance.

6. The implementation solution
Activate requires support teams to consider how best to
support people across 8 ‘domains’ of social care, for example
health and relationships.
Domains were implemented for individuals according to their
own priorities, but starting with Health across the board –
health is an underpinning for all other domains

7. The technological solution
Activate follows a ‘periodic service review’ (PSR) approach to setting and
monitoring outcomes.
These could be anything that is meaningful to a person; from learning to
make a cup of tea to establishing a friendship or attending a health screening
Delivering PSR at scale requires technology in every service; to set up,
monitor and report on outcomes achieved

8. The technological solution
We selected Iplanit as a supplier of a software solution following an extensive
selection process including two phases of pilots, and exploration of in-house
development options.
We put tablet computers in every single service.
Training included basic IT literacy skills for support teams.
This also required underlying infrastructure development such as secure local
wifi.

9. Measuring outcomes
For any individual we support, we can now measure:
Establishment of outcomes in each domain
Progress and achievement of these outcomes
We can compare and report to commissioners on aggregate measures at
local, regional and national level
The data can be used to supplement (not replace) our knowledge of the
person to drive performance improvements

10. To date (May 18)
440 Activate sponsors trained in 800 services
1268 outcomes established for people we support with 86
outcomes already achieved
Work underway to developing the software to monitor progress
against pre-agreed indicators. These can reflect organisational
priorities and sector best practice such as NICE guidelines

11. Find out more
https://www.dimensions-uk.org/initiative/activate/