The report which is published in September 2017 by Scottish Government Social Research is an evaluation of the Adapting for Change Initiative. The AfC initiative came from the recommndations of the Adaptations Working Group which was established by the Scottish Government and tasked with reviewing adaptations practice and providing recommendations for change.
It was proposed that the recommendations of the AWG would be tested in five sites prior to a larger scale roll-out in Scotland. The test sites were Aberdeen, Falkirk, Fifie, Lochaber and Scottish Borders. There was clear Ministerial commitment to undertake an independent evaluation of the experiences of the sites and to use the findings to develop further guidance and stakeholder involvement.
The report cites as one of its key findings: "The overall message which service users wished to send to those developing and delivering services was that they wanted to be treated as an individual and not as an ‘old person’ or a ‘disabled person’. A small number of service users reported feeling increasingly ‘invisible’ to society more widely and to certain services".
It also found: "... a common theme to emerge across the conversations with service users that they not only wanted the system to treat them with respect and as an individual, but also wanted services to recognise that making changes to their home could affect all members of the household. The varied experiences of service users suggest that some people have received just such a service, but that in other cases services have fallen short".
The report found that Care and Repair services are highly valued by service users:
- Irrespective of where located or how otherwise structured, the key component should be a person-centred, case-management type approach, with everyone having a named contact who also has oversight of their ‘journey’ through the system. As noted earlier, where this is already happening, and particularly when this type of service is being delivered through a Care and Repair service, the feedback from service users was extremely positive.
- The local Care and Repair service tended to be cited as the most obvious ‘host organisation’ for such a service by key stakeholders. The early intervention, person-centred type of approach required was seen as very much in line with the ethos behind Care and Repair services and with the skills and experience likely to be present in those services. Housing and third sector stakeholders were most likely to take this view but it was also expressed by a minority of social care and health stakeholders.
The full report is availble for download here:
