risk management

Risk and the Big Society

Paper that has two distinct but related aims. First, it seeks to draw attention to what seems a neglected set of questions in an otherwise familiar debate about risk and regulation. In short, it argues that thinking about regulation, at least as it applies to public policy, is too often framed as a simple choice between risk and regulation, with little thought given to non-regulatory ways of managing risk.

Sustainable health and social care: a briefing for commissioners and health and wellbeing boards (Adults' Services SCIE Report 59)

Briefing that examines issues such as the role of health and wellbeing boards and commissioners; the impact of climate change; integration; community and personalisation; leadership and reputation; and risk management and business continuity.

Risky business?

Paper that sets important issues relating to positive risk-taking in adult social care in a legal context; considers how current care provision impacts on the human rights of service users; and analyses the extent to which the present regulatory and commissioning frameworks stifle or encourage risk-taking in adult social care.

A 'four nations' perspective on rights, responsibilities, risk and regulation in adult social care

Paper that reviews the prevailing approaches and attitudes to risk-taking across the four nations of the UK; considers current and likely future regulatory responses regarding this, drawing out similarities and differences and implications for these; and highlights potential areas for shared learning.

Whose risk is it anyway? Risk and regulation in an era of personalisation

Paper that argues that ‘risk’ is often perceived negatively by people using services (used as an excuse used for stopping them doing something) – but risk needs to be shared between the person taking the risk and the system that is trying to support them; states that although some people fear that personalisation may increase risk, it could help people to be safer by putting them more in control of their lives, helping them plan ahead, and focusing our safeguarding expertise on those who really need it; and considers the fact that in an era of personalisation, approaches to risk and regulat

Changing societal attitudes, and regulatory responses, to risk-taking in adult care

Paper that explores the relationship between policy initiatives regarding risk-taking in adult care and its claim to reflect user experience; argues that these policy initiatives are driven by the imperative of rationalising risk management; and claims that such policies are not a response to user demand and that more research is needed to evaluate the attitudes of users of adult care to risk-taking.

Embracing change series

A series of booklets produced on the topic of innovation in social services in Scotland.

They are designed to help individuals and organisations think differently and more creatively about providing services, as well as manage risk more effectively.

The titles include:
- Embracing change
- Balancing innovation and risk in social services
- How do you create the right conditions for innovation?
- Developing a framework for innovation
- Rising to the challenge: where can ideas come from?

SCIE report 36: enabling risk, ensuring safety - self-directed support and personal budgets

This report looks at some of the research findings and emerging principles and practice concerning risk enablement in the self-directed support and personal budget process while also recognising the wider context of adult safeguarding in social care. The aim is to build an evidence base drawn from both research and practice to indicate what could work to promote risk enablement, independence and control while at the same time, ensuring safety.