learning activity

A model of practice and collaboration

This resource recognises that social work/social care are made more complex by the multiple relationships with people and agencies with whom you must collaborate to get your work done. The experiences of a family, the Brooks and the professionals and agencies who work with them, illustrate a ‘model’ designed to help you in planning and reflecting on these multiple collaborations.

Elearning : an introduction to interprofessional and inter-agency collaboration (IPAC)

This resource invites people to explore different dimensions of interprofessional and inter-agency collaboration (IPIAC) and to hear, early on, from those who use care services and carers speaking about their experiences of effective and ineffective collaboration. It will help develop and review understanding of: what is meant by ‘interprofessional and inter-agency collaboration’ (IPIAC); why collaboration has grown in importance; the kinds of evidence that informs collaboration; and key policy and legislation and their timeline.

Decision-making processes

This resource explores: how staff, residents and relatives view of risk and risk-taking will influence decisions about restraint; how making good decisions about restraint is more likely if care staff are positive, show teamwork, keep good records, are aware of the alternatives to restraint and have some basic knowledge of the law on restraint; and how a careful five-step process can help when making difficult decisions about restraint: observe, do some detective work, come to a collective decision, implement and review the plan.

Exploring restraint

This resource explores the ideas that: restraint can be a difficult issue in care homes, and the word means different things to different people; there are many different types of restraint, ranging from active physical interventions to failing to assist a person; minimising the use of restraint is important, but sometimes it will be the right thing to do; and knowing the individual, valuing the views of relatives and working as a team will help reduce the need for restraint.