Gerry Brophy
STRENGTH BASED CONVERSATIONS
GROUND RULES
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Confidentiality
We have the right to make mistakes
and not know things
Take responsibility for your learning by
asking questions and giving feedback
Allow others to have their say,
challenge the views not the person
You can leave the room at any time,
without explanation
LEARNING OUTCOMES & CONTENT
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To increase awareness and understanding of what is a strength
based approach in social care
Develop confidence in holding strengths based conversations
when assessing needs
Develop assessment skills
Identify and help others identify different types of strengths
and assets
Applying knowledge to current ways of working
Delegates be able to demonstrate best practice
Delegates to be able to influence customers/clients
Improve outcomes for customers
STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH
A strengths-based approach to care, support
and inclusion says let’s look first at what
people can do with their skills and their
resources and what can the people around
them do in their relationships and their
communities.
 People need to be seen as more than just their
care needs – they need to be experts and in
charge of their own lives.
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STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH
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Practitioners will need to work in collaboration with
service users, supporting them to do things for
themselves, with the aim that they become more than
passive recipients of care and support.
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In order to do this, it is fundamental that practitioners
establish and acknowledge the capacity, skills,
knowledge, network and potential of both the
individual and the local community.
STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH
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assessments (including preparation and closure) could take longer
accountability and decision-making are delegated to frontline staff,
following a competency-based approach to ensure staff are confident
and competent to work in this way
monitoring and review, and therefore performance measures, should
focus on the impact of interventions in improving/changing outcomes
for individuals
the need to establish where the process can be streamlined to free up
time (e.g. identifying process bottlenecks such as mandatory sign-off or
unproductive handovers; offering supported self-assessment and
planning for those who do not need local authority intervention; making
better use of partners as trusted assessors).
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE FROM
ASSESSMENT
To reassure the person and make sure he feels he is in the driving seat and
can make the choices he wants
Help him (and family member) to understand the system – use easy
everyday language
Explain the Council’s ability to provide service/funding depends on his
needs and financial situation, but that they will, in any case, provide
information and advice
Friends/family/other contacts identified
Who is who, and who is most important to the person?
Who may play a part in support/achieving outcomes? who might be
contact point?
Who may need supporting?
Learn some details about the person’s life – he is an individual, with a
personality and a history
His work? His interests?
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE
FROM ASSESSMENT
Identify what is important for the person
What makes him/her content, happy, fulfilled? How does he
want to live his life – what is good, what would he like to
change?
Identify his needs – this may be more than just physical
needs eg. Activities, company, accessible transport etc.
Clarify what initial outcome(s) the person wants to achieve
Ensure that he knows the options for taking this forward
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PREPARING FOR ASSESSMENT
When preparing for an assessment you should:
 Gather information and background on the
individual’s circumstances:
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 What
are their reasons for contacting social
services?
 Are there any other professionals involved?
 Do the local authority or any partner organisations
have any useful background information?
 Is an interpreter or advocate needed?
PREPARING FOR ASSESSMENT
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Determine, jointly with the individual, how the
assessment will be conducted in terms of
appropriateness and proportionality
 Has
the individual been informed about what an
assessment involves: their options, the timescales,
the potential next steps?
 Does the individual prefer to perform a supported
self-assessment?
PREPARING FOR ASSESSMENT
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Agree on who should contribute to the assessment
other than the individual and how this will be done.
If an assessment visit is to take place:
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Has everybody who needs to be there been informed (i.e.
care professionals, carers, other family members, friends,
etc.)? Have they confirmed their attendance?
Do you have all the information and paperwork you need?
Have you done research on related community services,
products and activities?
NEED TO USE ORDINARY WORDS
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We don’t go in to the user to do an assessment and start
talking about ‘doing an assessment’ ‘outcomes’ ‘personal
budgets’ ‘re-able’ – they wouldn’t understand any of it, and
you’ve lost them straight away
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We should be saying things like:
‘I’ve come to talk to you about what help you think you need’
‘What are the things which are most important to you?’
‘What is most difficult for you?’
‘What do you, or did you, enjoy doing?’
INFORMATION BEING SOUGHT?
The assessment intervention should aim to
discover what the person concerned believes
would constitute a ‘good life’ for them and their
family, and how all parties can work together to
achieve this.
 In particular the following information should
be gathered using open questionsrather than a
tick-box exercise.
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EXAMPLES
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Individual’s strengths, hobbies, abilities, wishes, etc.
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What is the individual good at? What do they enjoy doing?
What did they used to enjoy doing but can no longer do?
What would they like to be better at?
What do they think they can do better or more of?
What do they think they can do to improve themselves and
their wellbeing?
What do they think will help, if not to make things better,
then at least to prevent things from getting worse?
INDIVIDUAL’S SUPPORT NETWORK , THEIR STRENGTHS, ABILITIES,
KNOWLEDGE, ETC.
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Who can they count on? How would they reach them? What
would they count on them for?
Who visits them frequently? How often?
Who do they miss? Why are they not able to see/keep in touch
with these people?
Who do they communicate with? How? With what frequency?
Who else do they know that could be part of their lives?
Are there any other people helping the individual? Any other
professionals?
INDIVIDUAL’S SUPPORT NETWORK , THEIR
STRENGTHS, ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE, ETC.
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Is there anything that could facilitate this network to
increase, either in quantity or quality? Do they want it
to increase?
What has been working until now, and how have
things changed?
What could help to enable them to return to previous
means of support which worked for them?
Which needs/outcomes can be met/achieved now
without waiting for/moving to a care and support plan?
NEEDS, CHALLENGES, RISKS,
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focusing on strengths does not mean
ignoring these, but maximising and using the
strengths to overcome them
 What
is preventing the individual from doing
what they would like to do or seeing who they
would like to see?
 What do they think they can do to change this?
 Who do they think can help to change it?
STRENGTHS-MAPPING
‘SOFT’ STRENGTHS
Individual
 Personal qualities
 Knowledge and skills
 Relationships
 Passions and interests
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‘SOFT’ STRENGTHS
Community
 Links with neighbours
 Community groups
 Shared interest groups
 Community leaders
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HARD’ STRENGTHS
Individual
Health
 Finances
 Housing
 Transport
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HARD’ STRENGTHS
Community
Health and social care services
 Leisure
 Schools
 Community buildings
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WHAT MAKES A GOOD ASSESSMENT?
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Be flexible and perceptive of an individual’s
situation and needs around the assessment
process.
 Allow
for a break in the assessment if needed so
that the user doesn’t become overwhelmed.
 Have an understanding of the person’s condition.
 Repeat facts to confirm they’re accurate and you
have noted them down correctly.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ASSESSMENT?
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Follow a holistic/whole-person approach.
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Look at the whole community and be aware of the support
available from that community.
Focus on a whole-life approach not just a person’s care
needs.
Focus on outcomes.
Consider how the individual might contribute to the local
community, and hence be better integrated in the wider
society around them.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ASSESSMENT?
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Be professional, honest, open and approachable.
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Make sure you listen.
Let people speak, even if their assessment is taking place
with an advocate present.
Be clear that you can’t fix everything in one session and that
this is an ongoing process.
Build trust with people.
Be conversational without too much direct questioning –
people will open up more and provide more detailed
answers.
Be friendly but be aware of the difference between ‘friend’
and ‘friendly’
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ASSESSMENT?
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Be clear about who is making any given decision. If
you need to take your findings to your manager then
be clear about this from the start.
Let the individual know that they have a right to
appeal against the outcome of the assessment.
Explain the possible outcomes
Don’t use jargon.
Perform your assessment as an intervention, so that
the individual will benefit from the process itself no
matter what the outcome is.
FLUCTUATING NEEDS
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Establish what impact can be reasonably expected from
knowledge of people with similar conditions or circumstances,
which can be based on the practitioner’s own experience and
may also require advice from someone with expert knowledge
about a specific condition.
Encourage the person and their carer to keep a diary to record
the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days to ensure need, and the impact it has
on desired outcomes individually and collectively, is captured in
its totality wherever possible to ensure the record is as holistic
as possible.
FLUCTUATING NEEDS
Establish how long a ‘suitable time’ might be to
assess need fluctuation – for example, ask the
person a series of questions, along the lines
of:How are you today? (Is it a ‘good’ day?)
 How long since you last had a bad day or series
of bad days?
 How often does it get bad?
 How long is it since you have felt at your best?
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FLUCTUATING NEEDS
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establish the extent of the fluctuation in
relation to severity, duration and frequency –
for example, you could ask:
 How
good/bad does it get?
 What does a ‘bad’ day or series of days prevent you
from doing? (To establish the impact of the
fluctuation on desired outcomes)
 How often do things change?
 Who helps you on a bad day?
 What helps you on a good day?
FLUCTUATING NEEDS
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If the person cannot answer these questions due to capacity or
communication issues, ask the opinion of their carer or advocate and other
relevant healthcare professionals on these issues.
The impact on carers must also be considered – first by establishing if they
themselves have a condition requiring care and support, and then by
establishing:
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the extent to which the fluctuation in the person’s needs has an impact on their
wellbeing
the extent to which their circumstances and environment cause a fluctuating
impact on their wellbeing.
If the carer cannot answer these questions due to capacity or
communication issues, ask the opinion of their advocate.
WHAT SHOULD THE PERSON FEEL ABOUT HIS
EXPERIENCE OF BEING ASSESSED?
Everything was explained clearly
I had an opportunity to say what I wanted (and was
helped with any communication difficulties)
I was listened to and treated with respect
They have taken my views on board and I know I can
make choices about what help I have
They were friendly and quickly made me feel at ease
7/29/2017
7/29/2017
HANDOUTS
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1. Visit the website: www.talkinglife.co.uk
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2. Select TRAINING BUTTON
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3. Select PROFESSIONAL LOG-IN BUTTON on left hand side of this page
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4. Select HERTS LOG-in
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5.Sign in as follows: Username Hertfordshire CC 021115
password: HertsCC021115
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6. Select option: View Professional Log in information
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7. Select course and follow links to various handouts and presentations for
Herts
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