Getting social care conversations right to improve care and support v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Getting social care conversations right to improve care and support: exploring evaluation of “The 3 Conversations” in adult social care.
IRAS ID
302136
Contact name
Madeleine Stevens
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London School of Economics and Political Science
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study aims to work out how to meaningfully evaluate the strengths-based, 3 Conversations (3Cs) approach to providing adult social care. 3Cs is a widely adopted strengths-based approach to assessment and providing care through working collaboratively with people seeking support. Adult social work in England is increasingly seeking to try out such ‘strengths’ or ‘asset-based’ approaches; these, rather than focussing on what is lacking, set out to recognise the strengths in individuals, those around them, and their communities. A strengths-based approach aims to support people to be independent and focus services where they are most needed.
While research suggests strengths-based approaches are a good idea, there are also concerns that they are merely a way to withhold services or make more demands on the families of those with care needs. Before full evaluation can be carried out, preliminary work must identify the full range of factors which might be affected, including any potential negative consequences, and how these can be measured.
The current research sets out to understand how 3Cs is being experienced in practice, by both practitioners and by citizens seeking and receiving support. We plan to better understand and define the approach, its aims, how it operates, and outcomes. We will analyse data collected by three case study areas implementing 3Cs. We will hold workshops in each area, and interview staff and people contacting services to explore whether and how the approach helps provide a better service.
We plan to share learning from our investigation and between sites to help improve practice in 3Cs and strengths-based working more generally.This 21-month project is being carried out by the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (CPEC) at the London School of Economics (LSE) and is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Social Care Research (SSCR).
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
21/IEC08/0024
Date of REC Opinion
13 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion