Since 2023 we have worked co-productively with three Councils (Bury, Portsmouth, and Cheshire West and Chester) to support the implementation of strengths-based practice in adult social care.

All three projects had four phases. Namely: The discovery phase, the dream phase, the design phase, and the delivery phase.

The Discovery Phase involved a wide range of stakeholders to identify existing strengths to preserve, nurture and build on and opportunities for improvement.

The Dream Phase agree/confirm the local vision for strengths-based practice in each council The Design Phase examined how to:

  • Develop staff strengths-based practice skills and know how
  • Make systems and processes fully supportive of strengths-based practice
  • Create a culture that promotes and nurtures strengths-based practice.

The Delivery Phase to implement the recommendations from the discovery, dream, and design work Specifically, our implementation support focused on advising the Principal Social Workers at each council on the design and implementation of a strengths based practice framework based around the MASOSS model where:

  • Mindset – Support each person who draws on support and each member of staff to have a positive mindset
  • Aspirations – Explore each person’s long and short-term hopes for the future
  • Strengths – Identify/develop/build on the person’s own skills, abilities, and wider support resources
  • Outcomes – Negotiate/agree SMART Outcomes to provide a golden thread from assessment through to review
  • Solutions – Creatively co-produce possible ways to support and achieve the agreed SMART outcomes
  • Services – Identifying the practical ways to deliver the solutions.

We also:

  • Supported the development of a strengths-based practice staff learning and development programme to develop a shared “strengths based practice mind and skills set” to help guide all future decisions and guide behaviours.
  • Hekped make the staff learning and development programme sustainable at Portsmouth and Cheshire West through a Train the Trainer programme so each Council could be self-sufficient in the delivery of its strengths based practice training.
  • Developed strengths-based practice induction materials at Portsmouth so all new starters in adult social care share a common base level knowledge of the MASOSS practice model and share the strengths-based values that underpin it.
  • Supported leadership and communications activities to help build the ASC culture (values/assumptions) to ensure staff values, beliefs, and assumptions align with the ASC strengths based vision for adult social care at each Council.

Rachael Roberts, Deputy Director of Adult Social Care said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Alder Advice. They were flexible and responsive and professional in their approach. They have drawn out what is working well, and also area’s for development and have articulated this in a clear accessible report.”