PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT FOR ASSERTIVE OUTREACH TEAMS

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PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT FOR ASSERTIVE OUTREACH TEAMS

• DEVELOPING
• STRENGTHS-BASED PRACTICE

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Shifting the Focus of Attention

• Develop practice not more research!
• The research we know the message we know the
  practice we offer less attention
• Developing teams should be a process not an
  event!
• You can teach very little, but you can coach a
  lot put training practice development together
  and good things just may happen

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Why focus attention on strengths-based practice?

• Everyone has talent, ability, interests, wishes
  dreams we should work with these as a basis for
  engagement positive changes
• A focus on problems deficits may raise
  standards to a level of mediocrity
• A focus on strengths abilities may raise
  standards to a level of excellence

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The Depth of Strengths in Teams

• Strengths acknowledging teams (the vast
  majority are not exposed to a specific focus on
  strengths, and do not do it)
• Strengths aware teams (training raises
  awareness, but not necessarily practice)
• Strengths working teams (attention to detail
  can only happen in the workplace, not in the
  workshop!)

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An Integrated Programme

• A 3-day training programme for teams
• - The basis components of Assertive Outreach
• - Developing a Strengths Approach
• - The context of risk Positive Risk-Taking
• 1 day/month practice development input
• - A focus on whole team working
• - Supervised practice in the workplace
• - Helping to shape own processes systems
• for supporting good strengths-based practice

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Current Programmes

• AO North (Northants) from January 2001 -present
• Haringey HOST Teams from July 2003 - present
• Cambridge AOT from September 2004 - present
• West Suffolk Thetford AOT from Jan 2005
  -present
• East Suffolk AOT training programme only (May
  2005)

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Innovate and Evaluate

• Developing a creative capability tool for
  capturing whole team self assessments against 13
  statements of practice
• AO North an established team sustaining high
  functioning
• Haringey Host Teams new teams with improving
  evaluations
• Haringey Cambridge West Suffolk similar
  baseline scores
• For training workshop evaluations practice
  development data see www.practicebasedevidence.com
  

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Access Appropriate Tools

• Service user strengths-based practice
• Individual staff members strengths assessments
• Team strengths assessments
• Strengths of the systems the organisation itself

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West Suffolk Thetford A Team Case Study (1)

• Reflection on values principles essential to
  underpin good practice
• Flexible application of a strengths assessment
  tool identifies priorities for collaborative
  positive care planning
• Moving from strengths aware gt strengths working

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West Suffolk Thetford A Team Case Study (2)

• Practice development initiatives
• strengths assessments flexible team approach
  creativity within CPA positive risk-taking
• Experience of strengths working
• - Being led by what the service user wants
• - Developing a positive can do approach
• - Through being a strengths aware team from
  the outset
• of our work with everyone (i.e. searching
  for positives
• not just the reported problems
  difficulties)