New care advice will help millions
11 April
Millions of people looking for social care services for
themselves, a relative or friend, will benefit from new advice
published today.
The advice is designed to help people choose the best care
services for their personal needs, and maintain their independence
and quality of life. It encourages people to talk to the right care
professionals, ask the right questions, and become better informed
in the way they choose their care. The CSCI also today launched a
new website designed to give the public better information on
choosing the right care for them, and find lists of registered care
providers and inspection reports for their area.
Launching the new advice booklet titled Choosing the
right social care service for you, and new website, CSCI
Chair Dame Denise Platt said:
“Many people feel lost when trying to find their way around the
system. They don’t always get the advice and help they need. As a
result, some end up moving into care homes, when in reality, they
would have been able to stay in their own homes. Others end up
paying over the odds for a level of care they don’t need.
“This information is designed to help people at what might be a
very difficult and pressurised time in their lives. We want to help
people make the right choices for them – choices that will help
them get the right support in the right place at the right
time.
CSCI Chief Inspector David Behan said:
“Our research shows that people looking for advice on social
care will normally approach their local council first. The quality
of help and information people get at that first point of contact
often sets the mould for how successfully they then navigate their
way through the system.
“While some councils provide excellent help and information,
there is considerable variation in the quality and consistency of
information that people receive.
“The information we are publishing today will give members of
the public clear, consistent advice. There is space in the guide
for councils to add their own details and other information,
thereby giving the public a seriously useful tool to help them
navigate their way towards choosing the right care service for
their needs and being in control of their own lives.”
We will also be contacting GPs, hospitals, nurses and Citizens
Advice centres and voluntary organisations, to work with them in
making sure the public get the best advice possible. Many voluntary
organisations already produce information for the specific groups
of people they help. Our booklet recognises the valuable work they
do, and is designed to complement the work done by other
organisations.
Notes for Editors
1. Copies of the new guide Choosing the right social care
service for you, can be obtained from the CSCI publications
orderline on: 0870 240 7535. Copies of the guide can also be
downloaded from the CSCI website at www.csci.org.uk
2. The guide was developed in collaboration with three local
councils – Redbridge, Norfolk and Kent, a number of people who use
social care services currently, the Association of Social Care
Communicators and a number of CSCI staff.
3. The guide has achieved a Plain English Crystal Mark for
clarity and ease of reading. It will also be produced in a number
of different languages, easy read, Braille and audio tape.
4. An Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report titled Care Homes for
Older People in the UK, published in May 2005, and the CSCI’s own
research carried out in March 2005, found widespread variation in
the quality and consistency of information received by current and
prospective users of social care services.
5. Many people complained that they did not receive enough
information to make informed choices about the future direction of
their lives.
6. The booklet has been written as a signposting document to
help people get the best support and advice to make informed
choices of their own, rather than a comprehensive encyclopaedia on
social care.
7. The CSCI has consulted hundreds of different users via online
surveys and face to face sessions to develop the new website. The
people we consulted included older people, young adults with
learning disabilities and prospective users of social care
services.
8. The new website has been developed following best practice
guidelines in accessibility and usability. Core information is
available in easy-to-read formats, audio and foreign languages. The
new site already has RNIB accreditation and the Internet Plain
English Crystal Mark.
9. The CSCI is the single inspectorate for social care in
England, responsible for regulating and inspecting all social care
providers – whether in the public or independent sector. The
Commission’s primary aim is to improve social care by putting the
needs of people who use care services first.
10. The Commission is chaired by Dame Denise Platt DBE and has
five Commissioners. The Chief Inspector is David Behan CBE. CSCI
staff work across nine regions in England – aligned with the
government offices of the regions.
Find media contacts