In this Newsletter
1. Sum Up Social Care View
i) Happy New Year Becoming the Sun
ii) IHSCM Courses & Masterclasses
iii) Conference Box Set
2. Events for January 2025
1. Sum Up Social Care View
i) Happy New Year - Becoming the Sun
Happy New Year! Those three words will be said many times over the next few days. When you hear those three words how do you feel? What thoughts come into your mind?
I’ve been dipping into social media throughout the holiday period, and I have felt the despair, the anger, the hopelessness that many of you are feeling right now. Many people who I know are fabulous and inspiring individuals within social care, now have their heads down. That is a disaster for social care. There must be a way of changing this, surely?
I’ve put down some of my thoughts below. These thoughts come from a place of both compassion and hope.
Aesop
Unfortunately there are things in life that we have no control over and we certainly don't have the power to control what government and politicians will do. There are however areas that we can either control or influence so I thought it might be useful to highlight those.
“The Sun is looking down enjoying the sight of the snow-covered Earth and sailing ships at sea when it is disturbed by an icy blast from the Wind, which rips the sails of the sailing ships to tatters. The Wind boasts about its strength, so the Sun challenges it to a contest – to see which of them is strong enough to take the coat off a young man who is walking through the mountains.
The Wind thinks this will be easy, so blows with all its might, but this only manages to make the man pull his coat more tightly about himself.
When the Sun has its turn, it shines so warmly that the man takes off his coat and lies down in the sunshine for a sleep.”
The above is Aesop’s fable of the North Wind and the Sun. The moral of which is, if you use force to make someone do something, it makes them less likely to want do it. Does that resonate with you?
Like the north wind, there is a deafening amount of noise within social care blowing into every government representative’s ears. It seems that people in government are wrapping their coats around them, determined to keep their coats fastened tightly. We have to ask “why is that?” Why are people not listening? Why are people not engaging? Is it because they think they’ve heard it all before? Do they believe no action will be taken?
OR do we need to change our tact, stop being the wind and become the sun?
Becoming the Sun
People in the UK, will only engage with social care if they can see it relates to them. Telling great stories, showcasing all that is good in social care is something we can put our energy into positively. We have to paint pictures though, so people can join the dots. This would enable all to understand investing in social care not only means better outcomes for the people who draw on social care, but it also saves a significant amount of money & resource, which benefits us all. We have to make social care relatable for it to be something the UK population will vote for. If we can do this the politicians will have to listen.
If the internet was flooded with local community stories that are inspiring, true, human stories that engage people, this would be like warm sunshine. Human’s engage with stories that are about real life, with real people. We connect on a different level when we do.
Changing how we think
Becoming the sun would require a big shift in the way we think and the actions we take. This is about creating a caring society that is for all rather than a social care system for a few. We need to create a vision of a future where social care is always a top priority for politicians because that’s what WE the UK people want. I know social care futures are attempting to do this. There is a great document on How to build public support for social care here.
In addition to the sun….
Saying no with compassion
There is also the cost conversation that needs to be faced. Exceptional care costs money. Saying no, compassionately, to local authorities who are only willing to pay for time and task, or minute by minute care may be hard for some providers. But how many no’s would it take for the system to fall? I’m guessing not many. Sun Tzu’s “In the midst of Chaos there is Opportunity”, suggests that if chaos occurs it would force change. Would this work to social care advantage? I think it could if we plan now for it.
Control and Influence
When facing challenging times, and potential chaos, it helps to take a step back and figure out what areas you have no control over as this allows you to focus on what you can control and influence. How to sessions such as knowing your costs, managing finances, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, building resilience, negotiations skills, attracting private customers, pastoral training for international recruits are areas we will support our members with in 2025.
Working together
Health and social care have many different component parts, and the sun needs to come out in all of them. We meet many of you through our leadership workshops and events and we know you all have many inspiring stories to tell. These stories need to be across healthcare (GP’s, ICB’s, Community nursing), social care teams (social workers, community outreach and across all social care providers, including micro providers and personal assistants). We must be open to working together to share the fabulous work you do, so people truly understand how health and social care are interlinked.
And finally …
Becoming the sun needs multiple platforms
We can certainly help here. We are by our members, for our members, so let us share your stories through our magazines and newsletters. Come and take part in our events to showcase what you do through our Power Hours. Be part of our special interest groups that lift and inspire. Let us help you dazzle the UK with your sun, so everyone can feel the warmth of the amazing work you do every day.
Happy New Year … we will be with you every step of the way in 2025! xx
ii) IHSCM Short Courses & Masterclasses
Raising the profile of social care as a profession is something we are passionate about. We have CPD accredited Short Courses and Masterclasses available to you which can be done online at a time convenient to you. Upon completion you receive a certificate and you can use these as part of your overall continuing professional development. They are outlined below and can all be accessed here.
iii) Conference Box Set now available
After our fabulous conference in October you can now watch all the recordings here.
2. Events for January 2025
16th January – 2pm till 3pm – IHSCM Workshop: How to support staff development
This session provides leaders with the knowledge and skills to foster the growth and development of their team members effectively.
22nd January – 12pm till 1pm – IHSCM Masterclass – How to Effectively Manage Change
This masterclass with our CEO Jon Wilks is designed to empower you with practical change management skills that will leave a lasting impact.
23rd January – 2pm till 3pm – IHSCM PowerHour – Building Relationships to Enhance Outcomes With a background in hospitality Sabrina Bennett, registered manager at Premier Community has used the relationship skills she developed there to built key relationships within Social Care; with social workers, district nurses and other health professionals. The impact of which has been significantly positive.
30th January – 2pm till 3pm – IHSCM Workshop: Modelling positive leadership behaviours to build trust –
Join Tom in this interactive session with practical exercises, role-playing scenarios, and group discussions. Tom will discuss how behaviours impact team dynamics and organisational culture. He will provide strategies for maintaining trust over time, including conflict resolution, accountability, and continuous improvement.
If you are not yet a member of IHSCM then you can find out how you can join here.
For any queries or comments regarding this newsletter, please contact Sue Jones, [email protected].
