"More children should be in care", say MPs

I'm John Dennis. I'm the Managing Director of Insight and I spend a lot of my time working with providers of Social Care. I was struck by a news headline recently, from the BBC website. The story is based upon a report from the House of Commons Education Select Committee. In some ways, the report and the story are encouraging! We need to have  a public debate in this country about Children in Care.

The professional view of taking children into care has moved back and forth in recent years. As it became more and more clear that the life prospects of children in care were very poor, professionals increasingly took the view that 'at home with parents' may be the best of two poor choices. However, after the death of Baby P, the pendulum swung the other way and admissions to care are now up by something like 30% across England and Wales.

So this does seem like a time when a public debate could help professionals to understand what those who pay for public services expect from them. However there is an elephant in the room!  I recently witnessed some discussions among child care professionals. One of the main topic under discussion was cost and how cash strapped Councils can reduce the cost of children in care. Several people said that Care for Children is by it’s nature very expensive. The key would be to “reduce the size of the front door”. In other words to find ways to take less children into care!

The members of the House of Commons Education Select Committee may have written a good report, however until Parliament “joins up’ it’s thinking about resources and services, the public debate may have to wait.

Meanwhile we can all look forward to a prolonged game of Parliamentary fantasy football with children’s lives providing the footballs...

NSA Leadership Qualities Framework Launch!

On Friday, three lucky members of the Insight Team and two members of the NSA Graduate Scheme attended the Launch of the LQF. The National Skills Academy has launched the Leadership Qualities Framework (LQF) for Adult Social Care and describe it as a "one-stop shop for developing yourself, strengthening and differentiating your organisation and providing better services."

Sophie and Paula from the NSA Graduate Training Scheme tell you more:

Attending the LQF launch was a great experience!  It was inspiring to hear those at the forefront of leadership in adult social care speaking with such passion and commitment.

Jo Cleary, Chair of the National Skills Academy for Social Care, provided an overview of how the behaviours in the framework have been developed, how the LQF will be used to support the development of leadership in the sector, and how it will support the integration of health and social care services.

Norman Lamb, Minister for Care Services, launched the Framework and shared his strong support for the NSASC’s leadership strategy.

Meeting the Minister after his speech was a huge privilege. He was very interested in the Graduate Management Trainee Scheme and where we have been working throughout the year.

The atmosphere at the event was indicative of what a landmark the launch was for the sector.

However, as Debbie Sorkin commented when she closed the speeches, the hard work lies ahead in putting the Framework into practice across care services.

The evening was so enjoyable and unlike anything we’ve experienced before. It presented a fantastic opportunity to meet and speak with the people involved in shaping the future of the sector. 

The vision for the future of Social Care is strong, and Insight are excited to continue to support change.

"A sector brimming with leaders at all levels." - Norman Lamb

       

Have a look through our gallery for a few snaps of the event (courtesy of NSA):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Open Virtual Classroom Sessions

Come and try it out!

Hi, my name’s Zainab and I am a consultant with Insight.

I’ve only recently started working for Insight having just finished my degree at the University of Manchester last month and I have to say, I’m really enjoying it so far!

At Insight we’re hosting a series of open Virtual Classroom sessions on various management topics every couple of weeks, with the first one having been rolled out earlier this week!

When I was tasked with holding Insight’s very first open Virtual Classroom session… I have to admit, it was initially met with a slight sense of panic-

Will anyone be interested?!

How will I get people to turn up?!

Will they even turn up?!

However, it was a success so I’ll tell you a little bit more…

This week’s session was on the Management of Change within the workplace, illustrated via Monty Roberts and his influential techniques in work with horses, and led by John Dennis (Insight Director).

A Virtual Classroom session works the same way as it would in a real classroom; an interactive session whereby people can talk with tutors or peers, learn about new topics, view materials and drop in or out as they please, except of course, with everything being done virtually. Participants are able to talk freely, express their opinions and contribute whenever they want (minus hands being waved about in the air!), with the added element of being fun, as well as informative.

Our open sessions give people who’ve not used our Virtual Classroom before, who would like to get to know it a bit better, or want to learn about a new topic in a fun and relaxed environment, an opportunity to try it out for free.

These sessions are being held every couple of weeks and if you fancy attending, (even if it’s a last minute decision!) there’s no need to sign up, we’ll just send you a link and instructions! All you need is an internet connection and a decent headset (nothing too fancy, the one that came with your iPhone will do just fine!).

If it sounds like something you’re interested in, keep watching this space for the link to the next session and the Insight Team looks forward to seeing you there!

Zainab

P.S:
Take a look below for a sneak preview inside the Virtual Classroom!

A lesson in carriage-driving

Hi. My name’s Terry Linehan and I’m one of the Insight Directors. 

I’ve been with Insight for over 20 years, running training events, coaching and mentoring, and working with organisations to get the best out of their staff.

Having consultants scattered throughout the UK means that Insight is a virtual team, but about three times a year the Directors get together to review and plan our business strategy.

Our most recent Directors’ meeting was held at Chariots of Fire, in Lockerbie.  Chariots run ‘Sports-driving Unlimited’, an amazing charity that Insight supports, who provide life-changing experiences for disabled people through carriage driving.

I was privileged to be able to watch Rachel, one of the visitors to Chariots, having a lesson with Amanda Saville, a highly experienced carriage driver and the key Service Provider for Sports Driving Unlimited.

Rachel is in her twenties and has profound disabilities which make both movement and communication a challenge. However, as the name suggests, at Sports-driving unlimited this is no barrier!

Rachel has been coming to lessons since the Summer, and shows a clear enthusiasm for driving her carriage around the arena at the highest possible speed!

Throughout the lesson Amanda ensures that Rachel is in the driving seat (literally), using the abilities she has to communicate with and control the actions of Benny, her horse. This includes deciding when to move the carriage forward, when to stop, and most importantly how fast to go!

As part of the lesson additional challenges stretch Rachel’s concentration and physical skills, getting her to place selected objects in a series of variously shaped containers around the arena. This creates great hilarity, but is also clearly designed to encourage Rachel to use and extend her movement.

As a spectator, it is easy to see why this lesson is the high spot of Rachel’s week. She is empowered to be in control; she is supported and positively stretched; it’s fun, and there’s definitely an element of risk!

As a management trainer  and coach I can appreciate the positive environment Amanda and the whole team at Chariots create, and how the energy, motivation and self-belief generated in this carriage driving lesson might have an impact for Rachel long after the lesson has ended. I wonder how often we create this level of impact in the workplace?

Welcome!

Hello!

And welcome to Insight Management Solutions' very first blog!

My name's Laura Dennis, and I'm a Consultant with Insight.

I specialise in Social Care training, being a Social Worker myself, and I'm very excited to have started working on a couple of projects with the National Skills Academy for Social Care (NSA).

Today, I wanted to tell you a little bit about NSA's Graduate Programme, which Insight are delivering. The Graduate Management Training Scheme is a 12 month programme for graduates of a variety of backgrounds looking to become managers in Social Care. The unique course, funded by the Department of Health, places graduates with host organisations to give them first-hand understanding and experience of the sector, and combines this with rigorous training days to build on their management skills and Social Care knowledge and theory.

By the end of the programme, the graduates have experience-based knowledge of the sector and are unafraid to challenge and innovate from a management position.

The programme was recently featured in an article in The Guardian and has also been celebrated in Care Talk Online.

Recruitment for the next cohort is already underway, and this year over 400 people have applied.

As you can tell, we at Insight are thoroughly enjoying delivering the programme and can't wait to begin work with the new graduates in January!

Laura