Sharing Knowledge, Improving Practice, Changing Lives

1 Sharing knowledge , Improving Practice, Changing Lives A knowledge management strategy and action plan for social services in Scotland 2010-2012 Produced by NHS Education for Scotland knowledge Services and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) in partnership with the Social Services Managed knowledge Network, March 2010. NHS Education for Scotland and knowledge , Improving Practice, Changing Foreword 2 Overview 4 Key messages 6 Introduction 7 What is knowledge management? 8 knowledge management and Changing Lives 9 knowledge management supporting leadership, research and continuous learning 10 How will the strategy be delivered?

2 11 Strand one: managing knowledge to build workforce capacity 12 What will this mean for me? 13 Strand two: Sharing knowledge with service users and carers: creating personalised social services 14 What will this mean for me? 15 Strand three: managing knowledge to support sustainable service change 16 What will this mean for me? 17 Strand four: building a collaborative national knowledge infrastructure 18 What will this mean for me? 19 How can I get involved? 20 2 Sharing knowledge , Improving Practice, Changing from Adam Ingram Minister for Children and Early Years knowledge management underpins the delivery of the Scottish Government s social care policies.

3 Access to knowledge , and the skills to use that knowledge effectively, are essential to realising the benefits to people s Lives which we aim to particular, effective use of knowledge is central to realising the vision set out in Changing Lives of person-centred social services, delivered in partnership with service users and carers by a confident and competent workforce. It complements and underpins other products of Changing Lives , such as the Continuous Learning Framework, guidance on the role of the Chief Social Work Officers, the Practice Governance framework for social work services and it will help us to deliver our aims in the early years framework, where a knowledgeable, highly skilled workforce is key to transforming outcomes for children and the Minister with responsibility for social work services I welcome this knowledge management strategy for Scotland.

4 It demonstrates the importance of translating knowledge into practice to transform care and support. It recognises the role of knowledge in empowering the workforce, service users and carers with the resources, skills and confidence to ask questions, find and share knowledge , and use it as a vital part of day-to-day work and strategy features three principal work social service employers to develop and lead on knowledge management strategies, as part of a national the workforce with a range of on-line knowledge services and training in information skills, to support them with their day-to-day work and learning. Improving access to information for service users and carers and facilitating Sharing of information between practitioners, service users and work strands aim to ensure that knowledge is easily accessible when and where people need it, and that it becomes an integral part of delivering social services.

5 This will require Sharing knowledge , Improving practice, Changing lives3 Sharing knowledge , Improving Practice, Changing shift in how social service practitioners, managers and employers work and think. It also requires the promotion of skills in accessing and using knowledge to enable the workforce to deliver the right care and support at the right time, based on evidence and best strategy has been developed jointly by the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) and by NHS Education for Scotland knowledge demonstrates the benefits of Sharing information and learning resources and technology across the health and social service sectors.

6 This Sharing of knowledge and learning across organisations and sectors will help to deliver continuity of care, ensuring care journeys are as straightforward and smooth as services staff will require strong support and leadership from their employers to make this happen. This strategy aims to support organisations in developing strategies, identifying knowledge champions and where appropriate, Chief knowledge Officers, to provide leadership, vision and impetus for translating knowledge into practice. They will promote the cultural change required at strategic level, to ensure that knowledge is embedded in social service practice and help to fulfil the aspirations of Changing Lives and the Early Years is essential that this strategy and its recommendations are implemented locally and nationally.

7 That is why we have set up a Social Service Managed knowledge Network and Steering Group to oversee progress across the country and to share experience in Improving knowledge management locally. This agenda will be supported by Social Services knowledge Scotland, the new national online knowledge service, available to all social services strategy builds on Scotland s strong tradition of putting knowledge to work to deliver the best quality care and support for vulnerable people. I believe that it provides the necessary infrastructure to make this happen, through social service organisations, practitioners and managers, service users and carers coming together to share knowledge , to improve practice and to change Ingram Minister for Children and Early Years March 20104 Sharing knowledge , Improving Practice, Changing management is about getting the right information to the right people at the right time.

8 This knowledge Management Strategy and Action Plan has been developed to help individuals and social services organisations throughout Scotland to access, share and use knowledge . This is important to prevent individuals and organisations reinventing the wheel rather than Sharing what they know. Using what you know is fundamental to Improving outcomes for people who use services and Strategy and Action Plan, Sharing knowledge , Improving Practice, Changing Lives , has been developed by NES (NHS Education Scotland) and IRISS (Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services). It responds to the Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review, Changing Lives , which set out a future vision for future social services in which staff, people who use services and carers are using different sources of knowledge in their day-to-day Lives and for making decisions.

9 A more detailed version of the Strategy can be found at ; this document provides a summary of the key elements. 5 Sharing knowledge , Improving Practice, Changing Strategy has three components. Social Services knowledge Scotland (SSKS), a gateway on the web to a range of information, learning resources and tools for Sharing knowledge A network of organisations known as the Social Services Managed knowledge Network (MKN) A programme to develop people s skills in accessing, Sharing and using knowledge (often referred to as information literacy).It responds to the Changing context of social services by defining: a vision for knowledge management becoming an integral part of the delivery of social services how organisations can collaborate within a national network to support the vision and action plan systems and methods to support individuals and organisations to use knowledge to support service delivery how knowledge management helps to build capacity for personalised activities will support the development of a competent, confident and valued workforce, as well as service modernisation and sustainable knowledge , Improving Practice.

10 Changing The purpose of the knowledge Management Strategy and Action Plan is to help our sector to manage and share knowledge in order to improve outcomes for people who use services and carers. 2. The vision is to:Empower organisations, staff, people who use services, and carers, with resources, skills and confidence to ask questions, find and share knowledge and use it as a vital part of day-to-day work and learning in social Social services organisations will work together as a national network to help to realise this In a climate of financial constraint, IRISS and NES will work with partners to maximise use of Social Services knowledge Development of information literacy will empower practitioners, people who use services, and carers, to ask questions, find, share and use information.