New report asks 'what next for strengths-based areas?'

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Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), Mayday Trust, and Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) launch a new report on strengths-based areas, written by Alex Fox.

This paper is both an update on thinking about strengths-based areas, and a toolkit – it enables you to ask questions about where the area you work is in relation to strengths-based ways of working. Strengths and asset-based approaches in social care focus on what individuals and communities have and how they can work together, rather than on what individuals don’t have or can’t do.

The launch of this paper follows previous studies into asset-based areas. The asset-based area, published in 2017, described 10 features of an asset-based area necessary for developing strong communities and sustainable public services. In 2019 the original 10 actions were updated to become 10 broad commitments, which were published in The asset-based area 2.0.

In 2021 an action orientated report with examples of where councils and other organisations are taking practical steps to shift in the direction of an asset-based area was published, titled Ten actions for an asset-based area.

A strengths-based approach to care, support and inclusion says let’s look first at what people can do with their skills and their resources – and what can the people around them do in their relationships and their communities. People need to be seen as more than just their care needs – they need to be experts and in charge of their own lives.

Alex Fox, Chief Executive, Mayday Trust

This new paper will be of interest to all of those working in the wider public sector including elected members, Adult Social Care, those involved in developing Integrated Care Systems and Place-based arrangements for planning integrated health and care, Public Health and Housing colleagues, Local Authority, GP practices, Voluntary and Community Sector Enterprise colleagues, User-Led Organisations, and all key national agencies.