Assessment framework for local authority assurance

Page last updated: 25 June 2024

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Partnerships and communities

Quality statement

We understand our duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so our services work seamlessly for people. We share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement.

Summary

  • The local authority works actively towards integrating care and support services with services provided by partner agencies. This achieves better outcomes for people who need care and support and unpaid carers and helps to reduce inequalities.
  • Partnership working helps to ensure that care and support meets the diverse needs of individual people and communities. People experience a seamless care and support journey, and their support is co-ordinated across different agencies and services.

Related sections of the Care Act

Care Act 2014:

  • Section 1: Wellbeing principle
  • Section 3: Promoting integration of care and support with health services
  • Sections 6-7: Cooperation generally and in specific cases

Required evidence

People’s experience

  • Direct feedback from:
    • people with care and support needs
    • unpaid carers
    • people who fund or arrange their own care, those close to them and their advocates
  • Feedback from people obtained by community and voluntary groups. For example:
    • advocacy groups
    • adult and young person’s carers groups
    • faith groups
    • groups representing people who are more likely to have a poorer experience of care and poorer outcomes
    • people with protected equality characteristics
  • Feedback that people have sent to the local authority and feedback it has gathered itself through surveys or focus groups
  • Feedback from CQC's Give feedback on care facility (if available)
  • Compliments and complaints
  • Healthwatch
  • Case tracking

Feedback from staff and leaders

  • Council adult social care portfolio holder
  • Overview and scrutiny committee
  • Principal social worker
  • Principal occupational therapist
  • Assessment and care management staff, social workers
  • Hospital discharge team, intermediate care, reablement team
  • Commissioners
  • Local authority housing team
  • Director of adult social services
  • The local authority’s self-assessment of its performance for the quality statement

If available

  • Staff feedback from the local authority’s own surveys
  • Peer review

Processes

  • Partnership working to deliver shared local and national objectives, for example using the Better Care Fund.
  • Working with voluntary and charity sector groups to understand and meet local needs
  • Monitoring and evaluating the impact of partnership working on people’s outcomes 
  • Arrangements to support effective partnership working, including information sharing, roles and responsibilities, governance and accountabilities

Feedback from partners

  • Community and voluntary sector groups, including those representing:
    • people who are more likely to have a poorer experience of care and poorer outcomes
    • people with protected equality characteristics
    • unpaid carers
  • Local health partners
  • Care providers, local provider forums
  • Health commissioners
  • Health and wellbeing board
  • Integrated care partnership and integrated care system
  • Advocacy providers

If available

  • Local Government Social Care Ombudsman feedback

Outcomes

We will not look at evidence under this category.

Best practice and guidance