Co-location and/or working closely with other related services

Several of the case studies benefit from being co-located and/or working

closely with other connected services such as OTs and reablement services.

This arrangement facilitated a more effective comprehensive service offer.

Being co-located or meeting regularly with staff from other aligned services

enables cross referrals, and better discussions about cases.

For example, caseworkers in case study G stated that having the whole

team co-located in the same office (e.g. technical officers, caseworkers,

OTs, etc.) supporting good communication and team working helped

the whole home improvement process to be as efficient as possible.

They reflected that doing joint visits (e.g. caseworkers and OTs) was

beneficial as one person can be focused on talking to the client while the

other is observing the home environment.

Having appropriate systems and strong administrative support to back

a comprehensive offer

The case studies highlight the importance of having good administrative

support and appropriate case management systems. This assistance

supports the delivery of an effective holistic service and minimises

duplication when making cross referrals.

Having a strong administrative team and core staff members who are aware

of all the available assistance is crucial to the effectiveness of the service,

particularly in terms of making and maintaining connections.

In Case Study D, the administrative team are key in ensuring effective

triaging and referrals into the most appropriate services. Although each

member of the team has their own areas of the service, they share

information using the same system. There is one record for each service

user, but they can make referrals to multiple services depending on need,

which prevents duplication.