How social media can support #ConnectedCare

In these challenging times I believe we have a responsibility to show how the digital revolution which is impacting on all of our lives can bring people together to build and support more connected communities.

Care and support in the 21st century requires much more connected thinking across social services, health, housing, education, employment and the wider social sector. Technology and social media can facilitate this process. I am often puzzled when I see different sectors running events with similar themes on the same day and not making the connections which could avoid duplicating resources or reinventing wheels. It can so often seem that sectors are just talking to themselves rather than reaching out and creating new networks and collaborations.

Admittedly we have been slow creating a mindshift away from technology as a means to an end and thinking about how digital technology can help address the wicked challenges of our age. How does technology have a role in addressing social isolation, loneliness, supporting people living with dementia and their carers, developing the skills and talent of young people and creating communities we all want to live in? Is the missing link the absence of digital leadership in the social sector?

Moving beyond rhetoric? @PaulBromford & I are exploring Leadership in the Digital Age https://t.co/ZzmdIhCy0w comments welcome! #socialprov

— Shirley Ayres (@shirleyayres) April 10, 2016

To promote new ways of thinking I have used and continue to use social media to highlight resources which I believe could benefit from a wider audience than the “usual suspects” In this spirit and because there are so many events taking place I am sharing my selection of  interesting and innovative events which you can follow on Twitter. The obvious (to me anyway) connection between all of these events is that we all live in communities which include children, young people, families, people living alone and carers. We all have something to share and we can learn from each other. 

Today MOMO are hosting  a national conference exploring digital social work challenges and good practice. @MindOfMyOwnApp have developed an app that gives children and young people the confidence & ability to express their needs. It is so important that looked after children have a voice and I am impressed by the impact of this app. Follow via #momoconuk

How MOMO Increased Engagement in #LAC Reviews From 54% to 100% – Mind Of My Own http://t.co/QxFGQvBE8L #carematters

— Mind Of My Own (@MindOfMyOwnApp) October 2, 2014

 

Key message of the day so far… The digital revolution is here and social care needs to catch up and get on board #MOMOconuk

— Peterborough Youth Voice (@PboroYouthVoice) May 9, 2016

The inestimable @johnpopham is live streaming this event.

http://www.mindofmyown.org.uk

This week is #dyingmattersweek. Every year @DyingMatters host an Awareness Week, which gives us an unparalleled opportunity to place the importance of talking about dying, death and bereavement firmly on the national agenda. This year the theme is ‘The Big Conversation’ and you can share your thoughts via #BigConversation.

Our head of research & clinical innovation, @learnhospice, will be joining several Twitter chats as part of the #bigconversation, this week.

— Hospice UK (@hospiceuk) May 9, 2016

It's @DyingMatters awareness week, why don't you have the #BigConversation with your family, they won't know your wishes if you don't

— Charlie House (@CharlieHouseHQ) May 9, 2016

 http://www.dyingmatters.org

Neighbourhoods of the Future is being held on the 11th and 12th May.  This event will take a fresh look at age friendly homes and communities as a means of tackling the challenges of ageing better. Topics being explored include the emerging possibilities of smart homes and age friendly cities. With hundreds of organisations now involved in the #AgeingBetter industry it will be fascinating to see how many will be sharing their thoughts via #agileageingroadshow http://www.lansons.com/looking-forward-growing-older

Hot topic at #EuropeanCommission's #AgileAgeingRoadshow London on May 11/12th. Register here:https://t.co/QzTFR4tKOw https://t.co/InBJJsMvlW

— Tina Woods (@TinaWoods) May 7, 2016

The Festival of Behaviour Change starts today in Bangor 9th – 20th May 2016. Behaviour Change Science is a combination of psychology, social sciences, design thinking and practical application that could revolutionise the design and delivery of public services. It can help individuals to make better decisions by altering the way in which choices are presented to them. This is an important exploration because there are rightly ethical concerns about who determines what is the “right” behaviour.  I am particularly interested in the sessions on Behaviour Change and Service Delivery Models; Behaviour Change in Health and the Future of Health Care and The use of Technology in the Pursuit of Behaviour Change. Follow the discussions via #behfest16. I understand some of the sessions will be live streamed via Periscope.

http://www.goodpractice.wales/bangor

Advance notice of Dementia Awareness Week taking place from the 15th – 21st May 2016. This is an important opportunity to increase understanding of dementia and find out what support is available for people living with dementia and their carers. There are a wide range of special events taking place across the country.

#deardementia library talks #DAW2016
Thu 19 1pm S'land
Fri 20 2pm Newcastle
Wed 25 2pm Gateshead@Crouchendtiger7 pic.twitter.com/iST4fHbWgb

— BIGIAN.co.uk #NeverStopDrawingAuthor (@trainingcarers) May 5, 2016

Follow #DAW2016 to contribute to the debates and share your thoughts about what works and what needs to change.

The five key messages of my campaign 'Dementia Rights' #DementiaRights @shirleyayres @clarkmike pic.twitter.com/wfj4MPiA0h

— Dr Shibley Rahman 🍊 (@dr_shibley) May 9, 2016

If there are other events which I think are interesting, informative and innovative I will add them to the list during the week!

On Being Social To help make your event more social I am sharing some top tips produced by @PaulBromford and I. (We are planning to update this in 2016!)

Top tips on making your event or conference social media friendly from Paul Taylor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some #HseParty14 highlights

I was delighted to be at @hseparty in Manchester last week. The energy and creativity was in full flow over a very packed two days. Housing, like the health and care sectors, are confronting real challenges in terms of their role and how community services can be delivered most effectively. Thinking differently and exploring the potential of new collaborations and partnerships offers so many opportunities. To get a sense of the diversity of activities and debate have a look at the #hseparty14 Twitter stream.

The #powerplayers14 Awards dinner faithfully recorded by @johnpopham was a real celebration of the growing influence of digital technology and social media across the housing sector. @PaulBromford explains the thinking which informed the Power Players list and the role of super connectors.

 

The housing question time provoked much interest and debate. My feeling is that every event should now include a live streamed question time! Thanks to the excellent panel Anne McCrossan,  Nick Atkin, Caroline King, James Pargetter and to John Popham who suggested the idea and recorded the debate. Definitely worth watching.

http://housingqt.co.uk/

“Co-production is the way forward” and how to communicate through balloons. Lovely lessons from the @bigbanglab Balloon Orchestra Workshop

 

Paul Taylor’s thoughts on “Do Housing Associations need Innovation Labs?” were shared at the Chartered Institute of Housing annual conference which was being held at the same time as House Party. Innovation and new ways of thinking were a constant theme at House Party so it was fascinating to see the debate generated by #dronegate which, in fairness, was only a small element of his presentation.

 

And finally a big thank you to Matt Leach from HACT and Esther Foreman from the Social Change Agency who had the vision and passion to make House Party such a success.

 

 

 

 

 

Why the Bromford Innovation Lab is only recruiting via Twitter

The use of social media has an increasingly important role in helping people to collaborate, build relationships, share information and resources and as of today find a job. 

A challenge to conventional recruitment the #BromfordLab recruiting through Twitter has certainly generated a lot of interest. The responses to this very new way of recruiting will be interesting as applicants are being asked to demonstrate their skills, experience and social influence within their relevant communities through web content such as community engagement on social networks, blogs and other searchable publications.

I wonder whether the Open Badges movement a new online standard to recognize and verify learning will become increasingly important as people are able to display their skills and achievements on social networking profiles, job sites and websites.

I was struck by the concerns expressed about people being digitally excluded and Paul Taylor’s response that “the first thing @ConnectBromford do is is to let people know being offline excludes you from job market and that they provide support to help people get online”. I believe every organisation has a responsibility to ensure that their community is digitally included and that digital engagement is seen as a core part of their business.

The social CV is a growing trend and I am inclined to agree with Vala Afshar who pioneered this approach in the US “the future of talent acquisition is being social”

Paul Taylor

Imagine a future where you don’t have a CV or resume. A future where your talent and achievements are broken down into tweetable chunks. Your professional life , and a good bit of your personal too, is available online for all to see. You are scored according to your worth and the value of your followers. Your score can determine whether you get that job interview – Me , March 2013 – How Social Media Could Get You Your Next Job 

The first and only time I start a post quoting myself. Honest.

Next week marks the launch of the Bromford Innovation Lab – a new venture that we are very excited about.

What makes it different is the way it will work.

It consists of Lab sessions each lasting 12 weeks and run four times a year. During those 12 weeks we’ll be hosting a number of problems…

View original post 802 more words

#socialconvo an update

 

Last Tuesday Mark Brown @MarkOneinFour, Paul Taylor @PaulBromford and I hosted “What can social media do to make social good better?” We wanted to discuss the potential of social media as a place where social good could happen. One of the big questions as Mark so delightfully puts it “how do you move social media from a broadcasting medium to a space where relationships grow and where, sometimes, magic things happen?”

It was a risk for us not just in terms of the finances and resources required but because we all have a strong social media presence. What would happen if no one wanted to come and join in the conversation?  Happily there was a lot of interest in #socialconvo which we see as the beginning of a very different social conversation.

It sounds so obvious really that every event costs money to put on. If it is free for attendees it is because an organisation or organisations are providing the resources to cover the costs of venue hire, refreshments, staff time and promotion of the event. So a big thank you to the people who sponsored places at the event.

What made this conversation special for me is that Mark, Paul and I first connected through Twitter. Where else could I have met one of the smartest thinkers in the worlds of social media and mental health and the dynamic Innovation Coach at Bromford a social business providing homes and support to over 80,000 people? We have a shared interest in how social media is defining care, support and community engagement in a digitally connected world and we recognise the importance of seeing social media as part of a core vision to transform organisations rather than a marginal activity.

As Mark said “with the growth of mobile technology like smartphones and tablet PCs; social media feels less like a set of websites that we visit and more like a layer of communication, community and interaction that sits over our everyday lives.  The growth of social media has led to an expansion in the self-production of media and to a blossoming of public debate”.

Social media has played an enormous role in giving a voice to people and organisations who previously had no platform and offers the opportunity for sharing different stories.  The potential to build more connected communities both online and offline who can debate everything from the impact of welfare reform to how digital technology in transforming our lives is immense.

Social influence and digital leadership is now coming from a much more diverse group. The new influencers use Twitter, blogs, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and other social media platforms to reach thousands of people. Connections are built on relationships and they are grown through conversations which can involve many different people from across the world.

Social media provides endless opportunities to be creative and challenge artificial boundaries especially between the generations if we are brave enough. Social media is also a great leveller because it is not dependent on status but rather the value each of us brings to a conversation. Despite what the pundits say about older people not being that digitally savvy the fastest growing demographic on Twitter is the 55-64 year old age bracket. 189 million users of Facebook are only using mobile devices and 25% of smartphone owners aged 18–44 say they can’t recall the last time their smartphone was not next to them.

We were very touched by the support we received both from people attending the event and the conversations taking place online. I thought it would be useful to provide links to the resources generated through our very social conversation.

A storify of #socialconvo thanks to @clarkmike 

Social Media Social Good Mark Brown’s Presentation

Social Media Social Good Mark Brown’s Notes

Do you have a question for #socialconvo?

Due to the very lively debate  we did not have the time to answer all of the questions asked through Twitter and we are pplanningollow up post to respond to the questions

Social media: Are we doing it right?  #socialconvo @medavep 

Thanks to Dave Pearce for sharing his reflections on attending #socialconvo

#socialconvo has also been cited in Conversation is action… because… we learn when we talk @whatsthepont and  Social conversations – a time to move beyond broadcasting @PaulBromford

The context for Social conversations, social media and social good 

The way forward?

The digital revolution is about people, social networks and connections not the technology. Technology is most effective when it is invisible. It is an enabler and what is important is what it allows us to do. I believe our challenge is to use social media to do something greater than what we could otherwise accomplish.

As Paul Taylor rightly observes “if social media can lead to social good it requires us to build relationships with others who share our passions and interests . These relationships are no longer restrained by physical location , our immediate peer group, our employers, or our sectors.”

Social media is not free and whilst it costs very little to set up a social platform it needs time, money and people to maintain your presence and have your voice heard in an increasingly crowded space.

Get the basics right – make it easy for people to connect with you. This may sound obvious but if you are an organisation with a responsibility for promoting social good you need a strategy for responding to questions and comments online. A tip for any organisation is to make it easy for people to find you by promoting your social media presence!

One of my favourite quotes from Mark “Without a response plan social media is just an answering machine for messages you have no intention of listening to”.

Value and respond to feedback and comments. Having a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn profile, never responding to comments and rarely updating shows a real lack of interest in being social. Strangely some organisations do not appreciate that all social media communications are in the public domain.

An idea does not care who has it – share generously your knowledge, passions and links to resources you have found useful, enjoyed reading or even just made you smile.

People are looking for more openness and transparency in the social age. This has many implications for organisations who are not used to this level of accountability and public debate.

Being able to tell a story is a powerful and compelling element of social media. With so many competing influences you have to work hard to build and sustain trusted relationships online. Each of us has a unique voice do not be afraid to use it to tell your story.

If you would like to explore the benefits of social conversation in your organisation to explore how to use social media for social good do get in touch!

 

 

 

 

Social media and social care – thoughts for #becomingvibrance

Today I am giving a presentation at the Vibrance staff conference which is celebrating 25 years of supporting people who are disabled to lead their lives as they wish and to challenge barriers that prevent individual choice and fulfilment. You can follow the event on Twitter #becomingvibrance @Vibrance2013 

It is always interesting developing a presentation for an unknown audience some of whom may be very confident using social media and others yet to be convinced that it has any value in their day to day lives. There is just so much to share and a post can only provide a snapshot of my thoughts and all the resources available online.

I love discussing the role and impact of digital with front line staff and people who use care services. For me the #Socialnomics 2014 video by Erik Qualman answers a frequently question asked about why people should take social media seriously.

Source data for the statistics in the video is available in the bookSocialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business

Facebook has 1.3 billion accounts

YouTube has 1 billion users and 4 billion view a day

Twitter has 243 million monthly active users

Linkedin has 300 million accounts

Instagram has 200 million users

Source: Digital Marketing Ramblings March 2014

The fastest growing demographic on Twitter is the 55-64 year old age bracket. 189 million users of Facebook are only using mobile devices and 25% of smartphone owners aged 18–44 say they can’t recall the last time their smartphone was not next to them.

Digital technology has already changed our lives drastically in the last 10 years, from the way we shop, the way we communicate, the way we find information and even the way we find love. Social networks provide some of the most powerful tools available today for building a sense of belonging, support and sharing. Technology is redefining how care and support is provided in a digitally connected society and the new @LinkMeUp_UK  website is a great example of this

However one of our biggest challenges is the need a major cultural shift which recognises the role of technology in shaping services which are focused around an individual’s needs and aspirations.

Can online innovation enhance social care? As I found out when I was researching my paper for the Nominet Trust the simple answer is yes!

Information is freely shared through social media. For example Netbuddy encourages the swapping practical tips and information on all aspects of supporting people with learning disabilities @netbuddytoptips

 Enabled by Design is a community of people who are passionate about well-designed, everyday products that challenge the one-size-fits-all approach to assistive equipment. Enabled by Design encourages people to share their views and experiences of assistive equipment and post information, reviews and comments. @enabledby

Gig  Buddies links music fans who have a learning disability with other music lovers. @gigbuddies I really like their social media policy written impressively in less than 140 characters. “Stay Up Late actively embraces social media, staff  are asked to engage, experiment, be relevant and take responsibility.”

@shirleyayres @TheMediaBubble Thanks see you tomorrow #becomingvibrance

— Vibrance (@Vibrance_UK) April 24, 2014

Care and support in the 21st century requires much more connected thinking across care services, health, housing, education and employment. Technology and social media can help make this happen.

The true value of digital technology really lies in solving a problem, or otherwise helping to improve the quality of our lives. One of the simplest needs  is the ability to stay in touch with family and friends. Digital technology opens up options and enables that contact to be much more immediate. Introducing people to the concept of emails, picture sharing, social networking, and online video calls, such as Skype has many benefits.

This is especially important when families are widely dispersed and require a simple and easy way of keeping in touch and staying connected – whether they are living at home, in residential care, are in hospital or in different parts
of the world. Feeling connected and having supportive social relationships has a strong link to health and longevity. Encouraging wellbeing is an important social challenge facing society as a whole.

There is considerable debate about the role of digital technology in social care. Understandably there are concerns that the use of technology somehow depersonalises what is often a very personal service. I fully accept that technology is not a magic bullet to address all of the complex problems we are confronting as a society. Digital technology cannot and should not replace human contact, kindness, empathy and understanding. But it does allow people to connect in different ways, quickly and easily. Digital technology and social networks provide some of the most powerful tools available today for building a sense of belonging, support and sharing.

Is social media putting the “social” back into care? Have a look at the many care organisations who now have a Twitter presence including @Vibrance2013.

There are lots of resources online to help you use social media. The Twitter Help centre provides useful guidance and Mashable have produced the Twitter Guide Book.

Useful tips to guide you in developing your own personal social media policy have been produced by Paul Taylor @paulbromford.

 

Social media is an increasingly crowded space – some simple tools ( at least for me they are as a non techie!) to help you manage your online presence

 

Service users and carers rightly expect more autonomy and choice in how services are provided. Digital leadership, motivating staff and creating a culture where people are empowered to do things differently are crucial elements of good engagement.

As Professor Stephen Hawking said, when accepting his AbilityNet ‘Excellence in Accessibility Award’ at the Technology4Good awards September 2012: “Technology is a vital part of human existence. They show us that the right tools in the right hands can help everyone, regardless of our frailties, to achieve our true potential and advance as a civilisation.”

The way forward?

The digital revolution is about people, social networks and connections not the technology

Get the basics right – make it easy for people to connect with you.

Value and respond to feedback, complaints and suggestions to improve your services

An idea does not care who has it – share generously your knowledge, passions and links to resources you have found  useful, enjoyed reading or even just made you smile.

I hope you will be excited as me by the potential offered through social media to create communities of interest, make new connections, share information and resources and let people know about your work. I look forward to welcoming you to this wonderful and connected world!

The Connected Care Network

• Nurtures innovative approaches to care and support and encourages collaboration and partnership to avoid unnecessary duplication.
• Is an independent and authoritative voice which promotes investment in new models of care, supporting innovation, technology solutions and economic growth
• Provides a range of services including the Care in a Digital Age programme, Critical Friend Reviews and support with developing Digital Engagement strategies
• Published the first Click Guide to Digital Technology for Adult Care because there is a real gap in the market for connecting digital technology with the people and organizations who purchase care and support services. The Guide is now being updated to include another 100 resources.

Social conversations, social media and social good

You may have picked up that Mark Brown @MarkOneinFour,  Paul Taylor @PaulBromford  and I are running an event on the 29th April in Central London. We are exploring “What can social media do to make social good better?”

 

What makes it special for me is that Mark, Paul and I come from very different backgrounds but we have a shared interest in how social media is defining care, support and community engagement both online and offline in the digital age. We are also exploring what it means to be a social business and the importance of seeing social media  as part of a core vision to transform your business rather than a marginal activity. 

We are delighted that we already received sponsorship for a place at the event which has been awarded to Alison Cameron @allyc375. If you  would like to sponsor a place at the event do get in touch!  We look forward to discussing the questions submitted by participants and via Twitter.

Whether you work in the public, private, charity or social enterprise sectors understanding the impact of social media for social good is now essential. We do hope you will join us on the 29th April for a very social conversation. You can follow the discussion on Twitter using the hahtag #socialconvo. Following the considerable interest in my post “Is social media putting the ‘social’ back into care” we particularly welcome people from the care sector interested  why “Social media is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate” .

Our conversations started when Stu Arnott @MindingsStu and I interviewed Mark and Paul for the Disruptive Social Care podcast. The podcasts have been downloaded thousands of times but just in case you missed these interviews…….

Mark Brown has been described as one of the smartest thinkers in the worlds of social media and mental health. Mark edits One in Four, England’s only national mental health and wellbeing magazine written by people who experience mental health difficulties. Mark is a director of Social Spider a community interest company helping people to make change happen. 

 

Paul Taylor specialises on Innovation, Service Design and Research
and Development at Bromford a social business providing homes and support to over 80,000 people. Paul leads the Innovation Lab and he is particularly interested in the development of preventative social solutions and the power of technology to connect people. Paul was a key part of the team who developed the Bromford Deal which aims to shift resources away from reactive interventions and into more person centred customer care and support.

 

We look forward to you joining us on the 29th April to be part of a very social conversation 

Is social media putting the “social” back into care?

“Social media is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. All the time online conversations are happening about you, your brand and your organisation. It’s not a choice whether you DO social media, the choice is how well you do it” Erik Qualman author of socialnomics

Social networking has the potential to put the “social” back into social work and social care. It is encouraging to note how many care organisations are now using social media to communicate and debate with an increasingly diverse group of people interested in improving care services. We need public support to show politicians that there is widespread support for properly funding the services which  millions of people rely on daily. Social media has a powerful role in offering a different narrative about the impact of social work and care services.

Twitter is a rich source of instantly updated information and it is how I stay updated on an incredibly wide variety of topics. What makes a care tweeter valuable? Generously sharing knowledge, passions and links to useful resources and blogs. Listening, challenging, informing and making a difference. However having a Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn profile  and rarely updating shows a real lack of interest in being social. I will leave you to judge how social our care tweeters are!

If you are an organisation funded to engage with the public you need a strategy for responding to questions and comments online. A top tip for care organisations make it easy for people to find you on your website by promoting your social media presence!

I was recently asked by @sarahlay for recommendations about care organisations to follow on Twitter. This should be a simple request but…. it does require an understanding of the complicated and fragmented nature of the care sector. Care services are provided by a diverse range of providers including local authorities, health, housing, charities, social enterprises and the private sector. This is a very brief guide (in alphabetical order) to some of the major players in social work and social care who are using Twitter.  

Association of Directors of Adult Social Services @ADASSdclode

David Pearson is Director of Adult Social Services at Nottingham Council and incoming President of ADASS @adassdavidp

Sandie Keen is Director of Adult Social Services at Leeds City Council and previous President of ADASS @SandieKeene

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services are not using Twitter

British Association of Social Workers @BASW_UK

Community Care @CommunityCare The website for social workers and everyone involved in social care. Tweets by@andymcnicoll

Mithran Samuel  Adults’ editor  Community Care @ComCareAdults

Care Industry News @CINBlog online news site for care professionals within the adult independent care sector

Care Quality Commission @CareQualityComm

CQC for Professionals Twitter account for health and social care professionals, and provider organisations @CQCProf

The Chair David Prior and CEO David Behan are not using Twitter

Andrea Sutcliffe is Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care at the Care Quality Commission @Crouchendtiger7

Alan Rosenbach is Special Policy Lead at the Care Quality Commission @AlanRosenbach

Chris Day Director of Engagement at the Care Quality Commission @chrisday31,

Professor Steve Field Chief Inspector of General Practice @ProfSteveField

Children’s Commissioner for England

Maggie Atkinson is the Children’s Commissioner @ChildrensComm

College of Social Work @CollegeofSW 

Jo Cleary is Chair of the College of Social Work Board @ChairTCSW

Department for Education @educationgovuk 

Michael Gove Secretary of State for Education unable to find on Twitter

Edward Timpson Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Children and Families unable to find on Twitter

Department of Health @DHgovuk 

Jeremy Hunt Secretary of State for Health  @Jeremy_Hunt

Norman Lamb Minitster of State for Care and Support @normanlamb

Andy Burnham Shadow Health Secretary @andyburnhammp

Liz Kendall Shadow Minister for Care and Older People @leicesterliz

Jon Rouse Director General for  Social care, Local Government and Care Partnerships  Department of Health @RouseJonDGDH

LSE Evidence in Practice is a project to find effective methods of knowledge exchange between social care practitioners and researchers to increase research impact on practice issues @LSE_SCEIP

National Skills Academy for Social Care @NSASocialCare

NHS England @NHSEngland

To understand the complexity of the NHS I recommend this alternative guide to the new NHS in England animation produced by the Kings Fund. I think we would all benefit from the King Fund producing a similar animation for the care sector!

 

Patient Opinion and Care Opinion allowing people to share their stories and help improve health and care services @patientopinion @careopinion

Skills for Care @skillsforcare

CEO Sharon Allen @sharonallensfc

Social Care Institute for Excellence @SCIE_socialcare

CEO Tony Hunter @TonyHunterscie

Think Local Act Personal Partnership @TLAP1

Programme Director Sam Bennett @samhbenn

The Kings Fund 

Richard Humphries is Assistant Director of Policy at the King’s Fund with interests in social care, local government, the NHS, housing and care issues @RichardatKF  

Scotland

Scottish Social Care Council @TripleSSSC 

CEO Anna Fowlie @AnnaFowlieSSSC

Wales

Care Council for Wales @CareCouncil 

CEO Rhian Huws Williams @RhHWilliams

Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales @CSSIW

Social Services Improvement Agency @ssiacymru

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Social Care Council @NISCC_Comms

CEO Colum Conway @ColumConwayNISC

And finally special mentions for:

@Ermintrude2  thoughtful, analytical and challenging with a special interest in older adults, dementia, mental health and mental capacity

@clarkmike editor of the TelecareLin monthly newsletter which provides extensive coverage of digital technology and innovations for #connectedcare in the UK and internationally http://bit.ly/1efdjBu 

Gary Holden Professor at New York University Silver School of Social Work who edits the excellent international research digest for social work and social care. Information for Practice @Info4Practice 

This post is a starting point for signposting people to organisations responsible for informing and shaping the debates about care and I make no claims that it is  a comprehensive list. Do let me know if I have missed any care organisations or Tweeters who you feel should definitely be added! You may also find it helpful to look at my many Twitter lists @shirleyayres

Mark Brown (@markoneinfour), Shirley Ayres (@shirleyayres) and Paul Taylor (@paulbromford) will be discussing “what can social media do to make social good better?” on the 29th April in Central London. You can book a ticket for the event here

Keep it simple Make it beautiful Have fun – sharing through @HaikuDeck

A year on from when @paulbromford published a Haiku Deck celebrating #60yearsoflearning and this October in a special birthday edition I invited some of the people I admire to share their secrets of being social online.

 

Paul and I are very aware of how important it is to share knowledge and information especially for people new to social media. Whilst we have not quite been able to achieve our aim of creating one new presentation a month throughout 2014 we hope the following Haiku Decks will give you ideas for different ways of presenting your thoughts and ideas.

January 2014

February 2014

March 2014

April 2014

May 2014

We are taking a summer break because we have both been busy with #powerplayers14 and Paul has been busy with the Bromford Lab. He has produced a series of Haiku Decks to explain the purpose of the Lab, launch a recruitment campaign through Twitter and encouraging people to get involved.

 

Paul initially inspired me to explore the potential of Haiku Deck with the following presentation which has now had an impressive 90,000 views.

If you are thinking of starting a blog these top tips from @MrDarrenGormley will hopefully inspire you!

Useful guidance from Paul about developing your own personal social media policy

Hot tip – add your Haiku Deck on slideshare and you will reach an even bigger audience!

 

6 simple tools to enhance your social media presence

I am often asked about simple tools which will help with engagement, promotion and analysing the impact of using social media. The following tools offer  a basic free service and the option of paid for services to provide a more customised platform and detailed analysis. You may wish to include these recommendations when developing your digital engagement strategy. You will need a Twitter account to access these tools.

New to Twitter? A great introduction Twitter in 15 minutes A Beginners Guide by @BestTechGuyEver

Top tips on being social from #60yearsoflearning @PaulBromford

RebelMouse provides a quick and easy way for people to catch up on your latest news, posts and tweets. RebelMouse takes your social presence across the major networks and organizes it into what it calls a “beautiful, dynamic and social front page”. Twitter: @RebelMouse

My Rebelmouse front page

Vizify  “a picture is worth a thousand words” Vizify provides a personal website based on your social media profiles. Vizify creates a series of interactive infographics which provide your online visual biography. One of the most popular Vizify services is animating your Twitter profile as a short video. Twitter: @vizify

My Vizify Twitter video

Storify allows users to tell stories by collecting updates from social networks and creating stories or timelines using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Twitter: @Storify

bit.ly is a URL shortening and bookmarking service which enables you to save, share , track and discover links from around the web. Today the post which has been shared most widely. Clicking  “view stats” provides real time information about who is clicking on your links. Twitter: @Bitly

Tweetreach allows you to find out how far your tweet has travelled, who is talking about it and how many people saw it. Use TweetReach to analyze recent Twitter activity about your hashtag or URL and get social analytics on reach, exposure, tweets and contributors.Twitter: @tweetreachapp

TweetChat is a way of having conversations in real-time using hashtags on Twitter. Particularly useful for tweet chats that include a specific hashtag to link those tweets together in a virtual conversation. Many conferences now have a hashtag to encourage wider engagement with the speakers and presentations. More informal Twitter chats can happen over a longer period of time when a group of people all tweet about the same topic using a hashtag.  Twitter: @TweetChat 

What is your favourite social media tool?

Further recommendations via Twitter (updated January 2014)

Pocket (formerly Read It Later)  When you find something you want to view later: text, video, images and other content put it in Pocket. Save items with one click. Save directly from your browser or from apps like Twitter, Flipboard, Pulse and Zite. Twitter: @Pocket

Thanks to @TomSprints  for the recommendation

#caregoesdigital – some thoughts on the journey

On Friday Chris Bolton @whatsthepont  and I will be exploring with staff how the Care Council for Wales @CareCouncil  should be involved in social media. The Care Council is the social care workforce regulator in Wales responsible for promoting and securing high standards across the social services and social care workforce. It is worth noting that I first connected with Chris through Twitter!

It is so encouraging to see more and more care organisations that now understand the value and power of social media to communicate their values, purpose, share resources and actively engage with a much wider audience.  

In the UK 24 million people are using Facebook every day and Twitter claims15 million users. Messages on social media can reach large numbers of people and it is important that organisations are clear about what they want to achieve from social media.

It is a reality that organisations are being discussed online and the choice is whether you want to be part of those conversations. The choice of platforms you use will be determined by your target audience(s) and where they are having conversations.  Engagement through content that is relevant to your followers rather than just broadcasting is one of the key messages in developing a strong digital presence. Potentially all staff are your “brand ambassadors” so give them the confidence and permission to join social media conversations.

“Share generously your knowledge, passions and links to great resources you have read and enjoyed”

Whilst social media platforms may be “free to use” to be successful in social media does require an investment of time and energy. Once you understand the basics you can start building your online profile. “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product“ is a separate debate!

I am often asked about where to start in developing a digital engagement strategy and I thought I’d share a few thoughts.

Social media guidelines provide a framework especially if social care staff and volunteers are more used to the informality of channels like Facebook. Many organisations have found that proving a private social network such as Yammer encourages staff to experiment with being more social before they develop a public presence. Happily you do not have to reinvent the wheel when developing social media guidelines. The most important element is to ensure that you consult with your staff and reach a consensus about what is acceptable behaviour online.

There are excellent examples provided by:

Monmouthshire County Council Social Media Policy @MonmouthshireCC

Bromford Housing Group social media policy @BromfordGroup 

NHS Employers HR and Social Media Guidance @nhsemployers

Engage: Digital and Social Media Engagement for the Police Service the development of the guidelines was overseen by @GScobbie previously ACPO lead for social media.

Scottish Social Services Council @TripleSSSC 

The Public Sector Social Media Survey 2013 Infographic from Goss Interactive provides a snapshot of the public sector’s current use of social media on an organisational level.

Everything Your Company Needs to Know to Succeed on the Social Web @JChErNov

Without digital leadership many organisations struggle to engage with social media effectively. Is a ‘digital’ leader any different from a ‘traditional’ leader?  A question asked by @clarkmike as he shares his 10 top tips. Mike identifies a number of characteristics of the digital leader which include dismantling traditional infrastructures that act as barriers to innovation or which do not add value. Digital leaders support and champion people that are close to service users and customers and seek out people with different views and perspectives to understand how barriers can be overcome. Digital leaders have wide reach, they question and challenge, summarise and synthesise, simplify and de-clutter when necessary. They operate in a 24/7/365 disrupted & chaotic world building new connections & collaborations at speed and they communicate extensively. How many of these factors are intregral to current leadership training programme? 

One of my favourite slideshares with excellent insights from Paul Taylor @PaulBromford about the Bromford Group experience of opening up social media access to all staff. Thanks for sharing Paul.

I hope that staff at the conference will be inspired to think about how Twitter and other social media channels can be used to communicate the purpose of Care Council for Wales and engage with a wider audience who also have an interest in promoting and securing high standards for social work and care.

Useful resources to help you on the journey

Twitter in 15 minutes A Beginners Guide by @BestTechGuyEver

Seven Twitter mistakes we all have to make @HelReynolds

5 reasons why social workers should use social media @Ermintrude2

We will be exploring the online care resources  that are available in Wales, across the UK and internationally. Use #caregoesdigital  to add your resource.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the care sector is the joining up all of the amazing resources which are available online. An example of using digital technology to do this is provided by the Connected Care Mindmap developed by @clarkmike. We have been identifying relevant resources over the past few months to share and give people a context for the problems identified through online discussions and the Priorities for Care survey at #psicare.

I am very much looking forward to Friday!