Welcome to the Association of Social Care Communicators (ASCC)

The College of Social Work is being established following the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force. A Development Group is guiding the first phase of development until an interim Chair and Board are appointed. This first phase will be complete by July 2010. A major consultation exercise to develop the purpose of The College is being held across the UK with social workers, their managers, people who use social work services and their carers. Don't miss your chance to have your say on the future and shape of your College. To book your place at one of the consultation events, or to take part in our online consultation, please visit The College of Social Work website.

A glimpse into the future of charity communications, by John Plummer, Third Sector, 12 July 2010

Access to health and social care services and information, Learning Disability Practice, Jun 2010 - Presents the findings of research which explored learning disability carers' experiences of their ability to access a range of health and social care services, including information about services. Indicates that the majority of carers are able to access their GP and dentist and that general practice best met the healthcare needs of those they cared for. Identifies services that carers have difficulty accessing. Looks at findings relating to: obtaining and changing or upgrading healthcare equipment, availability of named support designated carers, and access to information such as person-centred planning and benefit entitlement. Highlights problems with access to professionals allied to health such as speech therapists. Concludes that, while improvements have been made, a better flow of information to carers about entitlement and access to services needs to be established

Time to market (information hubs for adult social care services), Local Government IT in Use, May/Jun 2010 - Looks at the need for a self-service approach to online markets for social care services, within the personalisation of adult social care. Presents examples of local and regional information hubs for adult social care services in Barnet and Worcestershire. Describes Open Objects' Adult Social Care Hub system, which includes features such as data harvesting technology, social messaging, online self assessments and a secured personalised homepage.

Get connected - The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) will be launching an investment fund to help voluntary and private sector adult social care organisation make the most of ICT.