Small providers can deliver highly personalised home care

Sian Lockwood's blog for the Guardian Social Care Network:

Many people in local communities have untapped gifts and skills and can with help use those to provide real choice of small scale, local, personalised and high quality social care and health services (in the broadest sense) for other local people looking for support and services.

These "micro-entrepreneurs" may use services themselves, care for a loved one or have previously worked in social care. Some have no previous social care experience but have a passion or an interest that they want to introduce to their people in their community - some of whom happen to have some support needs.

Services may be delivered on a voluntary basis, as part of a cooperative or as a small social enterprise or business. In all cases, because of their size they are highly individualised, flexible and responsive.

Community Catalysts has been working to support micro-social care enterprises in the UK since 2007, over that time supporting the development of more than 600 new enterprises, providing much valued services to more than 9,000 people and creating approximately 1,200 new jobs and nearly 900 volunteering opportunities.

The statistics here though hide more than they reveal. As the examples below show, each enterprise is so very different and many of these - even the more traditional home care services - do not look like your typical "care" service. Most have been developed around the individual needs of people and continue to evolve with the people they are supporting. Over the past six years we have met some truly inspiring people who have surprised and delighted us with their imaginative service ideas and drive to make a difference in their local communities.

Continued....