Articles

Managing Conflict and Complaints With Families and Advocates in Supported Living: Practical Resolution and Learning

Conflict with families and advocates is not a sign of poor care, but poor handling of conflict often is. This article explains how supported living providers manage disagreements, complaints and...

Information Sharing With Families in Supported Living: Consent, Confidentiality and the MCA

Information sharing with families is essential but tightly regulated in supported living. This article explains how providers manage consent, confidentiality and Mental Capacity Act requirements in daily practice, including safeguarding...

Using Family Involvement to Strengthen Quality Assurance and Inspection Readiness in Learning Disability Services

Families see patterns that providers may miss, but feedback must be gathered and used safely and consistently. This article explains how services use family involvement to strengthen quality assurance, evidence...

Handling Family Conflict, Complaints and Escalation in Learning Disability Services

Family disagreements and complaints can destabilise care unless providers have a clear, fair escalation pathway. This article sets out how services manage conflict professionally, evidence decisions, protect staff and keep...

Supporting Families Through Transitions in Learning Disability Services

Transitions are high-risk periods for people with learning disabilities and their families. This article explains how providers support families through change, reduce breakdown risk and evidence continuity, outcomes and governance...

Managing Family Expectations and Boundaries in Learning Disability Services

Families play a vital role in learning disability support, but unclear boundaries can destabilise care delivery and decision-making. This article explains how providers set, communicate and evidence boundaries while maintaining...

Handling Safeguarding Concerns Raised by Families in Learning Disability Services

Families are often the first to spot risk, neglect or deterioration, but safeguarding concerns can be complex and emotionally charged. This article explains how providers respond proportionately, protect evidence, communicate...

Co-Production With Families and Circles of Support in Learning Disability Care Planning

Co-production is more than consultation: it is a structured way of building plans with families and circles of support while keeping the person’s voice central. This article explains how providers...

Information Sharing With Families in Learning Disability Services: Getting Consent, Capacity and Boundaries Right

Information sharing with families in learning disability services requires careful balance. This article explains how providers manage consent, capacity and confidentiality while maintaining transparency and trust.

Managing Family Dynamics and Conflict in Learning Disability Services

Family involvement can strengthen learning disability services, but unmanaged conflict can destabilise care. This article explains how providers manage family dynamics constructively while maintaining professional accountability, safeguarding and service stability.

Circles of Support in Learning Disability Services: From Concept to Operational Reality

Circles of support play a critical role in sustaining wellbeing and reducing isolation for people with learning disabilities. This article explains how providers operationalise circles of support in everyday delivery,...

Involving Families & Advocates in Person-Centred Planning — 7-Part Guide

This 7-part blog series explores how to involve families and advocates effectively in person-centred planning — from balancing autonomy to handling conflict, and evidencing true partnership in tenders and inspections.

Involving Families and Advocates in Person-Centred Care: Co-Production That Builds Trust

Family members and advocates are not visitors to person-centred care — they’re partners in it. This guide explores how to involve them meaningfully in planning, decision-making and review, balancing independence...

What Commissioners Are Really Looking for — and Why Most Providers Miss It

Commissioners no longer reward buzzwords — they reward proof. Social care tenders are now scored on evidence, governance, and measurable outcomes. Learn what panels really look for — and how...

Co-Production & Engagement in Social Care — A Complete 7-Part Guide

A complete 7-part blog series exploring how providers can embed co-production and engagement in practice — from principles and family involvement to governance, under-represented voices, case studies, and evidencing in...

Evidencing Co-Production in Tenders and Inspections

Co-production only carries weight if you can prove it. This blog explains how to evidence genuine co-production in tenders and CQC inspections, with practical tips for presenting examples, outcomes, and...

Case Studies: Co-Production That Changed Services

Co-production is most powerful when it leads to visible change. This blog shares practical case studies showing how genuine collaboration with people, families, and communities reshaped services, improved outcomes, and...

Building Engagement Pathways for Under-Represented Voices

Too often, co-production is dominated by the “usual voices.” This blog explores how to reach and include under-represented groups — from people with communication barriers to those from minority backgrounds...

Co-Production in Governance and Quality Assurance

Co-production isn’t just about service design — it belongs in governance and quality assurance too. This blog explores how to embed lived experience at board and QA levels to improve...

Involving Families and Carers in Service Design

Families and carers bring lived insight that can transform services. This blog explores how to engage families meaningfully in service design, avoiding tokenism and building trust.

Principles of Co-Production: From Tokenism to True Partnership

Too often, co-production in social care slips into tokenism. This blog unpacks the core principles of authentic co-production and how providers can embed them into daily practice, tenders, and inspections.

Why Co-Production Matters in Social Care

Co-production is more than consultation — it’s about genuine partnership with people supported, families, and communities. Learn why it matters, what commissioners and the CQC expect, and how to evidence...

Social Care Mini-Series — Tendering, Safeguarding & Person-Centred Practice

A growing collection of complete 7-part mini-series exploring social care tenders, safeguarding, person-centred planning, outcomes, reablement, and more — designed to strengthen your bids and inspection evidence.

PBS in Learning Disability Tenders — Going Beyond the Basics

Go beyond the basics of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) in learning disability tenders with this practical guide covering behaviour understanding, staff training, proactive strategies, and co-production.

Working Together: Embedding Family Voice in PBS

How do you make the family voice more than just a checkbox in your PBS approach? Here’s how to show real collaboration in both practice and tender writing.

Family Involvement in PBS: What Commissioners Want to See

Family involvement in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) isn’t just good practice — it’s what commissioners expect. This blog explores how to evidence it clearly in tenders.

Why Co-Production Matters in Positive Behaviour Support

PBS isn’t something you do to someone — it’s something you build with them. Here’s how co-production changes the outcome.

Capturing Stories: How Video Production Enhances PBS and Family Involvement

Discover how video production can capture authentic Positive Behaviour Support stories and boost family engagement in care practices. Learn how using video enriches co‐production and builds lasting trust.

Why Your PBS Training Should Include Family Voices (Not Just Staff)

Families aren’t just part of the PBS plan — they’re part of the learning. Here’s why their voices should shape how you train your team.

Co-Producing PBS: Why Families and the People You Support Must Be Central

Positive Behaviour Support works best when it’s co-designed. Here’s how to involve people and families meaningfully in PBS planning and delivery.