Building better social care in Wales
Doing Adult Safeguarding with Service Users and Carers Presented by: Dr Jeremy Dixon, University of Bath *A discount code will be provided to attendees for those who wish to purchase Jeremy’s book, Adult Safeguarding Observed* This presentation describes social workers’ accounts of doing adult safeguarding work with service users, family carers and paid carers. It… Read More
Championing a research culture within Adult Social Care – How are we making robust decisions without calling upon the research base? Research enriched practice has always been a gold standard within social care. However, making it a natural part of practice within busy frontline local authority teams dealing with complex and fluid situations has always… Read More
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At least 25,000 people from minority ethnic communities are living with dementia in the UK. However, there are likely to be important differences in the services that people from these communities receive compared to their white-British counterparts. For instance, people from many communities are significantly less likely to receive a diagnosis of dementia and when they are diagnosed then this is likely to be at a later stage in the illness when they are more severely impaired. Consequently, they are likely to miss out on receiving NICE approved treatments including medication, while they and their families are likely to live with increased levels of strain and uncertainty. There are also important differences in the services that people from these three communities receive later in the dementia pathway – with service users often reporting that statutory provision simply does not meet their needs. Instead, people from these communities are more likely to be reliant on local, community-based organisations outside the dementia mainstream for support. One alternative method of delivering services is for NHS and other agencies to work increasingly in partnership with community organisations who represent these communities. While this has many potential benefits, there are also many challenges to this work – for instance often community workers do not feel that their expertise is sufficiently valued, or that the constraints on their work are fully appreciated. This presentation will outline these challenges and briefly outline some potential solutions to these.
Online
13:00
- 25/03/2025
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It is increasingly appreciated that one’s ‘social location’ (i.e. age, gender identity, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, living context, sexual orientation, etc) will affect their experiences of living with dementia. For some, this may result in inequalities and inequities experienced throughout the dementia care pathway, from pre- to post-diagnosis. Whilst we know that dementia may pose specific challenges for LGBTQ+ people, research studies with this community remain scarce. There is also limited literature that has reported the first-hand experiences of LGBTQ+ people living with dementia, meaning their stories have been unheard. In this webinar, John will present findings from his recent research studies that have focussed on understanding better the health and social care experiences of LGBTQ+ people with dementia. Their rich and diverse stories will be discussed and some guidance for best practices to support LGBTQ+ people living with dementia will be provided.
Online
13:00
- 27/03/2025
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Abstract to follow
Online
12:00
- 31/03/2025
There is growing awareness of the need for better dementia research to improve the support given to people living with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Society has estimated that 1 in 3 people born in the UK will be diagnosed with dementia…
ExChange Wales brings leading researchers together with practitioners and service users to share expertise, research evidence and care experiences.
Through our conferences, workshops, lectures and seminars, ExChange provides free, high-quality training to support the ongoing development of social care professionals across Wales. Attracting leading national speakers, together we learn and advise on research, impacting both policy and practice. Our events and resources enrich skills while foregrounding the lived experience of care-experienced people.
We have a range of ways that you can work with ExChange. If you wish to host an ExChange workshop, webinar, podcast or blog, simply contact us.
Our third webinar in our conference series – On the Journey: Navigating Mental Health “Supporting people with mental health problems to build social networks and reduce loneliness: lessons for practice and research from intervention trials” Abstract People with mental health problems are more likely to have smaller networks and experience loneliness and social isolation than… Read More
Our fourth webinar in our conference series – On the Journey: Navigating Mental Health Abstract The ability to form strong relationships is viewed as central to mental health recovery. Few studies have explored the experiences of people with mental health problems in forming or maintaining romantic relationships. This study addressed this gap through conducting focus… Read More
Our second webinar in our conference series – On the Journey: Navigating Mental Health “Webinar: What works to improve the mental health of care-experienced children and young people: Systematic review evidence” Abstract The mental health and wellbeing of care-experienced children and young people remains a major concern. To date, it has not been clear which… Read More
Our first Webinar in our conference series – On the Journey: Navigating Mental Health Abstract In this presentation, offered as a basis for discussion, Peter, drawing on his own and other people’s lived experience, aims to help us rethink both understandings of mental wellbeing and distress and helpful ways of addressing the difficulties we may… Read More
Last year, a group of hosts in and around Cardiff, some from CASCADE, worked together to provide Christmas dinner and a celebration for care-experienced people. The team were filled with nerves ahead of the big day, with referrals still coming in up to the week before Christmas. A chef volunteered three days of their time… Read More
** WALES ONLY** Parent Advocacy Online Workshop (Wales) We are inviting social work practitioners and managers, parental advocates, parents, advocacy managers, family support workers and academics in Wales to participate in an online workshop on parental advocacy and its effectiveness in supporting parents whose children are open to social care. The event is part of… Read More
Understanding care pathways and placement stability for infants in Wales with Dr Laura Cowley from Population Data Science, Swansea University on 4 October 12:30-14:00. This presentation provides new empirical evidence about entry routes to care, pathways through care, and placement outcomes for the very youngest children in the care system in Wales. By addressing questions about… Read More
