• providing staff training
• developing practice guides
• undertaking service review and evaluation
• helping to improve data collection and data quality
• assisting contract performance and monitoring.

Recent projects to improve performance and quality:

Social care outcomes
In partnership with SPRU at the University of York, Acton Shapiro developed a comprehensive Outcomes into Practice resource pack for social care managers and trainers, based on a five-year programme of research by SPRU, funded by the Department of Health.  Read more

Older people’s services review
A review of services in England and Wales, commissioned by SCIE to inform authorities developing their outcomes approach.  Run in partnership with SPRU at the University of York.  Read more

Social care re-ablement
Working with SPRU at the University of York, we explored the longer-term effects and impacts of re-ablement services, on behalf of the Care Services Efficiency Delivery Programme.  Read more

Carers:  Agency support
We talked to strategy managers, care managers and information management and technology staff, as well as staff from the health and voluntary sectors, about the identification, recording and referral of carers for City of York Carers Strategy Group.  Read more

The production of a step-by-step guide on ‘Supporting Carers in Primary Care’                                                                                                                            Purchased from us by over 100 GP practices, PCTs and carers organisations.  The Guide covers the key issues of identification and recording, protecting carers’ health, rights and assessment, sharing information (including confidentiality issues) and signposting to support.  The ‘toolkit’ section contains a wealth of additional resources, including facts and figures, sample confidentiality policy, addresses and websites, sample poster for a surgery etc.  Read more