Join CareWorks at the BIG EVENT on 16 March in Liverpool. The BIG EVENT is the largest conference on personalisation and self-directed support. As one of the main sponsors, we will be showcasing how CareDirector enables voluntary organisations to deliver efficient services under the self-directed care model.

Did you know that IT can help you:
> Demonstrate the outcomes you deliver to your clients and funders
> Deliver personalised services to individual budget holders
> Deliver better customer service
> Increase staff productivity and reduce costs

Find out more by visiting CareWorks at the BIG EVENT.

Attend our social care workshop “Developing IT systems to support personalised services” at 11am in Zone 10
You will learn how industry-standard customer service technology can help you perform better and deliver efficient services under the self-directed care model

Meet with one of our social care IT specialists at stand 92
Tami, Joe, Brendan and the team will be happy to show you how you can improve, adapt and compete and discuss the most recent advancements of our flexible social care platform CareDirector to suit your needs

Pick up a chocolate or two!
Don’t forget to stop by and enjoy a delicious treat with our team

CareWorks is the only social care software specialist to offer an IT solution for personalisation built on an industry-standard customer service platform from Microsoft.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Liverpool.

For more information about the BIG EVENT, please visit: www.in-control.org.uk/bigevent

CareWorks is pleased to announce that, following a detailed review and assessment of CareDirector by the Department for Children, Schools and Families working with Wakefield Council, we have achieved compliance with the DCSF’s ICS phase 1C “must-have” specification.

CareDirector for Children makes it easier for social workers to identify the most relevant information to keep children safe. Users get an intuitive, easy-to-use, powerful system that comes with all of the ICS processes, documents, workflows, alerts and reports. Additionally, all of these can be easily adapted to reflect local business needs.

CareWorks has taken a different approach, moving away from the custom social care applications that have traditionally been used in Children’s Services, to one built on an industry-standard customer service platform. The result is a higher quality, more flexible system that is easier to use and to tailor to support locally-led practices.

Geraldine Murphy, Product Manager, said: “With CareDirector we are able to offer a more usable and more flexible solution that gives social workers more time to spend with children and their families and puts them in control to reshape their local Integrated Children’s System.”

CareWorks is offering local authorities a trial of CareDirector from only £2,500 per month for up to six months to help them validate their plans before remodelling local children social work practices. The trial includes testing, prototyping and development of CareDirector to support local ICS transformation strategies and inform a business case to switch to CareDirector.

• View the product demo
• Find out more about the CareDirector Trial Offer
• Read our product brochure

Here’s your opportunity to unleash the potential of personalisation with familiar and proven technology that works the way you do and empowers people to take control of their lives. We are offering you a trial of CareDirector for up to six months so your organisation can conduct pilot testing, prototyping and solution development to support your personalisation strategy and inform your business case for IT investment.

• Enable the public to be in control of their own support needs with the CareDirector citizen portal
• Give social workers the power to make a difference with the CareDirector case management system
• Measure the efficiencies achieved during your trial with the CareDirector performance module
• Build an evidence-based business case for IT investment with reduced financial commitment
• Ensure that local service users and staff are satisfied with your personalisation strategy
• Demonstrate how technology accommodates cultural change for citizens and social workers
• No hardware investment required

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• Read the CareDirector trial information sheet

• Take a look at CareDirector for Adults

• Make an enquiry
  

West Berkshire Council Adult Social Care, Berkshire NHS Healthcare Foundation Trust and CareWorks have implemented a fully integrated client record information system that facilitates seamless provision of care between the community mental health team and other social care teams.

West Berkshire Council’s Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) is one of the first in the country to have access to a specialist integrated IT system. The integrated client record information system developed by CareWorks facilitates seamless provision of care between the community mental health team and other social care teams. It has resulted in better team working, the development of better, more tailored care and also provided management benefits.

The community mental health team are a specialist jointly managed team of people from West Berkshire Council and the Berkshire Health Care Trust who work together to provide services for people who suffer from severe and enduring mental illness or severe emotional distress / disturbance. West Berkshire CMHT have been using the new CareWorks system since February 2009.

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WATCH VIDEO CASE STUDY
Find out how West Berkshire Council and CareWorks are transforming social care

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Before it was developed, health and social care staff had two separate client record information systems. Information had to be put into each system separately which duplicated information and created a risk of introducing errors. With the new system all Community Mental Health Staff including those who work out of hours have access to the most up to date information from a single central point.

As no off-the-shelf product was available, West Berkshire Council Adult Social Care engaged CareWorks to develop a bespoke product, CareWorks RAISE Mental Health. The new system had to take into account health and social care’s different rules about reporting, recording and sharing data and classifying referrals. It had to address deep seated concerns from healthcare staff about keeping data safe and secure. The project involved more than developing software. Data had to be transferred accurately from the old systems and all staff had to be trained in using the new system and reassured that it would meet their requirements.

Health and social care staff now have a single system for recording and sharing information. It has helped care planning and team working as well as the development of a person-centred service that can respond rapidly to need. It provides vital management information to support mandatory reporting and payment by results. Finally, it has also paved the way for other teams to look at joint working and information sharing. The Council’s use of CareWorks RAISE Mental Health was recognised as the regional winner of the NHS South Central Innovative Health and Social Care Technology Award 2009. The Health and Social Care Awards have been running for 8 years and aim to highlight and celebrate innovation and excellence in frontline health and social care.

Joe Mooney, West Berkshire Executive Councillor for Community Care said: “The new system has already brought significant improvements for both staff and service users. Staff now benefit from the ability to access and record accurate up to date information from a central system. This allows them to plan a safe and effective support plan for the service user. The service user receives a specialist personalised service that adapts and responds quickly and efficiently to their needs.”

• To request an online demo of CareWorks RAISE Mental Health, please fill in our enquiry form

Medway Council goes live with CareDirector

CareWorks is pleased to announce that Medway Council has gone live with CareDirector. Medway selected CareDirector to help them drive the personalisation agenda in adult social care services. This first phase implementation took less than 2 months to complete. 400 care professionals are now using the CareDirector case management system to offer responsive more personalised services to Medway’s adult social care users.

Medway’s vision to deliver citizen-focussed care services was awarded the Best Inclusion / Social Care Project award by Microsoft for their inspiring use of technology to fundamentally transform how social care services are delivered.

• Watch how CareWorks and Medway are transforming social care
• To arrange an online demonstration of CareDirector, please fill in our enquiry form

CareWorks recognised as market-leading social care software provider at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards

Today, CareWorks announced it has been selected as a finalist for the 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards for Public Sector, Health. CareWorks was chosen out of an international field of over 2,000 top Microsoft partners as delivering market-leading social care management solutions built on Microsoft technology.

“With an aging population and recession stretching public resources the world of social care is changing. We created our CareDirector solution to empower the public to direct their social care” said Michael Dolan, Managing Director, CareWorks. “We’re very pleased to gain international recognition for our unique customer service approach to the transformation of health and social care services”.

“This award was created to recognize our partners who have delivered innovative solutions built on Microsoft technologies that address the unique needs of public sector customers.  CareDirector is an outstanding example of just such a solution!“ said Linda Zecher, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector.

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions over the past year.

Allison L. Watson, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Corp commented “Congratulations to the 2009 WPC Award finalists who have demonstrated a superior level of expertise as well as a focus on delivering customer value. We look forward to seeing these partners fulfil their limitless potential as they continue to provide customers with world-class Microsoft solutions.”

About CareWorks

CareWorks has created CareDirector, a social care management system that enables the public to direct their own social care. CareWorks has taken a different approach, moving away from the proprietary systems that have traditionally been used in social care management, to one built on an industry standard customer service platform from Microsoft. The result is a higher quality, more flexible system that can be quickly adapted to evolving needs. CareWorks is the first and only social care software company to offer a social care solution based on world leading customer relationship technology from Microsoft. It is a social care specialist with 12 years experience and an unrivalled understanding of the revolution taking place in the delivery and management of social care.

For additional information, please contact:

David Bordas
E: dbordas@careworks.ie
Tel: 02890 327 329

CareWorks has developed a new management system, CareDirector, that enables the public to direct their own social care. CareWorks has taken a different approach, moving away from the proprietary systems that have traditionally been used in social care management, to one built on an industry standard customer service platform. The result is a higher quality, more flexible system that can be quickly adapted to evolving needs. CareWorks are a social care specialist with 12 years experience, 70 local authority customers and unrivalled understanding of the revolution taking place in the delivery and management of social care.

In recognition of the importance of self-directed support to improve the lives of people receiving social care support and in order to provide a mechanism to sustain the continued development of knowledge and expertise by In Control and its members, including the more than 100 local authority members of In Control, CareWorks has committed itself to:

• Design IT solutions that respect best practice in Self-Directed Support and work according to a national specification agreed with In Control and its members
• Support the on-going development of In Control’s open source intellectual property (equivalent to 2% of the costs of CareWorks products)
• Provide a discount to all of In Control’s members to respect their investment in In Control’s open source intellectual property

About In Control

In Control is a social enterprise set up in 2003 to help transform the current system of social care into one of Self-Directed Support, enabling people to get control over their own support – and their lives – and become full citizens. It was the first organisation in England to use individual budgets for self-directed support in a project for people with disabilities and the success of this work and other subsequent pilots has been key in directing government policy towards a system of self-directed support.

CareWorks discusses applying customer service principles to adult social care at In Control’s Big Event on 19 March 2009 in London

CareWorks is proud sponsor of the Big Event on 19 March 2009 in London. The Big Event is run by In Control and brings together the most exciting and best practice in Self-Directed Support with over 45 workshops available, over 60 exhibitors and over 1000 delegates attending.

CareWorks will run an interactive workshop session where you will learn how customer service approaches and technologies can support your transition to personalisation and self-directed support.

The workshop will be held at 1.30pm in conference room 7. You can pre-register on the day at the main registration desk. If you want to discuss your specific requirements, our representatives will also be available on stand 32 in the exhibition hall.

View presentations…
View video clips of the event…

CareWorks, a leading provider of social care management information systems has today announced that it is the first case management software provider to join the Shop4Support® Partner Programme.

The agreement means that CareWorks will incorporate the Shop4Support online marketplace in its social care platform, CareDirector, for Local authorities willing to provide a wider range of services in the area of Self-Directed Support. The public will be able to seamlessly access and purchase services from Shop4Support when using the CareDirector Self-Directed Support citizen portal to direct their care.

Shop4Support® is a social enterprise based online marketplace solution that has been created by in Control and developed by Valueworks based upon their industry leading eMarketplace platform. The core purpose of Shop4Support is to enable the creation of a retail market place for health and social support that creates better value for citizens through offering a choice of focussed services and by helping them to control their support, their money and their lives.

Michael Dolan comments: “CareWorks is the first and only case management software provider to agree a combined implementation solution to adult social care departments who wish to provide an online marketplace solution for their customers. By integrating our CareDirector solution with Shop4Support, adult service users and their care managers will have the choice and flexibility to buy their support packages online.“

Jeff Dandridge, Group Chief Executive at ValueWorks added: “Shop4Support and CareWorks offer complimentary technologies that will make it easier for people to access the help they need and bring the benefits of Self-Directed Support to everyone receiving Social Care”

The organisations behind shop4support
Launched in 2003, In Control is helping to transform the current system of social care into one of Self-Directed Support, enabling people to get control over their own support – and their lives – and become full citizens. It was the first organisation in England to use individual budgets for self-directed support in a project for people with disabilities and the success of this work and other subsequent pilots has been key in directing government policy towards a system of self-directed support.

Valueworks is a well-established company with a proven track history in eProcurement systems for the social housing sector and the provider of the technology behind shop4support. Identified by Deloitte in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as one of Europe’s fastest growing companies, Valueworks currently provides eProcurement services to 250+ clients. Its strengths lie in its ability to provide unique on-demand eProcurement and Supply Chain web-based software solutions without clients having to invest in capital or change current IT processes.

For additional information about shop4support, please visit: www.shop4support.com
For additional information about CareDirector, please visit: www.caredirector.co.uk

CareWorks and In Control Partnerships join forces to create a vision for the next generation adult social care information system enabling personalisation and self-directed support.

In order to deliver the vision of people empowered to take charge of their own support, new software solutions are needed. Today’s social care systems operated by Councils were designed to meet the needs of social work professionals in assessing need and providing support. New solutions are now needed so that service users have the tools they need to direct their own support. That is why CareWorks is collaborating with In Control to create a vision for the next generation social care system enabling personalisation and self-directed support.

Following an initial period of collaboration, CareWorks intends to enter into an agreement to produce new software solutions where service users will for the first time have access to the tools they need to direct their own support. The new solutions will be operated by social care providers such as local authorities, health trusts and the independent sector.

This initiative by CareWorks and In Control complements the recently announced Shop4Support venture. Once people have identified the funding available to them they can access Shop4Support to tap in to available providers and their services as they plan their own support.

“Our 122 local authority members are really keen to promote Self-Directed Support and to develop the new IT systems that will be necessary to achieve these reforms. In Control is really keen to support IT companies, like CareWorks, to develop these new systems. We look forward to developing a mutually rewarding relationship that will bring the benefits of Self-Directed Support to everyone receiving Social Care and to all our members” says Simon Duffy, Chief Executive at In Control.

Michael Dolan added: “Local Authorities need technology partners who understand what it takes to make personalisation a reality. Our collaboration with In Control offers a unique combination of knowledge, experience and technology to respond to the transformation of adult social care. It will ensure that we understand the needs of service users and put them at the heart of our supporting information system” says Michael Dolan, Director at CareWorks.