Social Care Community of Practice – 21 September 2023
Social Care Community of Practice (CoP)
The Social Care Community of Practice (CoP) is a series of online meetings and events designed to develop a network of people and enterprises interested in business model innovation involving new models of ownership that empower consumers and workers in social care. Attend our next Social Care CoP meeting.
Care work: Through the lens of the care worker
The focus of our tenth Social Care Community of Practice was on worker co-operatives and how they attract and retain staff with high levels of consumer and staff engagement.
We drew on the Care Together project pipeline to provide some examples of worker co-operatives with a facilitated panel, including established worker co-operatives and care work discussed through the lens of a care worker.
We updated attendees on the Care Together Program, drawing on feedback to our first progress report and insights to inform next stages.
The BCCM’s CEO, Melina Morrison and Care Together Program Director, Gillian McFee, facilitated this discussion and Q&A.
Meeting agenda
Welcome to Country Uncle Ray Minniecon, Executive Member, Peoples’ Organisation Australia (IPO) and Care Together Program Advisory – Subject Matter expert Care Together Program Update: Melina Morrison, CEO BCCM (Moderator)
- Program overview and purpose
- Implementation progress and achievements
- Care Together Program Advisory Committee update
Setting the scene for Care Together: Through the lens of the Care Worker
- Gillian McFee, Program Director, Care Together
Overview Equal Care: Emma Back – Equal Care (UK), Founder
- About Equal Care and the journey so far
- Who are its members?
- Benefits of worker ownership
- The Equal Care difference in re-shaping care
Overview of Signalise: Jen Smith, Singalise Co-operative (UK), Business and Development Manager
- About Signalise and its journey so far
- The membership model and how it works.
- What’s in it for the workers?
Facilitated Panel Discussion: Introducing Australian Workers perspectives
- Renee Totty & Carol Philips – Independent Care workers (South Australia)
- Emma Back – Equal Care
- Jen Smith – Signalise
- Richard Warner – Nundah Coop
Feedback and questions from audience
Close: Melina Morrison
- Key messages
- Next Social Care Community of Practice (Thursday, 23 November 2023) Topic: Lifting the lid on some Care Together projects
About the Social Care Community of Practice
The Social Care Community of Practice (CoP) is a series of online meetings and events designed to develop a network of people and enterprises interested in business model innovation involving new models of ownership that empower consumers and workers in social care.
These collaborative meetings enable the sharing of information and resources about co-operatives and mutual enterprises fostering a spirit of self-help and innovation in social care. Being part of the CoP is an opportunity to learn from other co-operatives and mutuals both in Australia and overseas.
Emerging from the Action to Empower Report and Roundtable held on 25 August 2021 the CoP is designed as a place for sharing ideas and learning from co-op experts about how the co-operative and mutual business model can help transform social care services.
Terms of Reference
- The purpose of the Social Care Community of Practice (CoP) is to develop a community of practitioners to share knowledge, learnings, and experiences about how to establish co-operatives and mutual enterprises in social care.
- Social Care CoP members will consist of people who are interested in knowing more about co-operatives and mutuals and understanding how this business model can apply either to existing enterprises or start-ups.
- The Social Care CoP will start as a self-help initiative based on open sharing of ideas and knowledge. As commitment grows, and as resources become available, the aim is for this to evolve to foster deeper learning and application through the establishment of a Mutual Support Program for some targeted innovation projects in thin markets.
- Social Care CoP members should ensure regular representation at the CoP meetings.
- BCCM will provide a secretariat function for the Social Care CoP.
- BCCM will invite practitioners to join the Social Care CoP based on a registration of interest.
- BCCM members may request to join the CoP.
- Following two introductory sessions led by BCCM, the CoP will co-design a program of meetings and/or events that will be promoted by BCCM and members of the CoP.
- BCCM commits to organising three free CoP meetings annually with an agenda circulated prior to the meeting. Other events will be held on a cost-recovery basis reflecting the shared interests of the CoP.
- Discussions and sharing of information will be done under the Chatham House Rule.
Join the Community of Practice
Browse our upcoming Social Care Community of Practice dates.
Please email Nicole Vlakic to apply to join the Social Care Community of Practice.
Related events and education
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