The Three Conversations - Find a freedom of information request

1) Are you a council whose adults' services team has chosen to adopt the assessment and care planning approach known as The Three Conversations(r)?



2) If not, have you considered doing so, and then adapted the approach to create a bespoke version for your area, based on the maximisation of assets and strengths-based decision-making?



30 If the answer to either question is yes, have you surveyed the client population or specfic consultation groups to see what they think of the approach being taken locally?



4) If so, is the outcome public (please link us to the results), and if not public, why is that, please?



5) If you have not conducted research into how the approach has been received, what is the reason, please?

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you. 

 1. No

2. Yes

We adapted the approach in August 2020 and created a bespoke version named the Lincolnshire Conversation model.

The Lincolnshire Conversation model is a strengths-based, enabling practice model focused on achieving the highest possible level of independence for individuals, supporting them within their families and support networks. It promotes partnership between staff, individuals, and their loved ones to identify and meet needs. The conversation is person-centered, rooted in the individual's circumstances, strengths, and what matters to them, allowing for a proportionate assessment conversation.

Our Customer Service Centre serves as the front door for local authority contacts. Strength-based conversations are initiated by customer service advisors, with area team practitioners conducting further conversations as the first intervention. This approach, recognised as the operating model for Adult Care, empowers people by providing information, advice, and connections to support networks, enabling them to live independently for as long as possible. We aim for a seamless journey from the front door to area teams, who can offer specialist or local information or potentially an Adult Care Assessment.

If the front door conversation resolves the contact, an Adult Conversation Record summarising the information, advice, and any actions (e.g., onward referral for preventative services or low-level equipment) is sent to the person or their representative. If additional specialist or local knowledge is needed, the record is sent to the area team to continue the conversation and planning. Conversations may occur over the phone, virtually, face-to-face, in hospitals, or temporary stays. If formal support is needed, an adult care practitioner will complete a full Adult Care Assessment, exploring any specific concerns or risks with other parties to ensure safety.

This model allows for strength-based, solution-focused approaches throughout the individual's journey. By celebrating positive risk-taking, it enables individuals to set their own goals and outcomes, providing continuity and reducing the need to repeatedly tell their story. It also facilitates urgent transfer arrangements for timely interventions, maximizing independence before formal assessments and support arrangements are made.

3. Yes, we have surveyed the client population

As at 2019-20 Adult Care already had a long-standing rolling program survey in place to seek feedback from people who had been assessed or reviewed by the service. A pilot to introduce initial conversation to the process along with an internal evaluation which included audits and case study evidence prior to rollout across the rest of the service resulted in the decision to review the existing survey used and remodel the approach, this included the changes proposed and demonstrate feedback gained across the assessment pathway.

Whilst we continued to survey people at the initial stages of Covid, people made it clear that they did not want to participate in surveys such as this during that time.

The Assessment Pathway Survey was developed and relaunched with a soft start in April 2021 and has since been further developed to include additional survey channels and questions about our strength-based approach.

We have used National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) standards, the Care Act and Care Quality Commissions (CQC) I statements to inform this work.

4. We make it clear through our privacy statement that the information we receive from people feeding back is used for service improvement and therefore may only be shared internally and with those who inspect the service.

5. Not applicable.