There were two speakers at this event and a summary of the rpesentations is provided below. You can follow SSKS on Twitter @SSKS_online

Bryan Christie, Media and External Relations Officer at the National Library of Scotland

Bryan opened the event with a presentation about use of Twitter and Facebook at NLS. He began by quoting a study which showed that 4% of Tweets were news, 9% had pass-along value and 40% were pointless babble. You can read the full report of this study here. In light of this information, the social media policy at NLS has a clear goal to increase usage of the National Library while passing on information and news. Some examples of NLS Tweets are:

• An 18^th century pancake recipe was Tweeted about on Shrove Tuesday
• On the anniversary of the massacre at Glencoe the signed order for the massacre was Tweeted

The NLS has recently been awarded a Scottish marketing award for their Facebook campaign to promote the Scottish Screen Archive and the ‘Going to the pictures’ exhibition. Participants were asked to ‘Scotify’ famous movie phrases. Here are some of the entries:

• Luke, Ah’m yer da’
• Mrs Robinson, are you trying to winch me?
• Say hello to my wee pal
• Houston, we’re gubbed

You can see all entries on the NLS Facebook page.

Is it working?

Bryan then went on to discuss whether the NLS social media promotions were working. The Facebook campaign had been very popular, with lots of entries and winning the marketing ward. However, no information was given about whether this had increased visits to the exhibition or use of the Scottish screen archive. A line graph of the NLS Twitter followers showed a steady increase since the account had been opened. The national libraries of Wales and Ireland, however, showed very similar trends and so it is hard to determine if the increase on Followers reflects successful promotion of NLS or the growth in Twitter usage. Similarly, no information was given about the direct effect Twitter had on use of the library or its collections.

In summary, Bryan offered the following guidelines for operating a successful social media policy:

• Be active
• Be interesting
• Be funny
• Monitor what’s happening regularly
• Listen and respond to your users

Nick Goldstein, Senior Account Executive at LinkedIn

The second speaker was Nick Goldstein, a Senior Account Executive at LinkedIn. Nick spoke about the social media landscape generally in order to show were LinkedIn fitted and then discussed use of LinkedIn in more detail.

Social media

Nick began by sketching the social media landscape, grouping the many services available into three groups: social, broadcast and professional. Facebook is an example of a social platform as it is used to connect with people and to build your personal network. Twitter is an example of the broadcast platform as it can be used to tell the world what you are thinking in real time. LinkedIn was Nick’s example of a professional platform where people can record their professional activities and showcase their experience.

The major social media players were listed as:

• Youtube
• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Google+

Social media is essentially about conversation and in order to use it effectively, it is important to consider what you want to say and to whom you want to say it. Nick also divided the use of social media into two groups:

• Personal networks- use of these is about spending time socialising, staying in touch and having fun
• Professional networks- use of these is about investing time maintaining your professional identity, making influential contacts, searching for opportunities and staying in touch

LinkedIn

LinkedIn was founded by Reid Hoffman, who was also one of the founders of PayPal, on 5^th May 2003. It now has more than 200 million members in more than 200 countries worldwide. 63% of members are outside the US. Between 80 and 90% of professionals in the UK are members. Nick shared the mission, vision and strategy of LinkedIn:

• Mission: Connect the world’s professionals in order to make them more productive and successful.
• Vision: Create economic opportunity for every professional in the world.
• Strategy: Transform the way people work by connecting talent with opportunity on a massive scale.

Why do people join LinkedIn?

• To connect, find and be found
• Create their profile- a living, breathing account of you as a professional
• Slideshare allows members to share content
• Professional record in the public domain
• News aggregation service can tailor content to you
• Join groups
• LinkedIn is everywhere- it works wherever its members work

The future for LinkedIn

“To develop the world’s first economic graph. We want to digitally map the global economy, identify the connections between people, jobs, skills, companies and professional knowledge and spot, in real time, the trends pointing to economic opportunities.”

A web questionnaire was created on Questback and was available to users between September 2012 and January 2013. The questionnaire was promoted through an e-mail to all those who have registered to receive updates from SSKS, the SSKS Twitter, the SSKS blog an in the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) e-newsletter. Also, those who have elected to be SSKS enthusiasts were asked to distribute the questionnaire to their colleagues. 77 people responded to the questionnaire.

Between September 2012 and November 2012, 11 learning and development workers from nine local authorities were interviewed.

This is a summary of both stages of the evaluation. If you would like to take part in informing the future development of SSKS, we are currently still seeking responses to our Topic Portal Questionnaire. This should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will be very useful to us.

Web Questionnaire

How would you rate SSKS in terms of helping you find the information you are looking for?

Use of SSKS often or sometimes for the following purposes:

• Informing practice and delivery of care and support 71.4%
• Developing policy, protocols, pathways or guidelines 42%
• Service improvement 55.9%
• Keeping up-to-date 75.7%
• Professional development, e.g. CPD or PRTL 59%
• Teaching/ training staff/ students 47.6%
• Staff development outside formal teaching 43.3%
• Research 66.6%

Percentage who find the following types of resource available from SSKS very useful or useful:

• Books 32.4%
• Case studies or practice examples 70.1%
• Downloadable leaflets or factsheets 74.6%
• e-Learning materials 62.3%
• Evidence summaries 52.9%
• Full-text journal articles 58.9%
• Legislation 52.9%
• Reports 57.3%
• Statistics 36.4%
• Training materials 55.4%

Telephone Interviews

The practice educators who took part in the telephone were asked about impact of knowledge support, application of knowledge, sharing knowledge/ experiences, learning and engagement.

Some of the main findings were:

• Areas identified which could benefit most from improved knowledge support were integration, evidence-informed practice (EiP), Self-Directed Support (SDS), leadership, training and studying. In order to encourage workers to search for evidence to inform their practice, the respondents embed links to SSKS in their organisation’s intranet, place shortcuts to SSKS on worker’s desktops and include links to SSKS in staff signatures and internal communications. SSKS is promoted through internal training sessions and to workers completing formal qualifications such as the Practice Learning Qualification (PLQ)

• Asked about their experience of using SSKS the respondents were very positive, with all eleven respondents answering ‘yes,’ SSKS is useful. SSKS was described as user-friendly, easy to understand and as containing a wide range of resources. The topic portals were highlighted as a welcome addition.

• Suggestions for improvement of SSKS included easier access to subscription content, digests, summaries, targeted RSS feeds and more collaboration between agencies. Awareness amongst social care workers of the subscription content available on SSKS was described as low.

•  All agreed that usage of SSKS is still low in some areas. Suggestions for promotion of SSKS and overcoming barriers to access were: focus on hot topics such as SDS, face-to-face promotion in team meetings, promote to students early during studies, provide promotional materials for large events, more joint working with social care organisations, continue distributing things like pens which are popular, wider circulation of training opportunities, emphasise ease of use, highlight how SSKS can save time and provide examples of relevant resources.

Analysis

Over all, the experiences and views of SSKS seem to be positive. The topic portals, e-newsletters and range of materials have all been highlighted as particularly useful parts of the site

The main points for development suggested have been the Athens log in procedure and the profile of SSKS. As the process to access subscription content cannot be changed, an action from this evaluation will be to revisit all information available on SSKS about accessing journals and databases.

As awareness of SSKS is still described as low in some parts of the social care workforce, the communication strategy should be evaluated and revisited. Some plans for outreach to new users would be another useful action as a result of this evaluation.

What do you think about the survey’s findings?

Contact knowledge@nes.scot.nhs.uk to share your thoughts.

Keep up-to-date with SSKS

Sign-up to receive SSKS Spotlight e-newsletters.

As well as this work on the information currently available on the Drugs and Alcohol topic portal, we have now added the Scottish Government’s Driver Diagram service improvement tool which we hope will helpfully assist you when seeking to re-design services at local level and implement Recovery Orientated Systems of Care (ROSC). Please note that the Driver Diagram should be seen as an evolving tool which will expand as more local-level learning and good practice is identified.

The Scottish Government welcome comments and contributions to support and improve the Driver Diagram tool so feel free to send suggested inputs to: AlcoholandDrugDelivery@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.

Your feedback is always welcome on the content, ease of use and added value of the Drugs and Alcohol topic portal on SSKS and we are currently conducting an evaluation of each of the topic portals on SSKS. If you would like to have your say, please complete our online survey. It should take you no more than 10 minutes. You can also contact us (at AlcoholandDrugDelivery@scotland.gsi.gov.uk) if there is any local learning or good practice you would like to share via the website. Remember, your events can be promoted in the SSKS Spotlight e-newsletters and on the news and events page.

Please take the time to explore the Driver Diagram service improvement tool. We hope you find it useful!

After 10 months live online, NHS Education for Scotland is evaluating how useful these topic portals are to social care workers. We would really appreciate it if you could take 10 minutes to complete our online questionnaire and tell us about your experience using the topic portals. Responses to this questionnaire will inform the future development of the topic portals, how portals are promoted and allow us to establish if the most useful materials are available.

https://response.questback.com/nhseducationforscotland/krofvuy7lv/

For more information please contact:

Lara Burton
Knowledge Support Officer, NHS Education for Scotland
E-mail: knowledge@nes.scot.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0141 352 2894

Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS) www.ssks.org.uk

This event will engage participants in facilitated discussion to begin implementing the national Knowledge into Practice strategy for social services (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/10/4809/downloads#res-1). This is a collaborative venture led by NHS Education for Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council, IRISS, the Improvement Service, the Association of Directors of Social Work, to apply knowledge to deliver real improvement in outcomes for practitioners and service users.

Participants will have the opportunity to co-create local and regional national implementation plans for 2013-15; find out how leaders in social services are already using Knowledge into Practice approaches; engage in the Knowledge Stakeholder Forum; and view exhibition stands from partners in social services knowledge management, highlighting each organisation’s contribution to the Knowledge into Practice strategy.

For further information (including requesting a copy of the programme) and to book a place at this event, please contact Sandra.Campbell@nes.scot.nhs.uk with your name, job title and organisation.

Please find attached the aims and agenda for the day.

We look forward to seeing you on the 26th February!

NHS Education for Scotland is seeking volunteer social workers for a study on the information-seeking behaviour of social workers searching for evidence to inform their practice.

We are conducting a piece of research into how social workers search for the information and evidence they require during their day-to-day practice. In order to discover this, we are looking for social workers to volunteer to form focus groups. We would ask that they complete an ‘information diary’ for two weeks; recording what information they were looking for, where they looked and if the information was found successfully. We would then ask that they attend a group interview to discuss the information diaries and what further support could be provided to assist with unsuccessful information searching.

If you are interested please contact Lara Burton either by e-mail: lara.burton@nes.scot.nhs.uk or by phone 0141 352 2904.

It is estimated that the information diaries will be issued at the beginning of February with interviews taking place mid-end of February 2013. Diaries will be posted to you and the researcher will travel to conduct interviews.

To highlight some of the good work we have been involved in over 2012, we produced an IRISS Review 2012, an interactive timeline. It is available here:

http://www.iriss.org.uk/review/2012/

Please feel free to disseminate to your networks.

Many thanks

Your feedback will help us identify what we do well, what could be improved and to formulate a plan for future developments of the site.

To let us know what you think, complete the questionnaire today: https://response.questback.com/nhseducationforscotland/ssks/

The Scottish way of life?

This month the Glasgow Centre for Population Health published their report Still “the sick man of Europe”? Scottish mortality in a European context 1950-2010: An analysis of comparative mortality trends. Comparing the mortality rate in Scotland from a range of conditions with other European countries still shows some worrying trends.

You can read the full report at the link above or a summary of the report’s findings here. One of the worrying trends is the rate of mortality from chronic liver disease (including cirrhosis). The number of deaths among both men and women has reduced in recent years but still remain among the highest in Western Europe. The mortality rate among females suffering from lung cancer rose in the 1990s and shows no sign of decline.

Here are a few resources available from SSKS, which you may find interesting. Remember, you can find more on SSKS and on the dedicated Drugs and Alcohol portal.

Alcohol Related Deaths in Scotland
General Register Office for Scotland 2012
Presents information on the numbers of deaths which are classified as ‘alcohol-related’ on the basis of the current definition (which was agreed with the Office for National Statistics in 2006, and is set out on the ‘Alcohol Related Deaths – the Coverage of the Statistics’ page.

The Scottish Health Survey: topic report UK comparisons
National Statistics Publication for Scotland, 2010
This report drew on data from the most recent published health surveys conducted in the four countries in the UK.

How much are people in Scotland really drinking?
Public Health Information for Scotland, 2008
Alcohol is a significant and growing problem in Scotland in terms of mortality, morbidity and social harm. From 2001 to 2005, alcohol-related deaths rose by 15% and general hospital admissions by 7% while recent results from the Scottish Crime and Victimisation Survey indicate that more people view alcohol as a serious social problem. Yet surveys of alcohol consumption suggest that Scots may be drinking less. As they are the main source of data for national monitoring of drinking behaviour, it is important that survey estimates of alcohol consumption are as robust as possible. The resource is a review of data from Scotland’s routine national surveys.

Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2007: Something to be ashamed of or part of our way of life? Attitudes towards alcohol in Scotland
Scottish Centre for Social Research 2008
The report contains findings from a module of questions in the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2007, and examines public attitudes towards drinking and the role of alcohol in Scottish culture.

Attitudes towards alcohol: views of the general public, problem drinkers, alcohol service users and their families and friends
Scottish Executive, 2002
This research focused on the perceptions and experiences of ‘drinkers’, current and past alcohol service users, as well as those close to them (i.e. family and friends). The research explored general views and experiences regarding alcohol and alcohol-related services, but also focused on perceptions of how far needs are being met and what other provision might be considered necessary and/or desirable.

The SSKS Early Years portal contains a full section of resources relating to all aspects of  Child Protection and is the ideal site to visit for anyone who wishes to refresh their own knowledge and understanding of the topic.  As well as covering policy and legislation, you will find guidelines and reports, links to key organisations and information for service users.  For more in depth reading, SSKS also provides lists of relevant journal articles and books.