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‘The Strengths Revolution’ weekly podcast show was launched on 22nd April 2014. Just go into iTunes Store, click the ‘Podcast’ link on the top menu, then put ‘The Strengths Revolution’ into the search box.

Listen, subscribe, and add a review if you feel able to. Remember… listening, downloading or subscribing to the show is FREE!

'Working with Strengths' was published in May 2014 as a comprehensive resource for reviewing the literature and reflecting on strengths-based practice as applied to people in contact with services, as well as the strengths-focused development of practitioners, teams and organisations. It draws on the wider business literature as well as health and social care references to broaden the applicability of the ideas.

'Risk Decision-Making' was published in 2013 to help shift the focus from a tick-box culture to the realities of what good practice should be about. The manual and cd-rom provide the resources that should engage senior management in organisations, as well as the practitioners and multidisciplinary teams.

June 2007 saw the publication of the Working With Risk Trainers Manual and Practitioner Manual through Pavilion Publishing. The Trainers Manual provides a flexible two-day training programme, with the option of using any of the individual sessions as stand-alone training resources. The Practitioner Manual provides a set of practice-based risk tools with supporting guidance on how and when to use each. These materials also aim to discuss some of the wider risk issues and identify a key part of current research and literature. The practice-based tools are also supported by completed case examples.

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My Promise

I would like to challenge us all to think more carefully about the ways we can support the development of good practice in health and social care services. If research is as informative as its authors believe, I ask why is it so inacessible to the average practitioners and service users? If training is as effective as it's facilitators believe, I ask why is it having so little impact on day to day practice?

I want service users and practitioners to talk about what works best for them. I invite people to exchange ideas about what needs to change so they experience and deliver better quality services.

I believe policy-makers, managers and academics should engage more and listen to the real practical experiences of service users and practitioners. Research should inform and support practice rather than impose inflexible ideas to meet unrealistic targets.

Practice Based Evidence should be a way of giving a voice to service users and practitioners, recognising that they have a first-hand knowledge and experience of what works, what needs to change, and how it may best change. These messags deserve to inform the concept of good practice every bit as much as the messages from research.