This section outlines the different processes that Equal Care has used to develop our social care co-operative from foundation to launch and beyond. While it attempts to faithfully map out how Equal Care has progressed, it also illustrates the lessons we learned on our journey, providing caveats, watch-outs, and the pitfalls of developing any for-good business.
It is meant to be a guide suitable for anyone wishing to begin a care co-operative no matter if you are an independent founder, a current care agency looking to transition to a co-operative model or doing this as an initiative of the local authority.
Overview of stages
There are six stages of co-operative development (don't overthink it):
Setting the goals, ethos and governance model of the organisation.
The Founders ensure they are committed to the task ahead.
Developing the first Purpose Circle (board).
Form the co-operative and register as a society ( or delay this if working within a Local Authority or directly with Equal Care Co-op).
Develop simple operational systems (try it out on Equal Care's platform!)
Start the first Teams
Give care to a small group as an introductory support service
The first community share offer
Larger grant applications
Keep the focus on growing trading revenue
Distribute roles away from the founding group
Increase the number of Teams
CQC application for regulated care (this forces the clarification of roles and responsibilities)
Applications to council contracts
Form new local circles and build teams
Marketing campaign to attract caregivers and receivers
Support new Circles to start
Continue to engage the members and communities to uncover insights for improving the co-operative
Focus on recruitment and retention
Operational development
During the first few phases, three other parallel processes should take place:
Policy Development
Regardless of its governing structure, every business requires policies. These are clear guidelines and rules that govern decision-making and behaviour within the organisation for all members.
Not only as social care is within a regulated sector, but more importantly because it very directly impacts the people care giving and receiving then policy setting becomes of the utmost importance and must be done thoroughly.
Equal Care Co-op's policies have largely been written from scratch to work in tune with the model described in this playbook. To use them and adapt them for your own situation please get in touch with us at [email protected].
Key Steps:
Identify the need: determine the specific issue or area that requires a policy.
Define objectives: clearly articulate what the policy needs to achieve.
Research and consult: gather information on best practices, legal requirements, and industry standards.
Work with relevant stakeholders, particularly the categories of the co-op membership that will be directly affected by the policies, such as an independent care worker.
Draft the policy: create a clear, concise document outlining the guidelines, procedures, and responsibilities.
Review and refine: seek feedback from key stakeholders and make necessary revisions.
Ares for policy development:
Care delivery model and approach
How people start getting support
Standards and expectations for flourishing teams
Relationship-centred care
Co-production with service users and families
Governance and ownership structure
Multi-stakeholder membership model
Democratic and sociocratic decision-making processes
Roles and responsibilities of members
Employment practices
Fair wages and working conditions for care workers
Training and professional development
Worker voice and empowerment
Recruitment
Problem-solving
Quality assurance
Care standards and best practices
Monitoring and evaluation processes
Feedback methods and complaints (problem-solving)
Financial management
Sustainable business model
Transparent financial reporting
Profit sharing/reinvestment policies
Safeguarding and risk
Protecting vulnerable adults and children
Health and safety procedures
Data protection and confidentiality
Community engagement
Partnerships with local organisations
Volunteer involvement
Building social capital
Ethics and values
Co-operative principles
Social impact goals
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Technology and innovation
Use of care platforms
Digital inclusion
Data-driven service improvements
Data privacy
Regulatory compliance
Meeting statutory requirements
Engagement with regulators and commissioners
Maintaining required registrations/certifications
Operational Development
Plan Service Delivery Model
Determine the types of care to be offered
Outline relationship-centred care approaches
Develop care quality standards and best practices
Create Operational Procedures
Draft processes covering key areas like caregiving, employment practices, and financial management. The concept of service blueprint can be helpful here.
Develop step-by-step practices for daily operations
Check for compliance with relevant regulations and standards but don't lead with this
Define core staffing needs for administration and support roles, as well as first care worker cohort.
Develop recruitment processes
Develop training programmes for care workers and members
Establish Quality Assurance Mechanisms
Develop monitoring and evaluation processes
Create feedback systems for care recipients, families and advocates
Plan for regular policy reviews and updates
Create Implementation Strategy
Develop a phased rollout plan
Assign responsibilities for each implementation stage
Set timelines and milestones
Plan for Community Engagement
Develop strategies for building local partnerships
Create volunteer programs and community involvement opportunities
Plan for ongoing community outreach and education
Establish Evaluation and Improvement Processes
Set up systems for ongoing performance monitoring
Plan for regular member meetings and feedback sessions
Create mechanisms for continuous improvement and innovation
Technology procurement, testing and refinement
Technology is part and parcel of any effective and modern social care organisation.
A technology-driven organisation can empower the workers and the people being cared for, allowing them much more autonomy and higher quality of care than traditional models can deliver, where management is centralised.
The process and approach for finding the best technology platform fit is covered in the technology section.
Testing
Developing a robust testing plan for the technology platform is a high priority to ensure that it operates as expected, particularly as this will likely be one of the organisation's most significant capital and ongoing expenses.
An overview of testing categories:
Functional testing - does it do what it is supposed to?
Performance testing - does load quickly, is it accessible on low bandwidth e.g. poor mobile phone connection
Security testing - is the data secure?
Useability and accessibility testing - is it easy to use, and is that true for those with additional needs?
Compatibility testing - does it work on all devices and browsers users may have?
Acceptance testing - does it meet the requirements of your organisation, and is it ready to be released?
Refinement
Technologies continually improve with new features, refinements and fixes being released regularly.
The technology for a social care co-op should be no different. If its production is in-house, then there should be a continual process of improvements based on the product roadmap and addressing unforeseen issues. For organisations that have procured their technology, the provider will release updates.
Funding
One of the founders' major workstreams will be obtaining the capital to seed, operate, and grow the care co-op. This will begin with fundraising and then be replaced by revenues. However, the work to maintain working capital and move to surplus will continue.
The first step is to identify capital requirements by developing a detailed budget covering operating expenses until revenue is significant enough to break even and move into surplus.
At the pre-revenue stages before launch, fundraising will be required to generate the capital needed to run the organisation. This will be a continual process, with money raised from multiple sources, but will taper off as revenue begins to build.
Revenue will begin at launch and will grow as the co-op expands its customer base. This will eventually grow to replace the need for grants and other forms of fundraising.
Recruitment
It is somewhat self-evident, but employing people needs to begin early (it takes time!) and is a continual need. While the co-operative model has been shown to significantly reduce staff turnover in social care, the care sector has a historical low retention rate.
This, in combination with changing requirements and growth plans for the co-op, will mean that a high-quality practice will need to be built to attract, recruit, and retain workers. They are the lifeblood of the organisation.
