This seems to be the question on many lips as the £520 million government agenda rolls on our heads - choice, control, putting people first, individual budgets, In Control, self-directed support...there are so many nuts and bolts to this massive culture change. Is anyone else out there struggling to get their heads round it? Are you just fed up with hearing about it already?

I was at the ADASS spring seminar last week and I have to say it was the hot topic on everyone's lips...

It's a money saving exercise. If the services are not available what use is choice?

have heard a lot anedotally at least about job cuts because of the "personalisation agenda" -  I assume this is to do with the reshaping of the role of social worker into "navigator" or "broker" in many cases....and leaving the "nanny state" behind...is that what you mean, Mr Smith? You seem very cynical about the whole thing - is that based on your own experience? Or does this seem to be yet another attempt at "care in the community" which the likes of the Daily Mail are going to wait for something to go wrong yet again - blaming "personalisation" instead? But in another sense personalisation does make sense, giving social workers back the role they always wanted to do - to put people first --- is this just rhetoric? How can it really be made to happen?

 I went to a really interesting conference on personalisation yesterday and I've done a blog on it, in case anyone wants to read it.

Some of the points made were:

• it will be the biggest change in social care for 60 years, requring a massive shift in culture and working practices
  
• it will move social care away from "us and them" mentality
• it's not a silver bullet as the big issue of social care funding still needs to be sorted out
• it's not about cutbacks but a change in the way money is spent
• the biggest implementation challenge lies in mental health and older people's services
• it is definitely going to happen
  

Also, social care is going to have to respond to the media when it all kicks off. For example, when people decide to spend their money socialising in the pub rather than going to a day centre we will need to justify that.

Just wondered what everyone thought of all of that! 

 For anyone who wants to find out more about personalisation, we've done a podcast on it. Yippee!