After an extended period of consultation, the MAX toolkit is now online!
The aim of the MAX toolkit is to provide local authority (LA) staff with the guidance and tools they need – and have in many cases requested – to use more data from the adult social care and carers surveys to inform local performance improvements. This includes Excel-based analysis tools and pre-recorded training presentations and three guides based on the key stages of the survey process (planning, analysis and interpretation, and reporting).

Overview of the MAX toolkit

The structure and content of the MAX toolkit were informed by the findings of our earlier research activities and consultations. These were provided by 139 staff from 95 LAs and helped us to identify a number of barriers and local practices associated with the collection and local use of ASCS and PSS SACE data [see the MAX working paper for an overview).
While these insights were invaluable, our findings also highlighted a number of issues that made the design and delivery of the toolkit much more challenging than anticipated. The key issues are summarised in the table below and, we must admit, did result in quite a few sleepless nights and re-writes! [For those of you that are interested, a potted account of the trials and tribulations of the MAX team during the toolkit development phase can be found here.]

While the MAX team would now like to go and have a much-needed rest, our work is not done as the challenge of convincing other LAs to use the MAX toolkit lies before us. To this end, we plan to write a series of short blogs introducing potential users to the key elements of the MAX toolkit and host an information-sharing event in London. We will post further information about this shortly, so watch this space!
Disclaimer: The research on which this blog is based is commissioned and funded by the Policy Research Programme in the Department of Health. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Department.