Tag: Outcomes star

Triangle to launch new editions of the Family Star Plus and Family Star, April 2023

Posted on by Donna

We are delighted to announce we have now finalised the new editions of the Family Star Plus and Family Star.

In April 2023, these new editions will be replacing the current editions on the Star Online.

What has changed?

The new editions have the same outcome areas and Journey of Change. The changes are to the language and resources to:

For example:

  • The top of the Journey of Change is now ‘managing well’
  • 8 is more clearly the end point for families with extra needs
  • The Star areas names are more client-centred e.g. How I feel, My children’s learning and Our family routine
  • Wording changes avoid any suggestion of blame or triggers for people, while keeping the essential clarity needed between stages

What people say about the new edition?

“We all feel that it is a significant improvement”.

“More family-focused and trauma-informed”.

“The language is more client-focused and strengths-based”.

“The wording is more friendly and positive”.

“This version will get better buy-in with the families we work with”.

“The visual scaling for parents uses appropriate language, and is concise and easy to understand”.

What next?

  • You will notice some changes to the wording when completing stars on Star Online or using the PDF documents 
  • If you use the Family Stars in your own software, we will provide what you need to update to the new edition
  • Update any internal documents with the new names of the outcome areas and Journey of change stages
  • The data is comparable with the current editions – we will advise on small differences – so there will be no interruption in your reporting
  • There is no need for additional training, though do consider a refreshing, to make sure you get the most from the Star.

Fit with the Supporting Families Outcomes Framework 2022-25

Since the start of the Supporting Families Programme, many local authorities have been using the Family Star Plus to evidence their outcomes. This new edition coincided with the publication of the  and we took this new framework into account when creating this new edition.

We are finalising a mapping document to show how the Family Star Plus (2nd Edition) is uniquely placed to evidence many of the family needs identified in the programme guidance. This will be published in Feb 2023.

Why did we do this review?

As a social enterprise, Triangle commits to investing part of the Star licence in keeping the suite of Stars under review and up to date. We keep abreast of changes in sectors and keep learning alongside our collaborators. We have a rolling program of reviews and new editions and are prioritising earlier, widely used versions, such as the Family Stars.

Join our webinar for more information  

Sara, Star Development Director, will be hosting a webinar on Zoom on Tuesday 25 April at 10am (UK time.)  Register HERE – register even if you can’t attend and we will send you the recording.

Stay updated 

You can subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox, so there is no need to keep checking for new blogs.

*****

Related items

Psychometric factsheets and reports | Triangle (outcomesstar.org.uk)

Recent updates on the Well-being Star™ for adults self-managing health conditions

Posted on by Donna

The Well-being Star is a holistic, person-centred, outcomes focused and strengths-based tool. It encourages people with long-term health conditions to consider a range of factors that have an impact on their quality of life.

The completed well-being Star
Figure 1

 

It was developed with DoH funding in collaboration with North East Essex PCT and can be used in a variety of settings from hospices to rehabilitation centres and social prescribing services. The Star supports and measures progress in eight areas identified by patients, health professionals and researchers as central to maximising well-being and independence when living with a long-term health condition (See Figure 1).

Service users may begin at the bottom of the Journey of Change (‘Not thinking about it’) and the aim is to progress to things the situation being ‘as good as it can be’.

We have recently conducted further validation work on the Well-being Star within Ways to Wellness, a social prescribing service using the Well-being Star.  Ways to Wellness is an innovative service for people whose daily lives are affected by certain long-term health conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy or heart disease.

Our psychometric validation presents evidence that the eight outcome areas form a coherent measure, with no repetition and good sensitivity to detecting change.  Since publishing the first version of this factsheet we have expanded the sample of link workers who have taken part in our peer-reviewed case study method for assessing how reliably workers apply the scales. The findings using the larger sample confirmed initial positive results showing good understanding of how to use the Well-being Star’s scale descriptions.

Chief Executive of Ways to Wellness, Tara Case is talking alongside our Strategic Director, Joy MacKeith, about the Well-being Star in the context of social prescribing and payment by results at the upcoming Government Outcomes Lab International Social Outcomes Conference.

Their session “Measuring what matters: an innovative outcomes tool capturing what is most important to beneficiaries” contributes towards the broader topic “Back to the Future? Learning from the UK’s experience with impact bonds: what should we take with us and what should we leave behind?” and  takes place 15.30–17:00 (UK BST) on Tuesday, 1st September. Register to attend free of charge via Eventbrite.

***

Triangle is the social enterprise behind the Outcomes Star. Triangle exists to help people reach their highest potential. Through the Outcomes Star, they work with services to promote and measure individual change and to enable learning at an individual, service, organisation and sector-wide levels. The Outcomes Star is an evidence-based management tool for both supporting and measuring change. For more information email info@triangleconsulting.co.uk.

Ways to Wellness is a service for people in the west of Newcastle whose daily lives are affected by certain long-term health conditions. GPs and their primary care teams use social prescribing to refer patients to the service. Ways to Wellness adds to and complements the medical support that people receive, to help them feel more confident to manage their long-term conditions and make positive lifestyle choices. For more information email info@waystowellness.org.uk.

The Well-being Star is available to all organisations with a Star licence, and full training can be given for workers and managers. For more information on the Outcomes Star, please contact us on info@triangleconsulting.co.uk or +44 (0) 207 272 8765.