Launch of Caring Counts:

a self-reflection and planning course

Lindsay Hewitt, Lesley Bryce, Louise Morgan, Gavin Paterson, Emma Azzopardi, Scott Faulkner, Sarah Burton, Julie Robson, Katrina MacLeod, Gill Ryan

The Open University in Scotland, Scottish Young Carers Services Alliance, Carers Link,

Renfrew Young Adult Carers Project, NHS Education Scotland

• Introducing Caring Counts

o A bespoke open online reflection course for carers

o Caring Counts – an Introductory Film

• Getting it right for carers

o Scott’s story

• What made this course possible?

o Here’s something we made earlier - The Reflection Toolkit

o Creative Commons Licence

o Collaborative partnerships

o Experience and evidence of success

• A pedagogy for access?

• Why reflection worked for me - Katrina’s story

• Cascading the OER: some ideas from Gill Ryan NHS Education Scotland

Caring Counts: Developed with and for carers

What’s in it and what’s it for? www.open.edu/openlearnworks/course/view.php?id=1688

developed with and for carers

My timeline

Learning needs and motivation • Courses on health-related conditions

• Making the most of knowledge and skills

• Helping me resume studies put on hold, or get back into employment

• Something new

– Something completely different

– Securing ‘me time’

Quizzes and Course Badge

Caring Counts: film clip

What made this course possible? • Here’s one(s) we made earlier

– The Reflection Toolkit

– Reflecting on Transitions (with Bridges Programmers)

• Creative Commons Licence

• Editable format

• Trusted gatekeepers – Collaboration over content

– Learner centred and multi-exit

• OpenLearn – access to other OU resources

• Open Badges

• Experience, and evidence of success

Working with carers (Dumfries)

“I think you definitely lose confidence if you have to give up a career, for whatever reason. You lose your sense of identity and worth. Being a carer can be isolating too. Not working has a huge impact financially. As time goes on your self-esteem can erode and you can start to feel that there are no opportunities available.” “Reflection helps you realise your potential which can get lost in our caring role”.

Lesley

Innovative pedagogy

• Translation - no jargon, a course, not an OER • Enthusiastic individuals – Gavin, Emma, Louise, Meg - • Targeting contextual barriers to change – paper and pen;

individual or group; free • Credibility – endorsement from opinion leaders – NHS

Education for Scotland, Scottish Gov, CarersTrust • Leadership – Carers centre staff • Support – technical, emotional, practical • Integration –reflection approach part of core values – eg

Bridges programme

Research impact: a cross sector review, 2003 Nutley, S., Walter, I. and Davies, H.

• Add to training programmes • Incorporate into existing self-development

courses • Residential course for young adults • Direct to it online for self-completion • Tool for providing one-to-one support • Link to carers support plan • Target to particular group - eg career

development, return to work, take up study

Cascading Caring Counts!