Get to know the person and those who support them through conversation.  Listen and connect. 

For conversation prompts and practice examples, see our Conversation 1 Guidance 

Conversation 1 IS about:

• The first opportunity to have a conversation with the person and / or those supporting them.
• It is aimed at making connections and building relationships with people.
• It involves listening hard to the person to understand what is important to them.
• It requires practitioners the time to understand what is important to carers and how best to support them in their roles.
• Connecting people to their communities with the view of building a network around the person and those supporting them.
• Focusses on the prevent, reduce and delay requirements under the Care Act.
• We usually complete Conversation 1’s for new people who have never been in contact with ASC or people who are known to us but who are not in receipt of any services.

Conversation 1 is NOT about:

• An opportunity to gatekeep by screening people for Care Act eligibility.  Practitioners must under no circumstances apply the eligibility criteria at this stage.  Here in Camden, we strongly oppose this practice.  Instead, we invite the person or those supporting them to have a conversation with us about what is going on for them.
• An opportunity to place more responsibility on carers.  In situations where there are unpaid carers, we use this opportunity to see how we can support carers in their role.
• A form filling exercise.  It is our first contact with the person or those that support them.  We want it to be a meaningful conversation.