Using this APPP Portal

This section provides a summary of how to use this Greenwich Adult Policies, Procedures and Practice (APPP) portal, and its main features.

Contents

• Finding your way around this Portal
• Accessibility Options
• Using the APPP Portal on Smartphones and Tablets
• Resources
• ePractice
• Quick Reads and Audio Summaries
• Reading Confirmation
• CQC Quality Statements
• Chapter Feedback
• Amendments
• Next Edition
• Search
• Print
• Copyright

Finding your way around this Portal

This portal is structured into different sections. The tabs along the top are the key areas:

‘Home’  provides information about the portal, space to include a message from the local director / chair; Using this APPP Portal is this page, which provides information about how to use this resource.

‘Contents’ contains the different sections and chapters in the main body of the portal.

‘Resources’ provides a range of relevant supporting information (see below).

‘Contact’ contains local contact details for teams, services and partner organisations. It also has a contact form, for you to send a message to the named single point of contact in your organisation who oversees the coordination of this portal, should you have a comment or suggestion you wish to make.

Hover your cursor over one of the tabs, and a drop down list will appear with each named section / page. Click on the one you want and it will take you to the specific information you require.

When you are on a section / page, the remaining contents list for that tab is accessible via the buttons below. You can either click on one of these, to go to the next section you want, or you can use the back / forward arrows in the top left next to your address bar or the page up / page down buttons on your key board.

Accessibility Options

This portal has a number of different options to aid online reading. Using the ‘Accessibility’ drop-down menu on the left-side of the screen, you can change to green, blue or pink backgrounds, yellow text on a black background or you can return to the default setting.

You can also resize the website by pressing CTRL and + together to make the site larger, you can keep pressing this to increase the zoom level. Pressing CTRL and – together makes the site smaller. This is a feature built into your web browser, known as in-browser zooming, and so depending on the browser you’re using the controls may be different.

In addition, the site is designed to be accessible for users of text only and screen reader software programs which allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer or braille display. Our content is consistently structured, including headings, which makes using the software on our site easier. Also, when viewed though screen reader software, every page has a ‘Skip to main content’ link which allows software users to go straight to the main content of that page instead of receiving the full navigation options every time. Please share this information with blind or visually impaired colleagues.

Using the APPP Portal on Smartphones and Tablets

This portal works well on smartphones and tablets by typing in the weblink in the internet address bar. When used on a smartphone, the website will immediately convert into a mobile friendly version, where the tabs sit behind the Menu button. If it does not work straightaway, tap on the refresh circle in the address bar.

If your phone or tablet has a reader option (it may be an ‘R’ or say ‘Reader’ in the address bar, you may have to install it), tap on it and it will convert the text into a more easy to read version for phones or tablets.

Adding Shortcuts to the APPP
You can easily access the APPP by installing a shortcut on your device, which will directly open up your internet browser to the APPP site. You can do so using the following methods:

• on desktop / laptops: go to the homepage of the APPP portal website in your internet browser, then bookmark it using your browser’s bookmark feature. Open your browser’s list of bookmarked websites and drag the APPP bookmark onto the desktop of your device.
• on smartphones / tablets: open the APPP portal website in your internet browser, and do the following:
  • on Android devices – click the three dots, and select ‘add to home screen’.
  • on iOS / Apple devices – click the share icon , scroll down the page and select ‘add to home screen’.

Resources

The Resources section contains a number of links and documents to supplement the information in chapters. It includes

• Briefings – written by the Policy Partners Project and our associates to reflect current issues or recently released research reports;
• Care and Support Statutory Guidance – links to the Care and Support Statutory Guidance;
• Case Law and LGSCO Reports – links to key case law and reports from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman;
• Case Studies – populated by case studies from the Care and Support Statutory Guidance;
• Easy Reads – links to easy read information for people with care and support needs;
• ePractice – quizzes which you can complete to test your understanding;
• Glossary – definitions and key terms used;
• Legislation – links to relevant legislation;
• Statutory and National Guidance – links to national guidance, particularly from ADASS, LGA and SCIE ;
• Organisations – links to websites for relevant national organisations;
• Provider Resources – links to guidance and other information and national organisations who provide services and support to provider services;
• Quick Reads and Audios – summary versions of chapters, in audio and text formats;
• Safeguarding Adults Reviews and Inquiry Reports – links to key SARs and large scale inquiry reports.

For ease of use, if you can open the portal in two tabs next to each other you can click on the Resources section to consult related resources without leaving the chapter you are reading.

ePractice

Some key chapters in this Portal have epractice questions at the end, which help you test your understanding of the subject and provide evidence for your continuing professional development. Click here to find the full list of ePractice chapters.

At the top of the questions you will be asked to enter your name and email address. It also asks for your manager’s email address, but the email that goes to them will not tell them anything about your results, or a pass / fail status, only that you have recently completed the questions.

The questions tare straightforward to answer. Some will only allow for a single choice of answer, for example true or false, and others have checkboxes which allow you to tick as many as you feel apply.

Once you reach the end just click on the blue’ Submit’ button to send in your answers. All questions must be answered before you can do this. You will automatically be taken to a detailed results page, showing you how you did and explaining the answers further. You’ll also receive a copy of those results via email, as well as a certificate of completion should you pass.

Quick Reads and Audio Summaries

Some chapters have summaries (Quick Reads) and Audios which provide key information for staff who do not need to know the full detail of the chapter. They can be found at the top of the relevant chapter. A full list can be found in Quick Reads and Audios, in Resources.

Reading Confirmation

This form enables Adult Social Care staff to confirm they have read specific chapters in this APPP. This is useful for newly employed staff as part of their induction, supervision, CPD and for team discussions for example.

When you complete and submit the form, it also requests your manager’s email address so a copy will go to them.

CQC Quality Statements

At the top of relevant chapters, we have added Quality Statements from the CQC Assessment Framework for local authorities.

The Royal Borough of Greenwich statements are included to help staff understand the service the CQC expects a good local authority to provide. They contain statements that local authorities should live up to in order to deliver truly person-centred care and support.

The ‘What people expect’ statements are taken from Making it Real which was developed with adults who have lived experience of adult social care, to capture what good, person-centred care looks like to them. These statements help staff understand what a good experience of care looks and feels like from the perspective of an adult who is in contact with the local authority.

Chapter Feedback

You can provide feedback on whether you found this site useful by using the ‘was this helpful’ tool at the bottom of each page.  If you found the content useful, select the ‘yes / thumbs up’ image, or if it was not helpful, you can select ‘no / thumbs down’. You will be given the option to provide additional feedback / comment. Any feedback you provide is anonymous.

Amendments

With each revised edition of your APPP portal, we indicate which chapters are new or have been updated. This information is available in this section in the table below and at the top of each chapter.

The chapter you wish to amend must be copied into Word and amended using track changes. Read Making Changes to Chapters for information about how to make the changes in the way we require.

December 2024

September 2024

June 2024

February 2024

Next Edition

This APPP portal is regularly updated. Notifications will be sent out to staff, to alert you as to what has been updated and what is new.

Search

On the home screen, type in the word or phrase you are looking for in the ‘Search’ facility and press ‘Enter’. It will bring up a list of all the chapters where it appears. Click on the one you want. The word / phrase will remain highlighted in the chapter.

To make sure the search results more accurately reflect what you are looking for, you can add inverted commas (also known as speech marks) to the word or term you are looking for, for example “safeguarding” or “adult safeguarding”.

If you want to search for specific text within a chapter or a pdf document, you can also press ‘Ctrl’ and ‘f’ together. A box will appear in the top right of your screen. Type in the word / phrase you want to find and press ‘Enter’. The number of times it appears in the chapter will be displayed next to your word. Use the up and down arrows next to it to find all the references.

Print

This portal has been designed to be used online. If you print a chapter, for example to take to a meeting, please note it is valid for 72 hours only from the date it was printed. Whilst this portal is usually updated every six months, there may be occasions when it is updated urgently as a result of a Safeguarding Adults Review or inspection recommendation, so it is important to be sure that you are using the most recent copy. This is why we recommend that if you have to print a chapter, you no longer refer to it after that time.

Please remember that the portal can be also accessed on smartphones and tablets (see Using the APPP Portal on Smarthones and Tablets).

Copyright

The chapter content in this portal can be accessed, downloaded and printed unchanged, on a temporary basis. Any content printed or downloaded may not be sold, licensed, transferred, copied or reproduced in part or in whole in any manner or format without the prior written permission of Policy Partners Project Ltd.