Delivering change in social care and housing
Matt and Shirley Bukowski established Social Care Strategies in 2005. Since then the company has been supporting social and healthcare commissioners and providers across the country to change and improve local services. We have always been committed to developing housing and support as a genuine alternative to institutional care. And so, we now work exclusively with developers and investors to bring together people and resources to create purpose-built specialised supported housing. Our network of relationships with local authority commissioners, housing and care providers, and property developers and investors means that we are uniquely placed to provide bespoke solutions to local need.
Over forty years’ experience of working within and with local government enables us to build trusting relationships with social care and housing professionals, involving them in every stage of the development process – from finding sites to specifying and designing the building. All developments are 100% privately financed, bringing immediate local investment as well as services which will reduce long-term demands on council budgets
Making change happen in partnership
Social Care Strategies is proud to work in partnership with trusted partners who share our vision, values and objectives. Our unique business relationships with developers, architects, investors and operators enable us to offer councils a complete service in response to local need. Each new development is specified and designed to meet the council’s particular priorities and objectives. We bring all the resources to make it happen, enabling the council to be involved from day one in the development and design process. We work collaboratively with all parts of the council – e.g., housing strategy, social care commissioning, housing benefits – to ensure a co-ordinated approach towards agreed objectives. In two-tier local authorities we will work with both councils on a joint approach to the development.
The business case for change
The evidence in support of the financial and non-financial benefits of specialised supported housing is compelling– some insights into this evidence can be found in our blogs. Our first step is always to talk to the housing strategy and social care commissioning teams about the likely demand for new housing in a given location. Bringing together all available evidence, we then create the business case for investment and development. This business case analyses long-term population changes and projects the likely requirement for extra care housing for older people within the catchment area of the proposed scheme. This gives commissioner, developer, housing and care providers, and funder the confidence to make a shared commitment to the project.
Matt Bukowski
Housing and Social Care Consultant
Matt holds Masters degrees from Cambridge and Sheffield Universities. He studied English and Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge and Social Administration as a post-graduate at Sheffield. He qualified as a social worker before a long career in local government – firstly with Cambridgeshire County Council as practitioner and manager and then with Lincolnshire County Council where he served as Director of Social Services for ten years. Matt and Shirley Bukowski founded their company in 2005.
Shirley Bukowski
Co-founder and Director
Shirley is co-founder and joint director of Social Care Strategies. She is originally from Cheshire where she began her career in dentistry. Shirley moved into the sphere of social care in the 1980s. She is a highly experienced researcher, communicator and negotiator and brings all of these qualities to the day-to-day business of the company.
Working in partnership with Sea Island Developments
Social Care Strategies is proud to work in partnership with Sea Island Developments. Together we work collaboratively with local authorities to develop extra care housing where there is evidence of unmet need and demand. Sea Island is committed to bringing its resources and expertise to this market because it recognises that there is an ever-increasing unmet need for high quality housing which can support people whose needs change as they age. This is of course a business decision but it is also a commitment to bring new choices and opportunities to the housing and care market. Sea Island finds and acquires sites in locations that councils identify and then works with commissioning and housing teams to make the development happen. We listen carefully to what councils need and give them a real say in the specification and design of the scheme.
