WHO WE ARE

We are a core team of two directors working with a wide network of associates. All of us have extensive direct working knowledge of the public sector.

Directors

Karin Janzon MSc, CQSW, Socionom

Karin has over twenty years' experience of working in local authority social services and at the interface of health and social care, before setting up as an independent consultant in 1996. She originally trained as a social worker and, following an MSc in Social Research, moved into research, policy development and planning, working in a range of local authorities. As a senior manager at county council level she contributed nationally to the development of strategic planning methods, population needs assessment, and eligibility criteria. As an independent consultant Karin has undertaken research, performance assessment and policy development work for the Department of Health, local authorities, health agencies and voluntary organisations. She also runs post-graduate seminars on locality profiling.

Stella Law MA, PhD

Stella trained originally as a research scientist, working for many years in leading-edge astrophysics research. She subsequently moved into operational research in the Civil Service, where she spent five years in the Economics and Operational Research Division of the Department of Health; during this time she took a lead role in coordinating population needs assessment work at a national level. As an independent consultant Stella has undertaken a range of projects for the Department of Health, local and health authorities and voluntary organisations, particularly in the areas of needs assessment, evaluation, research and analysis. She recently served for many years on the management committee of a group of London-based voluntary projects addressing homelessness, substance dependency and offender rehabilitation. She currently works on a voluntary basis as a counsellor with the Sussex Alcohol and Substance Service (SASS).

Associates

We draw on a network of associates who can bring specific expertise to project teams. In recent years this has included specialists in

• Information management
• Financial analysis and modelling
• Voluntary sector development
• Ethnic minorities service provision
• Data management

We are currently working in partnership with OCSI (Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion), in particular on the development of the demand forecasting tool Planning4care. OCSI grew out of the Oxford University team responsible for the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004, and focus on supporting the public sector in developing and interpreting the evidence base for planning, targeting, monitoring and evaluation.

We work regularly with Care Performance Partners, a consultancy team specialising in social care services. CaPP have extensive knowledge and experience of social care performance in the field and within the regulatory bodies.

Care Equation also have a link with Portico Consulting. Portico specialise in assisting health and social care organisations in the successful development and delivery of services through the application of information management and technology.