Children’s Services: Information, Strategy and Practice Ruth Rogan - Newcastle Roger Vaughan cSBI

Where we were… Children Act Legislative framework for what is offered to ‘children in need’ Silo based services Concentration on acute issues Lack of multi agency information sharing Service based output performance

Where we are going? Green paper > new Children Bill Good outcomes for all children/young people Focus on prevention/supporting ‘vulnerability’ “Joined up problems need joined up solutions” - transformed services Multi agency working - which entails information sharing

The new landscape of inclusion A rights based approach to desired outcomes for all children and young people in Newcastle: –Healthy –Safe –Fulfilled –Participating –Economically included

Mapping the landscape Develop a map of existing provision. Communicate the landscape. Understand the resourcing of provision. Change the landscape/resourcing responding to policy, practice, children and young peoples’ agenda.

Universal Education Health Targeted Sure Start Children’s Fund Connexions Family Support ‘Hubs’ Specialist CWD Children with Disabilities CAMHS Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service LD Learning Disabilities SEN Special Educational needs YOT Youth Offending Team DAT Drug Action Team HS Hosp’t Serv’s

Rehabilitative UniversalTargeted Specialist Education Health Sure Start Children’s Fund Connexions ‘Hubs’ CWD C&AMHS LD SEN YOT DAT HS Looked After Children Adoption & Fostering Area Child Protection Committee Child Protection ISA Family Support

Rehabilitative UniversalTargeted Specialist Education Health Sure Start Children’s Fund Connexions ‘Hubs’ CWD CAMHS LD SEN YOT DAT HS Looked After Children Adoption & Fostering Area Child Protection Committee Child Protection Family Support Local Preventative Strategy ISA

Understanding practice Ethnographic analysis - –understanding the practitioner’s world through the eyes of practitioners. –Understanding the parents and carers world through their eyes to allow practitioners to make sense of it. –Understanding the world of service managers.

What does this look like to different participants? We must recognise four ‘world views’ - held by: Citizens/service users Service delivery practitioners/managers Corporate commissioning National governance

Citizens/service users This view includes –the public, –service users, –their families, –supporting social networks, –self-help and community groups… It is where vulnerability is experienced. Q - “Who can advise or help us?”

Service delivery This includes service delivery practitioners including preventative, targeted, specialist and protection services, GPs, hospitals and schools, voluntary organisations, one-stop-shops.. This is where vulnerability is observed. Q - “Who needs help from us?” Q – “How can we best shape that help?”

Corporate commissioning Includes those who frame local political/professional priorities through understanding the demographics, making sense of national policies and who configure services. They are accountable for ‘public value’ Q- “How do we tackle social exclusion in Newcastle?”

National governance This includes government legislation, guidance, league tables. Professional bodies/codes of practice. Representative organisations, lobbying. Q- “How do we resolve national spending priorities?”

Common processes Each of these ‘worlds’ involves: Making sense of what is going on in our own and other ‘worlds.’ Making strategies for what we should do in the future. Doing what we do today (operational practice)

….and information systems? People carrying out these processes in different ‘worlds’ need to: –Message –Publish, search and collate –Transact –Co-ordinate How are these needs met by current information systems?

Typically… Web E-pubs ‘research’ ‘surveys’ PAF?National Governance Finance, HRGIS? Outcomes? Web?Corporate Comm’ning Care record ICS, IRT….. Assessing outcomes? Web?Service Delivery E-booking?? Directories ?Web? Digital tv? Citizens Operational practice Strategic thinking Sense making

Confidentiality in a multi agency information architecture People in each ‘world’ need to: Recognise the role of consent to information sharing. Be able to share information with people who need it to provide or receive care. Be confident about the security and legality of information sharing. Take part in the governance of information and its use.

…and it’s all changing! And it always will…can we keep up? A move away from service led provision Silo-based policies and fixed information systems applications will hold us back! How can practitioners make sure that they get what they want/need from information systems for their multi agency practice?

….multi agency working is hard! “Different professional cultures. Different statutory responsibilities. Availability of time, people, resources. Different agency structures. Perceptions of professional group status Different conditions of professional work”.

Towards a new information architecture We need a ‘Big Picture’ of the role of information in social care. –To reflect the different needs of different actors in their ‘worlds’. –To be sustainable in the face of continuous change. –To be achievable incrementally.

Governance “Information architecture is more than technology – it’s a powerful form of governance.” “Outsourcing architecture is effectively the outsourcing of policy making.” Do we want to outsource policy? The governance of this continually changing landscape is essential.

Governance The architecture of services and information architecture must be developed together. But if senior managers in the world of corporate commissioning are to take responsibility for policy towards architecture they must understand the capabilities of ICT.

Developing systems with practitioners - VESCR How can practitioners be sure they have seen all appropriate case information? How can we be sure we are talking about the right/same individual(s)? How can we collate records and documents? Can we display complete chronologies?

Components of a solution Practitioners articulate their ‘workflow’. (processes maps are a partial answer.) Rapid prototyping of systems. Practitioners appropriate the process. IT suppliers concentrate on providing the capabilities to be appropriated by practitioners. This is an infrastructural approach.

Developing a strategy for children and young people Making sense of: –the tidal waves of national policies and guidance. –local political and professional priorities. –the views of children and young people, their families and carers. Building a strategic process

Participation Children and young people have the right to be heard and describe their ‘world’. Participation is beyond consultation - it is a means to a ‘political’ end. The test is - what change is sought by participation by children and young people – and has it happened?

Governance structure The aim of the strategy for Newcastle’s Children and Young People is to improve the lives of all children and young people significantly. The Strategic Partnership Board is a multi agency group, independently chaired with representation from a wide range of statutory and voluntary agencies

Governance - Board tasks Sustain the strategic partnership Implement the participation strategy Improve service configurations Co-ordinate commissioning Undertake Information governance Become a learning organisation Win funding And collaborate with other partnerships.

Challenges ahead Legal basis for partnership working Involving service users/citizens Sustaining multi agency working Governing information sharing Developing a sustainable architecture of information systems and services Linking architectures – people move - there are other partnerships out there!