Making a Difference Through Consultancy Support
Dr Andy Gill, Principal Consultant and Clive Rushworth, Associate Senior Consultant were commissioned by a metropolitan Children’s Services Department that had received an ‘inadequate’ APA rating for Staying Safe. Their task was to offer management support and challenge to assist the authority in a time-limited recovery programme. An interim Assistant Director had also been appointed, the Department was subject to rigorous enhanced monitoring from the DCSF and regional Government Office and a time of 6 months was given to demonstrate significant progress in 7 key areas.
Dynamic and collaborative approach
Andy and Clive immediately gelled as a team, despite differing professional backgrounds; discovering shared professional values and standards, a dynamic and collaborative approach and possessing complementary skills and experience.
Andy’s primary role centred around developing and embedding a performance management culture, while Clive’s primary role focused on supporting a programme of safely reducing numbers of children in care.
An analysis of the wider issues and challenges facing the authority revealed that neither of these key areas could be dealt with in isolation and that a wider, more holistic solution would be necessary, to include strengthening of early intervention services. Although timescales were extremely tight and the operational pressures on services were considerable, an action plan was devised and implemented in conjunction with the pre-existing staff and management teams.
Energy and passion leads to responsibility and ambition
Andy’s focus, primarily on the activities surrounding thresholds for intervention, initial and core assessments, utilised tried and tested Outcomes Based Accountability methodology. With characteristic energy and passion, Andy engaged and enthused operational and support staff to embrace key data sets contained within a monthly Safeguarding Report Card. Accountable managers took responsibility for the performance of their teams through the use of ‘Turning the Curve’ exercises to develop ‘Talk to Action Plans’.
Clive led on developing an ambitious yet well researched and financially coherent Invest to Save bid, designed to re-focus resources, from expensive targeted services to those for early intervention, over a 5 year period, offering net savings to the authority within 3 years and building on the momentum of work already underway in the authority. This they embraced despite a very difficult economic environment.
Noticeable and sustained upturn
The impact of the intervention was dramatic and immediate. Performance in the 7 key areas showed a noticeable and sustained upturn. Morale within the service improved as staff regained their energy, enthusiasm and confidence from the leadership offered by the interim team. The DCSF and Government Office were impressed with the speed of the recovery, the results achieved and the ability of the authority to sustain the improvement. As a consequence, the subsequent APA rated safeguarding as ‘adequate’. An impressive achievement, especially in the context of the events that were unfolding in Haringey at the time the APA judgements were announced.
The DCSF, Government Office, Senior Management and staff have all been highly complimentary in their appreciation of the work undertaken by the Outcomes UK team. Work is currently underway to implement a succession plan and deliver a legacy that will enable to authority to move into 2009 and beyond with confidence and a clear route map.
To quote the Government Office senior representative, “it shows what can be done when you get consultants in!”