Working Collectively to Improve Outcomes for Children and Young People -the challenges for Sector-Led Improvement

 Adaptive Leadership.  Wicked Issues.  The Authorising Environment.

 Most local authorities will see a 20% cut in budgets between  Looking forward most analysts believe another 15-20% cut will happen between

 All surveys of local people’s views and priorities give broadly similar results......

 Keith Grint slide ◦ Increase in workload and punitive response  Why haven't they done a good enough job?  Not normally about voting for more money for social workers.

 Politician ◦ How does he get voted in when he has to cut all the services voters care about.  DCS ◦ How does she even manage to retain the resources she has against growing pressures with everyone else taking massive cuts.

 Adaptive Leadership ◦ This is not a place where past or present tools will work.  The tough questions need to be brought to the centre of attention for constructive debate.  There may not be a solution ◦ Just steps along the way to try different ways of tackling old challenges.

 Can we help the politician with his challenges.  Who else in the authorising environment could be constructively engaged.  Are we prepared to try new things – and live with the ambiguity this would bring?  There are already good examples of engagement and shift in emphasis and delivery

 Understand the linkages to political priorities.  Work corporately with others.  Bring new solutions to the table.

 Politician ◦ Local community concerns ◦ Graffiti, anti-social behaviour ◦ Hanging around on streets ◦ Neighbour disputes  Corporate ◦ Housing ◦ Streetcare ◦ Parks Patrol  Police ◦ Crime reduction targets ◦ Resources

 Commission new Services  Domestic Violence  Mentoring & Support  Drug/Alcohol programmes  Early help  Housing Cutting into underlying community concerns and political priorities.

 Do we know it will help?  Do we know it will save money?  Some growing evidence base of programmes that work and make a difference.  But.....

 We are much more likely to get politician/partner attention and dialogue.  We have moved into a new space, trying new solutions to old challenges

 Single point of contact  MASH  Must share the power of intelligence to use scarce resources wisely

 Overcome data sharing issues  Harness the power of MASH/Customer intelligence to be able to commission wisely  Powerful information will influence the authorising authorities  Be prepared to radically embrace systems/process to save time and money ◦ Foster carers, adopters

 Do you know what your Council’s philosophy or operating model is?  Have you tried to understand and engage with it?  Authorisers are more likely to agree with your plans if they feel you are on the same page as them.

 Understand what they want.  Great intelligence will help engagement.  Constructive dialogue and problem solving with partners and authorisers.  Think of all the players and how they can contribute to the solution.  This may allow experiment, change and re- investments.  And some more holistic solution for individuals and the community.

 New systems and ways of working saves money that might otherwise come from children services.  Embracing a wider concept of how children's needs fit with wider society needs could get further to the root cause.  The system is changing – a more reflective response to these changes may open new doors.

 OFSTED does not feel like a learning process though it can effect change quickly – sometimes brutally.  Sector-Led work can be more reflective and safer.  But it does require being open to challenge, change and new ideas.

 From London Regional Safeguarding Advisers as well as current programme.  Coalition of the willing.  Many people are trying innovative things but there seems a reluctance to share  Taking time out to learn is still a struggle  Setting self imposed improvement targets still seems hard

 The system is on the move.  Lots of innovation taking place.  Resources are scarce – why not copy.  OFSTED will continuity raise the bar to the best.  Learning and constructive engagement is at the heart of adaptive leadership and tackling wicked issues.