Pathfinder identifies need to focus services more strongly on outcomes rather than process

The view in this authority was that the delivery of services to young people was generally good. At an operational level there was plenty of good activity going on, and the view at a strategic level was that the authority was delivering quality services. There was a need for senior staff to recognise that although they believed the above to be true; in reality the services might not be meeting the full needs of young people.

This was evidenced in the Discover stage of the process, when the response to the focused interview question asking young people to describe present services and what they hoped for in five years time threw up unexpected answers. 

The young people described present services in terms of process, for example friendly and accessible - "I'm listened to," was a typical quote - while practitioners hoped they would talk about services in a more outcome orientated way, for example "they help me achieve my goals"; "they support my needs," and so on.

Comments
The importance of outcome-related service delivery raised considerable discussion within the local area, along the lines of "it may appear that things are working well, but are we really focusing on what young people need?"

Further information
Relevant activities for this case study include conducting focused interviews and workshops, which are part of the activities in the Discover stage.

Click for further case studies relevant to the Discover stage of the targeted youth support change process.