Pathfinder aligns scope with existing integrated working initiative
| Provider | Training and Development Agency |
|---|---|
| Topics | Youth Matters |
| Type | Emerging practice |
| Date | June 2006 |
| Region | Not Applicable |
This pathfinder, like all authorities, already had a focus on integrated working. It wanted to establish targeted youth support (TYS) within its existing overall multi-agency working agenda.
The authority already had a Change for Children project looking at integrated working across services. This had senior level sponsorship and was driven in a top-down way, with a requirement to produce a plan for the delivery of integrated working across all services and the geographical area. The authority didn't want to see TYS as a separate initiative, particularly as the authority was undergoing significant restructuring.
The TYS project manager was determined to engage young people and ensure a bottom up focus for TYS, but found it very difficult to engage senior authority staff in any conversation about this.
The project manager proposed the pathfinder process and structure should closely match the existing integrated working work stream. This included widening the initial scope to a 519 years age range (much work had already been done on the pre-school group). While TYS wasn't the main focus of the work stream, it was explicit in the scope that a clear emphasis in the Discover stage would be on children and young people with additional needs.
Comments
Given the uncertainty across the authority, the pathfinder set out a clear process and structure to look at the impact of integrated working across the authority.
While there was resistance to another project focused on TYS, aligning it with an existing project helped manage expectations around the need to gather an evidence base and understanding across the different geographical areas of the authority. The top-down/bottom-up approach helped clarify the need to focus on TYS within the wider integrated working agenda.
Further information
Relevant activities for this case study include developing the project initiation document which is one of the activities in the Mobilise stage.
Click for further case studies relevant to the Mobilise
stage of the targeted youth support change process.
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