Involving social care in the redesign of TYS services
| Provider | Training and Development Agency |
|---|---|
| Topics | Targeted youth support |
| Type | Emerging practice |
| Date | October 2006 |
| Region | Not Applicable |
Abstract
Social care services within the unitary authority recognised the need to be involved in design and development of locality based targeted services to reduce the need for referrals to higher level services and improve the process of referrals.
Situation
This unitary local authority has developed a strategic plan for locality based teams in each of three areas within the city. These locality teams will be responsible of universal and targeted youth support services within these area boundaries. The teams were initially based on the idea of the youth service and Connexions coming together as an integrated youth service. The pathfinder process was used to engage a wider service/stakeholder group in the design of the service based on the locality in order to ensure more effective targeting of resources.
Challenge
Engaging children's services in a project that was initially perceived as a youth service and Connexions issue.
Response
The city-wide social care team were fully engaged in the process of helping to establish the clear case for change, building stakeholder commitment and developing the design and processes for the locality-based team. They recognised that while the social care services might not be a permanent constituent part of the locality team, there needed to be clear information sharing links, agreed referral processes and lines of responsibility through to Tier 3/4 services.
There was clear recognition that to be involved at this stage would enable the necessary links, processes and responsibilities to be collaboratively developed. This stemmed from an understanding that improving targeted services for young people in the area of the city would lead to better outcomes for young people before the need to engage their service. At the same time as reducing the flow of cases up through the tiers, being involved at this stage would also ensure the return flow would be better managed and coordinated. Due to this level of engagement in the process, the team became integral to the development of a wider remit for the locality with the result that the new matrix management model for the locality team included social workers and support workers.
Comments
The key element in this process was the recognition by senior managers within the service that while the focus of the locality teams will be at lower levels of need, and at early stages of intervention, their involvement in the design of the systems will benefit their service in the medium to long-term through fewer, more accurately assigned referrals.
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