Service Design in Government - Thriving Families in Derbyshire
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Transcript of Service Design in Government - Thriving Families in Derbyshire
Sarah Eaton @saraheaton1
Head of policy and Research at Derbyshire County Council
Martha Hampson @marthie
Head of Innovation Practice at Innovation Unit
Ajo Clua @ajoclua
Service Designer at Innovation Unit
Service Design in Government 2015, 19th March,
London
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Thriving Families is a project about
redesigning support for families with
complex needs.
We started our journey by talking to families,
giving them a space to tell us their stories.
Alison’s Story
How does the story make you feel?
What’s surprising?
What questions does it raise?
Think about…
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Alison Riley was referred to Thriving
Families as a single person with rent arrears
and no dependants.
What we found when we went to visit her
was a very different picture to the one we
thought we knew.
Aliso
n
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Alison’s 14 year old grandson lives
with her full time (unofficially) as he
is treated badly by his stepfather.
Alison’s sister stays
most weekends with
her three autistic sons.
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Family
Alison lives in a three bedroom house with her oldest
grandson, James, and provides support for her mum
who lives in a nursing home. Alison is currently
unemployed, having been made redundant a year
ago, but is actively looking for work. She also has
ideas about setting up a business but doesn’t know
how to or who to speak to.
Alison brings her elderly mother to the house in a
wheelchair every day because she worries that the
care home is understaffed and cannot properly meet
her needs.
Alison also provides respite care for her sister, Julie,
who has three sons with autism. Julie and her sons
live in Nottingham, but stay with Alison every
weekend so Julie can visit her mum in the nursing
home and Alison can help to look after the boys.
“I felt guilty about putting
mum in a nursing home”
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Money
Alison receives £140 a fortnight to support her and
James. However, because James is living with her
unofficially, she pays bedroom tax of £40 a fortnight
on two of the bedrooms in the house. After
electricity, gas and telephone bills this leaves her
with just under £40 a fortnight to live on.
Alison is determined to keep her house as fewer
bedrooms would mean her sister and nephews could
no longer stay with her. She sees the tax as
something she has consciously decided to pay,
having weighed up the benefits to her family of
spending time together.
Alison has stopped going out with her friends as she
can no longer afford it.
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Health
Alison needs an operation on her foot but is worried
about the impact this would have on James and Liz.
Alison doesn’t have a car and, because she can’t
afford public transport, she walks everywhere. She
walks to Liz’s nursing home every day, some days
takes her walks in the woods nearby.
Alison also walks to Ilkeston to go shopping as she
doesn’t like the shops in Cotmanhay because she
said she didn’t feel comfortable using them. Alison is
worried that her foot might get worse and get to a
point where she is unable to walk at all.
Alison’s Story
How does the story make you feel?
What’s surprising?
What questions does it raise?
Share with your neighbour…
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
• We simply don’t know enough about people’s lives:
their ambitions, their dreams, their struggles
• We make huge assumptions about what their lives are
like and what they need
• We don’t provide services in ways that support them
What did this story make us think?
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
• In Derbyshire almost 17% of children and young people
under the age of 20 live in poverty.
• Families with multiple needs face underlying difficulties
which combine to perpetuate disadvantage even further.
• The cost of families with complex needs is around
£75,000 per family per year, most of which is spent in
reaction to crisis.
• For many families this support is too little, too late.
Why Thriving Families?
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
1. Securing better outcomes for families with
complex needs at less cost
2. Helping thriving families continue to thrive
3. Preventing families falling into crisis
The aims of the programme
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
1. Work collaboratively
2. Take a family-centred approach
3. Build on existing knowledge and insight
4. Challenge how the system works where appropriate
5. Active engagement of our senior leaders
6. Make things happen in our communities
Our commitments
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
• Areas where we can use and build on
existing resources
• Areas with strong existing networks
to work with and build on
• Areas with diverse families, needs
and aspirations
• Areas that require big structural
issues to be tackled
A focus on four localities
About Innovation
Unit
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
We use innovation to build
radically different public
services with significantly
better outcomes and
significantly lower costs
Our design process
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON THE
CHALLENGE
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON
SOLUTIONS
Discover Define Develop Deliver
(Double Diamond Design Process, Design Council UK)
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What we did I Ethnographic
research
• Learning from families
• Engaged families in a different way
• Engaging staff in a new process
• Exploring the ‘need behind the need’
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
In-depth qualitative research to learn about the
needs, aspirations and assets of 10-15 families
in each locality.
50+trained staff
33families
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What we did | Co-design
• Building a shared mission + vision
• Talking about shared problems in a safe
space
• Getting to the heart of what good support
looks like
35
families
We spoke to families where they are to find out
what they value in services and what kind of
support works best for them.
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What we found out
Cotmanhay
• Hyper-local existence
• Stigma of the area and its
negative impact on the people
living and working there
• Lack of confidence but a
desire to do something /
change something / leave
• Perception of ‘Them and Us’:
local people vs service
providers
• Lots of amazing people doing
lots for others
Gamesley
• Strong bonding capital and a
desire to live in Gamesley, as
close family as possible
• Low/modest aspirations
• Managing on a low budget,
family members ‘helping one
another out’ in times of need
• A traditional work ethic but
many people not in work – a
lack of skills or the wrong skills,
transport problems
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What do ‘good’ services look like?
Honesty, trust and open
communication
Ability to admit and explain
mistakes
Dependability and keeping
promises
Getting the basics right
Connecting to the family: making
families feel welcome
Respect: taking time to listen
Working together: with families,
with each other
Seeing the whole, not just parts of
the picture
Challenging what counts as
‘normal’
Taking time to understand root
problems
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
A new set of principles
We need to be…
• Always learning about families and communities, what works, how
to do things better.
• Human. Prioritise building relationships, take time to listen and
understand.
• A positive force for change in the lives of families and across
communities. Proactive, not reactive.
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
We need to have…
• Trust & honesty that works in both directions. Keep our promises.
Be dependable. Admit mistakes. Be truly accountable.
• Practical & sustainable services, relationships and interactions that
provide consistency and are of real benefit.
• Agility & flexibility to respond to changing circumstances and try
new ways of doing things. Help families to have this too and support
their transition points.
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
We need our services to…
• Meet real needs and get the basics right.
• Build community capacity to be able to take ownership of and
pride in its future.
• Focus on family outcomes above all else.
• Form alliances and work in partnership, with families and each
other.
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What if services…
Were truly joined up, working together for co-designed, shared outcomes
Focused on tackling core problems not treating symptoms
Worked on a much longer timescale
Were structured by area, becoming neighbourhood experts
Had access to data and local knowledge
Tried things out, even if they didn’t work first time, and were honest about their
mistakes
Empowered front-line staff to take action
Had time to really get to know a family and build up trust
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What we made | 8 ideas
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Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What we did | Prototyping
• Involving people with early ideas to learn
what is most important for them
• Prototyping, not (yet) piloting
• A safe way to learn: fail early, fail fast45families
“We’ve never been asked our opinion in
this way before”
Cotmanhay resident at prototyping workshop
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Prototyping | Insights
• People only come into the system when they are defined as a
‘problem’ and this deficit model is both damaging and unhelpful.
• Volunteering, helping and caring for others is not a just selfless
good deed but forms supportive relationships and gives people
a sense of purpose and community.
• People can become invisible to services: supporting
others alone, struggling to cope, nowhere to go, isolated.
• Communities need an open, friendly space not
dictated or overshadowed by individuals. Community
groups need to be more visible and connected.
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What we made | 3 new models
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Integrated working
between services
New relationship
between services +
community
Family-led support
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What we’re doing | Implementing
• Building a business plan
• Gathering evidence & talking to people
(families and council staff), looking at things
we’ve done in the past & why didn’t it work
• Working together in new ways
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Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Alison
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Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
What next?
• Running the three service ideas/pilot from May
• Continuing the design process in three other localities
• Spreading the process to other council departments
• Looking for opportunities to join things up (HWB on social capital
and health outcomes)
• Training up professionals: council staff and partners
• Finding new opportunities for local people to get involved
• Spreading the word!
Reflections
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
• Disciplined process has been vital
• Having a critical friend (especially someone who is not as close as you
are)
• Grabbing like-minded people when you find them… and getting them
interested and involved
• But recognising that you can’t wait for absolutely everyone to get it
• Gathering evidence to reinforce the case for change
• Not giving up. Keep energy and not letting anything distract you
• Training members of staff to innovate to create sustainable innovation
“I wish we’d known how easy it was to do it”• Go and speak to people
• Go where people are
• How much ambition people have in the community and their
ambition for things to change
• Having the belief that you can do this and that you are not
alone
What do we wish we’d known
before we started?
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
“I wish we’d known how hard it would be to change”• It’s a slow process – there are quick wins but culture change
takes a long time and can’t be rushed
• You need determination and stamina
• Having council departments signed up and believing in the
project
Reflections
How could you use this approach in
your own work?
What are the barriers to doing this
work?
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
Thank you!
Innovation Unit l Derbyshire County Council © Copyright 2015
For more information on Thriving Families please contact:
Martha Hampson, [email protected]
@innovation_unit
Sarah Eaton, [email protected]