Knowledge transfer and action research - developing a city-wide model for whole household interventions in Sheffield
Lead Research Organisation:
Sheffield Hallam University
Department Name: Faculty of Development and Society
Abstract
The whole household approach can operate within different models, but key features include: a key worker providing assessment, direct support, advocacy, and referral to specialist services; a holistic understanding of behaviour and causes; intensive tailored support, targeted on causes as well as presenting problems; and a focus on whole households/families (and sometimes peers).
The proposed research is intended to inform and support the ongoing development of the whole household approach in Sheffield, where a vision exists to make it the main mechanism for designing and delivering services to the most vulnerable families in the city. This is a bold move, requiring significant shifts in organisational cultures, ways of working and allocating resources.
The researchers have already begun to engage with Sheffield City Council and its partners to exchange knowledge of whole household approaches, based on their previous studies. However, the evidence suggests that whole household approaches are hugely influenced by local factors (Nixon et al., 2006); thus, providing a strong case for more intensive, additional knowledge exchange and follow-on activity to situate the team's previous research within a Sheffield-specific context.
An action research approach is proposed, meaning that the research will be a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by the applicants but with the active participation of Sheffield-wide service providers. Informed by the applicants' previous research, the new activity will seek to:
1) help city-wide partners agree definitions to ensure a consistent understanding of what is meant by whole household and key worker approaches;
2) inform development of a city-wide key worker role, informed by existing prototypes;
3) inform development of a city-wide mechanism for referral to whole household intervention services;
4) explore and facilitate local partnership working around the whole household approach, by seeking to understand and address cultural, operational, and system barriers; and
5) develop a local calculator tool to demonstrate cost-benefits and inform collaborative funding arrangements for city-wide partners.
Research activities include in-depth interviews with senior managers and practitioners across Sheffield-wide service partners to understand existing systems, practices, and partnership working arrangements, and to explore barriers to implementing what is known to work for whole household approaches. In-depth interviews with recipients will explore how key elements of the whole household prototypes are working for the people they support. A costing tool will be developed for use by Sheffield-wide partners, to calculate the costs and benefits of the whole household approach, and to inform partnership funding arrangements. An event is planned to disseminate the findings to policy-makers and practitioners nationally.
This activity provides an exciting opportunity for a genuine shared learning experience between academia and wider public service. The project has the potential to lead to genuine improvements to the wellbeing of hundreds of vulnerable families in Sheffield and beyond.
The proposed research is intended to inform and support the ongoing development of the whole household approach in Sheffield, where a vision exists to make it the main mechanism for designing and delivering services to the most vulnerable families in the city. This is a bold move, requiring significant shifts in organisational cultures, ways of working and allocating resources.
The researchers have already begun to engage with Sheffield City Council and its partners to exchange knowledge of whole household approaches, based on their previous studies. However, the evidence suggests that whole household approaches are hugely influenced by local factors (Nixon et al., 2006); thus, providing a strong case for more intensive, additional knowledge exchange and follow-on activity to situate the team's previous research within a Sheffield-specific context.
An action research approach is proposed, meaning that the research will be a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by the applicants but with the active participation of Sheffield-wide service providers. Informed by the applicants' previous research, the new activity will seek to:
1) help city-wide partners agree definitions to ensure a consistent understanding of what is meant by whole household and key worker approaches;
2) inform development of a city-wide key worker role, informed by existing prototypes;
3) inform development of a city-wide mechanism for referral to whole household intervention services;
4) explore and facilitate local partnership working around the whole household approach, by seeking to understand and address cultural, operational, and system barriers; and
5) develop a local calculator tool to demonstrate cost-benefits and inform collaborative funding arrangements for city-wide partners.
Research activities include in-depth interviews with senior managers and practitioners across Sheffield-wide service partners to understand existing systems, practices, and partnership working arrangements, and to explore barriers to implementing what is known to work for whole household approaches. In-depth interviews with recipients will explore how key elements of the whole household prototypes are working for the people they support. A costing tool will be developed for use by Sheffield-wide partners, to calculate the costs and benefits of the whole household approach, and to inform partnership funding arrangements. An event is planned to disseminate the findings to policy-makers and practitioners nationally.
This activity provides an exciting opportunity for a genuine shared learning experience between academia and wider public service. The project has the potential to lead to genuine improvements to the wellbeing of hundreds of vulnerable families in Sheffield and beyond.
Planned Impact
This follow-on research will impact on three broad groups:
Practitioners and policy-makers in Sheffield - resulting from staff being actively encouraged to: learn about what works based on national research; reflect on the Sheffield experience of the approach; and together explore solutions to barriers to wider implementation.
Practitioners and policy-makers nationally - resulting from the sharing and promotion of the findings of this research so that practical lessons can be shared about how whole household and key worker approaches can be implemented on a city-wide scale.
Sheffield residents - in the medium-term, this work will have a wider economic and societal impact upon some of the most vulnerable people of Sheffield through improving the design and impact of services delivered by multiple public agencies; and will impact on the wider population of Sheffield as a result of reduced negative consequences such as crime and anti-social behaviour; and, through the more efficient and effective use of public funds.
It is also likely that these impacts will extend to the UK-wide population in the longer term, accruing from the impacts of the dissemination of the findings to central government, local authorities, and their service partners, through the planned national dissemination event; and through the proposed ongoing collaboration between Sheffield and other cities.
Practitioners and policy-makers in Sheffield - resulting from staff being actively encouraged to: learn about what works based on national research; reflect on the Sheffield experience of the approach; and together explore solutions to barriers to wider implementation.
Practitioners and policy-makers nationally - resulting from the sharing and promotion of the findings of this research so that practical lessons can be shared about how whole household and key worker approaches can be implemented on a city-wide scale.
Sheffield residents - in the medium-term, this work will have a wider economic and societal impact upon some of the most vulnerable people of Sheffield through improving the design and impact of services delivered by multiple public agencies; and will impact on the wider population of Sheffield as a result of reduced negative consequences such as crime and anti-social behaviour; and, through the more efficient and effective use of public funds.
It is also likely that these impacts will extend to the UK-wide population in the longer term, accruing from the impacts of the dissemination of the findings to central government, local authorities, and their service partners, through the planned national dissemination event; and through the proposed ongoing collaboration between Sheffield and other cities.
Publications
Batty, E (authors Listed Alphabetically)
(2016)
Whole Household Key Worker Interventions: Learning from Sheffield
| Description | Sheffield City Council's (SCC) strategic vision is to make the keyworker, whole household approach the main mechanism for delivering support services to families in a bid to achieve better outcomes and make best use of public resources. Achieving this requires significant organisational change for SCC and its partner services. This knowledge exchange project promoted a city-wide understanding of the 'whole household' and 'keyworker' approach. By developing a deep understanding of local context and juxtaposing this with national evidence. It also generated a framework to support improvements in the on-going development of the approach across the city. The project involved three strands of work: engagement with policymakers and practitioners to understand local opportunities and challenges; case study work with families to understand experiences and outcomes associated with keyworker interventions; and support and advice to SCC and its partners via workshops, meetings and reports. These activities revealed the challenges involved in maximising the benefits of the keyworker, whole household approach, identified priorities for action and generated workable solutions. Findings supported the production of a 'standards framework' to guide the effective operationalisation of SCC's strategic vision. Findings also supported the development of a multi-agency referral system for prevention and intervention work with households, and informed the development of the Family Common Assessment Framework (FCAF), which is currently being trialled in the city. |
| Exploitation Route | Impacts within Sheffield were furthered following the completion of the project in 2013 by a presentation of findings to the SCC Executive and the testing of solutions with service directors. Resulting improvements have helped: the city's vulnerable families; ensure more effective use of public funding; enhance efforts to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and worklessness. The project team maximised impacts on national policy and practice following the completion of the project through a briefing session with the DCLG Troubled Families team in November 2013, exploring barriers to upscaling whole household approaches. Learning is being shared with academic colleagues through the development of journals papers. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy |
| Description | Impact on Sheffield City Council Policy and Practice |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Operational reforms implemented by SCC in response to findings, advice and guidance include: Multi Agency Support Teams (MAST): the keyworker approach is mainstreamed through MAST. Reasons for underuse of MAST and factors undercutting keyworker performance were highlighted. Problem-solving workshops were facilitated with MAST managers and SCC senior executives (chaired by Head of Children Services). Family case studies highlighted benefits of key working and options for improving service delivery. Building Successful Families (BSF): BSF is SCC's project to deliver the Government's Troubled Families programme and involves a keyworker, whole household approach. The project team worked closely with BSF via regular briefings to the leadership team and a lead role in BSF stakeholder seminars. Research findings informed development of a standards framework, which seeks to ensure that whole household and keyworker principles are embedded in BSF delivery. Prevention and Assessment Teams (PAT) and Family Common Assessment Framework (FCAF): PAT are multi-agency partnerships providing a single ?front door? into services for children and families. SCC is also developing an assessment tool to replace the CAF, which promotes a whole household assessment. PAT and FCAF are in development and offer solutions to issues raised by this project: improving information sharing and decision-making; increasing the speed/accuracy of case allocation; demarcation of roles and responsibilities between services; promoting multi-agency assessments; providing a central referral point for partners, such as GPs. Understanding the costs and benefits of key working - qualitative insights into costs and benefits fed into ongoing efforts to include local costs and benefits in the national calculator designed by DfE. The viability and practicalities of collaborative funding arrangements for key working were also explored and potential barriers identified. |