Commissioning in children’s services: What works?
Pressures to do more with less are likely to be exacerbated now Britain has voted to leave the European Union – it is too soon to judge the full effects of the referendum result, but domestic funding will most likely be impacted, and planning in the short term will become more difficult. As pressure to improve outcomes under resource constraints increases, it is likely that so too will the number of local authorities opting to outsource at least part of their children’s services. With this in mind, this report looks at domestic and international examples to identify some of the features common to outsourcing which seem to be working well, and possible pitfalls to avoid, to help inform this rapidly developing […]
Cues for System Change, January 2017
The idea that underpins the Cues for change is that as policy-makers and those in leadership roles, within the public sector and local government in particular, you must be able and willing to explore the forces that drive change, to anticipate change and to develop an understanding of the possible impact that these changes may have. If leaders are more aware of the bigger picture, the prize is being better able to plan for uncertainty and become more adaptable in meeting change as it happens. The pace of change facing local government is unrelenting. Budget constraints, increasing demand, assessing more complex needs, technological advances, party politics and constitutional reform all create a turbulence and challenge for the public sector. The […]