March 2008
Rocket Science Lands in North East England
Welcome to Rocket Science’s first e-newsletter of 2008 and to the onset of Spring, which we are all looking forward to following the dark and cold months of winter.
Last week we opened our new office in Newcastle. We have wanted to set up a presence in the North East for some time to reflect the range and diversity of our work in the region. Cherri Blissett, our new Senior Consultant, has joined us from Alnwick Garden (and before that the Northumberland Strategic Partnership) and will be based in our office in Mosley Street, Newcastle and our activities in the NE will be led by Alistair Grimes.
As part of our commitment to the North East, we are launching the Rocket Science Seminar Series on High Performance in the public sector where we will be creating opportunities for public sector leaders in the NE to explore outstanding practice with a leading public sector innovator. Our first event on April 17th – Transforming Education; Driving Regeneration – will be led by Tim Byles CBE, former Chief Executive of Norfolk County Council and now Chief Executive of Partnership for Schools. Schools across England are currently undergoing a transformation and in this seminar Tim will describe the way in which this transformation is making a difference to the lives of young people and being used to drive local regeneration. He will explore the new kinds of partnerships that are developing between the public and the private sectors, how to make these work locally, and what the practical implications are for local government and other agencies.
These seminars are by invitation only and we will be sending out invitations this week, but there may be a few extra places available. If you work in the North East and are interested in attending, please email Andy Myers for more information.
Sub National Review Survey
Rocket Science has conducted research with over 60 authorities across the English regions on how they are responding to the Sub National Review for regeneration and economic development and economic duty. This has been done in conjunction with New Start magazine and a full article will appear in New Start over the coming weeks following publication of our report. The consultation on the SNR and economic duty is due imminently; if you are preparing or wanting to get involved, then this report will make essential reading for your organisation.
Key findings from the research show that there is a definite shift to placing economic development as a cross-cutting function led by the Chief Executives to meet the requirements of the SNR. This will inevitably lead to changes in structure and impact on an authority's ability to meet the timescales of the SNR. Nearly a third of authorities are not preparing to respond to the consultation which suggests that CLG will need to ensure that they maximise engagement and responses if they are to get representative responses. Of particular concern to authorities is how they will be able to deliver on this within a two-tier structure.
There are more findings and thinking around these issues covered in the report. If you would like a copy, please contact Caroline Masundire.
Latest News
The Flexible New Deal - giving Prime Contractors a competitive edge
The government has announced that the Flexible New Deal will shortly be the first employment programme to be contracted under the Department for Work and Pension's new commissioning strategy. This heralds a new level of contestability of public employment services and increased competition between providers to take on the demanding, but potentially highly rewarding role of prime contractor in different parts of the country.
Successful organisations will need to offer jobseekers more creative and innovative ways of helping them to overcome their specific barriers to work. This "personalisation" of the New Deal places even more importance within our welfare-to-work system on the role of Personal Advisers who will be required to advise, mentor and support jobseekers over a period as long as eighteen months, including the transition from worklessness into sustainable employment.
Rocket Science has developed, tested and refined a front-line advisers' skills assessment tool which, on the basis of extensive piloting, could give providers an all-important competitive edge in the welfare-to-work market. The online Tool was developed originally in collaboration with London Voluntary Service Council's Second Tier Advisers' Network and with adviceUK - the largest UK network of advice-providing organisations - to help front-line staff working in a range of advice and guidance organisations to assess their own competence against the core skills, knowledge and behaviours required in order to provide a high quality service.
The Tool's value lies in its capacity to pinpoint gaps and deficiencies which can then underpin targeted investment and support as part of a workforce development plan. The Tool also allows the evidence to be revisited in order to assess the impact of any remedial action taken in order to develop and retain a highly skilled and motivated frontline workforce. For further details on how this product can be used by welfare-to-work providers and other Information, Advice and Guidance agencies, read our skills leaflet or contact John Griffiths.
Newcastle Futures
Newcastle Futures (NFL) was set up in 2007 to co-ordinate a more joined up approach to welfare to work programmes in the city and its partners include the City Council, Jobcentre Plus, Newcastle College, the TUC, LSC, PCT and the NE Employer Coalition. Working as part of the Tyne and Wear City Region delivery, NFL is establishing its role as one of influencing policy and driving up the performance of providers through better co-ordination and piloting more effective case management. NFL has a cadre of 15 specialist case managers who work with local organizations on the ground to ensure that their clients receive a joined up service. The case managers are also piloting a cognitive behaviour interviewing technique in order to support the most disadvantaged in the labour market more effectively.
Rocket Science has been working with NFL to help it review its strategic focus and role in the light of the rapidly changing policy and delivery landscape. Our work involves Board workshops, identifying and testing the strategic and delivery options that present themselves, and creating a clear action plan describing their way forward. As part of the contract we are organising an exchange of best practice with similar organisations in Scotland.
Contact Alistair Grimes for more details on this and our other work on good practice exchange and the active management of learning networks.
The Wise Group in the North East
Following our work with the Glasgow based Wise Group to review its overall strategy, we will be working with Wise in the north east to develop business opportunities. This parallels our work with a number of other organisations working in the employability field - including FE Colleges, local providers and provider consortia - to help them position themselves in the new world of top tier providers and supply chains. The Wise Group was set up in 1983 and last year helped 3,650 unemployed people return to the labour market. It has a turnover of £21 million and is one of the largest social enterprises in the UK.
Our positioning support work to organisations includes helping them to consider their options - where they should position themselves in the contracting hierarchy, what their strengths and weaknesses are, where their specialist niche(s) may lie, how to manage and enhance their performance to meet the needs of demanding funders. For the Wise Group we will be researching opportunities around their key business areas, developing projects and funding applications and helping them to create new working relationships.
Contact Alistair Grimes for more details of this and our wider positioning work.
Health Care for Children in Scotland
Health care for children is an emotive subject at the best of times. When the Scottish Government began the process of reviewing specialist children's services, it was clear that many concerned parents as well as communities would have a lot to say about how services were currently performing, and what they should look like in the future. Letting people talk about their experiences is obviously an important part of the process but individuals can sometimes find it difficult to see beyond their personal circumstances and to consider the wider implications of the issues being discussed. Conducting a consultation around this subject requires a lot of tact, as well as in-depth knowledge of current issues in children's health.
The National Steering Group for Specialist Children's Services was set up with the task of reviewing services and developing a National Delivery Plan for Specialist Children's Services. The first part of this process, which was facilitated by Rocket Science, involved speaking to parents and carers, children and young people, voluntary organisations and health care professionals to identify the main issues. The draft delivery plan has now been released and Rocket Science has been awarded the contract to conduct the formal consultation.
We are using a range of approaches to gather the views and opinions of as many people as possible. Five regional consultation events, involving parents and carers, young people, voluntary organisations and health care professionals, are being held to gather views on the draft plan. There will be a series of seminars held in NHS Board areas, to establish contact with groups representing patients and the public. We are also analysing the results of an electronic survey which will allow other stakeholders and organisations to submit their views. Our approach means that all the people who are involved with children's health, from the staff who plan and deliver it, to parents and children, have a chance to be involved in helping to shape the development and delivery of children's services in Scotland.
For more details about designing and carrying out major consultation exercises, please contact Debbie Adams.
Mapping Poverty in Islington
Inner London provides particular insights into the barriers that cause social exclusion, simply because the area is full of wealth and opportunity, which co-exist with pockets of poverty. The reality for those experiencing persistent or recurrent poverty is that they are surrounded by - and yet isolated from - these mainstream economic and social opportunities.
Rocket Science has been working with the progressive Islington-based Cripplegate Foundation and has undertaken 120 interviews with 40 individuals over six months to understand life on low income in south Islington; in particular, how each individual gets by, how and when they use local services and what networks public, private and social (friends and families) they draw on. We're also working with local public, private and community organisations to explore how they currently engage with and support the community.
Of the many interesting issues emerging, two are worth mentioning. The first issue is that for the vast majority we're speaking to, their daily movements do not extend beyond a three mile radius from their home. The second issue relates to the significant role that 'trusted intermediaries' play in their lives. Whether it's a family member or a friend, someone from their child's school or a member of their religious network, these people influence and inform our individuals in important ways.
The richer and deeper understanding of poverty that will result from our work with Cripplegate will enable us to disaggregate the one-size-fits all notion of poverty, and thus develop support programmes that can be implemented in an informed and sensitive way.
Contact Andrew Carter for more details.
Women Developing London
The London office hosted the first Women Developing London event on January 28th launched by Deputy Mayor Nicky Gavron. Over 60 people attended and already the network has over 150 members join since January. If you would like to join WDL and attend our next event, click here to register.
Rocket Science Update
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Michael Roy as Senior Consultant. Michael joins us from the Scottish Government where he was one of the principal authors of their new skills strategy, and brings extensive experience of public policy, strategic development, and project management and design.
Congratulations to Andrew Attfield who submitted the winning entry to last issue's quiz on song titles.
Financial inducements are understood to be insufficient in personal development terms: The Beatles "Money can't buy me love"
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