Doing The Simple Things Well The Importance of Evidence Informed Practice

1. Doing The Simple Things WellThe Importance of Evidence Informed Practice Pam Robinson Deputy Director, Children and Families Children’s Services Department Hampshire County Council

2. Doing The Simple Things Well Evidence Based Practice is defined as “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the welfare of service users” (adapted from Sackett et al, BMJ 1996) “It is often difficult for professional programs like social work or counselling to establish and maintain a credible academic identity, when much of the credibility of the profession lies in its connections outside the traditional university – with the professional field, social care organisations, and the broader community. In addition, it is difficult for the traditional academic researcher to undertake research which is seen to be of immediate benefit in a field which is complex, changing and unpredictable. And in the newer professions, it is often difficult to establish the credibility of research, when traditional research is seen to be relatively distant from the workaday world of the practising professional.” (Proposal to establish a practice research development resource group, the Southampton Practice Research Initiative Network Group)

3. Doing The Simple Things Well Why is evidence based practice seen to be so difficult? A crisis of confidence • Tragedies • Change and wholescale policy reform • Changed structures • Changed legislation • Social re-engineering • Parallel universes

4. Doing The Simple Things Well Why is evidenced bases practice seen to be so difficult? A culture of externalised “it’s someone else’s job” • Government’s • Department’s • Local Authorities’ • Employers’ A training/professional development issue • Compare this to Educational Psychologists • Doctors • therapists

5. Doing The Simple Things Well Why is evidence based practice seen to be so difficult? A Capacity issue • Targeted services for the most vulnerable and resourcing levels • Dealing in crises. Time pressures An Employer’s Issue • Use of performance management/measurement frameworks • Value for money considerations – what works

6. Doing The Simple Things Well Why is evidence based practice seen to be so difficult? A Change or Pace of Change Issue • Back to Change for Children Agenda • Back to structural change • Changed tools and processes (Common Assessment Framework) • Changed accountabilities/reporting lines • Changed cultures

7. Doing The Simple Things Well When change promotes evidence-based practice The Children Act 1989 • Volumes of guidance and regulations • Family Rights Group • Family Group Conferences • Support to families

8. Doing The Simple Things Well When change promotes evidence – based practice Quality Protects • Letter to councillors • Corporate parenting • Performance indicators • Performance Assessment Framework Choice Protects • Placement stability • Permanence Framework for the Assessment of Children and Families • Initial assessments • Core assessments

9. Doing The Simple Things Well When change promotes evidence-based practice by accident! Care Leavers Legislation • Pathway Plans • Personal Advisers • Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs)

10. Doing The Simple Things Well When change promotes evidence based practice Every Child Matters and Outcomes • Being Healthy • Staying Safe • Enjoying and Achieving • Making a Positive Contribution • Enjoying Economic Well-Being The Children Act 2004 • Promoting well being duties • Safeguarding duties • Director of Children’s Services

11. Doing The Simple Things Well When change promotes evidence based practice Annual Performance Assessments • Outcomes reporting on all children • Integrating accountability for outcomes Joint Area Reviews • JAR data set • Outcomes reporting on vulnerable children Piloting for evidence base • On Track • Targeted Youth Support • Parenting Interventions (Triple P – Positive Parenting) • Children’s Fund • Youth Offending Teams • Intensive Treatment Fostering

12. Doing The Simple Things Well When local practice management promotes evidence based practice It costs money/resources – so it has to work really well It’s non statutory, so it has to prevent the need for statutory intervention Evaluating Schemes in Hampshire/Basing Schemes on Research • Family Group Conferences (Lupton and Stevens, Marsh and Crow) • Restorative Justice (Sherman and String) • Common Assessment Framework Training • Impact of Locality Teams

13. Doing The Simple Things Well When local improvements in training/ professional development promote evidence based practice Students • Researching mentoring schemes for care leavers P.Q. Awards • Practice teaching and outcomes Current practitioners supported • Quality of supervision • Health and safety of student placements

14. Doing The Simple Things Well A comparison PATHS SEAL THOMAS SIDNEY Triple P What are they?

15. Doing The Simple Things Well Confident schemes, used in whole school communities PATHS Providing Alternative Thinking Strategies SEAL Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning THOMAS The Hampshire Outline for Meeting the needs of under fives on the Autistic Spectrum SIDNEY Screening and Intervention for Dyslexia notably in the Early Years Research and evaluated schemes that build resilience Schemes researched, evaluated and published by a confident profession (“Doing The Simple Things Well”)

16. Doing The Simple Things Well The Comparison “permanence” “attachment disorder” “assessment” “therapy” “keepsafe work” Mantras that are repeated without understanding A culture that takes no responsibility at the personal or professional level

17. Doing The Simple Things Well Lord Laming report – Death of Victoria Climbie Inter-agency responsibility – failed Organisational responsibility – failed Professional responsibility – failed Personal responsibility – taxi driver Professional responsibility to do the simple things well Professional responsibility to evidence – base our actions Personal responsibility to use and promote research

18. Doing The Simple Things Well So what do we need to do? Address the crisis of confidence • Understand, embrace and celebrate the pace of change Address the culture and training and professional development • On social work training for a profession • On integrated training for a children’s workforce Address the capacity issue • Build resilience in universal services • Use multi-disciplinary approaches to crisis Embrace the performance management frameworks • Targets • Performance indicators/measures

19. Doing The Simple Things Well So what do we need to do? Promote policy/legislative change that is based in research of what works • Parenting • Youth Offending Teams Challenge policy/legislative change that is tabloid based • Demonisation of children • Criminalisation of children • Punishment of the poor Use integration to reduce “siege” • Workers with a chance to do prevention • Workers with a chance to pilot • Workers with a chance to evaluate

20. Doing The Simple Things Well So what do we need to do? Learn the lessons from integration • National strategies for schools • Educational psychology and research • Youth work • Parenting intervention Celebrate specialism • Senior practitioners/consultants • Define the roles • Be the “experts” Use the universities • Persuade them it’s not just social care • Marry them to policy change • Marry them to performance management and outcomes

21. Doing The Simple Things Well So what do we need to do? Take personal responsibility • for learning • for research • for teaching • for evidencing Take professional responsibility • for using “what works”

22. Do The Simple Things Well