Empowering Youth Services through Innovation and Quality Leadership

1. Innovation in youth servicesThe Quality Leaders Project (Youth) empowers young people Shiraz Durrani; Elizabeth Smallwood; Hannah Richens; Catherine Lusted 2008 EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development "Empowering the Public: Management Development Implications of Further Public Services Reforms in Personalising Services, and Applying New Management Tools to Create Public Value“ Irish Management Institute, Dublin, Ireland 29-30 May 2008

2. Need for change and innovation • Global changes: globalisation, technological developments and rise of BRIC countries • National laws and policies change with times • Services to young people often marginalised, traditional models have not worked • Thus urgent need for change and innovation • All these have implication for management development: QLP-Y a possible way forward EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

3. UK Government’s vision for public servicesPublic value • Value created through public funding that requires managers to interact with public to design, plan, provide & evaluate service provision to ensure that services are responsive to citizens’ needs • Services need to seek ways to better engage and discuss with the public about outcomes citizens want and thus create services that respond to the real needs of citizens EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

4. User-driven services • ‘Unlock talent’ in local communities by giving citizens more power over decisions & services • 2009: local authorities statutory duty to inform, consult, involve local people in running services • User-driven services go beyond user consultation, user representation: they actively involve people in service design and delivery EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

5. Personalisation of services • Move beyond choice in service providers to involvement by citizens in design of service • Shift from service provision (e.g. performance against targets) to deal with needs of people • Thus move toward personalised public services requiring ‘service transformation’ (1) • Requires fundamental shift in the way services delivered EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

6. Co-production • Service users work with practitioners and professionals to ‘co-produce’ desired outcomes • Successful public services will both enable and engage people they serve • Better value for money will hinge on improved outcomes that can be expected from increased user involvement in service provision EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

7. Managers & professionals • “Move out of traditional roles as ‘experts’ and ‘providers’ into partnership models that work with ‘clients’ and ‘communities’ • Find a solution together to the complexity of their problem … redefine the ‘problem’ • Move from being ‘fixers’ who focus on problems to ‘catalysers’ who encourage people’s abilities(1) EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

8. Roles for service professionals • Advisers: helping users to assess needs • Navigators: help users find services • Brokers: helping users to put together a package of services that meets their needs • Service: direct service provision • Risk assessors & auditors: helping users assess risks that may arise (1) EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

9. Managing resistance to change • Service professionals likely to be wary about perceived threats to their autonomy and expertise; might resist giving users a bigger role • Government has a key role in changing culture of public service; programmes for public service skills, e.g. Professional Skills for Government • Public service staff should be driven by strong belief in public service and personal commitment to people they serve(1) EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

10. The Quality Leaders Project (Youth) • Barnet, Haringey, Lincolnshire, Portsmouth • Provide Quality Leader (QL) for 2 days per week and a QLP-Y team led by QLs • Also provide mentor & sponsor for QLs • Project Group (London Met.) provides vision, academic input, support and co-ordination • QLs consult young people and develop service development plans; implement the plan over 2+ years • Project independently evaluated • Funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

11. The Quality Leaders Project (Youth) offer • Knowledge: policies & laws; greater awareness, innovation; equality & justice; communities • Skills: strategic management & leadership; consulting & empowering young people; editing, writing & research; change agents • Experience: prepare & implement service development proposals; lead teams • Learning outcomes: academic credits EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

12. Learning • Expand horizons, widen perspectives, broaden outlook: global, national, local • Respond to trends, laws and policies • Learn by doing; work based learning; activist approach: theory to practice & back to theory • Critical reflective practice; time and space to think; express views and question policies & “practices that deaden” EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

13. Developing understanding • Role of information in ensuring social justice • Analyse political, social and economic context of information • Co-production & partnerships: between & within local authorities; young people & service professionals • Connect academic world with: workplaces; professions; local government; communities EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

14. QLP-Y in Barnet • Following consultation with young people, QL initiated & supported a film by young people • ‘I’m Lovin’ the Library’: library from their eyes, telling us what they want from the service • QL organised Playstation competition: • Reached 131 young people in three days • 70% were male; included high proportion of BME • 3% disabled; 2% asylum seekers or refugees EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

15. QL leads on Library Youth Board • Liberation (slavery): dance skills, lyric and poetry writing skills, music composition • Drama: gangs & bullying as requested by young people. Drama filmed & edited by young people; premiere held • Next: residential weekend for youth core group, develop team skills for a formal Library Youth Board – QL leads on this EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

16. QLP-Y develops QL and service • Challenges library stereotypes, encourages the socially excluded into libraries • Increases membership & visitor numbers • Develops sustainable relationship with Youth Service, charities, businesses and young people • Breaks staff stereotypes of young people leading to a more welcoming, positive attitude • Peer recommendation for service • QL leads, and learns from, this process EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

17. The QLP-Y ethos • Give up power to gain greater strategic power • Bring justice to workplace: empower users • Activist managers on the side of citizens • Show there is an alternative to the “normal” • Break barriers: hierarchical, cultural, silos • Create time and space to think; share ideas • Manage resistance, take risks, change cultures EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

18. QLP-Y empowering the public • QLP-Y is a comprehensive model that addresses personalisation of services and the creation of public value by an innovative management development programme that empowers managers themselves with new vision, knowledge, skills and experiences EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

19. Personal testimony - 1 • “Participation in QLP has changed my life by enabling me to see clearly the ‘bigger picture’. It has been an intellectually stimulating, and frequently a challenging experience. It has provided first hand evidence of how libraries really can change the lives of some of our most vulnerable and needy young people” – Quality Leader (1) EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

20. Personal testimony - 2 “As QL, I have had opportunities I would never have been offered otherwise. By working in partnership with agencies and council departments I have developed my negotiating and networking skills. My ability to work with young people has improved, I now feel confident talking to them outside of a teacher/student role. My confidence has grown enormously. Seeing my achievements in action is so rewarding and my lifetime fear of public speaking is reducing. My project management skills have progressed hugely. By always finding a solution to problems that arise, I am beginning to feel less anxious when things go wrong” – QL(1) EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI

21. Personal testimony - 3 “What makes QLP-Y different is the conscious link made between the development of services and the development of staff. Participation in QLP-Y has taught us the value of using initiatives such as the film project, not simply to improve services, but also as a tool to develop key leadership skills within our staff. Through the experiences afforded by leading the QLP-Y project, which are beyond those inherent in her day to day role, the QL has developed considerable confidence and management skills which will benefit the long term development of the library service. She has become an ambassador for young people and her influence is contributing to service-wide cultural change”–Mentor(1) EFMD Conference on Public Sector Management Development (May 2008) IMI