Joining up: Address to West Midlands DCS Annual

Conference

Nick Whitfield, Chief Executive, Achieving for Children

Our vision

“We support children to live safe,

happy, healthy and successful lives”

(The secret is we have a single focus)

Our promises

We will:

• put children and young people first

• embrace diversity and champion inclusion

• be resourceful, adaptable and dependable

• nurture strong, responsive and caring relationships

• value and invest in our staff to deliver innovative and quality

services

• work with our customers to deliver the most effective solutions for

them

About us

• A Community Interest Company

• Created and owned by Kingston and Richmond Councils

• Established in 2014 (after 3 years solid effort)

• Largest ‘spin out’ nationally

• Supported by the Cabinet Office Mutuals Programme and DCLG

About us

• Shaped by our geography

and a belief that schools are

the answer and work best in

localities

• £3m savings in year 1 without affecting the front line on a £70m budget

• The renewing of our partnerships including the LSCB

• Continued success of and buy in by our partner schools

• Appointed by the DfE as Intervention Advisers

• Won £1.1m of innovation funding to develop new models of foster care

Some early successes

• Launched a portfolio of traded services to councils and schools,

with all profits reinvested back into services for children, young

people and families

• Improved retention of staff

• Staff satisfaction on the up

• And... the Ofsted result

Some early successes

• Richmond Ofsted inspection in 2012: good

• Kingston Ofsted inspection in 2012: inadequate

• Kingston re-inspected in 2013 showing signs of improvement but still

inadequate – a very odd inspection

• Inspected again in May 2015… GOOD across all inspection categories

“Services to children and their families have been transformed since the last

inspections of children looked after services and safeguarding” - Ofsted

• Now awaiting our Richmond inspection

Our Ofsted journey

Joining up

• Significant savings in management

• Significant savings in buildings

• Joint opportunities for recruitment and retention

• Expertise can be used across two authorities

Joining up and Transforming

Transforming

• The ability, as one employer, to create a single culture

• The opportunity to think differently and more creatively

• Opportunities to work with the private sector (their willingness)

• Current Central Government thinking favouring new forms

• Additionality through freed up forms of governance

Joining up and Transforming

• It takes longer than you imagine

• Relationships and personalities do matter

• Politicians for ill or good will be an issue

• Single focus for children can leave gaps for the council

• Need to push back on unnecessary compliance and bureaucracy

• Moral purpose can take you only so far

• Communication is key

• It is worth it!

Lessons Learned

Doing It DifferentlyOur approach to transforming children’s services

Date: 14 January 2016, 10am to 5pm

Location: Coin Street Conference Centre, South Bank, London

Register online: www.achievingforchildren.org.uk/Doing-It-Differently

Find out more…

Questions?