The Transformation of Services for Young People in Surrey County Council
This case study was written by Chris Tisdall (2014).
Introduction
From 2009-2012, Services for Young People (SYP) underwent a transformation from delivering services to young people to commissioning outcomes for young people, whilst reducing its budget by £4.5 million or 25%. Since then, the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Surrey has more than halved, standing at 429 at the end of March 2014, with national data showing that Surrey had the joint lowest NEET proportion in England between November 2013 and January 2014.
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Objectives
There were a number of key drivers of the transformation of Surrey SYP. Firstly, it was about responding to need. Between 2003 and 2012, at any one time, around 1,000 young people were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Surrey. Despite considerable investment and much excellent work by practitioners, Surrey County Council (SCC) had not achieved lasting social change. Secondly, there was a political focus on improving outcomes for young people. The Leader of SCC had publicly announced he wanted ‘no young person to be NEET in Surrey’. And thirdly, the service needed to reduce its budget by 25% over three years.
It was not possible for SYP to reconcile these seemingly conflicting challenges by continuing to deliver services in the same way – instead it needed to transform so that it could achieve significantly more with significantly less.
Leadership and change management
SYP embarked on a three-year change journey in 2009 to transform itself from a deliverer of services to a commissioner of outcomes by April 2012. This demanded a wholesale decommissioning of its four historical services (Connexions, Youth Justice, Youth Development and 14-19 Commissioning) and the commissioning of a new system focussed on key outcomes for young people. A dedicated team was established to deliver the change programme required to achieve this transformation.
The journey began with the most comprehensive needs assessment of young people ever undertaken in Surrey, drawing together data and intelligence from a wide range of sources and partners as well as the views and perceptions of young people. It highlighted that while the majority of the 100,000 13-19 year olds in Surrey make a successful transition to adulthood, around 10,000 (or ‘One in Ten’, the title of the published needs assessment report) faced additional, often multiple, barriers to making this transition. Designing a system that better targeted this group, who were more at risk of poorer outcomes than their peers, quickly emerged as a focus of the transformation.
Building on this needs assessment, the project team undertook an extensive consultation with young people, partners and stakeholders to co-design a young people’s outcomes framework. The framework that emerged had a clear focus around developing young people’s economic wellbeing, the key performance measure being young people’s participation in education, training and employment (PETE) from the ages of 16 to 19.
The next stage involved options appraisal of potential delivery vehicles for the County Council’s priority outcomes and developing a business case for change. This process explored a wide range of possibilities, in consultation with young people, staff and partners, as well as extensive exploration of how service overheads might be reduced. It also introduced a new logic model to local government commissioning – the logical framework – which has been developed over the last 30 years in the field of international development. Following this approach enabled the design of a system where the logical links between commissioned activity and the social change that Surrey CC wanted to achieve (increased PETE) had been tested, whilst providing clarity from the outset on how impact would be measured.
Alongside this, a great deal of thought and energy went into the developing the market for young people’s services in Surrey. The transformation towards outcomes meant a significant shift in mindset for potential providers as well as SCC staff and Members. Particular focus was given to developing the market’s understanding of co-production, outcomes based commissioning and logical frameworks, which were to be at the heart of SYP’s approach.
The SYP business case was approved by the Council’s Cabinet in December 2010 and started a formal restructure of SYP and a procurement exercise to identify the best providers of the newly-designed operating models during 2011. Whilst successful in achieving its intended results, the complexity of the procurement was a shock to the system for some third sector providers. Despite this, there were examples of really innovative practice, including involving young people as co-commissioners of local services through youth task groups - decision-making panels comprising young people, elected Members and partners. The procurement exercise won an award for ‘Best Public Procurement’ in 2012 from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, particularly acknowledging the success in reshaping the market to get better value, rather than simply squeezing the supply chain in response to budget pressures.
A final crucial dimension of the transformation was change management. The major budget cuts faced and the time frame in which to implement the changes meant strong leadership was essential to get the process started quickly, to maintain the Council’s ambition throughout, and to overcome constraints. Whilst the vision for change was not, at first, universally supported, the focus on outcomes and clarity of goal were key factors in its eventual success. Alongside this, considerable effort was put into engaging staff throughout the process and protecting or even increasing front-line delivery wherever possible.
Since April 2012, the SYP model has continued to evolve in response to changing needs of young people. During 2013 SYP re-commissioned its Local Prevention Framework, in response to an initial service evaluation, through a streamlined procurement process. Since its inception in January 2012, the integrated Youth Support Service (YSS) has proved particularly resilient in the face of ongoing change, being identified as the best delivery vehicle for new work around homelessness, Children in Need, and mental health, whilst also establishing a re-engagement offer for young people who would otherwise be NEET. This demonstrates the power of an integrated, holistic delivery model that places service-users at the centre, rather than services that are narrowly defined by the specific function they provide.
The change management process was also supported through continuous learning. In 2013 a comprehensive internal review was carried out by Richard Stockley and Chris Tisdall (the author of this case study) and in 2014 Birmingham University and Governance International were commissioned to undertake an external evaluation.
The SYP operating model
Youth Support Service (YSS): An in-house, specialist, integrated casework service, providing holistic, one-to-one support to the most vulnerable young people in Surrey, in particular those who are NEET, who have offended, and are at risk of homelessness.
Pathways SEND: An in-house specialist service supporting young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) during their transition from compulsory to post-compulsory learning or employment.
Year 11/12 Transition: An externally commissioned service providing mentoring and targeted information, advice and guidance to young people who are identified in partnership with secondary schools as at risk of becoming NEET.
Local Prevention Framework: A range of locally bespoke, externally commissioned services, co-designed by and operating in local communities. All services are focussed on the outcomes of removing barriers to participation for young people who at risk of becoming NEET and of increasing their resilience.
Centre Based Youth Work: Open-access youth work offered from 41 youth centres across Surrey, targeted by geographic area and by locally identified needs. Provision is currently managed by third sector providers, with practice quality assured through the Surrey Quality Mark, developed in partnership with the National Youth Agency.
Individual Prevention Grants (IPGs): Currently delivered by the YSS, IPGs provide flexible, immediate funding for young people who are NEET, or at risk of becoming NEET, to help them overcome barriers to participation in education, training and employment.
Youth Small Grants: Flexible, locally devolved funding for grants to small voluntary sector organisations to enable: more quality youth work to be delivered locally; more young people to participate in education, training and employment; and more young people to be kept safe from crime or anti-social behaviour.
Skills Centres: A daytime, co-designed foundation learning offer, based in local youth centres, to engage young people who would otherwise be NEET and to support their progression.
Leader’s Ready for Work Programme: A mid-term adjustment to the SYP operating model that developed three learning pathways for young people: re-engagement; pre-employment; and apprenticeships. ‘Re-engagement’ provides locally tailored one-to-one and group work support to young people who would otherwise be NEET, based on an employability curriculum and focussed on progression. ‘Pre-employment’ develops work experience, work trial and employment opportunities for young people. ‘Apprenticeships’ has provided grants to local employers who recruit young people as apprentices.
Surrey Outdoor Learning and Development (SOLD): An in-house outdoor learning service that is largely self-funding through external trading.
Free meals for Year 12: This programme removes cost of food as a barrier to PETE for economically disadvantaged young people who progress to colleges or training providers – here SCC led the way for a recent national policy change.
Gypsy Skills: An alternative education provision developed in partnership with Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities in Surrey to engage young people from those communities in education, training and employment.
Alternative Learning Programme (ALP): Alternative learning for young people in Year 11 who have been permanently excluded or have excluded themselves from mainstream education.
Statutory responsibilities for post-16 education and training: SYP also fulfils the council’s statutory duties in relation to education and training provision for young people aged 16 to 19 or to 25 for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, working in partnership with local schools, colleges and training providers.
Outcomes
26 SCC Youth Centres have achieved the National Youth Agency Quality Mark of Level 1 by the end of 2013 and surveys showed high satisfaction by the young people with the centres.
“[The youth worker here] has been helping me to find an apprenticeship in child care. I knew this was what I wanted to do but I didn’t really know how to go about doing it [...] [the staff here] are supporting me and I feel confident that I’ll find something eventually.” Young person involved in centre based youth work in Surrey
“If you have problems you can come here and discuss them rather than not knowing what to do and also not knowing who to talk to [...] we can sit down and talk about things and know it won't get out to all our mates or parents.” Young person involved in centre based youth work in Surrey
90% successful progression to post-16 education, training and employment achieved by the Year 11/12 Transition commission for young people who were identified as at risk of becoming NEET in 2013.
“I wouldn’t have been here, no way! I’m feeling confident that I’ll still be here at the end of the year.” Young person supported by Year 11/12 Transition Commission
Involvement in Local Prevention activity had a statistically significant positive impact on young people’s school attendance, in particular for those with lower-level special educational needs and/or disabilities.
“[The youth worker] helps me with my homework or if I’m having any other problems at school. [...] They’re there to help you improve for work.” Young person supported by Local Prevention Framework
“They told me [at school] that I might find it difficult to do ICT at college because of the personal issues I had at the time. [...] [The youth workers] here listen to us though and they helped me with my personal issues rather than just telling me that I wasn’t suitable.” Young person supported by Local Prevention Framework
Success indicators
The transformation of SYP, working closely with our partners, has to date achieved significant and unprecedented improvements in outcomes for young people across a range of social policy issues, including participation, youth offending and homelessness. Between January 2012 and January 2014 the number of young people who were NEET in Surrey has reduced by 60%, with national data showing how Surrey had the joint-lowest proportion of young people who were NEET of all local authorities in England in 2013/14. Between 2009 and 2013, Surrey achieved a 90% reduction in the number of young people who were first-time entrants to the criminal justice system. Since November 2012, the Youth Support Service has engaged over 290 young people who presented as at risk of becoming homeless, leading to the lowest ever rate of youth homelessness in Surrey.
Costs and savings
These radical improvements were achieved whilst reducing the budget by £4.5m or 25% between 2009 and 2013. In spite of this budget reduction, front-line services were improved – for example, by 2013, the number of staff working directly with vulnerable young people had actually risen compared to 2009.
The change management was done by programme team comprising both in-house staff and external consultants, whose inputs were mostly focussed on the conceptual stages, programme management and targeted training.
Learning points
- This case study suggests that a determined focus on outcomes as a basis for transformation, rather than narrowly pursuing efficiency improvements, may be a highly productive way of achieving a cost-effective service.
- It provides a high profile and valuable template for how radical change can be managed positively, whilst simultaneously undertaking substantial budget cuts.
- It highlights the value of involving young people in co-production, including co-commissioning of outcomes and services for young people.
- It provides a unique range of examples of outcomes-based commissions, established in response to locally identified needs and priorities for young people
- It demonstrates the value of the comprehensive application of a logical framework approach to commissioning services in the context of a Local Authority
It suggests that successfully going through a period of radical change can equip an organisation to continue evolving and improving in response to a changing profile of need, in a moving environment.
Further information
A full external evaluation of the transformation process and Surrey CC’s operating model, undertaken by INLOGOV (Birmingham University) and Governance International can be found in the co-production resources.
A range of other supporting information about our services and our recommissioning work can be found at: www.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community.
A range of information about the needs of young people in Surrey can be found through the website www.surreyi.gov.uk.
Main Contact
Chris Tisdall
Performance and Analysis Manager
Surrey Services for Young People