Information use project (IUP) specification
Hampshire’s work with the CIP is focused on improving the local authority’s use of children’s information to enhance the provision of Early Help to children, young people and their families who do not meet the threshold for statutory services. The aims are to identify and respond early to their needs, to prevent their needs from intensifying such that they require escalated support from Children’s Social Care.
How the project has evolved and where we are now
The specific focus of Hampshire’s IUP changed significantly through several iterations, including our use of theory-of-change practice. The original intention was to develop and test the potential of predictive analytics to inform the targeting of services and prevent onward referral to Children’s Social Care. Reconsideration of this aspiration paved the way for a new focus on creating real-time ‘accessible case summaries’ on an online dashboard, to provide a holistic ‘Single View of the Child’ and inform Early Help decision-making. As discussions continued, with the participation of a particular local Early Help team, it became clear that there was commitment and energy behind the idea of bringing diverse voices – including those of parents, carers, children, young people and practitioners – more prominently into children’s Early Help information, and considering how that information should be used. This in turn should assist practitioners and managers to make informed decisions about how best to provide timely support for children, young people and their families.
Our plans for the coming year
The IUP now chosen is making a start on integrating parents’ and carers’ voices in this way, building on and maximising the value of existing touchpoints. Following a referral for Early Help, practitioners routinely call parents or carers to let them know of the referral and to clarify data protection conditions. They will now take advantage of that call to listen to parents’ and carers’ views about their child’s and family’s needs and circumstances. These calls will be recorded as a ‘voice note’ within the Early Help service’s information system for reference in further planning and decision-making. The intention in the present IUP is that these efforts will primarily improve information use for operational purposes, allowing practitioners to work more ethically and effectively with individual children and their families. Further down the line, Hampshire colleagues may also explore whether and how these voice notes may additionally be used in aggregate to inform strategic planning.
Our team
The research team works flexibly across sites, however Professor Lisa Holmes, Dr Liam Berriman and Dr Priya Tah are key members of the team working with Hampshire. In the site, key team members include Heather Slocomb, Holly Greaves and Andy Kennedy.
