This is a 30 month project, launched in November 2011, which seeks to transform the way that local Services for Young People are commissioned, designed and delivered, to improve outcomes for young people and their families. Through our work with Surrey County Council and others, including Camden Council and Kirklees Council, we have developed the theory and application of both co-production and commissioning for outcomes. We now have a workable model for commissioning, and an emerging framework specifically for commissioning youth services by outcomes, and embedding co-production at the heart of service delivery. This project will apply the framework specifically to the Youth Services sector, and take the lessons from its implementation out to a national audience.
The first phase involves desk based research to build up the evidence base and business case for co-production, a review of work on outcomes focused commissioning, and building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, provider organisations, young people’s organisations, community groups and policymakers to explore how this project can best meet the current needs of the sector.
The aim is to work in close partnership with two Local Authorities to implement and test out the framework. As the framework is implemented, we will produce a range of materials that draw out the learning from these two sites, develop guidance and tools which other Local Authorities will then be able to use.
The project concludes with a year of learning and dissemination activity where we will present the key ideas and tools developed to provider organisations, policy makers, local authority commissioners and youth services teams across the UK.
This project is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
For further information contact julia.slay@neweconomics.org.
