Twenty Questions

 

The question I was trying to answer in my fellowship is what does best practice in public care look like? I came to California, not to provide an answer to this endlessly large and ideological question, but to get a fresh perspective on a shared problem.

I came to understand how they make law and policy, and to understand how this translated into a significant set of reforms known as CCR, and termed as a ‘re imagining of the care system’. I had so many questions, about policy, practice and outcome. Did I expect to get answers, well yes probably- I like black and white outcomes, but its not really just about what it ‘looks like’, it’s about understanding how an environment was created to enable and to allow a quite radical shift in the provision of care.

Something about America is that the kindness of the people, or at least the people I work with; it knocks you over like a force. I’ll put it down to the sunshine, or maybe their new found desire to learn all about Wales, but to be here in this very new environment remains a pleasure every day, where I am learning, sharing and taking everything in.

I may sound a little repetitive- it’s great here, I’m sure you get the point, but it’s great because I have stepped out of my life, and my comfort zone to experience something quite different. It’s not something easy or even possible to do, to log off, leave your office and family and just relocate for a couple of months.

I have though, and I’m doing what I call ‘pretend work’, in that for the first time in as long as I can remember I’m not accountable for anything, not running to stand still, and not trying to keep plates spinning. What I am doing, is re setting my brain from its ‘welsh’ norms, its usual processes, and its ‘palatable’ responses to problems.

I’m getting a fresh perspective, this sounds like excellent rhetoric. What I mean is, I am getting a full on frontal onslaught of new processes, new politics, new structures and new leaders. They speak a totally different language, operate in a very different way, and propose solutions and outcomes, which in some cases are just completely new. It is an absolute pleasure.

I’m fairly sure I could now pass the ‘what are we talking about’ exam. My language is changing, as I speak, and I now understand the overarching structure, priority and delivery agenda for DSS. To a reasonable extent of course, but its striking when in this new context, how prominent it is that my thinking and problem solving is rooted within the specific welsh context. It’s not unexpected, but it makes me see, how much better I will be at problem solving, analytical thinking and developing new policy solutions and programmes, just by experiencing ‘another way of doing business’.

I’m fairly competent now on what the Californian Continuum of Care for children looks like. It’s truly not that different to ours. Everyone wants to provide responsive wrap around care, which delivers improved outcomes for looked after children and care leavers.

Where the Californians have developed a range of really innovative tools to support local practice, that we in Wales could really value- they have not yet developed their outcomes framework, and are now actively looking at the welsh one for those with a care and support need.

Where the Californians have reframed the concept of therapy, and short term intensive therapeutic models, we in Wales could learn a lot.

Where they are focusing on strengthening their early intervention and prevention services, our Welsh Integrated Family Support services, have been of real interest.

So there is a wealth of shared learning, shared practice and problem solving that across the two sides of the Atlantic, can be used, shared and developed for our mutual benefit.

But whilst something are different, and others the same, the really important learning for me, is around the achievement of the Californian’s to create the space, the support and the political will to ‘re imagine care’.

But whilst this sounds like clever rhetoric, through the leadership within DSS, and some evident political will, they have prioritized reform of the care system. This is a generational reform, it’s something that will still be quoted in 20 years, and it is seismic in what it intends to do.

They have staked a claim, on developing a moment in public policy reform that will stay for years to come, and that ‘in 2017, we changed things’. They did the heavy lifting, and have turned things on its head in a bid to provide a system more conducive to focusing on the wellbeing of a child.

What I bring back to Wales, in terms of policy and practice will be of real interest, in considering what our response should be to tackling ACE’s in those children who will always need care from the state. It is right that early intervention and prevention are prioritized, but unless we create radical change, then the experience of children in care will continue to put them at a disadvantage in life, and lead to harmful behaviors as adults, on which the ACE’s argument is predicated.

But the answer, that is the most critical, and perhaps which I hadn’t expected- is how, through collective leadership, the Californians have developed the space, the support and the will, to create a reform agenda which has been able to tackle head on system failures, to answer some very difficult questions both professionally and politically, and to be brave enough to drive forward with this incredibly ambitious programme of statewide reform.

It’s not nearly done, in fact it is only just beginning, and there continues to be a varied pace for agreement, support and delivery amongst the large and complex audience of ‘stakeholders’ as you would expect. Yet there is something special about CCR, in part I’m sure because of the drive and respect that the leadership team here is very clearly able to command, but because everyone recognizes that something had to change, and the ‘will’ was there to make that change.

If we want to improve outcomes for looked after children, there is a need to be brave in our self-scrutiny, to be clear what issues we are trying to tackle, and to develop a new route map, driven by the catalyst provided by the ACE agenda, and new legislation.

In doing this the ability of senior leaders in Wales to come together from across the sectors, is so important, and something that is far easier than in many other parts of the world- including somewhere as large and diverse as California.

We must maximize to our advantage the shared will, trust and desire to improve, reform and reframe, using international knowledge and practice, so that in ten years’ time, we can reflect that we too led a generational reform that really did make a difference.

 

 

Horizontal Integration

Today started off with some professional ‘horizontal integration’, before any assumptions are made, it is a special branch created within DSS, to act as a troubleshooter, innovator and fixer. Over coffee I attempted to talk my way into a job, using our phraseology for such things, declaring that I will deliver transformational change!

The branch was created to bring specific capacity into improving alignment across and within services within government, indeed ‘horizontal’ integration. It seems to have added real value, and has delivered some important system fixes, enabling a more ‘citizen’ focused approach to the provision of services.

What is so lovely about being in DSS, is that the familiarity is here- I’m dealing with the issues I care about, and I’m working with people who share my passion, but work in a completely different set of rules, structures and norms.

Being here, enjoying getting to know colleagues, and understanding what their roles are, and where they fit into this structure Is just a pleasure- sometimes it feels like a weird out of body experience, the building is markedly similar to Cathays Park, the problems often the same. But, I love it when we are in a meeting and things that just could not happen at home happen. Notably this includes meetings starting and finishing on time and getting through huge agenda’s in less than 8 hours. Somewhat less notably, we have four hour meetings in the senate on a Friday. I fear that I have given an opinion of Britain that we spend a lot of time in the Pub, especially on a Friday, I do this every time I brightly follow the actual directors into a Friday afternoon hearing, and then immediately resent that I am not in the pub.

What does happen here, and I have mentioned it before is that they legislate. A lot.

To put this into context, so far this year there are 104 Bills of direct relevance to social services. There are an additional 130 Bills, which may have an indirect impact. So far this year in total, 2702 bills have been introduced by the legislature. They have 80 Assembly Members and 40 Senators.

My favourite moment remains, when the Deputy Director Greg announced in a bill analysis meeting, we had 55 minutes to cover 36 bill proposals. And we did it. And they do it extremely adeptly and well. The staff who work to track and analyse bills are highly valued and respected, as you would expect.

We don’t have the culture or the capacity yet to have experienced anything like the legislative machine that operates here, and in the UK the view is that legislation should not be a default. Somewhere between our two systems would be ideal, because what legislation does, is it acts as a catalyst for the development of ideas that will deliver real change, and addresses some perennial policy problems.

A lot of the Bills, I have had sight of are interesting, and relevant to us, to give you a flavor, some specify new service models like short term residential therapeutic models, in a way that differs to our traditional understanding of therapeutic and new services for victims of CSE, information sharing, grants for looked after children and job readiness schemes for future care leavers.

The reforms I am looking at are statute based, and mark the start of fundamental system change in California for the looked after system. There is so much around their language, the content of the legislation, and the funding streams that I want to look into and explore, and there is so much that can be taken from here and used back home-not least an office for horizontal integration, that ideally I get to lead.

 

 

 

 

 

Luck of the Irish

 

St Patrick’s Day in California, is a huge event. The Department for Social Services and just about everywhere else turned green today. From ties, shirts, skirts and even socks, everyone made the effort to give a nod to the lucky Irish.

At lunchtime, I enjoyed my first American (or Irish) pot luck, which as it turns out wasn’t a special department raffle, or quiz, but an absolute feast of Irish home baked food. Of course I was the traditional brit at a buffet, and I happily mixed roast cabbage with pasta, and loaded my single plate up with cobs (sliders) and mashed potato.

The atmosphere was lovely, and it set up nicely an afternoon of pre hearings, with the Senate Budget and Review Fiscal Review Committee on Health and Human Services. I remain bemused that these hearings are scheduled for four hours on a Friday afternoon when the sun is out, but then I remind myself sunshine in California is not a limited quantity.

Currently here, the development of the Governors new budget is in full swing, and departments are busily preparing projections and political justifications ready for the scrutiny of the hearing process later this month.

What I am struck by is the lack of spin, and as someone with a degree in it, it is really apparent. But partly this is driven, at least in this process by the lack of obvious or pervasive party politics. In Britain, even when one party holds the power balance for a period of time, the bi partisan nature of our politics still underpins everything. Now that I am here in America, a few weeks in, I’ve realized that stepping out of your norms, and everything that you are familiar with is very scary, but it is also enjoyable, because when you are plunged into a new context you are reminded that there are many different ways to do business, political or not.

At the pre hearing staffers intently listen to officials from CDSS, who provide complex details around the financial delivery of services, in a way that informs the staffers, and I would imagine also gives them a headache. As a former staffer, keeping up with the level of activity and detail, in a way that would enable me to guide good political scrutiny is a real balancing Act, and I look forward to seeing the angles that the politicians will take at the hearing at the end of the month.

Also, and as ever with California, I am still taken aback by the sheer level of activity, and the numerous programmes that are being delivered. Add into the mix that the federal government both fund and decree the delivery of particular programmes, and it can be a confusing and fast paced picture. It’s also not helped by the Acronym culture, but I am starting to improve, also at rapid pace.

I have to say, I am still gripping tightly to my sense of comfort, which in practice translates as me saying at least 10 times a day ‘in wales we do this…..’ it’s my way of putting what I’m learning here into context, but I’m pretty sure I became the epitome of the annoying tourist when I compared the California State Capitol Building to City Hall, proudly announcing even the carpets are the same. Which they are….but still!!

That said, our legislation on Integrated Family Support Services has been a hit, and I’ve been very proud when it has been mentioned by my colleagues in meetings with officials and with county directors this week. The ACE’s agenda is also a huge driver, and though in California it isn’t termed as that, it is the foundation of their largest reforms on the continuum of care, and it is these that my research will focus on.

The atmosphere here, and the high level of activity has mean  that I feel I have a really strong sense of direction for my research, digging deeper into their policy making process-if I can catch it, and embedding myself in the Continuum of Care Reforms- or CCR as its actually known. There is such a wealth of talent, of information and activity here, that each day is a pleasure, and I have now started to develop the structure of my report.

Seeing the title page on my computer is strange, it means I am here, and although what is on the pages of the report is now familiar to me, it will, I hope be completely new to you as the audience reading it, and will I hope inspire some challenging debates, but also policy and political action.

There is a sense here, like at home that things are possible, and that the needs of the child should dictate the service structure and provision. It’s absolutely true that people have objected to some of the proposals, true too, that there remain ongoing discussions about responsibility and delivery, but at no point do I think that delivery will be incremental or improved outcomes slow. In part that’s my new found optimism, due to the endless sunshine, but actually I think it’s more about the pace of activity, and the culture here, and that’s something that I am very much enjoying.

 

The Fog will not be Mist

The days here fly by in a whirl of meetings which somehow manage to run on time through the day- (public transport in the UK could learn a lot). Luckily, the relentless rounds of meetings have meant that in a short time, I’ve met a lot of people, and been party to discussions on many key issues around legislation, policy development, programme implementation, and of course funding.

Yesterday began with a Senior Leadership Team Briefing, followed by a meeting of the co investment partnership, hosted by the California Association of Welfare Directors. The partnership brings together large philanthropic organisatons, with partners in the state and counties to discuss key issues and through collaboration deliver improved outcomes. Last week, ended with attendance at a pre hearing committee on CalWorks, the state administered welfare programme, and today I sat in on an interview between the Deputy Director and a journalist wanting to know about the states response to Child sexual exploitation. It’s brilliantly relentless.

The initial fog and shock of being in California, is now thankfully subsiding. Turning up to work on the other side of the Atlantic, shadowing senior policymakers in one of the largest state departments in the world is incredibly exciting, but also very daunting on your own. But now, faces are familiar, issues are becoming familiar, I’m a bona fide member of the floor coffee club, and I am slowly putting into context the things I am learning, listening to, and even occasionally contributing to.

It is very clear, that the Californian system, has inherent similarities with our own, which means that in how they seek to tackle the issues that I am researching, it’s easy to understand structures, decisions and follow funding flows. The premise, as you would expect here in the staunchest Democratic state, is that the state has a role in developing new solutions and safeguards to support vulnerable children and their families, and it is no mistake that the concept ‘Child welfare’ is the one that defines state and county departments here.

There is a much stronger focus on reunification, and ‘kinship’ care here, and there are significant pieces of work underway within the umbrella of ‘Continuum of Care Reform’ to reframe the current statutory and policy landscape to ensure children are diverted from ‘group homes’ to more appropriate foster placements, where they can receive the relevant services in a home setting to ‘ensure services and supports provided to the child or youth and his or her family are tailored towards the ultimate goal of maintaining a stable permanent family’.

Of course none of the language is the same, so my brain is replacing the familiar concepts of the RSG, Elected members, Councils, Inspection and Regulation with the American counterparts of realignment, Prop 30, counties and licensing. In addition there is a whole raft of legislation, policy and programmes that operates within a world of acronyms, so I’ve learnt about the CCR, the TANF, CFSR, IHSS etc. There is now usually a kindly person who will look at my confused face and spell out what it means. Unfortunately I think the total brain fog was to blame when I insisted on speaking Spanish, to an Italian man, in an Irish bar last night- or at least that’s my excuse and that’s another story.

But now, with the fog clearing, it means that I am very quickly building a new knowledge base, and already have a number of ‘asks’ from welsh leaders, to ‘fact find on some key areas. Equally I have shared information on some of our key programmers that integrate services, such as Integrated Family Support Teams and Multi Agency Safeguarding Hubs.

For my Fellowship, I have now established two very clear aspects of research that will underpin my final report. The first is an understanding of how their legislative and policy system works, partly because it satisfies the inner policy wonk in me, but primarily because it is these mechanics that drive system responses to providing support to children and their families. The second, is to really to dig deep into the ‘Continuum of Care Reforms’ to see how they are realigning services, re writing statute and working with partners to drive forward one of the largest reforms to child welfare in California, and which ‘represents a significant shift in child welfare practice’.

I am feeling more like I have at least one foot on the ground, and an emerging sense of how they do things, why they are doing them, and what this looks like from both a policy and practice point of view. In fact, I am feeling brave enough to begin to consider the structure of my report, and the growing list of people for whom I shall be buying coffee in return for their time and knowledge. That initial heavy, and scary fog, has now dissipated and I am enjoying being here and learning, the fog, shall not be missed!!

All of the Lights

All of the Lights

It's late on a Saturday night and in downtown Sacramento, from my flat (or condo) as i should now call it, i can see the beautiful, historic State Capitol Building lit up, its St Paul-esque dome shining brightly as a backdrop to the city.

The dominance of the Capitol building over the Sac skyline, is an allegory for a seat of Government that is far more dominant,and enabling in nature than I had expected. As the fifth largest economy in the world, California, is vast. It's population demography split harshly between the Silicon Valley and Hollywood billionaires, and the prevailing underclass where poverty is rife, and homelessness a far too prominent problem.

Last year I was awarded an international fellowship, by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, to identify best practice in the public care system, with a particular focus on children. As a Director of a large children's charity, and a background in improvement and policy making in this area, I was delighted to have been selected as one of only six Welsh recipients of the fellowship. It provided a platform for me to use to advance my academic and professional knowledge, and to make a specific contribution to informing future work in Wales.

Following meetings in Australia with their Institute of family studies, and the American clearing house for evidence based practice, I was advised that California, would be a suitable place, due to their similar political demography, and current focus on reforming their child welfare policy and legislation. There is some critical reforms underway here, which are a real shining light in terms of policy and legislative opportunities, which may be of relevance to Wales. In January, I was offered the opportunity to work with Director Will Lightbourne and his team in a shadowing role, to experience the aspiration behind the changes, the process by which policy and legislation is developed, and the implementation frameworks which underpin the change.

It has been an incredibly busy time, as I have sought to slowly get to grips with a very different agenda, and processes and people I don't yet know. The kindness of the senior team in DSS has been extraordinary, and I have enjoyed privileged access, through recognition of my role. I have attended senate pre hearings, am working with Bureau Chiefs charged with delivering the agenda, will be working with the legislation team, who are currently analysing at least 36 proposed new pieces of legislation in child welfare, and have also met with academics from UC Berkeley, alongside county directors and lobbyists.

There are some clear parallels, between California in Wales. Not in size, certainly but in ambition, and a shared desire to provide collaborative leadership to drive forward change. Whilst I am learning inordinate amounts about the Californian approach, which will be of tangible benefit back home in terms of policy learning, I am also incredibly proud to be from Wales, to be able to demonstrate what in fifteen years has already been achieved. From this Fellowship and from my subsequent research, I hope to make a valuable contribution in driving forward continued improvements for looked after children for at least the next fifteen.