Agenda item
Brent Outcome Based Reviews (OBRs) Update
- Meeting of Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee, Tuesday 5 September 2017 7.00 pm (Item 4.)
For Members to consider an update on the outcomes and learning from the Council’s first three Outcome Based Reviews (OBRs).
Minutes:
Fiona Kivett and Sadie East (Change Managers) delivered a presentation to the committee which detailed the outcomes and learning from the Council’s first Outcome Based Reviews (OBRs) and described the progress of three new OBRs established in 2017. The committee heard that OBRs were underpinned by design methodology and involved working with a wide range of stakeholders to re-imagine ways of working and jointly develop and test solutions. The first OBRs had been carried out in 2016 and had focussed on Housing for Vulnerable People, Employment Support, and Welfare Reform and Regeneration. The OBRs had generated a number of ideas in response to the key insights from community research. These had included the design and testing of a community hub model in Harlesden and a number of new projects such as a single homeless assessment pathway, commissioning short term accommodation and redesigning disabled related adaptations processes from a customer perspective. The new OBRs focussed on Domestic Abuse, Edge of Care and Gangs. These were currently at the information gathering ‘discover’ phase and next steps would include undertaking more community and professional research. Following this the OBRs would progress to the developing and testing stage.
In the subsequent discussion the committee questioned how the subject-focus of the OBRs were selected, how decisions were made about who should be consulted, including whether particular demographics or communities should be targeted and how and by whom the interface with people was managed. With regard to the Domestic Abuse OBR, the committee strongly emphasised the importance of early intervention and raised several related queries, particularly questioning how early intervention initiatives could be progressed. The committee fully supported the discussion of this issue in schools, highlighting the dual benefit of helping to prevent children becoming perpetrators in the future and helping to identify children experiencing domestic abuse at home. Members noted that the focus of outreach and policy tended to be on the victims of Domestic Abuse and on women in particular and suggested that the OBR extend that focus to include men. Discussing the OBR on gangs, the committee queried whether gang activity had increased in Brent, how the council currently worked to tackle this issue and how the outcomes of the OBRs would be monitored to assess their effectiveness.
Responding to the queries raised, Fiona Kivett explained that support was provided by a range of services and agencies in identifying key stakeholders, who in turn were engaged when research plans were developed. The change team had been trained in community research techniques, including ethnographies. Experience had revealed that one of the best approaches was to carry out interviews and discussions in partnership with trusted members of the community. The change team also signposted interviewees to sources of support. Councillor Miller (Lead Member for Stronger Communities) advised that the stakeholder base included third sector organisations and partnerships which were already engaging with people affected by the issues under consideration.
Addressing the importance of early intervention, Sadie East advised that the research for the Domestic Violence OBR had included victims reflecting on what support or interventions may have made a difference to them at the time. A clear theme from the research undertaken had been the need to teach children and young people what healthy relationships looked like. Councillor Miller advised that the Council had created additional officer posts which would focus on early intervention and had developed a predictive modelling tool to help identify those most at risk. The work being done with schools on domestic violence would be reviewed to assess whether this needed to be strengthened and the committee would be provided with information on this matter. Sadie East acknowledged that the focus of the OBR research had been on those with direct experience of Domestic Abuse but this focus could be expanded to include engaging with particular target or under-represented groups. The committee further heard that an organisation which works with perpetrators was assisting in identifying people who would participate in the research.
Responding to members’ queries relating to the OBR on gangs, Councillor Miller advised that a report would shortly be going to the Safer Brent Partnership which set out statistics on gang activity but confirmed that there had been a slight increase in this activity. There had been a London-wide surge in violent crime and a small percentage of this related to gangs. Members were cautioned that whilst both represented significant problems, their causes and the profile of those involved differed. It was important for the council to encourage community and voluntary groups providing services to young people to engage with each other to help them co-ordinate and avoid duplication. The stronger communities strategy was currently in draft but this would include a programme of work around gangs and community cohesion, some of which was already being implemented. The OBRs provided the council with valuable qualitative data which helped to reveal issues or gaps in services. The outcomes would be tracked in measurable ways and monitored by the Cabinet.
RESOLVED: That the research undertaken with regard to the Outcome Based Review on Domestic Abuse include a male perspective.
Supporting documents: