Relational public sector services
Reforming the public sector, using relational place based locality working.
What are relational services?
Relational services are those that can deal with the multiple needs of people, rather than individually fixing single issues by different transactional services. To be effective at dealing with complexity, relational services are designed around what matters to people. They comprise of a collaborative underlying design and flexible ways of working, where local government staff are allowed to mobilise themselves dynamically, to work with people and other organisations at a neighbourhood level. Front line staff engage with people in a way that allows people themselves to decide where and how to begin their journey back into a balanced life.
It is less about 'delivering services', and more about understanding, with staff 'liberated' to make the right decisions at the right time.
Relational working utilises strengths inherent in our communities and the voluntary sector, using techniques that recognise the complex systemic nature of supporting people.
This is not new, groups like Mutual Ventures, Vanguard, New Local and Public World in the UK have been working with these approaches for years.
Probably relational working most important point: this way of working is not about government alone, it is in-fact a way to link central government, policy, civil service, local government and communities together, through a purpose of how we wish to live and work. For example, Sweden and Denmark have a person and family oriented mission driven ethos that is inherent in the roots of its society. Everything that they do, has this at its heart.
What we have found, from applying this way of working and evaluation through research for over 20 years, is that this approach is actually both more effective and efficient. It is more productive across the public sector, while at the same time outcomes significantly increase compared to the current design of services. People are supported back to a better place, both through the public sector, but also through their own efforts and through their communities.
Counterintuitively, the amount of resource needed is actually lower. Costs for the public sector fall, often dramatically.
It is less about 'delivering services', and more about understanding, with staff 'liberated' to make the right decisions at the right time.
Relational working utilises strengths inherent in our communities and the voluntary sector, using techniques that recognise the complex systemic nature of supporting people.
This is not new, groups like Mutual Ventures, Vanguard, New Local and Public World in the UK have been working with these approaches for years.
Probably relational working most important point: this way of working is not about government alone, it is in-fact a way to link central government, policy, civil service, local government and communities together, through a purpose of how we wish to live and work. For example, Sweden and Denmark have a person and family oriented mission driven ethos that is inherent in the roots of its society. Everything that they do, has this at its heart.
What we have found, from applying this way of working and evaluation through research for over 20 years, is that this approach is actually both more effective and efficient. It is more productive across the public sector, while at the same time outcomes significantly increase compared to the current design of services. People are supported back to a better place, both through the public sector, but also through their own efforts and through their communities.
Counterintuitively, the amount of resource needed is actually lower. Costs for the public sector fall, often dramatically.
"The unifying goal for public services should be to enable citizens to be, and remain, in charge of their own lives.
This implies a profound shift in our thinking and practice. It requires an approach to mobilise the citizen’s energy, resilience and hinterland in the drive to secure personal autonomy – the process known as co-production.
Co-production is a collaborative process enjoining the citizen and practitioner. It thus requires the rehabilitation of the public service workforce from its current subsidiary and problematic status. Practitioners should become co-authors of public service improvement."
Sir Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
This implies a profound shift in our thinking and practice. It requires an approach to mobilise the citizen’s energy, resilience and hinterland in the drive to secure personal autonomy – the process known as co-production.
Co-production is a collaborative process enjoining the citizen and practitioner. It thus requires the rehabilitation of the public service workforce from its current subsidiary and problematic status. Practitioners should become co-authors of public service improvement."
Sir Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Collaborative relational working with community, locality and place
This is the impact that we have seen in public services using these proven approaches:
- Multi-service hubs and focus on localities . Engaging with community groups.
- Strength based community based person centred services, helping people to take responsibility.
- Whole service design, where digital supports, rather than narrows your service workflow.
- Collaborative working across services, reducing silos between departments.
- New ways of working within local authorities, that are focused on a culture of learning and applying relational working principles.
- Collaborative and supportive management behaviours.
What does relational working mean for an organisation
Relational working is organisation wide, and even bigger, it is systemic across different organisations. But for one organisation, relational working applies to:
- In direct service delivery: between the practitioner and person or community being helped.
- In service management: between the manager and practitioner.
- In service leadership: between the leader/senior manager and operational manager.
- In service commissioning: between the commissioner and service leaders.
- In policy-making: between academics, policy-makers and commissioners.
The method to bring in relational public services
Developing such services is often through a 'test and learn' approach.
