To receive a presentation on the innovative partnership-based approach to supporting vulnerable adults in Kirklees by helping them live independent and fulfilling lives in their own homes.
Contact: Emma Hanley, Senior Contracting & Procurement Manager and Sarah Cooke, KBOP Director Tel: 01484 221000
Minutes:
Emma Hanley, Senior Contracting and Procurement Manager and Victoria Busby, Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership provided the Board with an update on the work of Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership (KBOP).
The Board was provided with background information which outlined the reason why the previous provision for housing related support services contracted with a number of different organisations to deliver different contracts to the most vulnerable in society, was remodelled. The service provides for people who have vulnerabilities, disabilities or lifestyle factors that may make them more at risk of becoming homeless or being able to live independently. For example, it might include people with mental health problems, drug and alcohol dependency, offenders, young people, and domestic abuse, people with a range of needs.
The previous contracts didn't always allow or encourage services to think differently or creatively, and as a result of significant budget reductions, interventions have become a lot shorter. While it may address the presenting need, it does not necessarily tackle the underlying root causes, thereby creating a revolving door.
The focus was on ensuring that people were accessing the correct benefits rather than truly maximising income by developing employability skills to enter work. The aim was to find a way to incentivise support services to address those underlying issues to help build on service users, resilience and encouraging sustainable skills, and behaviour. Developing more flexible interventions to improve outcomes instead of process focused service provision.
The new service model is now paid based on outcomes achieved. It uses additional top up funding from the Life Chances Fund utilising social investors through a social impact bond which brings new investment into the sector and creates new partnerships between social investors, commissioners, voluntary sector service providers and beneficiaries working co-productively. The services commenced in September 2019, and to date it has supported over 2500 new starts on the program.
The Board was informed that Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership (KPOB) is a social enterprise with eight expert organisations collaborating to prevent homelessness. Each service has an individual specialism across mental health, support, substance misuse, domestic abuse, housing, and offending.
The social enterprise was formed as an alternative to traditional support services and a way to place outcomes at the forefront of delivery.
During the Covid period, delivery was expanded in a matter of weeks as part of a community led response implementing a seven-day emergency helpline, digital interventions, and home deliveries to frightened and isolated people.
The focus is on empowering individuals to achieve their ambitions and prevent homelessness. It was identified that traditionally contracts and services had been commissioned in a deficit focus way, with the effectiveness based on the number of individuals using the program rather than the outcomes of the milestones achieved. The system and processes had prevented many from moving into independence fully from services.
The aim was to do something different, to use the flexibility of the outcomes-based contracts to reallocate power and decision making and handing it back to the person, using personalisation, advantage thinking, relationships and working on an equal person to person level.
The approach at KBOP is the belief that people can achieve anything they want when they are not trapped within a deficit system. This belief and the commitment to do things differently, gave the flexibility to innovate and change how services are delivered by moving away from traditional support towards person led models.
Processes have been changed to one that focuses on understanding what is important to people through conversation rather than through assessment. Paperwork and linear procedures have been removed enabling people to make their own decisions at the right time for them. Due to this approach and the hard work of partners and participants KBOP is now more than doubling the expected outcomes.
RESOLVED
That Emma Hanley and Victoria Busby be thanked for providing an update on Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership.