Professionals and organisations can find solutions to some of the biggest challenges they face by working collaboratively, networking with peers and celebrating successful examples of practice.
In an ever-changing world, the children's and youth sector is expected to think creatively and act fast while continuing to get results. One way to find solutions to some of these challenges is through organisations and professionals sharing best practice and increasing resourcefulness through collaboration.
Lack of time, existing networks, workplace culture and competitively bidding for contracts can get in the way of sharing ideas. But those that do collaborate and share best practice benefit from a multitude of opportunities and support through a vast network united by the same purpose - improving the lives of children and young people.
With this in mind I created Programme Talks - an online platform designed to help children and young people's professionals at all levels share insights, best practice and opportunities to collaborate. Here are some of the key messages for leaders to come out of this project:
- Immerse yourself in frontline practice. Identifying opportunities for collaboration and best practice can be formal, through supervision, team meetings and service reviews. All reports, briefings and agendas should encourage professionals to ask the questions: What collaborative opportunities are there? And is there an opportunity to share any best practice?
However, informal information-gathering can also be incredibly useful. Leaders should make time to be with frontline staff and service users, observing and encouraging open conversations. I have seen this in action at one county council where a service leader regularly "hot desks" within different teams, gaining insights into some of the challenges facing frontline staff. When it came to identifying best practice and who the organisation could work with, this leader was in a much better position to make an informed decision. - Generate conversation. Start conversations with peer organisations and professionals through networks such as LinkedIn, promoting the work of your organisation and your team. Celebrate innovation, welcome questions and share any challenges that others may be able to assist you with. It is amazing what support and solutions can come from different sectors with a single status update.
As a leader, you need to model this behaviour by reaching out to your counterparts and forging relationships from the top down, encouraging team leaders and staff to do the same. Networks like LinkedIn help you keep in touch with contacts old and new and can get you introductions to organisations and individuals you have always wanted to work with. - Manage expectations. Collaboration needs to be managed from the outset. It is vital to agree who, what and when and also how the collaboration will be communicated both internally and externally to ensure all parties are recognised for their contributions. Time and effort are needed for a positive and sustainable relationship. Agreeing review dates in advance helps ensure things stay on track.
It is vital there are clear expectations on both sides. I know of a youth charity that collaborated with a TV show, providing access to volunteers and service users in the expectation that this would raise awareness of its work. But the charity did not get a mention. This cautionary tale highlights the importance of having a written agreement. - Save time by inviting potential collaborators to events. Inviting potential collaborators to existing events is not only a good way to save time but allows partner organisations to get a feel for your service and meet existing stakeholders. Scheduling meetings with individual professionals and organisations in the hope of something coming out of it may not be the best use of time.
Once a successful collaboration is under way it is important to put systems in place to support it. A good example was Kirklees Council's collaboration with the National Citizen Service (NCS) in 2017. This saw 40 councillors recruited to support the programme, helping to raise awareness of NCS at the same time as actively engaging with a younger demographic and social action projects. NCS now forms a part of councillor induction at Kirklees Council and the collaboration has had a significant ongoing positive impact for both organisations. - Champion collaboration. Appoint a champion within your organisation responsible for ensuring opportunities for collaboration are actively sought out and staff are sharing their best practice and positive outcomes. This should be captured in a way that works for your employees through newsletters, videos, intranet or social media pages. Sharing knowledge and collaboration across teams and services will bring positive outcomes. Ensure this is happening within your organisation before seeking to do this externally. Hosting social events and fun days for all team members is a popular way to engage staff and bring unlikely professionals together, sparking innovation.
Start now, open the dialogue with your teams and ask the question: are there parts of our service that could be improved through collaboration and sharing best practice? As a leader you can get the ball rolling by sharing examples of excellent work in children's and youth services and opportunities to collaborate through Programme Talks.
