If you've ever walked around an education department, or the children and young people's division of your social services department, you have probably pondered two things. First of all: just how many different teams and services there are. And second: just what do they all do?
Children and young people's services are certainly complex. Everywhere you go they are organised differently, with 101 different service names and interrelationships. And working out who does what can take some time.
But, after seven years in Southend, I really thought I was getting there. I used to think I had quite a good overview of what most of my colleagues in other services did. I say used to, because now I'm not so sure.
So what's changed? I've just come back from a day spent job shadowing.
It's part of our preparation for a new integrated children's department.
I was paired up with another service manager who, among a lot of other things, looks after the local authority's leaving care team. It has been an unusual experience, but really worthwhile.
It made me realise that although I may know a lot about what colleagues do, that's very different from knowing how they do it. Most of my contact with other service managers takes place in meetings, not in their natural environment. And certainly not at 4:15 on a Friday afternoon with a young man hanging on the phone wanting to know where he would be staying that night.
I learned far more spending a few hours as a "shadow" and observing someone else's ordinary afternoon than I ever would in a meeting or formal training session.
I'm not the only one to become a fan of job shadowing. One of our youth workers recently had a really good insight into the work of the police when she went out on the Friday night late shift in Southend. You can try to read all about policing the Southend pub and club scene in a leaflet or a case study. But as they say, seeing really is believing.
- Michael Bracey is principal youth officer for Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, michael.bracey@haynet.com.
