Transcript Slide 1

DS10: ‘Where’s the evidence? Making
smarter policy choices’
Chair: Abdool Kara, Chief Executive, Swale District Council
Speakers:
Neil Wholey, Westminster City Council and Laria
Donna Molloy, Director of Implementation at The What Works
Centre for Early Intervention EIF
Dr Clive Grace, Knowledge Navigator
Local Government Needs….
….and LG Navigator Next Steps
Local Government Knowledge Navigator
16th October 2014
Solace Summit
Demand side - needs
 Main focus on current and often complex and multifaceted problems
 Often not new issues, but now with austerity twist
 Diverse subjects but some emerging themes:



Cross local public service/place based research on
complex/cross cutting problems
How to achieve radical change
Being more ‘intelligent around customers and
communities’ - more ‘refined, granular and intelligent’ in
understanding needs and responding to them
3
Demand side - Topics











Local economic levers
Public with learning disabilities
Public health
Public services in a digital setting
Demand management
Re-organization / restructuring – ‘new organizational models’
The future shape of local government
Commissioning: models, what works, readiness of the private and
voluntary sectors
Children and Young People - mining/accessing what is known
Troubled families - what works, those on the margins, demand
management
Using data
4
Demand side: ‘Functional Needs’

Accessible, usable and reliable knowledge and evidence

‘Navigation’ aids and segmentation – who needs what
knowledge and bringing it to their attention

Translation and transferability - help in understanding
replicability and application in local contexts / localities etc.

Focus on local government perspective on issues – national
policy needs not necessarily the same as local needs

Co-definition of problems as well as co-production of solutions

Timeliness - answering today’s questions today

Research methodologies which support innovation - may need
more than ‘evolutionary innovation’
Recommendations:
Four Themes




Changing cultures
Improving connectivity
Embedded research
Strategic opportunities for intervention
6
1: Changing Cultures
Connecting the disconnected requires more than one-off
interventions or exhortation so we recommend:
Local government leadership:
 LGA leadership powerful – promote research as an asset;
 Equipping councils to make the most of the asset (evidence and
learning as part of Peer Review?)
 Role for Solace, the professions and professional bodies in
promoting awareness and use;
 Local authority access to good practice e.g. showcasing and
building on great examples, building capacity to use external
knowledge, e.g. through sharing across authorities;
 Potential role for Local Authorities Research & Intelligence
Association
1. Changing Cultures contd.
More actively deploying the range of ESRC/Research
Council tools and instruments with focus and marketing
flair:
 Opportunities within current Knowledge Exchange
and Knowledge Transfer Partnership methodologies
 Studentships
 Venture Fund
 Navigator activity to help stimulate this / assess what
works.
8
1: Changing Cultures contd.
Developing / improving long-term relationships






Stronger local government influence on Research Council
programmes, committees and advisory boards.
Processes / instruments to identify local government issues
More systematic (and segmented) ways to access/exploit the
knowledge
Greater emphasis in review process on demonstration of local
government need
Enhanced role for practitioner reviewers
Where relevant, require demonstration and evidence of local
government engagement / impact.
2: Improving Connectivity
 Research and local government need a modern space
through which to connect
 The ESRC Retail Data Knowledge Navigator is an example –
parallels in the weak sector/research connectivity.
 A local government/research web site would be a space:





As a capital investment in connective infrastructure
As a research ‘dating’ space
To showcase good practice
For learning
For broader ESRC engagement with the local government
community
 Access to research knowledge not just research reports
2: Improving Connectivity contd.
A ‘Local Government What Works? Centre’ (or equivalent):

Founded on the ‘Institutional’ logic of UK local government

Apply to local government functions not covered by other ‘What Works?’
centres

Scope includes the ‘corporate’, place-shaping and community planning
responsibilities of local government, local ‘wicked issue’ problems that
cross policy and functional boundaries, and issues of horizontal and
vertical inter-governmental relationships.

The Centre would exploit the ‘natural laboratory’ of UK local government
to inform what works in different places and why, and how lessons from
research and evidence can best be communicated and applied.
11
3: Embedded Research
Local Government needs:

Close and timely support to draw at point of development and/or delivery

To address current issues and in ‘real time’ with researchers who understand and
engage in problem definition and in developing solutions, with feedback during the
research as well as at the end

‘Embedded’ rather than arms-length, research. Research support could be a:

Gateway (‘portals’) to existing research knowledge and evidence;

Translator of research findings so they are available and accessible;

Animateur to help to identify research issues and sources of evidence; and

Impartial recorder of the ongoing delivery and development work.
 We think that this is potentially an essential ‘new’ instrument albeit one drawing on
practices familiar to some; and which
 Is researcher delivered but practitioner/researcher co-defined and practitioner-led
4: Strategic opportunities for
Intervention

Benefits from a significant programme (or programmes) at ‘scale’ on
strategically important area/s;

This should focus on high profile area/s of policy and practice and
demonstrate embedded research

Transfer of responsibility for public health to local government is a good
candidate – an appetite for evidence about what works, and linkages to social
care and other major programmes and problems at local level.

Suggest a joint and significant programme 2-3 years, co-funded by a range of
agencies.

Value also given tradition of research and evidence in public health and
would focus on connecting public health with local government’s ‘well-being’
focus, and support implementation of central government’s agenda in this
area.

Other topic areas might benefit from a similar approach – for example on
local economic development and initiatives on these two themes could
connect to and complement the ‘What Works’ initiative.
13
Local Government Knowledge Navigator:
Next Steps



LGKN 1 – January 2013 to March 2015
ESRC, Solace, and LGA have agreed a ‘KN2’
Till then the LGKN will focus on:



Work with the Impact Accelerator Account holders
and the regional hubs;
Develop the connectivity strand (especially working
up proposals for web enablement); and a
Smooth transition to LGKN2.
14
Thinking ahead to 2015-2017 What ESRC would like to see:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
4 nation coverage, dependent on demand and commitment from the nations,
Active management of the A2A action plan,
Development of indicators of research use and understanding of academic research by LG
(RC funded and other funded),
A web resource focused on providing information to LAs on what RC’s are for, and how LG
can work with academic researchers (integrated with existing sites) and info on first point of
contact service,
LG sector partners providing a first point of contact/signpost service for LAs interested in
academic collaborations. We would support this “service” with information about IAAs etc,
An annual brief “State of LG” report for Research Councils setting out the results of
consultation with LG in the four nations:
i.
Current priority issues facing LG across the nations,
ii.
Areas of research that the RCs should prioritise (confirm existing in A2A would be fine),
iii. Any priority groups in the public services that RC’s should be aware of.
University based LG engagement champions: one each in NI, Wales and Scotland (first
phase) plus English regions (second phase), developed with clear evidence of demand,
Embedding of any future ESRC investment in LGKN within the LG sector.
Use of ‘embedded research’ approach deploying an ESRC Fellow funded mainly by ESRC with
Solace cash contribution and Solace/ESRC contribution in kind
15
The Local Government
Knowledge Navigators
Professor Tim Allen
Dr Clive Grace
Professor Steve Martin
Contact: [email protected]
16