The Story So Far
From Child Protection to Troubled Families. Shocked and saddened as the details of the Baby Peter case emerged, we were struck by the missed connections between practitioners working with the family day to day. While the case was highly complex, it inspired us to ask a simple question: ‘How can we design web tech with practitioners that connects them across their different organisations as they work to keep children safe?’ To find a radical answer, we took a radical approach. Seed-funded by NESTA, we worked with practitioners from all agencies in Lichfield in Staffordshire to deeply understand the challenges they face. Our aim was to build a web tool entirely designed by and for the frontline staff who use it. Above all else, practitioners said they want to know who is working with their clients. We designed to this simple brief and trialled the Patchwork prototype in Lichfield, with practitioners working with children and those working with vulnerable adults, to encouraging early feedback. Since the trial, Patchwork has been further backed by NESTA and Nominet Trust, with additional investment from our partners at Staffordshire County Council, and we continue to develop the tool. Initially designed around children, we have responded to practitioners’ feedback and are making the tool connect professionals around a whole family rather than just individuals. Accordingly, Patchwork is now being rolled out in Staffordshire as part of the county’s Troubled Families programme. Brighton and Hove council has also implemented Patchwork, supported by our ongoing bespoke change management programme and feeding into its development. Together we are building a movement for change, creating a new way of designing, prototyping and implementing technology-led organisational change within local government. 6
Patchwork | Multi Agency Tool | A guide to the tool and the project