Change is Dynamic

Fiona Duncan is Independent Strategic Advisor - the promise.

On 5 February 2020, Scotland made a promise to care experienced children and young people that they will grow up loved, safe and respected.

Last week’s blog acknowledged the work over the last few years to #KeepThePromise and the volume and quality of collaboration over the last few months to develop Plan 24-30. This involved thousands of people, from hundreds of organisations reporting on the changes they are making every single day and informing Scotland about what must change next.

The blog also touched on the features that differentiate Plan 24-30 from traditional strategies – including that it will be ‘live and constantly updated’.

Here are the three main reasons for this:

1: Change is happening across Scotland and has been every single day for the last 4½ years.

Through listening to what matters most to children, families and care experienced adults, individuals and organisations are adapting what they do to make positive changes to daily life and to life chances.

Despite the unforeseen challenges of the last four years, the determination of so many has got Scotland so far. For these changes to spread across Scotland, these organisations - be they national systems and or local services – have an obligation to share WHAT they are doing and HOW they are doing it - and what they’ve learned.

Over the summer, there will be a call for more information on WHAT and HOW.

This will go some way to tackling an issue organizations have shared - that whilst there remains a collective intent to #KeepThePromise, understanding ‘HOW’ this can be done across systems and services must be clearer.

Bold collaborative leadership that celebrates sharing good practice over fears of protecting ‘intellectual property’ will need to become a feature of change.

That way, in time, Plan 24-30 will become a relevant and useful knowledge bank that guides collaboration – WHO is doing WHAT, and WHERE there are opportunities to learn and connect will be clear. Coupled with the commitment shown to date to change, this will accelerate progress, and make new connections.

Part of the purpose of Plan 24-30 is to help make sure change is being felt equally positively everywhere - whether that is service design, collaboration toolkits etc.

In a later blog, Fraser McKinlay, the Chief Executive of The Promise Scotland will cover the Promise Scotland’s role in supporting leaders across systems and sectors to continue to convene, collaborate and align to Plan 24-30.

2: Change must continue for the coming 6½ years

Plan 24-30 acknowledges the scale of change required over the coming 6½ years. Tackling a change programme of this level is significant, it will be difficult - and can feel overwhelming.

Plan 24-30 will build on the bridges that have got Scotland here, and surface the barriers getting in the way, as well as identifying the work required to understand and address HOW they must be overcome.

Plan 24-30 will breakdown the different delivery actions across the five foundations of the promise, providing a route map with milestones to 2030.

Some milestones are already known, others need the help of you/your sector to come together and agree how to progress change.

Plan 24-30 will clearly set out WHO must do WHAT by WHEN – specifying roles and responsibilities, over a timeline. Making clear dependencies and inter-dependencies.

Despite this clarity and specificity, wherever there is a lack of ability, the HOW can feel impossible. Whether that HOW is knowledge, or if it is access to sufficient resources, or the need to collaborate.

So, again over the summer, organisations will be asked to get involved in identifying the bridges and barriers to implementing the actions laid out Plan 24-30.

And to get in touch via plan2430@thepromise.scot with suggestions or solutions.

This will be one of many ways to contribute to the ongoing development of Plan 24-30 to make sure Plan 24-30 is a live and constantly updated.

3: Change happens

We’ve all learned from experience that no matter how meticulously Plan 24-30 has been devised, something will very likely get in the way of implementation (just like COVID-19 derailed some of the actions scheduled for immediately after the Independent Care Review).

Therefore Plan 24-30 has been built to adapt to change.

My emphasis on ‘over the summer’ is to recognise the time it will take to explore the website consider its applicability and ease of navigation – and to feedback on what is useful, what needs to change and what else is needed.

The next planning milestone will be the autumn, after The Promise Scotland team and I have considered all the feedback and refreshed the content.

This timeframe is intended to enable organisations to make sure Plan 24-30 is useful for their planning.

But all of this will only happen if you make it happen.

For Scotland to know WHAT changes are still needed, it also needs to know WHAT is happening, by WHO and WHERE.

I know this is another ask. But Plan 24-30 will pay this back with interest.