Family Hub Model
Background
Need
West Northamptonshire Council wanted to create a test a model for multi-disciplinary family hubs to increase early help available to families and prevent escalating needs.
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Role
Working as Consultant in-house at Basis. Overseeing Agile project management and end-to-end design and delivery.
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Users
Staff and leaders of West Northmaptonshire Council
Local families with children aged 0-19 years.
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Timeline
July 24: Meeting stakeholders and project onboarding
August 25: User research, desk research, synthesis and presentation to leaders for decision-making
Sept 24: Impact sprint to create and test model
Design Process
Phase One: Understanding the as-is
Empathise
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Built relationships with key partners across the system
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Used Early Intervention Foundation Framework to understand important sources of information on Early Help
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Brought together and synthesised multiple sources of Early Help data from evaluations, Ofsted reports, MASH performances etc.
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Family interviews in local spaces such as play centres and Dad Support groups to create journey maps and personas​
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Workforce survey to verify needs of Early Help professionals​
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Define
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​Designed and delivered cross-partnership workshop to present recommendations and identify priorities.
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Used Liberating Structures such as shift & share and 1-2-4-All to define what the Family Hubs should offer:
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Clear roles and responsibilties of different partners and how they work together to give clarity for families navigating a system​
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Communicating our offer so families can find out about all the support available to them in a way that works for them
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Using digital systems to support easy access​
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Phase Two: Impact Sprint
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​Ideate & Prototype
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Worked with a core group of 7 multi-disciplinary professionals over 5 days to move through the design process at pace and create the family hub models.
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Co-led brainstorming sessions such as crazy 8s to generate ideas on how to meet the three asks.
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Trained team in Agile and scum methods to help quick prioritisation and project management.
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Prototyped ideas with local families
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Deliver
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Held daily Show & Tell sessions to get quick feedback from senior leaders​.
Deliver
Output
Met 3 original asks
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Circular model of support around families, with peer volunteers closest to families and incresing levels of support around that. Partner organisations were asked to sign up to a commitment to partnership working that went beyond co-location. And the model of growth would be to grow the number of partners in a snowball approach, targeting the most essential first.​
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A communications plan based on analysis of interest and influence. Specific engagement with professionals through use of a QR on red book and volunteer Champions
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A prototype webiste based on high accessibility for 3-click access, a welcoming video and easy calendar funtion.
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Outcomes
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5 hubs launched
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Strong partnerhsip relationships
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Great feedback & experience of design
“[From] siloes, not kowing eachother... to collaboration, team work and integration!”