Last month, Clear Impact’s Adam Luecking and Justin Miklas (CEO and VP, respectively) travelled to Wales and Belfast to deliver the Outcomes Based Accountability™ (OBA) UK Roadshow. The goal of this event was to introduce nonprofits and governments to the OBA (a.k.a RBA) framework to improve program performance and create measurable community outcomes. Presentations included overviews of the OBA framework and demonstrations of the Clear Impact Scorecard software tool designed specifically to support it. Additionally, Luecking delivered an OBA-oriented workshop at the National Social Services Conference in Llandudno Wales, entitled “Transforming Social Services Delivery with Use of Data for Collective Impact.”

Overall, the Roadshow was able to showcase some of the great OBA work being done around the UK, and it generated much interest in the framework and the Clear Impact Scorecard support software. The following account of the event was written by David Burnby of David Burnby and Associates (a consulting firm based in Hull, England). Below, he recounts his experience of the Roadshow and the interest it has generated.

 

June 22nd saw the only English stop on Clear Impact UK Roadshow. The workshop was hosted by North East Lincolnshire Council in Grimsby and was attended by over 75 delegates from 12 local statutory organisations from across the North of England. The workshop provided an opportunity for Steve Kay, Assistant Director for North East Lincolnshire Council and long-time advocate of Outcome Based Accountability™ (OBA), to showcase the Council’s “Creating Stronger Communities” programme.

In February 2015, Steve successfully negotiated over £1 million from the UK Government’s Department of Education Social Care Innovation Programme. The aim is to create a new model for social care to change how organisations work together to safeguard vulnerable children. It also aims to improve how staff work, how the Council interacts with service users, and how to deliver the change needed in what is an area of significant social deprivation and complexity.

OBA is one of four core elements of the programme, and whilst it is focused primarily on safeguarding vulnerable children, the Council recognises that success is dependent not just on the Children and Young People’s Directorate, but on how every department within the Council works and how it interacts with key partners and stakeholders. The OBA element of the programme is funding the development of a Borough-Wide Outcome Framework as the basis for all strategic planning, service commissioning, and delivery and performance improvement. Allied to this is an extensive programme of OBA training and the development of a cohort of OBA Champions to build capacity within the Council and beyond.

One of the challenges identified by the Council in its ambition to develop more effective leadership and accountability is the need to streamline how it manages data and to standardise scorecard reporting. This ambition was shared by colleagues from the other authorities represented at the workshop. Presentations from Adam Luecking, CEO of Clear Impact and Clear Impact Scorecard Architect Justin Miklas were eagerly anticipated. Justin carried out a live Clear Impact Scorecard demonstration showing how data can be processed into simple and transparent scorecards and how all the core elements of OBA are reflected in the end products (both at the whole population and performance accountability levels).

Delegates were not disappointed. Over 50% of delegates from nine out of the twelve authorities in attendance indicated they wanted further information about the Clear Impact Scorecard. On evaluation, scoring the presentation on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest response), delegates recorded an average response of 4.21. Some comments recorded included:

-“As resources reduce there is more demand for simplicity, common language/outcomes and reduced numbers of measures. OBA provides all of this!” (Doncaster Council delegate)

-“Software looks useful as a mechanism/template to help embed a common approach within the organisation” (NHS Leeds North CCG delegate)

-“Software: Inspirational!” (North East Lincolnshire delegate)

-“Clear Impact Scorecard Software would be a useful programme to use and one that could assist in bringing lots of current measures together coherently” (North East Lincolnshire delegate)

-“Love the simplicity of the software” (North East Lincolnshire delegate)

In addition to feedback on the simplicity of the Scorecard Software, delegates commented on its potential value for ‘live’ engagement of partners and stakeholders, its role in supporting the scrutiny function of local government (i.e. measuring the right things in a transparent and simple way), and the support functions built into the program (the “Virtual Facilitator”).

The bonus from the event was the opportunity to bring OBA practitioners from across the North of England to share good practice and aspirations. It is hoped the event will kick-start a new Community of Practice and provide a vehicle for peer level support and shared learning.

For Adam and Justin, it meant a 4.30am wakeup call and a day of planes, trains and automobiles across three countries starting out in Belfast, Northern Ireland; presenting in Grimsby, England and finishing up in Cardiff, Wales 17 hours later. The product for delegates though made it all worthwhile; a productive, stimulating and enjoyable day.

-By David Burnby