Systems Thinking — Our Blog

Evaluating 10 years of Early Years Systems Change: Insights from Lambeth Early Action Partnership

For 10 years, Lambeth Early Action Partnership (LEAP) has funded and supported more than 20 local services to meet the needs of families through pregnancy and the early years of childhood with the aim of giving thousands of children aged 0-3 a better start in life. Now, a decade on, Dartington Service Design Lab is proud to present this new report, sharing the findings from a comprehensive evaluation of the programme. This report explores how place-based systems change can improve outcomes for children and families.

Catalysing systemic change to tackle inequalities in children and young people's health and wellbeing

This year we’re doubling down to catalyse systemic change and tackle inequalities in three main areas. One key strategic priority that we are committed to focusing on is to promote children’s and young people’s health and wellbeing, using our collective knowledge, skills, and resources to navigate and better understand the role of local partnerships in making the prevention of poor health outcomes a reality.

Looking ahead to our priorities for 2024

In 2024, you’ll hear less about the ‘how’ and a lot more about the ‘why’. As a team, we’ll be steadfast and focused on tackling inequalities in the outcomes and experiences of children and young people and doing so via equitable approaches to advancing systemic change.

News, SystemsBLOG15 February 2024Systems Thinking, systems change, Systems, Tim, Strategy, research, children, earlyyears, Young people, Youth work, Youth violence

Systems Thinking: training, coaching and learning journeys

We are now delighted to bring these tools and ways of thinking to a wider audience via a new suite of training and learning opportunities. This includes an engaging, online introductory system thinking course; a bespoke, in-person training for teams or partnerships; and an applied, cohort-based learning journey programme where folks can bring a systemic challenge to be worked through in practice (in cohorts or teams, with training inputs, peer-to-peer learning, coaching, and learning resources).

News, Systems, TrainingBLOG8 November 2023Systems Thinking, systems change, Systems, training, Tim

Building systems change initiatives into practice

This blog is the first in our series on systems thinking. In this blog we explore one of the systems dynamics tools we use called goal-gap structures to help us understand people’s different motivations for change. We will be launching a systems training programme this autumn where you can learn more about these approaches!

Shaping the system to listen to children, young people and families with experience of cancer

We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with leading cancer charities, Young Lives vs Cancer, the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Teenage Cancer Trust to codesign research and evidence measures, and apply an Integrated Approach to research and systems change with children and young people who have lived experience of cancer.

How we’re Changing Up the system to respond to what young people want and need

From training packs for teachers on how to respond to disclosures of abusive relationships, to resources for young people on how to recognise the signs of coercive control, there’s something for everyone to feel better educated on both topics and empowered to take action so that young people and families have their needs met. We’ll be celebrating and sharing the exciting work these young changemakers have been designing – in person – at the #ChangeUp Exhibition in Paisley. This exhibition, open to everyone in Renfrewshire and beyond, is packed with the innovations designed by and for young people and system leaders, to inspire all of us to educate, empower and equalise systems to tackle coercive control and take early action on mental wellbeing.

Local Government are the Systems Thinkers - The time to act is now

‘Systems Thinking’ is decidedly in vogue - but many working in local government have been thinking in systems for decades (maybe they just didn’t know it). Now is the time to intentionally embrace this way of thinking: to make the most of the current scarce resources, but given all the political promises, to prepare for when the economic tide turns.

[This blog was first published on themj.com website December 18th, 2019]

ReflectionBLOG8 January 2020Guest, Tim, Systems Thinking, Local Authority, Government, Strategy

Breaking down complexity into bite-size pieces

This summer saw the launch of our one-day introductory workshops on Systems Thinking Applied to Children’s Social Care in London and Manchester. These were aimed at introducing the concepts, methods and tools of systems thinking to decision-makers in local authority children’s services. With a new lineup of dates for training, we’re reflecting on the key takeaways for those who attended the sessions, what future attendees expect, and what’s next for us…

ReflectionBLOG2 October 2019Vicky, Systems Thinking, Local Authority, Birmingham, Devon, Glasgow, Newcastle, Strategy

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