Latest update
Published

Dashboard – priority projects 

  • Created following review of change programme by PwC to further develop best practice.
  • Previously a single dashboard using the RAG (red, amber, green) system to highlight project progress, which was too simplistic. 
  • Now we are monitoring different aspects including the gateway the project is in and savings (to date and projected).
  • PwC also helped us create standarised workbooks that all projects need to complete and keep up to date. 
  • These workbooks provide a robustness and consistency to project reporting, and determine movement through four gateways: 
    • Gateway 1 – business case built around ideal
    • Gateway 2 – project initiation document created listing service benefits, projected savings, milestones etc
    • Gateway 3 – implementation … delivery of project.
    • Gateway 4 – close of project and move to business as usual. 
  • Projects can only move to the  next gateway once progress has been independently verified by Finance, HR, Programme Management Office, Project Sponsor and workstream SRO.
  • Moves away from project teams "marking their own homework".
  • Dashboard monitors  priority projects. 
  • Priority projects are those identified as providing the largest transformational change – whether savings, service delivery benefits or both.
  • Currently, the priority projects are projected to achieve between 89% to 90% of savings linked to transformation in our business plan.
  • Projects sitting within the Communities Workstream are by and large providing the greatest savings. 
  • A roadmap listing key milestones also included.
  • This highlights major project achievements on the horizon until end 2021.

Closer to Home

  • Falkirk Council has roughly 355 looked after children, 18% of which are living in residential provision (compared to Scottish national average of 10%).
  • Significant costs attributed to this and outcomes are not necessarily improved. 
  • Closer to Home looking to:
    • Shift the balance of care safely improve outcomes and opportunities for some of our most vulnerable children and young people 
    • Create efficiencies.
  • Strategy originally to be delivered in 5 years, now expanded to 7 due to the impact of the pandemic. 
  • Now in phase 2, with 8 projects making up the Closer to Home change programme – 6 active; 2 coming onstream this year.
  • Achievements to date:
    • Supported accommodation – nine independent flats to support young people as they transition to adulthood.
    • Procurement – identified and created efficiencies when buying services from care providers, partners and Third Sector.
    • Foster care – attracted additional in-house foster carers and expanded foster care framework to purchase placements.
    • Family support – two pilots launched with partners to help reduce the number of young people going to residential care.
    • Best Practice in Child Protection – Initial Response Team will launch in June to assess needs of the child at the earliest opportunity.
    • Young People at the centre of residential care – remodelling local residential houses.
  • Since August last year, reduced the number of young people in residential provision by 8 resulting in £1.5m of savings.
  • Next steps:
    • Conclude the realignment of in-house family support – currently consultation ongoing with Trades Unions.
    • Embed model and culture change – look after our young people rather than look to residential care.
    • Focus on improvement and staff learning – how we manage and identify risk earlier, identification of dependencies with universal service partners etc.
    • Evaluate family support pilot projects – against outcomes and projected efficiencies.

Change Fund

  • Recruitment process underway for key roles being financed through the Change Fund. 
  • Job market not as buoyant as hoped, but working with recruiters to identify the right candidates.
  • Also looking at internal resource to assess skills and expertise that may be able to taken on roles. 

COTF Programme Risk Register

  • A review of the risk register will be complete 11 June to capture the strategic risk linked with the change programme.

Next meeting: 6 July