Our services in practice
Rethinking children’s social care
Company: FutureGov
Client: London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and the City of Westminster
FutureGov has been working with Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster for the past year to explore how technology for children’s social care could be radically re-designed.
The three authorities are considered to be some of the best in the UK but felt like their ambition and practice was being held back by out-of-date technology. Technology in the social care market isn’t necessarily transparent, modern, cloud-based or user-centred. FutureGov have begun to design those problems out.
Discovering that frontline practitioners were spending up to 70% of their week on a computer, FutureGov wanted to give social workers more time to spend with families and young people, assessing and managing risk and helping to create a pathway forward. They set out to test out a new approach to case management.
Using a design-led approach, FutureGov started working with frontline teams across the whole of the Child Protection journey, from referrals to leaving care. They tested prototypes and concepts with a wide range of stakeholders and helped turn user insights into a future user journey through the service which enables a better user experience for practitioners and a productivity increase of 30%. It also provides improved access for families and young people, enabling them to take control of their own journey through services.
