Knowledge transfer and action research - developing a city-wide model for whole household interventions in Sheffield

全家庭方法可以在不同的模式下运作，但主要特点包括：一名主要工作人员提供评估、直接支持、宣传和转介专家服务；对行为及其原因的全面理解；针对原因和出现的问题提供量身定制的密集支持；关注整个家庭/家庭（有时是同龄人）。拟议的研究旨在为谢菲尔德整个家庭方法的持续发展提供信息和支持，该方法的愿景是使其成为设计和向城市中最脆弱家庭提供服务的主要机制。这是一项大胆的举措，需要在组织文化、工作方式和资源分配方面做出重大转变。研究人员已经开始与谢菲尔德市议会及其合作伙伴进行接触，以交流基于他们之前研究的全家庭方法的知识。然而，有证据表明，整个家庭的方法受到当地因素的巨大影响（Nixon等人，2006）；因此，为更深入、额外的知识交流和后续活动提供了强有力的案例，将该团队之前的研究置于谢菲尔德特定的背景下。提出了一种行动研究方法，这意味着研究将是一个由申请人领导的逐步解决问题的反思过程，但有谢菲尔德范围内的服务提供者的积极参与。根据申请人之前的研究，新活动将寻求：1)帮助全市合作伙伴商定定义，以确保对整个家庭和关键工人方法的含义有一致的理解；2)根据现有的原型，为全市关键工作人员角色的发展提供信息；3)为发展全市范围的全户干预服务转介机制提供信息；4)通过寻求理解和解决文化、操作和系统障碍，探索和促进围绕整个家庭方法的地方伙伴关系；5)开发一个本地计算器工具，以展示成本效益，并为全市合作伙伴提供协作资金安排。研究活动包括对谢菲尔德范围内的服务合作伙伴的高级管理人员和从业人员进行深入访谈，以了解现有的系统、实践和合作伙伴的工作安排，并探索实施已知的适用于整个家庭的方法的障碍。与受助人的深度访谈将探讨整个家庭原型的关键要素如何为他们所支持的人工作。将开发一个成本计算工具，供谢菲尔德范围内的合作伙伴使用，以计算整个家庭方法的成本和收益，并为合作伙伴的资金安排提供信息。计划举办一次活动，向全国的决策者和从业人员传播调查结果。这项活动为学术界和更广泛的公共服务之间提供了一个真正共享学习经验的令人兴奋的机会。该项目有可能真正改善谢菲尔德及其他地区数百个弱势家庭的福祉。

The whole household approach can operate within different models, but key features include: a key worker providing assessment, direct support, advocacy, and referral to specialist services; a holistic understanding of behaviour and causes; intensive tailored support, targeted on causes as well as presenting problems; and a focus on whole households/families (and sometimes peers).The proposed research is intended to inform and support the ongoing development of the whole household approach in Sheffield, where a vision exists to make it the main mechanism for designing and delivering services to the most vulnerable families in the city. This is a bold move, requiring significant shifts in organisational cultures, ways of working and allocating resources. The researchers have already begun to engage with Sheffield City Council and its partners to exchange knowledge of whole household approaches, based on their previous studies. However, the evidence suggests that whole household approaches are hugely influenced by local factors (Nixon et al., 2006); thus, providing a strong case for more intensive, additional knowledge exchange and follow-on activity to situate the team's previous research within a Sheffield-specific context.An action research approach is proposed, meaning that the research will be a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by the applicants but with the active participation of Sheffield-wide service providers. Informed by the applicants' previous research, the new activity will seek to:1) help city-wide partners agree definitions to ensure a consistent understanding of what is meant by whole household and key worker approaches;2) inform development of a city-wide key worker role, informed by existing prototypes;3) inform development of a city-wide mechanism for referral to whole household intervention services;4) explore and facilitate local partnership working around the whole household approach, by seeking to understand and address cultural, operational, and system barriers; and5) develop a local calculator tool to demonstrate cost-benefits and inform collaborative funding arrangements for city-wide partners.Research activities include in-depth interviews with senior managers and practitioners across Sheffield-wide service partners to understand existing systems, practices, and partnership working arrangements, and to explore barriers to implementing what is known to work for whole household approaches. In-depth interviews with recipients will explore how key elements of the whole household prototypes are working for the people they support. A costing tool will be developed for use by Sheffield-wide partners, to calculate the costs and benefits of the whole household approach, and to inform partnership funding arrangements. An event is planned to disseminate the findings to policy-makers and practitioners nationally.This activity provides an exciting opportunity for a genuine shared learning experience between academia and wider public service. The project has the potential to lead to genuine improvements to the wellbeing of hundreds of vulnerable families in Sheffield and beyond.