Yes - massive change is on the horizon. Most are pursuing some sort of integration: joining up services so that people have better experiences and costs are reduced. But sharing information remains a barrier for many.
Welfare reform, health and social care, gangs and youth violence are all areas which have struggled with sharing data and building up insight.
The Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing has been set up to support change. It will help councils, government departments, police, health agencies and others to work together and share intelligence in a safe seamless way.
When fully staffed, the centre will be a sort of crack team with a friendly face, offering professional opinion and expertise at the click of a mouse or the end of a phone. Or a voice around the table to nurture or challenge internal practice and culture.
Of course, useful tools will be available online. You'll be able to browse through case studies and search for evidence of what's working, and what's not, in other areas.
You'll also discover a network of like-minded professionals with whom you can discuss your information sharing nightmares. Colleagues across the country will be able to share valuable lessons. Simply put – the centre will be THE place to go in our hour of information-sharing need.
And in need we are. This fact is recognised by those who support the centre. Big hitters – including the Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health, and the Information Commissioner's Office.
When we get it right – it's so powerful. I'm thinking of a chap called Simon. He was 25 when he developed serious health problems that meant he had to stop working. The family drifted into debt. Social services became concerned about the children who were having a hard time at school and often skipping it altogether.
Simply dealing with just one aspect of Simon's problems was unlikely to work. What was required was a joined-up approach – and sharing information was at the heart of this.
In my former role, I managed information and technology strategy at Leicestershire County Council, where I helped to deliver a national information -sharing project - the forerunner to the centre. As part of this I worked with colleagues in places like Greater Manchester and Bradford.
Now, I'm looking to build on this, and we're already forging new relationships with Swindon and Bath and North East Somerset. I'm searching for people who are at the top of their game to join the Centre of Excellence.
We quite literally want ‘excellent' people. Those who are willing to push against barriers, challenge the norm, ask difficult questions – but in a way that builds relationships and doesn't break them.
I realise that some people might not even be on the lookout for a new job. So we're offering a great secondment package. This gives employers a chance to keep their services running, whilst giving their best people the chance to grow and come back with bags of experience from other organisations.
This is one of the most exciting roles I've ever taken on. Sharing information across services can make or break an organisation's transformation agenda.
It feels like we've come along at exactly the right time to offer the support which is needed - and to be a pool for all the knowledge and experience that is already out there.
Establishing a centre that's separate to local and national government provides an opportunity to do something fresh. The team will be spread all over the country – so we need people who can drive their own ambition and success. This job isn't about clocking in and working through an inbox.
These opportunities are for people who really want to make their mark on the public sector. Every day is different, stimulating and hugely rewarding.
Stephen Curtis is director of the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing.
For more information visit: www.informationsharing.org.uk
The centre of excellence is building on previous work, including:
- Helping Leicestershire County Council to share information across family support workers and back office teams
- Tackling gangs and youth violence in the north west by sharing data and feedback between those working on community protection
- Working with Greater Manchester Police and their partners to combat organised crime, gangs and violence
- Developing the Hampshire Health Record - a local electronic health and social care record, which helps health workers make better decisions for individuals and whole populations
