growing groups for participation in early help and child protection
who is involved?
Relational Activism is a collective that carries lived and learned experiences into co-design change projects in early help and child protection. We convened a series of workshops with Telford and Wrekin Council in order to set up a parent group, with activists Tim Fisher, Clarissa Stevens, Becca Dove and Richard Devine. Brilliant sponsors in Christine Thursfield Team Leader and Louise Spragg Principal Social Worker.
what did we do?
In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of involving citizens in the design and delivery of public services. This approach, known as co-design, recognises that those who have experienced a particular service are often best placed to identify what works well and what could be improved.
One area where co-design is particularly important is in the provision of early help and child protection services. These services are often viewed with suspicion by families who have had negative experiences with them in the past. In order to address this, it is essential to involve parents and caregivers in the development of these services.
One example of this work is the parent group that Relational Activism helped to set up in partnership with Telford and Wrekin Council. This group was designed to provide a space for parents to come together, share their experiences, and support one another.
As the group formed, the feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Parents spoke of their experiences of trauma and their desire to move beyond the victimhood that the child protection system can sometimes impose upon them. They talked about their shared experiences and the strength that they found in coming together.
what happened?
One parent commented, "We are not victims. We are survivors and we want to thrive." This sentiment was echoed by others in the group, who saw the parent group as a way to take control of their lives and work towards positive change.
A sense of community had developed within the group. "We've laughed, we've hugged, we've, you know, it's been amazing," they said. "You all came to this room as strangers and you are leaving as a community."
By using co-design methods it is possible to create services that are better suited to the needs of families. It also helps to build trust between families and the professionals who work with them.
As Telford Early Help Team Leader put it, "This is the start of a journey and I think that's really important. This group is really gonna go places." Thanks to this group and more springing up around the country it is clear that there is a growing movement towards more collaborative and inclusive approaches to public service delivery.
Here are some examples of the feedback and collective care and resilience that emerged as the group formed :
“We are all parents. And, we've been all through horrible traumas. You know, we are like a butterflies. We transform.
This is the start of a journey and I think that's really important.
We are not victims. We are survivors and we want to thrive. And what this system is trying to do is to keep us in this victimhood, but we don't wanna be there anymore. We are not a victims anymore. We've survived.”
Links to Telford Co-design Reports
TELFORD THEORY - REPORT 1
TELFORD EVALUATION - REPORT 2
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T7HFAwX-WNisP9ycv11wv1RL3QWB6bMG/view?usp=sharing
TELFORD FILMS