Guidance

Supporting Families: Earned Autonomy prospectus

Updated 10 February 2023

Applies to England

Background

The Supporting Families programme has, since its inception in 2012 as Troubled Families, funded and advocated for transformation in the Early Help system with a continued focus on effective whole family working.

There were originally 14 areas who operated under Earned Autonomy (EA) where all funding is provided upfront, rather than a proportion of the funding as a payment by results for family outcomes. These 14 areas were granted EA status following a bidding exercise in which they evidenced that having the funding upfront would accelerate transformation.

During 2022 we outlined a new process for areas to apply for EA. This saw EA as a progression from Payment by Results (PbR) for areas who have reached a defined standard of maturity with their Early Help System.

Following the publication of the prospectus in 2022, and subsequent applications, we were able to award one additional area Earned Autonomy status. We are keen to see more areas be in a position to apply when they have reached a high level of maturity.

This prospectus outlines the 2023 process for areas to apply for Earned Autonomy. It is based on the same principles and is a similar approach to 2022, minimizing additional administrative burdens to local areas by using the information provided in the Early Help System Guide self-assessments.

We see Earned Autonomy as those areas leading the way locally and nationally, helping us to develop future policy and strategy by demonstrating what is possible. We expect these areas to work closely with the national programme team to influence future direction of travel and to share their good practice and innovation with other areas.

The role of Payment by Results and progression to Earned Autonomy

Payment by Results for family outcomes is a mechanism that helps encourage and maintain a focus on the following:

• the outcomes families are achieving – knowing more about how families’ lives have been changed
• data maturity – embedding outcomes in case management systems, sourcing, matching and analysing multiple partner data sets to gain insight into outcomes
• engaging partners in delivering whole family working – broadening the range of partner organisations who are part of working with families in a whole family way

These elements are at the core of an effective Early Help System.

Where an area can evidence these elements are well developed and embedded and there is strong local momentum to continue to improve, we believe there is no longer a need for PbR to incentivise this. There is now a stronger connection between elements of the system being in place in an area and having Earned Autonomy status. The markers of maturity are discussed in detail below.

Benefits for EA areas

We believe this approach brings clarity for all areas around a common standard of maturity for early help systems. With this incentive, it encourages all areas to level up and aim for this standard of maturity. All EA areas would:

• receive all allocated funding upfront providing certainty of funding amount and simplifying the funding stream
• have the national profile as having reached this standard of maturity
• as an area with recognised maturity, be looked to for informing the future direction of travel and to share good practice and innovation with other areas.

Ongoing requirements and assurance mechanisms for EA areas

Continued and increasing maturity of EA areas will be monitored through:

• all Earned Autonomy areas will continue to use the Early Help System Guide self-assessment to guide plans and priorities locally and complete the data survey
• all Earned Autonomy areas will continue to report successful family outcome data until such time as the Early Help and Supporting Families National Insight Data collection has progressed and data returns for this can replace successful family outcome data.
• assurance visits would be used only if it is apparent that progress is slowing or taking a backward step. The assumption would be that assurance visits to EA areas would not be needed.

Process, criteria and assessment

Stage 1

Part 1: The Early Help System Guide self-assessment and successful family outcome performance will be used to assess the maturity of all areas against the maturity markers.

For prospective EA areas, only those who have scored at or above the levels outlined below will be able to submit an EA application.

1. Successful family outcomes:

• exceeded 100% in 2022/23
• achieved 30% or more by 28 June 2023 (Quarter 1 2023/24)

2. Early Help System Guide self-assessment (outlined in full at Annex C):

• family voice 1 (minimum score 4 or above)
• workforce 1 (minimum score 4 or above)
• workforce 3 (minimum score 3 or above)
• leaders 1 (minimum score 4 or above)
• leaders 3 (minimum score 3 or above)
• data 1 (minimum score 4 or above)
• data 3 (minimum score 4 or above)
• data 4 (minimum score 4 or above)
• Data 7 (minimum score 3 or above)

Part 2: Areas who have scored at or above the levels outlined above will be able to apply using the application form (Annex A). A form reflecting the application form in Annex A will become visible in Delta on entry of the relevant EHSG scores.

Stage 2

Applications forms will be assessed and for areas demonstrating sufficient maturity, an assessment visit will be conducted (Annex D)

Important: Areas should be realistic with their responses to the self-assessment. It is important that the self-assessment scoring is accurate and the narrative robust as the information and scoring provided will be tested through Stage 2 of the process.

Timelines

1 April – 30 June 2023	Local authorities and partners complete self-assessment against the Early Help System Guide
28 June - 1 July 2023	Submission of Quarter 1 successful family outcomes Submission of Early Help System Guide self-assessment
14 July 2023	Eligible local areas submit Earned Autonomy application form
July – September 2022	Applications reviewed by a cross government panel and assessment visits (Annex D) for areas organised.
October – November 2023	Assessment visits
December 2023	Ministerial decision about areas to be moved to EA
January 2024	Areas informed of outcome and Memorandum of Understanding issued
April 2024	First payment

Annex A: Supporting Families: Application for Earned Autonomy 2023/24

Please note: submissions will be made via delta

Local Authority area
Name of Supporting Families Co-Ordinator
Email
Senior Responsible Officer
Title
Email
Partnership body overseeing Supporting Families

Vision and strategic alignment

Vision for the local Early Help system (600 words) Include:

• How your vision prioritises implementing a high quality approach to delivering whole family working
• Your strategy to work towards rebalancing the system towards greater prevention
• How family hubs are being developed and are being integrated into the local EH system to support rebalancing the system towards prevention
• How the work on data for the programme is integrated with wider data transformation programmes

Successful family outcomes

Describe how your internal audit team quality assures successful family outcomes (300 words)

Describe how you believe the number of successful family outcomes will continue to increase in your area and your projection for outcomes to be achieved up to March 2025 (200 words)

Data maturity

Give a position statement on your readiness and willingness to participate in the ‘Early Help and Supporting Families National Insight Data collection’ (previously ‘all Early Help data pilot’) (200 words)

Annex B – Evaluation criteria for application form

Vision and strategic alignment

Vision for the local Early Help system (600 words) Include:

• How your vision prioritises implementing a high quality approach to delivering whole family working
• Your strategy to work towards rebalancing the system towards greater prevention
• How family hubs are being developed and are being integrated into the local EH system to support rebalancing the system towards prevention
• How the work on data for the programme is integrated with wider data transformation programmes

Scoring criteria

1. Limited or disorganised description of the vision for the local Early Help System with no attempt to demonstrate how different workstreams are strategically connected

2. Reasonable description of the vision for the local Early Help System with some attempt to demonstrate how different workstreams are strategically connected but lacking coherence

3. Good, wide ranging and full description of the vision for the local Early Help System with good articulation of how different workstreams are strategically connected

4. Strong vision for the local Early Help System, aligned to the EHSG, which is stretching yet realistic. Evidence that the range of workstreams in place are working to the same agenda

Successful family outcomes

Describe how your internal audit team quality assures successful family outcomes (300 words)

Scoring criteria

1. Information provided does not demonstrate how the internal audit teams ensures outcomes have been identified for all needs in the family in line with the SFOP, and that whole family working principles were adhered to

2. Information provided gives partial assurance that internal audit teams ensure outcomes have been identified for all needs in the family in line with the SFOP, and that whole family working principles were adhered to

3. There is sufficient evidence that the internal audit process accurately ensures that outcomes have been identified for all needs in the family in line with the SFOP, and that whole family working principles were adhered to

4. There is detailed evidence that the internal audit process accurately ensures that outcomes have been identified for all needs in the family in line with the SFOP, and that whole family working principles were adhered to and that any issues identified lead to improvement.

Describe how you believe the number of successful family outcomes will continue to increase in your area and your projection for outcomes to be achieved up to March 2025 (200 words)

1. Response gives no assurance of continued improvement in successful family outcomes.

2. Response articulates desire and belief that successful family outcomes will continue to increase but lacks a clear explanation of how that will be possible.

3. Clear description of a small number of improvements or developments and good case for how these will increase the number of successful family outcomes.

4. Clear description of a wide range of improvements or developments and strong case for how these will increase the number of successful family outcomes. The case accounts for the full range of possible impacts on this, using a recognised structured analysis framework (for example PESTLE).

Data maturity

Give a position statement on your readiness and willingness to participate in the ‘Early Help and Supporting Families National Insight Data collection’ (200 words)

Scoring criteria

1. Response shows limited understanding of the purpose of the ‘Early Help and Supporting Families National Insight Data collection’ and/or insufficient building blocks in place to be able to participate.

2. Response evidences good understanding of the purpose of the ‘Early Help and Supporting Families National Insight Data collection’ and that building blocks are in place to enable the area to participate fully.

3. Response evidences visionary thinking about the purpose and potential of the ‘Early Help and Supporting Families National Insight Data collection’’ alongside showing that building blocks are in place to begin reporting at pace.

Annex C – Early Help System Guide descriptors used for Stage 1 (for both prospective and existing EA areas)

0	1	2	3	4	5
< Early stages					Mature >
There are no or few elements of this descriptor in place with no plan for development.	Planning has started and is at an early stage of development. It is too early for evidence of impact.	There is a plan to achieve this and some evidence that this is being implemented. It’s too early to demonstrate impact/outcomes from this work.	There is some good evidence of progress - to some extent/ across many elements. There may be some emerging evidence of the outcomes/ impact. The next steps are clear.	This is largely in place although not yet fully established or embedded. There is some good evidence of outcomes/ impact. There is a plan for continuous development.	This is in place and well established. There is strong evidence that developments are having impact where needed. There is a commitment to continuous development.

Family Voice 1 Minimum score: 4	Family engagement: We have well established mechanisms to gather and act on feedback from families and engage people with lived experience in service design, governance and quality assurance. A mature area has a range of methods to collect feedback from families (all children, young people, parents, carers and significant others) including but not limited to: • From families during and following support given as part of a Family Plan reflecting whole family working principles. This feedback relates to the work of all parts of the Early Help System. • From families who have not accessed support e.g. families who have been offered help and refused, those who needed help and weren’t able to get it, and those who have needs but haven’t come to the attention of services • From families from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This feedback is used as learning to support changes in how the whole system works together
Workforce 1 Minimum score: 4	The workforce in our area operates effectively to deliver whole family working and is aligned with the levels set out in the workforce table (see EHSG) The workforce table shows our vision for how all professionals who contribute to the Early Help system operate in practice although we recognise this is not a complete or exhaustive list. The family voice section gives definitions of the Lead Practitioner role and whole family working
Workforce 3 Minimum score: 3	We have a shared practice framework and locally agreed processes for professionals in partner agencies working across the wider early help system which is known, understood and consistently used. In a mature area, partners will have agreed an overarching framework that articulates the shared values, principles, key theories, and models that underpin local ways of working with children, young people and families, with whole family working at its core. As well as describing what is common, this framework will also recognise the value of the specialisms and perspectives from different agencies. There are many different services which provide Early Help. In a mature area, there will be a clear service map outlining how all services contribute to the whole system of support and the pathways and processes in place to enable families and practitioners to navigate this system.
Leaders 1 Minimum score: 4	There is a senior strategic group accountable for the Early Help System and the partnership infrastructure evidences a focus on early help, whole family and whole system working. A mature area has strong partnership arrangements that enable partners to take collective responsibility, share risks and jointly invest in early help, whole family and whole system working. Strong partnerships also evidence that leaders at different levels across the Early Help Partnership focus on building productive relationships with partners and trust one another. All themed initiatives such as serious violence, child poverty and homelessness are co-ordinated and seen as interdependent and are supported by strong data governance arrangements. Leaders speak with one voice on the importance of early help, whole family and whole system working and ensure this culture is embedded through senior and middle management and the front line and staff at all levels are effectively involved in shaping and developing improvements.
Leaders 3 Minimum score: 3	Partners have agreed a shared set of measures at family, cohort, demand and population level, including quality of whole family practice and family voice, which collectively represent the effectiveness of the Early Help System. The performance against these measures shows that outcomes for families are improving. A mature area has a shared set of measures owned by all partners who take collective responsibility for contributing to positive change. Population measures cover the whole population of the area e.g. Primary school attendance rates. Cohort measures cover a specific subset of the population e.g. primary attendance rates of children in families who received a specific service. Demand measures are those which measure activity in the system e.g. child in need per 10,000 population. Family measures track progress in outcomes for individual families e.g. child attending school at least 90% in last 3 consecutive terms. All outcome measures are used to generate an enquiring and learning culture, with high support and high challenge. This enables shared responsibility for improving outcomes, recognising that no one organisation delivers a specific outcome on their own.

Data 1 Minimum score: 4	We have regular data feeds from all parts of the partnership to support whole family working. These are open feeds and underpinned by strong data sharing agreements. A mature partnership shares data feeds, including police data, housing, social care, education and homelessness, council tax and where possible health. They make good use of open data feeds (the whole population rather than confined to the cohort) to allow for the quick identification of issues for referred families, along with needs and predictive analysis, to understand the whole community and predict individual risks. They explore the use of the Digital Economy Act to underpin data sharing agreements.
Data 3 Minimum score: 4	Our case management system allows us to record all issues affecting the family and outcomes in a quantifiable way and run reports on these. A mature area quantifies issues that could previously only be captured and monitored in a qualitative way (such as parenting needs or parental conflict). This enables the partnership and analysts to understand which issues are affecting families and how these interact with other issues and outcomes. Embedding quantitative reporting should commence from notification through to closure and should be checked by supervisors at closure.
Data 4 Minimum score: 4	We have an effective data governance board that is accountable for our progress on data transformation. It supports us and our partners to unlock and resolve issues with data sharing and direct how we use data both for performance and analytics and how we consult on system changes that would impact cross partnership. Data are used by the partnership to support resourcing, planning, whole family working and early intervention. An identified member of the Children’s Services Senior Leadership team has responsibility for driving forward actions from this board. Data Governance Boards should be either a stand-alone board, or part of a wider partnership board. The board should help drive the data transformation journey and road map. It should provide direction on how data should be used to ensure effective services and help unblock any data sharing issues. Representation should be at a senior level from across the partnership.
Data 7 Minimum score: 3	We have developed innovative analytical products. This could be needs analysis, place-based analysis, individual or family level risk analytics, apps or systems to improve information available to practitioners and partners, quantifying qualitative case notes or other documentation or any other product or system that has changed/improved our ways of working. A mature area continues to learn and develop how they use data to keep up with demands, changing services and improve the offer to families. Data are used to evaluate services, improve their effectiveness and continue to create/increase efficiencies.

Annex D: Earned Autonomy assessment visit

Agenda and content

The references in bold e.g. Family Voice 1 refer to the EHSG descriptors relevant for Earned Autonomy – please refer to these descriptors in considering what information to share and evidence to provide.

Duration	Introductions	Attendees including role
One hour	Vision and Early Help Strategy including: • The Early Help Strategy and vision • The partnership governance arrangements and engagement and how different initiatives and strategies are being weaved together to one consistent strategy Leaders 1 • How the system is being rebalanced towards greater prevention therefore reducing demand on children’s social care – include detail of EH, CIN, CP, LAC demand trends • How family hubs are being developed as part of this system • Progress in developing a shared set of measures for the EH system Leaders 3 • How family voice is heard and acted upon Family Voice 1	DCS, Senior Responsible Officer for SF, Supporting Families Co-ordinator, members of the Early Help Partnership.
	Break
One hour	Whole family working: • Progress in developing and rolling out a practice model for work with families which includes whole family working Workforce 3 • Explanation of how widespread whole family working is with reference to the workforce table in the EHSG and how this is supported through workforce development Workforce 1	As above
	Break
One hour	Data maturity including: • How the work on data for the programme is integrated with wider data transformation programmes and the structure for data governance Data 4 • Progress on data maturity in last 2 years including development of innovative analytical products Data 7 • How data supports the practice • Which data feeds (open and closed, internal and external) are in place and are in development Data 1 • - Demonstration of case management system/data system showing process for assessing successful family outcomes, and how issues and outcomes are embedded Data 3 • Overview of internal audit team process for quality assuring successful family outcomes • Projections for successful family outcomes up to March 2025 and what assumptions these projections are based on	As above, as well as any corporate data transformation leads, and data lead(s) for Supporting Families programme
	Final comments, questions and next steps