FutureGov

Improving outcomes for young people in Little Hulton

Briefly describe the initiative/ project/ service

Salford City Council and its partners are delivering a large transformation programme, one aspect focussed on children and young people achieving more. FutureGov was brought in to look at a particular area of Salford to identify from a young people’s perspective what their needs were. Carrie Bishop and her team met with us a few times to scope the work but mainly to get a few key contacts to help them on their journey. They spoke to several young people and young adults, at home and where they meet up and brought back to us a different picture, not of needs but of assets and requirements to support those assets. They delivered their report to us with four different recommendations to take forward and we as partners are now working together, still supported by FutureGov, to deliver on these recommendations – Feeling Equal, Investing in Local People, Recognising new ways of learning, Being independent

Why do you think it should win this award?

FutureGov changed the conversation and perspective for us. Moving from a needs based to an asset based starting point changed the driver for the change but also the approach to the change. Smaller groups are now working on each of the recommendations, linking in with activities already underway within different partner organisations. Rather than new structures, what has come out is thinking differently about what’s needed. Eg a bus pass might be all that’s needed to get someone to college. FutureGov has also helped the council on a number of other activities, running a Hackathon for school children, facilitating them to come up with entrepreneurial ideas and running with them and delivering training for staff to help us engage differently with residents. Although the Little Hulton work was the starting point, the learning from that has creeped into other projects and has moved our thinking and approach to the extent that residents are now much more at the core of any change – from design through to delivery.

What are the key achievements?

Changing the conversation from a needs focus to an asset based
Changing perceptiohs of a deprived area and its residents
Bringing residents, young people, to the forefront
Better understanding of where young people go and and why
Better understanding of what stops young people from achieving better outcomes