8 reflections on taking a systemic approach

This blog is adapted from Catherine’s speech at NPC Ignites 2024.

I’ve been CEO of Place2Be for 10 years, and part of the organisation for over twenty years.

Taking a systemic approach is something that has been central and fundamental to all our work over the last 30 years. Even if ‘systems change’ isn’t the language we would have used back then!

But as I reflect on our experience of what makes for effective systemic working, I’d focus on 8 key lessons: put beneficiaries at the centre, collaborate, speak each others’ language, learn in tough times, be patient, find and address barriers to change, use evidence to learn, and support each other.

Put beneficiaries front and centre

At Place2Be, we take a systemic approach by focusing on and around the child.

We pioneered the ‘Whole School Approach’, which is basically understanding, making the links and supporting the system around the child at school. This includes the school environment, its leadership, the teachers, the parents and carers. It has to be approached holistically and with the child, our ultimate beneficiary, at the centre.

Since 1994, we have gained experience at a grass roots level of delivering this systemic approach – by equipping and empowering children and their communities to support and nurture their children and help them to develop and thrive, to be the best they can be.

Collaboration is key

Systemic step change can only happen when we come together.

For us, that’s about working hand in hand in deep and true partnership with brilliant school leaders and their teams. About shaping our work to each individual school environment – whether primary, secondary, multi-academy trust, state or independent. And about having flexibility in our approach. allowing it to be tailored by the local system.

But collaboration and real partnership takes time. It can be messy and difficult. It requires practitioners, people on the ground, managers, and leaders to all dedicate time and effort. Having enough check-in and review points, both formally and informally.

Speak each other’s language

Part of effective collaboration is coming up with a shared language.

We used to talk about being ‘bilingual’. Being able to share our outcomes and look at evidence and effectiveness from the point of view of education and health:

• For education, that means thinking about impact on the things that matter to a school: attendance, exclusions, behaviour, impact on engagement and learning and how the child engages in school life
• For health it’s about clinical outcomes, quality assurance of clinical practice, and impact on CAMHS waiting lists.

The key point is to understand the lens of each partner, together with what they are individually accountable for and also have a shared goal.

Sometimes the greatest learning happens during tough times – like now

The most challenging cases or incidents. A change in leadership. In our experience, it can be tough times that build strong systems work, because great partnerships are built on honest dialogue and relationships of trust.

We all know how tough times are right now. We’re in a time where budgets have never been more constrained. And with the level of demand for mental health services and support for children and young people, it’s a huge challenge.

This is also an opportunity. To align and bring services together around the child and the community. If everyone plays their part, we can leverage our separate resources to make more of an impact together.

Be patient – systemic change also takes time

You can’t expect to make a significant difference in a year or two. For this you need partners, including funding partners who trust you and believe in the shared vision, and will be with you for the journey. Including all the bumps in the road along the way. And you can guarantee there will be bumps!

In return, you need to be open and transparent, and willing to learn along the way. Iterative is a great word we learned on our digital journey.

Find and address barriers to change

Working systemically can help you find the bottlenecks and constraints that are preventing wider change from happening.

For Place2Be, we recognised through a systems approach that the supply of skilled mental health professionals to work with children was one of the biggest barriers for all children to have easy access to the support they need.

So, one of our most exciting developments is our roadmap, bringing together a cross-sector trailblazer group, to develop a new apprenticeship standard creating a new route to qualification as a child counsellor.  This addresses a number of key barriers in the child mental health space.  And it means that schools and other organisations including corporate partners, can use funds tied up in their apprenticeship levy, to train their own school mental health practitioner. It will remove the financial barrier and make a career in counselling far more accessible and inclusive. In turn, we’ll have more qualified counsellors for children to turn to, and they will increasingly reflect the communities they serve.

Use evidence and learn

Since Day 1 at Place2Be we’ve put data and evidence at the heart of our operations.

By doing so, you have to have the confidence to know you’re not always going to get it right, but these are the best opportunities to learn what actually does work. This is a constant cycle – you need to be constantly testing, trying, learning, adapting and trying again. Don’t be afraid to try things out.

Our work supporting parents has taken many forms over the years – and again we have wonderful philanthropic supporters to thank for their backing and trust in us. Success and impact doesn’t come without trial and error, and using evidence to inform change. In fact I’d say that some of our greatest learnings have come from some of our toughest challenges.

Support each other

And the best way to survive those toughest challenges is to have a network that you can rely on. Building a peer network for support is integral to those in leadership positions. During Covid, I’m not sure I would have survived without my weekly Friday morning call with the CEOs of the other mental health charities. We may be in competition for funds some of the time, but we’re interconnected and we all want and need each other to succeed.

These relationships offer sounding boards, reassurance, guidance, insights and friendship that is just priceless.

Conclusion: The difference we can make together

Working in this sector is such a privilege. We all get out of bed every day to make a positive contribution. And by working hand-in-hand to tackle the knotty, difficult issues, we can give children and communities a brighter, empowered future.

The joint achievement is way beyond anything any of us can accomplish alone.

Children like Meklit in Year 6, whose note is posted to my computer as a daily reminder to me of why Place2Be exists:

When I go to Place2BeTalk I feel confident.  I know that I can talk to someone I trust.  It was great to go.  It was also useful.  I gained more confidence and joy going there.

‘Useful’ and creating ‘confidence and joy’. I don’t think it gets better than that!