CONNECTED FROM THE START
SYSTEM DYNAMICS - NARRATIVES AND REVIEW OF THE CONCEPTS
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
System rationales
Based on our collective understanding of the system, we can make some tentative recommendations about each of the four concepts. There are other reasons for and against each idea, but we are focusing here on a systems perspective.
CONNECTED FROM THE START
SYSTEM DYNAMICS
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
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Causal Loop Diagrams
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Causal Loop Diagrams
CONNECTED FROM THE START
FEEDBACK STRUCTURES
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What dynamics limit the capacity of connectors in the family support system?
Limiting dynamics
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Which dynamics are most important?*
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*based on a live poll of project stakeholders
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Balance of risk and confidence
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Balance of risk and confidence
The central hypothesis driving this project is that the autonomy of community connectors enables them to reach parents who otherwise institutional support cannot. The perceived risk associated with autonomy creates a balancing dynamic in the system that limits the autonomy of Community Connectors. This is not necessarily bad; it is about finding the right limit.
If Community Connectors become more autonomous, the funding holder perceives and increase in risk. If this exceed the level of risk, they are able to tolerate, they will take action (e.g. impose strong accountability measures) to reduce or limit the autonomy of Community Connectors.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Balance of risk and confidence
In the same way as they may not wish to share power, funding holders can limit the resource they provide for Community Connectors due to risk aversion or a lack of confidence.
Often this is to do with a lack of confidence in how to support the effective autonomy of Community Connectors while maintaining accountability in top-down decision-making structures.
Many Community Connectors are employed in the voluntary sector where these dynamics are very complicated, because voluntary sector organisations often have mixed funding sources and therefore complex risk and accountability structures.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
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Recruitment and training
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Recruitment and training
The number of people who can become Community Connectors is limited by the number who are ready and willing to do so. Where they are working within an organisation or programme, Connectors also have to go through some kind of training.
The reason why this is a balancing or limiting dynamic is that for each person who becomes a Community Connector, there is one less person who could become a Connector. Even effective recruitment projects will eventually reach a limit.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
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Burnout
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Burnout
Connector burnout is a harmful balancing effect on the caseload each Community Connector can work with. As a Connector’s caseload gets too high (Excess cases), the Connector may experience burnout if they are not supported or able to reduce that caseload in a health way. Burnout can lead to Connectors leaving the role, which reduces the number of Connectors.
This could have a knock-on effect, reinforcing the initial issue, because for each Connectors who leaves the role, the remaining Connectors may take on more cases, increasing their risk of experiencing burnout.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Burnout
Eventually, this dynamic places a limit on the total capacity of Community Connectors to help parents in the system.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
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Limited caseloads
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
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Limited caseloads
Burnout is the unhealthy limiting dynamic that prevents caseloads getting too high. A healthy way of limiting caseloads is simply to reduce the intake of new parents as a Community Connector’s caseload approaches its limit.
The total capacity of Community Connectors to help parents in the system is limited by Connectors’ optimal caseload.
While there may be interventions, such as technology and supervision, which may increase the ideal caseload for each Connector, there will eventually be a limit at which burnout begins.
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Connectors moving on to other roles
Move on
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Connectors moving on to other roles
Community Connectors often work on a voluntary basis. In the voluntary sector, a common dynamic is that volunteers move on, sometimes to paid employment or roles which carry higher status, after gaining some experience.
The effectiveness of Community Connectors, based on how trusted they are by their community and local services, is believed to increase with the amount of time a Connector spends in their role. So, the pattern of volunteer Community Connectors moving on to other roles can limit the effective capacity of Connectors in the system.
Move on
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
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Whole system
To understand the big picture, how all the system dynamics fit together, we have developed a larger Causal Loop Diagram that stitches together the limiting dynamics we have just described. We can use this to understand how each of our concepts might affect the system…
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THE IDEAS: A SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE
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CONNECTED FROM THE START
PARENT PEOPLE
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Parent People leverages…
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CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
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Balance of risk and confidence
As a movement, Parent People seeks to change the perceptions of those who hold power and funding towards Community Connectors. This change in perceptions may be part of a wider shift in how funders and State bodies view their role in society in relation to communities and community action.
The movement would seek to unlock support and funding for Community Connectors by showing how community-based support can be supported and trusted to make a difference.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Balance of risk and confidence
A more radical ambition for the Parent People movement would be to change the financial and decision-making structures which create this dynamic in the first place.
By promoting the value of community decision-making instead of top-down direction, the Parent People movement would remove the gap between funding decisions and Connector’s discretion. This gap is what generates the need for funding holders to manage risk using hierarchical structures of control.
From a systems perspective, this is a fundamental change because it alters the structure of the limiting dynamics in the system.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Recruitment and training
The Parent People movement would hope to increase public awareness of Community Connectors and their value. This may lead to more people wanting to become Connectors.
A shared training programme and identity, which could be developed as part of Parent People, might increase the pace and quality of training for new Connectors.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Connectors moving on to other roles
One aim of the Parent People movement would be to increase the prestige and respect held for Community Connectors. This may encourage people to remain in the role for longer, because they would feel more valued.
By bringing Community Connectors together, the overall effectiveness of people in these roles may increase as they would be able to share practice wisdom and tips.
Move on
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
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Parent People
PROS
CONS
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ONE FORM
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One Form leverages…
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CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Limited caseloads
One Form can increase the efficiency with which Community Connectors can support parents and families. This may increase the number of parents each Connector can work with. In our model of the system, this is represented by an increase in the optimal caseloads for Connectors which means this limiting dynamic doesn’t kick in until a higher size of caseload.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Access to services
One of the direct factors which determines the number of parents that Community Connectors can support is the accessibility of support and services. Community Connectors play an important role in connecting parents with existing support and services that could be helpful. By making these services more accessible through a single form, Community Connectors could be enabled to support more parents.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
One Form
PROS
CONS
CONNECTED FROM THE START
SEARCHABLY
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Searchably leverages…
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CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Limited caseloads
Searchably can increase the efficiency with which Community Connectors can support parents and families. This may increase the number of parents each Connector can work with. In our model of the system, this is represented by an increase in the optimal caseloads for Connectors which means this limiting dynamic doesn’t kick in until a higher size of caseload.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Recruitment and training
Searchably may make it easier for Community Connectors to find support for parents and families. This many enable more people to take on a Connector role (perhaps on an individual basis, not just through an organisation) because the information they need is more easily accessible.
This reduces the training requirement of the Community Connector role and may increase the number of Connectors by lowering this barrier to accessing the role.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Access to services
One of the direct factors which determines the number of parents that Community Connectors can support is the accessibility of support and services. Community Connectors play an important role in connecting parents with existing support and services that could be helpful. By making these services more accessible through a single, searchable database, Community Connectors could be enabled to support more parents.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Reach of connectors
One of the direct factors which determines the number of parents that Community Connectors can support is the reach each Connector has in their community. Searchably could increase Connectors’ reach because the Connectors could list their own services on the tool, which parents could use themselves to fund support.
Word of mouth references could reinforce this initial boost to the reach of a Connector.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Searchably
PROS
CONS
OTHER Searchably may reduce the need for a formalized Community Connector role as parents are able to use the tool to ‘self solve’ and access services.
CONNECTED FROM THE START
PARENT CHAT
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Parent Chat leverages…
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CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Reach of connectors
One of the direct factors which determines the number of parents that Community Connectors can support is the reach each Connector has in their community. Parent Chat could increase Connectors’ reach by providing a central access point to support. It is tailored to reaching parents during the COVID-19 outbreak and response.
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
Parent Chat
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CONNECTED FROM THE START
CONCLUSIONS FROM A SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
CONNECTED FROM THE START: SYSTEM DYNAMICS
Date: 09/06/20
System rationales
Based on our collective understanding of the system, we can make some tentative recommendations about each of the four concepts. There are other reasons for and against each idea, but we are focusing here on a systems perspective.