Make a big difference to people-centred (my-life-has-fallen-off-the-rails) services

Followers of ciChange will know that a number of my recent blogs have talked about Systems Thinking and John Seddon's book "The Whitehall Effect", a book principally about public services and improving them. 

ciChange is not-for-profit and non-commercial, but we think this thinking is hugely important and of great value. We get no commission and our support is based on John's work rather than any deep understanding of the course, but we believe this is worthy of consideration by anyone working in people-centred services.

The Vanguard Method and people-centred services

A new programme offered by Buckingham University Business School

People-centred services (education [administration], social care, health, criminal justice and more broadly, my-life-has-fallen-off-the-rails orientated services) account for a substantial part of public-sector budgets. Studying people-centred services reveals significant problems with effectiveness; as a consequence they are also inefficient. Studying also reveals a profound opportunity to radically improve services and, as a consequence, dramatically reduce costs.

This programme is aimed at people who want to make a substantial difference by helping their organisation change; it will enable students to:

Study people-centred services in order to have thorough knowledge about the ‘what and why’ of current performance

Understand and apply different principles in the design of people-centred services to improve effectiveness and reduce costs

Learn and practice the skills and tactics of an interventionist – how to work with disparate groups and conflicting interests in order to achieve a successful intervention

The programme is available to people who work in the public and voluntary sectors. It is of one year’s duration and comprises six two-day formal teaching sessions; students are expected to apply what they are learning in their place of work. It is anticipated that students will need to devote a minimum of 25% of their working year to the programme, studying, understanding and improving the public services they and their organisations provide.

The two-day teaching sessions will take place, by agreement, in students’ organisations, enabling practical hands-on learning of the Method.

The programme will be taught by Buckingham University and Vanguard. Students will have full ‘subscriber’ access to Vanguard electronic learning system (www.vanguard-method.com) to support their learning experience.

The tuition fee has been set for the first programme at: £1,300

Students will need to ensure their organisation can also meet travel and accommodation costs during the programme.

Certification: Students will be able to opt for formal certification through submission of a portfolio of their work at the end of the programme. 

For further information, or to register your interest, please contact Maria Brunning at office@vanguardconsult.co.uk