I have just completed my first week working on a project with IRISS exploring the links between evidence and innovation in the context of Scotland\u2019s social services. \u00a0This blog marks the first of my weekly attempts to chart my progress and experiences of researching this emerging topic. I use the word emerging here, because what has already become apparent is that, although \u2018evidence\u2019 and \u2018innovation\u2019 have both been explored extensively across the academic, policy and practice literatures, their complex and evolving relationship with one another has not yet been considered in the same detail. \u00a0This makes for a project that is both timely and challenging.<\/p>\n
Dedicating this week to researching the key debates and \u2018buzz words\u2019 associated with evidence and innovation, and their application to social services, has resulted in my own re-emphasising of the importance of context. \u00a0It has led me to conclude that the relationship between evidence and innovation cannot be adequately reflected on, in a way that is meaningful to practitioners, without this topic being situated within the current context of social service policy and practice in Scotland. \u00a0Of particular relevance for the evidence and innovation debate is the drive to reform Scotland\u2019s public services in general, and social services in particular. \u00a0This imperative is present in influential reports including The Christie Report<\/em><\/a>, The Scottish Government\u2019s response to this in Renewing Scotland\u2019s Public Services<\/em><\/a>, and its report on Social Services, Changing Lives<\/em><\/a>. \u00a0Each of these highlights the difficult situation faced by public services in the wake of a financial crisis which has simultaneously reduced public sector resources whilst increasing the demand for such resources as the effects of the recession are felt by society\u2019s most vulnerable. \u00a0This, combined with an aging population and recruitment difficulties, has culminated in a challenging climate for social services.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s response to these complex demands has been to present an improvement agenda, and there are two aspects of this agenda which I see as crucial to the contextualisation of the evidence and innovation project at IRISS. First, that improvement will be stimulated through radical innovation (rather than incremental innovation), and second that improvements will also be achieved by tightening oversight and accountability, through the application of transparent and rigorous audit mechanisms. \u00a0It is easy to get swept along in the power of these separate discourses. \u00a0\u2018Innovation\u2019 seems to have evolved into a term that has only positive connotations, and has become the \u2018go to\u2019 concept for those attempting to improve organisations and services. \u00a0The drive towards greater accountability for organisations funded by public money has been a persuasive discourse since the 1980s New Public Management revolution and, arguably, has only been strengthened by recent high profile illustrations of mismanagement and error in the public sector (The NHS debt and the Daniel Pelka case are just two examples).<\/p>\n However, upon closer inspection the government\u2019s suggestion that social service reform should be pursued through greater accountability and radical innovation is problematic. \u00a0There is a potential antagonism here between the pursuit of innovation and tighter regulatory regimes, particularly where the latter is based on narrow, high-stakes performance criteria that are used publicly to facilitate competition, to scrutinise and to pass judgements. Innovation risks being stifled in a climate where practitioners have to \u2018watch their backs\u2019 and ensure that they are achieving particular performance targets (Munro, 2004;<\/a> Brown, 2010). \u00a0\u00a0This issue may be intensified if it is radical innovation that is being sought. Regulatory regimes that can serve to create a \u2018blame culture\u2019 may undermine desire and willingness to implement radical innovations, as social service practitioners may fear the repercussions for their clients and themselves\u00a0if something goes wrong,<\/p>\n Given this potential antagonism present within the government\u2019s reform discourse, and the likelihood that both radical innovation and greater accountability will continue to propel the improvement agenda, it is important that this context firmly underpins the IRISS project exploring the links between evidence and innovation. This context suggests that there is likely to be a pivotal role for \u2018evidence\u2019 throughout the innovation process, not least as a way of mediating some of the potential risks and concerns this poses for service users and the workforce. \u00a0Having established this, other questions begin to surface. \u00a0What kinds of evidence are integral to innovation? \u00a0Collected by whom? And used when and how? \u00a0These are just some of the questions I will be pursuing over the forthcoming weeks.<\/p>\n However, what also emerges from this consideration of context is the unlikeliness that evidence alone is enough to secure successful innovation in a social service context. \u00a0Evidence may well prompt, inform and evaluate innovation, but there is clearly an important role for the Government and service leaders in the development of a culture where \u201cwell thought through, well managed risks\u201d are an accepted feature of the transformational process (Brown, 2010, p. 1222). \u00a0Come to think of it, there might be a role for evidence here too, as a way of developing our understanding of the culture and conditions necessary for successful innovation in a social service setting. \u00a0Undoubtedly, new links between evidence and innovation will continue to emerge as I begin the second week of this thought-provoking project.<\/p>\n Jodie Pennacchia References<\/strong><\/p>\n Brown, L (2010), Balancing Risk and Innovation to Improve Social Work Practice, British Journal of Social Work<\/em>, 40(4), pp. 1211-1228.<\/p>\n Munro, E (2004), The impact of audit on social work practice, British Journal of Social Work<\/em>, 34(8), pp. 1073-1095.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have just completed my first week working on a project with IRISS exploring the links between evidence and innovation in the context of Scotland\u2019s social services. \u00a0This blog marks the first of my weekly attempts to chart my progress and experiences of researching this emerging topic. 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\n<\/em>The University of Nottingham
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