Hi folks,
I head up the Service Transformation Team at Essex County Council. My interest in this data standard grew out of a frustration at seeing users struggle to find the right services for their needs. Whether it was finding local childcare or a support group for an elderly relative, the way that services were designed wasn’t as good as it could be - and the data in the system was part of the problem.
I wasn’t the only one who had this frustration and it’s been a pleasure to work with colleagues from across the public, private and voluntary sector to develop the Open Referral UK standard. By working collaboratively we’ve been able to avoid falling into the trap of designing ‘another standard’ and have built on the work of those who’ve looked at this problem before us.
I am keen to help you adopt this in your organisation and am always happy to chat about how to make things happen.
Ben