10 - Transitional Safeguarding as whole systems change

Summary

Introduction

This chapter explores what is meant by whole systems change and argues that this is an important paradigm for the development and implementation of a Transitional Safeguarding approach. As such, Transitional Safeguarding requires systems leadership which explicitly attends to complexity. Consideration is given to how change can be embedded, drawing on theoretical frameworks of innovation and implementation, and an example of a whole system change approach to reducing violence. Understanding Transitional Safeguarding as a whole system change brings some challenges for implementation and impact measurement; the key principles offer a way to think about these difficulties and so take small steps in the right direction. A discussion follows about how to frame Transitional Safeguarding in ways that enable helpful policy solutions. Finally, in an effort to model reflexivity and congruence, the endeavour of whole systems change is explored using the key principles of Transitional Safeguarding as a framework. Each key principle is considered in terms of what embodying the principles means for those seeking to develop Transitional Safeguarding at a local or national level.

Why Transitional Safeguarding is a ‘systems’ issue

A system can be broadly defined as a number of elements connected or linked together by dynamics which in turn influence or affect other elements or systems; some systems are complex because they involve unpredictability and emergence (OECD 2017). The concept of Transitional Safeguarding could be construed as a simple change proposition: young people who need support to be safe should receive this irrespective of their eighteenth birthday. However, the underlying problems and the required actions to address these are not simple at all; they are deeply complex issues that engage multiple aspects of the personal and professional system/s and wider society as a whole.

There are two key systems that are relevant to Transitional Safeguarding. The first, as noted in Chapter 2, relates to understanding individual young people's lives as complex ecosystems (Bronfenbrenner 1977). Young people are not simply elements within a system; their lives can be understood as a complex system, with each level of the system influencing the others.