We need to improve the way we currently deliver support services to people and families in Fife. It can often be difficult for citizens, as well as staff, to navigate the service landscape and find the right support first time. There can also be too much bureaucracy around our systems and processes that puts up barriers for people trying to access support. Demand for services is increasing and people’s problems are becoming more complex.

We face many challenges  – budget cuts, resource constraints, greater demands, increased expectations – but many of these can be tackled if we are smart and innovative in our approach.

We know what we want to achieve – better outcomes for individuals and families. But how do we do this?

Providing “no wrong door” to services and support is one way of achieving transformational change for Fife’s public services, while responding to Fife’s priorities, national shifts, and social and financial pressures.

‘No wrong door’ is a concept that is often talked about. We use it in various contexts to describe similar things, but there is no clear consensus of what it means for Fife.

The Recovery and Renewal - A Plan for Fife 2021-24 goes some way in doing this. It sets out “building a no wrong door” in our Strategy for Change:

When people reach out to us for help it should be easy for them to do this. All partner services should work together to make sure that processes and systems are better joined up, so that no matter where or how people reach out, they receive the services they need.

People and families can move along a spectrum of managing well and getting by alright to not managing well and being in deep financial trouble. We know people can have complex problems that won’t disappear overnight, and that they might require support from services that is bespoke to them, takes into account their needs and goals and takes time to get results.

Ideally, we don’t want to respond to problems in isolation. We know from research and our own knowledge of our citizens that being able to respond in a more proactive, preventative manner, and anticipating other potential problems a person may have, could result in much better outcomes for people and families.

We need to provide a landscape of support that is easy to navigate with no barriers for accessing it. We need to work with people and families to help them solve their problems and support them along that journey. We need to find a way of keeping up with demand, especially as the cost-of-living crisis continues to make it harder for many Fifers. We need our staff to provide support that is relationship-based and person-centred, but we also need to support and take care of our staff so they can do their jobs.

No wrong door could be a solution to our problems; that regardless of the route through which people and families make contact, they will be able to access the support they need where they need it, when they need it and for as long as they need it.

This series of Leadership Conversations will explore the concept of no wrong door and how it could be put in practice.

Across the three workshops, leaders will explore: