Safeguarding children at risk of abuse requires effective multiagency working throughout safeguarding agencies. Current arrangements have proved inadequate and have failed to deliver on the imperative for integrated working. The Moderator Proposition fully resolves these outstanding operational needs. Moderator employs AI technology, with an integrated organisational 'construct', to assemble a comprehensive 'picture of events' for conjoined working across agencies. It is an holistic innovation.
Innovation Summary
Innovation Overview
Shortfalls in process and operations in safeguarding children at risk, are evidenced repeatedly by instances of information 'falling between the gaps' and/or not being identified in the first place in social care reviews.
Moderator resolves long standing problems for integrated working between 'siloed' agencies, fundamental for safeguarding children at risk. The proposition provides for the collation of review information delivering - multiagency working, interoperability, data/information sharing to provide early Information for early intervention.
Information sharing is enabled through Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, MicroFocus IDOL 12, to collate a 'picture of activity' on a child at risk. The AI engine assembles, interprets, analyses and reports on database records and associated information sources e.g. emails, texts, telephone calls, social media outlets - comprising so called 'unstructured data' - to assemble a comprehensive record of activity on any case.
The process provides an integrated organisational 'construct' to share assembled information 'in real time', This enables agencies to operate collectively in a co-ordinated process, all sharing the same source of information. This collective approach is vital to intercept abuse cases at the earliest opportunity, to deliver remedial decision making and action. It enables the collation of 'collective wisdom' on abuse cases from the distinct perspectives of individual agencies experiences on safeguarding, to deliver a 'rounded' judgement at the earliest possible opportunity .
Integrated working across agencies has been researched, world-wide, for decades, but past initiatives have failed to deliver due to repeated technical and administrative shortcomings in operations, primarily failures in information sharing.
Moderator can, by design, be deployed on an iterative and progressive basis. The wider the reach in implementation, across agencies, the greater the effectiveness in safeguarding operations. There is no limit to the number and range of organisations that can be incorporated in the moderator process.
Moderator is available for immediate deployment as a demonstrable facility. It can be scaled without limitation, delivering a world-wide proposition for child protection. It provides optimum innovation at minimum risk.
Moderator is a unique offering and as such is a 'world first' for safeguarding.
Innovation Description
What Makes Your Project Innovative?
Moderator is a unique process for integrated working, utilising advanced AI technology, conjoining disparate safeguarding agency and case related information in a manner not previously identified. It resolves long standing shortcomings in current safeguarding operations, in a process that's is both innovative and radical.
The underlying technology base, is currently deployed in government security agencies for other analytic purposes. It can be 're-purposed' for safeguarding without modification. No comparable initiative of its type exists, world-wide.
Safeguarding professionals will be provided with the means to make informed judgements, from a full and comprehensive collation of information available, at the earliest opportunity, in a manner not possible prior to Moderator, and independent of the need for co-located staff - currently considered a pre-requisite for effective working.
What is the current status of your innovation?
The proposition is currently being presented for review to the UK Government, Department of Education who are the statutory agency responsible for overall safeguarding operations,
The next phase is for a pilot evaluation in a chosen area of safeguarding operations to illustrate the benefits demonstrable from a process that delivers integrated working with the ability to collate, analyse and report from a full and comprehensive record of information on cases for review.
Innovation Development
Collaborations & Partnerships
Moderator Consulting Ltd is a singularly focussed company, dedicated to resolving decades long deficiencies in safeguarding operations. In development, there has been no external input.
As referenced above, MicroFocus IDOL 12, AI technology base, is currently deployed for analytics in government security areas and can be re- purposed, supporting integrated multiagency operations. There is no connection between the Moderator Proposition and government security initiatives involving the use of MicroFocus IDOL 12 software routines. They are separate initiatives in their own right. Commonality only exists in relation to both addressing broad-span data analytic requirements in operation.
Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries
The technology will be deployed to individual safeguarding agencies. It will be installed within those agency's data repositories to analyse each agency's discrete data/information repositories identifying specified case review information - independent of the existing technology infrastructure installed, and then consolidated. Moderator provides full security compliance.
By statute, all agencies/bodies involved in safeguarding are legally obliged to share data under the children act.
Innovation Reflections
Results, Outcomes & Impacts
The initiative will aid professional safeguarding performance for early intervention in emerging abuse cases. It will enhance the ability to detect cases in a timely manner and speed subsequent action, mitigating against not infrequent death in abused children not identified in a timely manner.
Analysis of published review data on safeguarding operations, indicate a Moderator based process would realise some £1.2B worth of efficiency savings in respect of current safeguarding operational costs - whilst providing for a dramatic improvement in recruitment and retention of sorely pressed staff -specifically social worker staff - a recurrent problem in safeguarding work.
Challenges and Failures
The greatest challenge has been to engage agency/bodies at individual agency level. From outset, the company experienced a 'closed loop' reaction from agency management to the opportunities presented by the initiative. The proposition came from 'outside the family' of safeguarding agencies . Individually, agencies perceived Moderator's objectives as above their purview and outside their area of responsibility.
It was necessary to devise a set of alternative communication approaches to 'ease' through to the highest level of government responsible for safeguarding - The Secretary of State for Education.
Only through persistence, and after 18 months, has the project finally reached this stage of review, where the agency responsible overall for Safeguarding - the Department of Education has become engaged. The proposition is now firmly placed with them for detailed review and assessment.
Conditions for Success
Success will, be dependant on positive adoption of advanced technology at government level.
Moderator clearly demonstrates the improvements necessary to resolve current deficiencies in safeguarding operations. Its underlying AI technology is a proven entity enabling multiagency working and can be deployed without delay and without modification.
The proposal is unique as an approach for integrated data/information sharing across the myriad of 'siloed' agencies engaged in safeguarding. Safeguarding agencies are, and were, not designed for integrated/cross agency collaboration. It mitigates these restrictions. Structures to facilitate integrated working are emerging - but safeguarding agencies have far to go to optimise effectiveness.
Moderator will provide the necessary systemic operation, process and organisational 'construct' to finally deliver on the national imperative for the effective safeguarding of children at risk - far too long in delivery.
Replication
The proposition is unique and no equivalent, of its type and reach, exists world-wide. Its deployment for safeguarding as such has global scope. All developed countries are experiencing the same deficiencies and failures in multiagency working and interoperability for truly effective safeguarding experienced in the UK.
In short, Moderator is a world first.
Lessons Learned
Perseverance and again perseverance - if convinced that your innovation will bring unprecedented improvements to the operation your focussed upon - in this case mitigating the abuse of children and not infrequently saving lives.
Co-joining state agencies for interoperability was and is a unique challenge, resolved through the Moderator process, and will provide defined benefits in reducing operational costs and fundamentally improving professional service delivery in child protection.
Anything Else?
Further explanatory papers e.g. a succinct 'Deliverables' paper, are available on request.
The main presentation paper, detailing the Moderator and its process, is displayed within the web site www.moderatorconsulting.co.uk
The initiative is particularly appropriate at this time due to the horrific case of child abuse and death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson - widely publicised in the media this year.
Personally, my background can be defined as a specialist in Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR), applying technology to managerial organisation and administrative processes - in this case the use of advanced Artificial Intelligence technology to assist safeguarding operations.
Status:
- Implementation - making the innovation happen
- Evaluation - understanding whether the innovative initiative has delivered what was needed
- Diffusing Lessons - using what was learnt to inform other projects and understanding how the innovation can be applied in other ways
Innovation provided by:
Date Published:
23 January 2023