Page 48 - WCEN Dr Rochelle Burgess evaluation report\ Baloon

“Family therapy or CVD are huge areas for development – we have some evidence showing
that the training works, and can be translated to other spaces. – Senior management

However, despite this enthusiasm, participants from both the statutory and community partners were
adamant that certain factors posed serious risk to expanding these ideas and sustaining positive
changes established thus far. These are presented as risks and limitations currently facing the network
described in the following section.

Risks

‘Don’t run before you can walk’

Having demonstrated some significant changes to the systems in Wandsworth, a temptation may be
to ‘run before you can walk’. However, the next phase requires careful consideration and reflection.
The next stage of work for WCEN will require both strategic and detailed approaches to the work
ahead. This work will require planning and input from all community groups. This phase of work will
require the development of existing assets as a primary focus and the secondary focus should be on
developing new relationships, initiatives and ideas.

This notion of ‘running before you walk’ may also be encouraged by the statutory agencies. In several
interviews there was a reoccurring theme suggesting WCEN engaging with alternative groups as they
have already developed relationships with the current members. However, this suggestion presents
risks; it may be tempting to proceed with engaging others but systemic change requires time, and
engagement with other groups maybe to the detriment of the strength of the network as it is. For
example, in an interview, it was implied that the work WCEN do must be ‘easy’ now as it is already
successful, but the evidence from the evaluation agrees there are areas of success, but there needs
to be greater focus on maintaining, sustaining and evidencing that the model is successful before
spreading the ‘net too far’.

‘so there’s been lots of work done around black pastors and other areas, but they’re more a
sub-set of for instance hard to reach groups, but actually rather than just focusing on that,
because it’s been successful and maybe it’s easy now, actually how do we say right, that’s
doing quite well, but what else, who else do we need to target, what else do we need to do,
refugee groups or whatever’ – statutory organisations interview- senior management

‘Running’ into this next phase of work will pose huge risk to the sustainability for the organization and
undermine its accomplishments to date.

Resilience to change

Practices in the statutory agencies shift and change constantly (for example a shift from tendering to
outcomes-based commissioning). The ongoing change means WCEN need to ensure they are resilient.
There is a great risk to sustainability when there is a reliance on individual figures to carry the
coproduction agenda or continue to support the work WCEN do. In this regard, the secondary focus
identified in the previous discussion, becomes paramount - building capacity and building alliances
as modes of strengthening resilience.

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