A challenge for workforce development is how to ensure Professional Learning translates into changed working practices, e.g., the delivery of a given intervention, that provides the intended benefits, in a reliable manner, for service users, in this case, children and young people.
Learning resources, like psychological interventions, must suit the context into which they are delivered:
- ‘An intervention may have evidence to prove it works, but to be successful and have its intended impact the implementing service needs to know whether they have the resources and capacity to deliver it and to sustain the delivery. As well as to know whether the intervention meets the need of the population it serves and aligns with local values and priorities, as well as with other services and interventions already running locally, the intervention needs to fit with the local implementation context. An intervention will only be effective if those who are trained and expected to deliver it are themselves supported and supervised in practice that is both reflective and evaluated. Sustaining such programmes requires strategic leadership.’ NES Early Intervention Framework
The Hexagon Tool
The Learning Map has used the Hexagon Model (above) to consider three Programme Indicators about each Learning Resource submitted for inclusion:
- Usability – level of operationalisation of the learning resource, including learning outcomes and specified content
- Supports –resources required to support implementation including resources to build staff skills and create organisational and systems changes to sustain new work practices
- Evidence – Built on evidence-based practice / theory and includes methods to measure impact across all relevant levels as follows:
Implementing Site Indicators (fit, capacity, population need)
Implementing Site Indicators can be used, by local areas, to assess the extent to which a Learning Resource matches the setting where it is being considered for implementation.
- Fit – whether the learning resource fits with the priorities of the implementing site; community values; and other existing services and initiatives.
- Capacity – the extent to which the implementing site has the capacity necessary, including qualified staff, financial supports, technology supports, and administrative supports required to implement and sustain the changed work practices with integrity.
- Population Need – whether the implementing site has sufficiently documented the need of the population they serve and the intervention or approach under consideration is likely to meet the needs of the population, e.g., there is rigorous research evidence of efficacy with a comparable population.
It is recommended that a stakeholder group is involved in rating the three Implementing Site Indicators, and in making decisions about which learning resources will fit best in each context. Using the Hexagon Tool should be a collaborative process involving individuals with diverse perspectives (e.g., families, practitioners, leaders, community partners). This process encourages well-informed decisions when commissioning learning resources and thinking holistically about workforce development.