As UK politicians argue about the gaping hole in government finances, children’s services are grappling with a dire question. Who will be hit in the first round of cuts? It should come as no surprise that economic models such as that developed by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) have been receiving tremendous interest.

This week, Steve Aos and Stephanie Lee from the Washington Institute are visiting the UK. They are here to deliver a range of presentations aimed at assisting policy makers to choose sensible investment decisions.

The Social Research Unit at Dartington, publishers of Prevention Action, is sponsoring the visit.

The WSIPP economic model has been developed over a 15-year period. It has been used most famously by the Washington State legislature to move funds away from prisons and into evidence-based programs. These programs are designed to prevent criminality from occurring in the first place.

Unit co-Director Michael Little commented yesterday, “The Washington State work is not the only economic model available to children’s services. But what sets it apart is that it has been used systematically by government to make sensible investment decisions.”

The bulk of the trip is being taken up with a meeting at Dartington. There, discussions will revolve around trying to translate the WSIPP economic model for use in the UK. A group of academic and local authority experts are examining the way the model works, the data sources it depends upon and the amount of investment required for it to work in a UK context.

As Little explained, “We do not know if the translation will be possible. In many ways the situation in the US is quite distinct. The reduced access to health services and the greater propensity to send offenders to prison are just two illustrations of assumptions that would need to change to make the model work here. But if we can make the necessary alterations and find UK data to underpin the calculations we think we could have an operational model available for use in the next 12 months.”

Aos and Lee have a full week ahead of them. On Thursday they give a talk to MPs in the Houses of Parliament. Then, Aos delivers the Social Research Unit’s Annual Lecture.

Unit co-Director Louise Morpeth observed, “We have never had so much interest for our annual lecture. Ordinarily we expect between 75 and 150 people to attend. This year we could fill the venue several times over.” She says some policy makers will be ready to slash and burn components of children’s services. But for those who want to make sensible, evidence-based decisions, the work of people like Steve Aos and Stephanie Lee is invaluable.

The Washington State pair conclude their week with private seminars for government finance officials and the respected charitable foundation Social Finance. Social Finance has pioneered the use of alternative financing models for UK public sector services.

Prevention Action will report on their visit throughout the week.

Links

http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/
http://www.dartington.org.uk/