My weekly posts
Baroness Casey just did something rare in adult social care. She named the thing we keep skirting around — it’s what she was appointed for.
I think Baroness Casey has named a reality we often avoid: social care is the sixth of Beveridge’s giants. We’ve never had a true founding moment for it, so the system runs on workarounds, blurred accountability and fragile markets. The issue isn’t simply integration but ownership. I’d start by dropping the pretence that a market organises adult social care. Instead, we should treat care as core social infrastructure, with clear public accountability, stable funding and deliberate stewardship. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_leadership-socialcare-nhs-activity-7435441859432251392-25JG?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho
Relational public services good, transactional bad? That’s not how real systems work. And it’s not how change happens. My ladder of degrees of relationality might help
I don’t think the simple idea that relational public services are good and transactional ones are bad reflects how real systems work or how change actually happens. Instead, I see a ladder of degrees of relationality, from coercive or scripted interactions through to coordinated provision, system reform, and ultimately citizen-led space. Different degrees coexist, and the task is to design deliberately—standardising where possible, personalising where necessary—while shifting authority, discretion and learning closer to the citizen. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_relational-public-services-good-transactional-activity-7434526591252082688-DA_l
Courses and events
Contract Management course – this March
Designed for public services professionals, this programme refreshes core skills, challenges thinking, strengthens decision-making, manages political realities, and improves value-for-money through evidence-based, outcome-focused contract management. The programme runs from Wednesday 25 March 2026 to Wednesday 13 May 2026, with six core sessions. contact Sarah Johnston on 07701 049836 or email sarah.johnston@publicservicetransformation.org. link.redquadrant.com/ContractManagement26
Child House to be rolled out nationally – well done to the RedQuadrant consultants who were involved
This is wonderful news! I remain very proud of the small but hopefully valuable role RedQuadrant played in supporting this fantastic example ofsystems change or systems convening in moving public services closer to how they ought to be! https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_child-victims-should-never-be-forced-to-repeat-activity-7407439019019485184-Q_Hx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADUV_eUBZSxZvFpx70OV050F6K5HM2MhTMo
Introducing the RedQuadrant Local Government Reorganisation hub
Local Government Reorganisation is coming fast. By April 2028, every new authority must be safe, legal, and fully operational. That means statutory officers secured, ICT cutovers rehearsed, services live, and residents experiencing seamless continuity. The RedQuadrant LGR Hub is the only model that guarantees readiness while embedding lasting capability. With a single accountable structure, governance at its core, and capability pillars across adults, children’s, SEND, ICT, finance, housing, and place, the Hub ensures no gaps, no surprises. Three outcomes, every time: Safe and legal on day one; Visible assurance and confidence in delivery; Future-ready capacity with transformation built in. Find out more now: https://www.redquadrant.com/lgrhub
Commissioning Compass: systems assessment for change
Our newly launched tool, the Commissioning Compass, helps you to assess your commissioning system and form an action plan for improvement. It’s available for free via our Teachable site – try it now! link.redquadrant.com/commissioningcompass
Next National Commissioning Academy
We’re building our cohort for the next national commissioning academy – our flagship commissioning programme from the PSTA. Register your interest now: https://link.redquadrant.com/nextacademy25
What I’ve been reading:
Congratulations to Andrew Humphreys. who has stepped into a new role as SAVVI Delivery Manager.
The SAVVI project, (short for Scalable Approach to Vulnerability via Interoperability) is about helping public services identify, assess, and support people at risk of poor outcomes, whether that’s homelessness, child poverty, or even being unable to evacuate during a flood. By developing open data standards, practical guidance, and innovative tools, SAVVI enables a truly coordinated, multi-agency response. You can read more on Andrew’s role, and on the project, here: https://coda.io/@savvi/welcome/exciting-news-from-the-savvi-team-313
Things I shared on socials:
What is the Art of Hosting?
November 2024, Chris Corrigan – The “Art of Hosting” is a term that has taken on a life of its own in the world of participatory facilitation and leadership. It came into use some 25 years ago to describe the fundamental practice at the heart of participatory facilitation and it has become a bit of a cipher. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_what-is-the-art-of-hosting-activity-7435653003216588800-gfcl?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho
Defining mechanisms for having a socio-technical system aligned, Bider (2024)
Defining mechanisms for having a socio-technical system aligned, Bider (2024) – and the rest of the proceedings of Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems 2024 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_defining-mechanisms-for-having-a-socio-technical-activity-7435446134384451585-rv4L?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho
The seduction of the single metric
January 2025, Sue Pritchard on delivering better outcomes with a Multifunctional Land Use Framework. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_the-seduction-of-the-single-metric-activity-7435444459992940544-ZYSZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho
Embracing Cybernetics: Living Legacy of the Bateson Research Team – Ray and Simms (2016)
This journal article reviews and describes the cybernetic epistemology set forth by the Pro Alto Group. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_embracing-cybernetics-living-legacy-of-the-activity-7435290613488660480-AgO7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho
chosen path 