What is Leeds Practice Model?
Leeds Practice Model builds on all aspects of practice and what we know to be useful when
assessing, implementing and evaluating what we do. It is based on findings from a wide
range of practices and does not necessarily represent anything new or unknown. Rather it is a
bringing together of best practice that in itself naturally aligns to working restoratively with
both families and colleagues. The Leeds Practice Model contains the five key elements of:
- Rethink Formulation,
- Leeds Practice Principles;
- Outcome Focused Supervision;
- Continuous Development; and
- Multi-agency Context.
The model places the family at the central point of convergence of these elements (see
below); each element is complementary and necessary to the other, and in turn they place
emphasis on creating effective relationships, staying focused and using evidence based
approaches.
If all the elements are in place then we are creating conditions that are much more likely to
provide meaningful and effective help, support and care whist also fully utilising the family’s
strengths and skills in the creation, implementation and evaluation of plans. This will enable
to us to truly work with families in an explicit context of high support and high challenge. The
Leeds Practice Model is applicable to providing any service for children, young people and
their families, at any level of intervention.
What is Rethink Formulation and Outcome Focused Supervision?
Rethink Formulation or the 6Ps, is a way of unifying and developing practice across services in
Leeds. The aim is to extend Rethink Formulation into as many of the various aspects of our work
with children, young people and families as possible, centred within a series of regular and
ongoing multi-agency Rethink Formulation forums and other complementary approaches.
Outcome Focused Supervision is where a supervisor holds a supervisee to account for plans put
forward for any given family, and thoroughly explores and checks the rationale and thinking
behind each plan. The fundamental question is whether the plan is likely to achieve the desired
goal or outcome; and if not, why not, considering how this affects the overall understanding of
what is going on. This approach will involve scrutiny using Rethink Formulation and challenge
around practice behaviours as described in the Leeds Practice Principles below.
What are the Leeds Practice Principles?
Always working WITH – creating a context of high support and high challenge with children,
young people and families and each other;
Relationship based – assuming that engagement and best outcomes are achieved through
trusting and respectful relationships with each other, taking responsibility for creating and
maintaining effective relationships at all levels;
Enabling the utility of the family – putting the family at the heart of everything we do;
recognising and enabling the networks and skills within the family; and wherever possible,
families determine the direction of care and intervention;
Early in the life of a problem - engaging families in appropriate and effective support
immediately when an issue is identified and maintaining a persistent offer to engage in
support;
One family, one lead worker, one plan - wherever possible, working to reduce numbers of
practitioners involved with a single family and defining one lead practitioner to coordinate a
single comprehensive family plan. Where agencies are also involved with the adults in the
family, a Think Family, Work Family approach should be adopted;
Systemic, formulation driven and evidence based - all plans consider the whole system
around a family, information is effectively analysed and plans are created using the best
available evidence;
Transparent - children, young people and families are as fully informed as possible and are
always involved in and understand decisions that concern themselves and their families;
Strength focussed - all interactions, interventions and plans are seeking, affirming and
utilising existing knowledge, skills and abilities; and adopt an evidence based approach to
assessing needs and managing risk;
Recognising that engagement with education is a protective factor – seeking to maximise
attendance, attainment and achievement;
Accountability, evaluation and sustainability - always working to continually understand a
situation, improve plans and find ways to enable independence and reduce reliability on
services.
Key contacts or for more information
More information is available from: childrens.innovations@leeds.gov.uk. There is also a One
Minute Guide on Rethink Formulation.
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