Patchwork is a web-based tool designed in the UK to improve services for vulnerable families in maternal and child health, and youth services, by connecting practitioners has been piloted in five Victorian municipalities.

1. A web based tool designed in the UK to improve services
for vulnerable families in maternal and child health,
and youth services, by connecting practitioners has been
piloted in five Victorian municipalities.
“Finally, our research was matched
with the best technology solutions
to improve maternal and child health,
and youth services.”
Around 140 clients and 30
practitioners from across the five pilot
council areas signed up to be part of
the Patchwork project.
eveloped by UK-based
digital public service
design company FutureGov
and funded by the
MAV, Patchwork aims to connect
government departments and
agencies, along with community
organisations and health services that
work with common clients.
Patchwork pilot councils Brimbank,
Wyndham, Melbourne, Yarra and
Kingston have worked collaboratively
with the MAV and FutureGov since
March this year.
FutureGov Patchwork Program
Manager Kirsty Elderton spent
three months in Australia to work
intensively with the pilot councils
and program partners.
“In designing Patchwork for Victoria
we worked closely with the five
councils that gave in-principle support
to the project,” Ms Elderton said.
“First we worked at getting the
intent right with the people we’d
be working with as part of the
design team – maternal and child
health nurses, managers and
administrators.
“Next we embarked on a great
deal of background research into
the design along with analysing and
synthesising our information that
formed the basis of the workshops
we held with the councils.
Wyndham City Council Mayor
Heather Marcus said the project
was an effective way to use simple
technology solutions to connect staff
from different agencies working with
the same families.
“By connecting the team
around a family, it leads to earlier
interventions and better outcomes,”
Cr Marcus said.
“The information families provide
is securely stored on the Patchwork
application and it’s also important
to remember that families must agree
to take part in the program before
they provide any details.”
Melbourne City Council also
saw value in Patchwork’s ability to
connect vulnerable families through
its universal and enhanced maternal
and child health services.
“Most councils are aware of the risks
to young children,” Melbourne Family
Health Coordinator Wendy Jones said.
“In the annual child death review
report, it is often identified that
professionals that have information
about the child and the family had not
been connected.
“There are a lot of people working
in this field that are passionate about
looking at ways to come up with
better solutions.
“We saw Patchwork as a
product that can meet this need,
particularly when families move
out of the municipality, to keep
them connected.”
Brimbank City Council joined the pilot
project to explore ways Patchwork could
assist local youth service providers.
“We saw a number of benefits
in Patchwork including improving
Patchwork is expected to help vulnerable families by connecting practitioners through
councils’ maternal and child health, and youth services.
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2. Join the second stage of the
Patchwork roll-out, starting in November.
Email Clare Hargreaves at
chargreaves@mav.asn.au
for more information.
Improved use of data
to inform decision
making for all people
Principals to guide decision-making
IMPROVED OUTCOMES
FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Improve customer
experience/reduce
barrier to entry
Strengthen
collaborative and
partnership working
collaboration between providers,”
Director Community Wellbeing
Neil Whiteside said.
“There are also potential
benefits to young people who
have workers with multiple service
providers, and it will help workers
identify who else is working with the
young person while enabling access
to other providers’ contact details.”
MAV President Bill McArthur
said while the MAV’s initial focus had
been on maternal and child health,
and youth services, Patchwork could
be applied to a wide range of human
service areas.
“We will explore the opportunity
to roll it out to all Victorian councils,
and to create links with other public
sector and community agencies,”
he said.
An evaluation report on the
Patchwork project will be available
late 2013.
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