DBV in SEND - National Playbook - Quantifying impact

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When designing and implementing improvements, it is important to be able to quantify their potential impact. This allows you to prioritise the areas of focus which could have the greatest possible impact, as well as ensure the activities have the right level of resource and attention to enable that impact.

There are various metrics to investigate, such as quality, outcomes, satisfaction and cost. Whilst these are all useful to consider throughout planning, this section will focus on quantifying improvement opportunities using metrics in line with the SEND & AP mission:

Number of children or young people achieving a better outcome
Financial impact to the local area

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Why is this important?

Conducting this exercise successfully enables you to:

Prioritise focus areas using a common measurement.
Communicate the scale of impact at all levels.
Allocate appropriate resource to workstreams.
Track and monitor progress across a programme of work once implementation has begun.

When should this activity take place?

Valuing improvement opportunities should take place after focus areas have been confirmed and key root causes identified, but before any plans and workstream scope are discussed.

This ensures that you are prioritising the changes that could have the biggest potential impact.

How can you do this?

There are three key components when it comes to valuing opportunities for improvement:

1. Calculations and equations

Where possible, use as granular a level as the data allows (e.g. age, provision). It should align with any assumptions made in earlier stages of the diagnostic to calculate your baseline figures.
If appropriate, ensure that finance and operations colleagues are jointly involved in the process. Many of these calculations are reliant on operational plans such as when implementation plans can begin.
Agree values for key tracked variables – these are values that remain consistent throughout the calculations, i.e. the ones you are not driving with the improvement. For example, the average duration of an EHCP in a particular provision.

2. Operational assumptions

Using the evidence base compiled to date, make reasonable assumptions about which improvements can be achieved.
Consider the impact of your local area’s wider operational environment such as capacity, statutory guidance, interactions with other change programmes etc.

3. Confidence factors

Consider the key enablers and how well your local area is set up to support change.
Understand the complexity of the change – will this improvement require small amendments or cultural changes across the system?
Adjust the calculations based on your confidence in the approach, using data to inform your judgement where possible.

Quantifying Impact

Key areas covered in this section