Hertfordshire – a county that works for children, young people and families.
Having a clear outcomes framework provides a vision that everyone can agree to.
It's important because it allows us to set clear targets. We can then look at both outcome measures and outcome indicators to consider how well we're meeting the targets.
Outcome measures are things we can measure directly. For example, the number of children presenting at A & E with an accidental injury is a direct measure.
Alternatively, the number of children who have had road safety training might be chosen as an outcome indicator, that is, a proxy measure rather than a direct measure.
An outcome is a change that results from something having been done. It's not an activity – it's the result of that activity. Outcomes can be positive or negative.
Over a number of months we consulted with a range of people across Hertfordshire to agree a set of outcomes that are most important to our work. We want children, young people, young adults and their families to achieve all outcomes in the framework.
Each of the outcomes covers an outcome area (or domain) rather than a single change. For example, "Be healthy" means different things depending on the individual or family we're working with.
Below are examples of the outcomes an individual may be looking to achieve in each of the domains. We recognise that these are our aspirational outcomes and that everyone may not be all able to achieve all of them.