1. Arjan van Venrooy and Lon SonnenscheinCHAIN UNITS: GETTING TO GRIPS WITH PUBLIC CHAINS Practice as the source of inspiration commissie innovatie openbaar bestuur

2. CHAIN UNITS: GETTING TO GRIPS WITH PUBLIC CHAINS Practice as the source of inspiration 3. Practice as the source of inspiration 4. ForewordWe proudly present this publication of the Commission for Innovation in Public Administration, InAxis, and Verdonck, Klooster & Asso- ciates called: Chain units: Getting to grips with public chains to you. It is a special booklet describing a new concept of organising chain cooperation based on practical examples, which have developed in our cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Enschede, separately from one another. Our three cities are all wrestling with complex issues in the field of persistent offenders, juvenile unemployment and multi-problem families. These issues are often interrelated, but part of the problem is that there are many different agencies all dealing with persistent offenders, juveniles or families in one way or another. Even we, as administrators, can sometimes barely see the wood for the trees. Restructuring in this forest of agencies is a tempting thought, and may even be necessary, but could never be the only solution. It so happens that, quite often, very different bodies are involved, such as education, the police, welfare work and social services, which, from their specific knowledge and skills, have to make a contribution to the solution of the problem. Over the last years, the concept of chain cooperation has become a fashionable one for organizing the cooperation amongst this multiplicity of agencies. This has not always been successful. Good initiatives too often get bogged down in noncommitment, or consultation structures which reduce motivation. All three contributors to this publication have searched for solutions to this problem; in Amsterdam with the Chain Units for Juvenile Crime and Persistent Offenders, in Rotterdam with the Open Window for Juveniles, a project for the young unemployed, and in Enschede with the District Care Teams for the handling of multi-problem families. We have scored some success with these approaches; InAxis, the Commission for Innovation in Public Administration, recognised the connective thread throughout these solutions and, in partnership with Verdonck, Klooster & Associates, has described it for you in this booklet. The essence can be summarized easily: create a joint team with representatives from the main chain partners. Give a mandate to this team to make binding decisions about the desired approach and make sure that they can enter into binding agreements with the field. This sounds simpler than it is. Its the administrators who have the responsibility of entering into agreements at an administrative level and, where necessary, to keep the chain partners alert. This is not something you can do as a sideline. It requires maintenance, atten- tion and the willingness to invest time. If you have this willingness, then this booklet is meant for you! Job Cohen, Ivo Opstelten, Peter den Oudsten 5. Practice as the source of inspiration 6. Table of Contents 1 Introduction71.1 Immediate cause 71.2 Booklet marker72 What is chain directorship? 92.1 What are chains?92.2 What is chain directorship?102.3 An outline of the practical problems for which a chain approach can offer solutions. 102.4 Complexity of chain cooperation and chain directorship 103 Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 133.1 What is a chain unit?133.2 Working method of chain units153.3 Controlling and dividing tasks, powers and responsibilities: Every man to his trade! 183.4 Difference between front and back office: Who directs whom?193.5 Articulating and controlling demand203.6 Concrete chain versus chain flexibility203.7 Shared information infrastructure: shared services for flexible chains 214 Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice234.1 Politico-administrative aspects244.2 Financial and economic aspects 274.3 Legal aspects284.4 Socio-organisational aspects 28 4.5 Content related aspects304.6 Information and technology aspects 305 Conclusion 336 Literature 35 7. The Commission accepted all three applica- tions, as they wanted to try out a new solu- tion to a persistent problem which occurred in many chains: the lack of commitment and decisiveness. 8. Introduction1 1.1 Immediate cause In 2005, InAxis received three applications for experiments to be conducted in the field of chain cooperation, namely: Amsterdam chain units on the handling of persistent juvenile offenders, the Rotterdam Open Window for Juveniles for the tackling of juvenile unemployment, and the Enschede District Care Teams for the handling of multi-problem families. The Commission accepted all three applications, as they wanted to try out a new solution to a persistent problem which occurred in many chains: the lack of commitment and decisiveness. What was special was that whilst the solutions were tried out in various policy domains, they all revealed many similarities at a conceptual level. It is now three years later and the experiments are fully fledged. The concept has crystallized and led to this publication: Chain units: getting to grips with public chains. Mindful of our motto, practice as the source of inspiration, we have described the concept on the basis of the experiences of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Enschede. The administrative and organisational aspects of the chain units are central. Through this publication, InAxis wants to offer administrators who are working in municipalities and social organisations in the public domain, a challenging perspective on organis- ing chains that are concentrated on complex social issues, more effectively. Additionally, the booklet offers a comprehensive inside view of the process of establishing this method, which the trailblazers or project leaders who are given the task of setting up a chain unit, can take advantage of. 1.2 Booklet Marker In Chapter 2 we will discuss the concepts chains and chain directorship in more detail and provide insight into the complexity of chain coop- eration and chain directorship. In Chapter 3 we will introduce a new organisational set-up for chains, the so-called chain units. We position the use of chain units as a methodology for getting to grips with public chains. We will also demonstrate how chain units function and illustrate a few of the important preconditions for their effectiveness. In Chapter 4 we will present a few success and failure factors of chain units based on the experiences gained in the experiments so far. In Chapter 5 we will end with a few important conclusions.9 9. In a chain, autonomous organisations work together and try to coordinate their activities for the clients benefit or for the solution of complex social issues. 10. What is chain directorship? 2 2.1What are chains? In the various government policy areas, there are many services and products offered by many providers (Central Government, province, municipality, private and (semi)-public organisations) which, in the main, operate separately from one another. The central question, with regard to this basic problem of fragmentation, is how policy, implementation and information supply about the complex problem situations of citizens and companies can be sufficiently coordinated so that effective and client-oriented public services can be provided. How is it possible, when solving complex social issues, to structure cooperation amongst the organisations which are involved, in a meaningful and effective way? To offer a solution for this type of question, a number of alliances have emerged over the previous years, which we started calling chain cooperation. Chains and chain directorship highlight cooperation and the process of providing services for clients. They are aimed at connecting the activi- ties of various organisations and institutions from the public and/or private sector [1]. The chain approach is based on integral management across organisational boundaries, while the chain is comprised of the links between the duties, responsibilities, powers and roles of separate organisations [2]. A chain can thus be defined as a coherent sequence of activities of many organisations and individual persons aimed at a joint product [3]. The joint product must not be conceived as a separate product for a certain client, such as, for example, a subsidy or a permit, but rather as a set of various interconnected activities, products and services which can translate the needs of certain clients and/or client groups into practice. For example, one could perceive the product safety as one which is provided by the judicial operating chain, the product social security, as one provided for by the social structure chain through the Work and Income Implementation Structure (SUWI), or the product care as one which is provided by various health care providers in the health care chain. Cooperation between organisations from various chains is often also necessary to be able to handle complex social issues. Examples of this are the handling of multi-problem families, and the handling of persistent offenders, and young people who need help and services which are related to training, work and income. 11 11. 2.2 What is chain directorship?there are also juveniles who can take advantage of this situationIn a chain, autonomous organisations work together and try to and cause a nuisance.coordinate their activities with one another for the clients benefitor to solve complex social issues. Controlling a chain (from theMulti-problem familiesinside and outside) is a complicated task because of the autonomy Usually, there are many agencies concerned with the handling ofof the parties involved. Consequently, controlling and manag- so-called multi-problem families: father an alcoholic, mother a druging within chains is predominantly about consulting, negotiatingaddict and son in jail. Sometimes as many as fifteen care providersand persuading and not imposing or enforcing. For that reason from every life domain swarm around such a family, and can includeit is referred to as chain directorship, as the terms control and (youth care, mental health care, employment & income supportmanagement have too directive a connotation. Chain directorship agencies, criminal law, education), each of which knows nothing ofcan be described as developing (better) services, as experienced the other or what they are doing. The activities of all the bodiesby the client, by inviting the (potential) chain partners to coordi-involved are not tailored to one another, resulting in an insufficientnate their activities more effectively [4].What is essential here is insight into the integral approach to the set of problems which isthe notion of inviting, as opposed to enforcing and imposing. The required. Consequently, the effectiveness of the approach is poorpossibilities of controlling from above are limited when it comes toand promotes shopping behaviour (moving around betweenchains. services) amongst problem families. Often, these problem familiesalso cause a lot of nuisance in the neighbourhood. 2.3 An outline of practical prob- lems for which a chain ap- Persistent offenders proach can offer solutions.Many different organisations occupy themselves simultaneously withAn outline of the practical problems for which a chain approach can the problems of juvenile crime and persistent offenders, such as theoffer solutions is given below. Youth Care Agency, the Child Care and Protection Board, the HaltBureau, the Public Prosecution Service, the Police, the Probation andPremature school-leavers and unemployed juveniles After-Care Services, and the Municipal Medical and Health Service. InSeveral organisations working with, and for the benefit of, prema-addition, there are various organisations carrying out activities for theture school-leavers and unemployed juveniles do not collaborate benefit of the young people and persistent offenders at a distance.properly. Because of this poor level of cooperation, many juveniles,The essence of the fight against juvenile crime and persistent offend-who need help with their education or work, either fall by theers is to find the right balance between adequate punishment andwayside or are approached simultaneously by several organisa- a suitable care programme. As the parties involved work at cross-tions, in different ways and with different offers. The odds are that purposes, this often hampers the approach and a safe environmentjuveniles, for whom it is difficult to find employment, will be sentmay be at issue.from one person to another with all its consequences. Additionally, 12 What is chain directorship? 12. and handling). Financialandeconomicagreements(forexample,awardinganddeducting costs and benefits across all the parties concerned). Informationandcommunicationtechnological(ICT)agreements(forexample, protocols for exchange of data for the network, use ofshared information systems). Informaticsagreements(forexample,jointdatadefinitions,security,identification, existence of authentic records). Legalagreements(forexample,agreementsabouttheprotectionof privacy and the application of the Privacy Act).The complexity of the development and achievement of chaincooperation is particularly related to the large quantity of agree-ments which must be entered into in divergent fields amongstthe organisations involved. When everyone has to be in tune with COOPERATIONFROMMANYDIFFERENTDISCIPLINESMAKESHARMONISATIONCOMPLEX.everyone else in each of the six areas of agreement, there willalways be a high degree of complexity such as this, no matter what.If you add the autonomy of the parties involved and the compart-2.4 Complexity of chain cooperation mentalised control and financing, to it, it is hardly a surprise thatand chain directorshipbringing about chain cooperation and chain directorship is aIn chain cooperation and chain directorship, the organisations entercomplex task.into agreements amongst themselves about the progress and theorganisation of their work processes, and the way they tailor theseto one another or reorganise them (organisational agreements).But entering into agreements on process organisation and processharmonisation is not enough. In other areas, too, the organisationsconcerned, enter into agreements amongst themselves. Theseagreements refer to various agreements, to wit [5] and [6]: Politico-administrativeagreements(forexample,theprotectionofcertain values of organisations, looking after the shared and chainpurpose versus individual institutional interests and purposes). Substantiveagreements(forexample,agreementsaboutapproachWhat is chain directorship? 13 13. The clients diagnosis and the articulation of his/her demands take place in the chain units. The decision-making process in the chain unit vis--vis the handling of the problem situation is normative for how matters will be handled. 14. Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 3 3.1 What is a chain unit? It happens far too often that the efforts made to achieve chain cooperation do not produce the desired results. Actual practice proves to be hard to manage. Over the years, however, people have gained some experience with various forms of chain cooperation and chain director- ship. The most important problems occurring with chain cooperation are [6]: Compartmentalisedcontrolandfinancingofadministrativeagencies. Lackofintegralchaincoordinationatadministrativelevel. Lackofintegralchaincoordinationatcaselevel. Lackofclarityinauthoritystructures. Thelargenumberofautonomousorganisationsinvolvedinthecooperation. Thehighdegreeoffunctionalspecialisationoftheorganisationsinvolved. Theinvolvementofvariousadministrativetiers. In the past three years Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Enschede have gained experience in overcoming a number of these problems. A new form of organising chains has originated from it, which we call the chain unit. On the basis of these experiences we define chain units as follows: A chain unit is an organisational form in which several chain partners collaborate and have the primary processes in their own parent organisa- tions run from one shared work process. What distinguishes the chain units vis--vis other forms of cooperation is that the decision-making process is binding for all the partners in the chain unit. The clients diagnosis and the articulation of his/her demands take place in the chain units. The decision-making process in the chain unit vis--vis the handling of the problem situation is normative for how matters will be handled. Although the partners retain their individual responsibilities [usually embedded in a legal framework], they agree on the necessity of putting these responsibilities into action by integrating15 15. the activities of the chain partners into one common organi-sational unit, with one work process. Subsequently, the chainunit acts as the commissioning authority for all the organisa-tions involved in the chain. Meanwhile, experiments have beenconducted in various situations with various forms of the chainunit. The first experiences are positive.Enschede: District Care Teams for Multi-problem FamiliesIn the Enschede approach to multi-problem families, oneteam is created, the chain unit, from which the determina-tion and coordination of assistance and restraint takes place. IN A CHAIN UNIT THE PARTNERS GO THROUGH ONE COMMON WORK PROCESS.Representatives of the various life domains are representedin the team, such as juvenile care, mental healthcare, work &income, criminal law and education, i.e. the Social Assistancethe chain unit, is to prevent school absenteeism and to tackle theFoundation for care and welfare problems, the police for safety problems of juvenile unemployment. In Rotterdam, various urbanand crime problems, Tactus for addiction problems, the Serviceservices, administrative agencies, sub-municipal projects and thefor Social Development, the Public Prosecution Service for the link business community are active in supporting juveniles. The Opento the judicial chain, and Mediant for psychiatric problems. TheWindow for Juveniles agency, in which the activities of the primaryattention of the team is focused on the concurrence of problems.cooperative partners JOS (Youth, Education, Society), CWI (connec-This creates a good overall view of all the related sub-problems. tion to the labour market) and SoZaWe (care, entry-counsellingThe team draws up a plan of action for each problem family, withstage and income) have been bundled together, covers the entireobjectives, results, priorities and an action plan. In this way, all thefield of operations in the area of work, income and education. Thusstreet-level-bureaucrats are prevented from working too diligently, the networks of the participating services are all assembled underbut, most of all, from working at cross-purposes. All the efforts are the direction of Open Window. Open Window is a shared frontconverted into coordinated, collective and productive action. Atoffice, which houses the back offices as well, in a recognisable andthe same time Enschede discontinued all the other consultationspecifically equipped location. Open Window for Juveniles oper-structures. The District Care Team is the central axis in the support ates as a commissioning authority for the chain.structure of an area.Amsterdam: Juvenile Crime Chain UnitsRotterdam: Open Window for JuvenilesThe Juvenile Crime Chain Units in Amsterdam are alliances ofThe goal of the Open Window for Juveniles project in Rotterdam, organisations who are engaged in the fight against juvenile crime 16 Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 16. and persistent offending. The object of the chain units is to createtions work with one another. The parent organisations operate as a a safer living environment for the residents of the Amsterdamsort of skin surrounding the chain unit, performing services for the Amstelland police region by driving down juvenile crime and effect-chain unit in their capacity as contractors. The decision-making ing a personal-sphere approach to adult persistent offenders. It isprocess with regard to the service delivery route for the client takes characteristic of the working method of the chain units that theyplace in the chain unit. The chain unit acts as a commissioning ensure a fast, consistent and efficient handling of (juvenile) criminalauthority of the (parties in the) chain. matters by offering a coherent approach[7]. It is in the chain units that the decision-making process takes place on all juvenile Additionally, we can also distinguish a second skin of organisations criminal matters, from first offenders to hard core offenders. The surrounding the chain units. These are organisations that do not proper harmonisation of adequate punishment and a suitable careparticipate in the alliance, but whose services are often very desir- programme is the goal. The chain unit is partly a combination of able, depending on the specific set of problems. The chain units the existing Relief Team for Juveniles, the Judicial Authority inkeep in close contact with these organisations as well. They do not the Neighbourhood and the Judicial Case Consultation, but it take part in the binding decision-making process, but are consulted also contains new elements as well. In the chain unit the followingin specific circumstances. parties work together, inter alia: the Halt Bureau, the Youth Care Agency, the municipality of Amsterdam, the Municipal Medical and3.2 Working method of chain units Health Service, the Jellinek Clinic, the Salvation Army, the PublicJuvenile Crime Chain Units Prosecution Service, the Child Care and Protection Board, theIn the Juvenile Crime Chain Units in Amsterdam, a juvenile who Amsterdam-Amstelland Regional Police, and the Dutch Probationgets in trouble with the police because of a punishable offence, will Service. As all the partners work together at one location, all thereceive a response tailored to his or her personal circumstances. information about the juveniles and their circumstances converge.This concerns juveniles at various stages in their criminal careers, Thats how a burgeoning criminal career can be quickly nipped in from first offenders and petty criminals to hard core juveniles. The the bud and all the work done is offender-focused. Additionally, efforts of the partners who are collaborating with each other to adult persistent offenders are personally handled in the chain units.support the juveniles who have been in trouble with the police The quality and the speed of the response to juvenile crime hasare bundled within the chain units. The central direction in the increased by coordinating the working methods of the participating chain units in Amsterdam is in the hands of the Public Prosecution organisations even more tightly and making them run more closely Service. Every juvenile who commits a punishable offence is report- in parallel. ed by the police to the chain unit. Depending on the nature of theoffence, either the public prosecutor on duty takes a decision, or, a In summary referral is drawn up for the examining magistrate or the court. Its in the chain unit that the representatives of various organisa- With first offenders or petty criminals, the decision as to whether Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units17 17. any care or assistance should be given is considered within thecourt. The shared housing and the joint working method promotechain unit. Juveniles who have committed criminal offences beforethe group process and offer insight into one anothers responsibili-and who are known to the chain unit, have their background ties.information with regard to social assistance and crime, recorded ina personal file, the so-called chain chart. The chain chart is submit- Handling of multi-problem familiested to the public prosecutor and (juvenile) court and recommends In Enschede the chain unit has drawn up a number of workingwhat punishment might be imposed and care-giving measures be documents and a joint working process for the handling of multi-offered. problem families. The working process consists of clear-cut steps, a clear division of duties, powers and responsibilities, a certainIn addition to the partners within the chain unit, cooperation alsodegree of standardisation, and, at the same time, enough freedomexists with external partners. These partners are not physically and mutual trust amongst the collaborating partners. As a result ofpart of the chain units, but they do carry out work for the benefitthe working process protocol and the filling in of a comprehensiveof juveniles and persistent offenders who have the chain unitsintake form (the life domains scan), followed by the drawing up ofattention. Each chain unit has a care coordinator who supervises a customised plan of action, it is now clear what the client systemsthe harmonisation of supply and demand with the city districts.(multi-problem familys ) problem is, what should be done with itThe care coordinator, furthermore, keeps in contact with the staff and who should head up the implementation of the intervention.in the field of education, youth care, youth work and other local(youth) projects. No longer is the offence being punished, but one The District Care Team is led by an independent team leadernow looks for the most suitable response to a juvenile slipping into from the municipality and consists of representatives of the chaincrime. partners who are involved and who have received a mandate from their parent organisations. The decisions made by the team areThe joint approach is based on an intensive exchange of informa- binding. The team leader has a deciding vote if there is no agree-tion, compiling so-called personal files, preparing scenarios for indi-ment amongst the parties. In this way the speed of the interventionvidual persistent offenders and treatment route supervision. A coreis increased, the number of care providers is reduced per case androle of the chain units is to deal with all the matters involved whenthe problem re. lack of commitment is out of the process.a young person is a suspect. And with dealing with we mean boththe settlement by a criminal court and the care programme that In the District Care Teams two types of processes are recognised:might be necessary. The central activities are: collecting information1. The case-oriented process re. the handling of a set of multi-to facilitate decisions and aftercare monitoring; taking decisions problems. After a referral has been received about a problematic(concerning settlement and care); and preparing the scenarios in case, the team leader of the District Care Team appoints a problemsupport of decisions taken by the public prosecutors office and the holder. After this assignment the problem holder then organises 18 Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 18. a Multi-disciplinary Consultation Meeting (MDCO). This MDCO Rotterdam Open Window for Juvenilesconsists of a pool of professionals from the affiliated agencies whoThe Open Window for Juveniles consists of a front and a backare deployed for the benefit of a case, supervised by the problem office: the front office is occupied by consultants from SoZaWe,holder. A plan of action is drawn up in the MDCO to handle theJOS and CWI; and offers information about education, trainee-set of multi-problems. The team leader of the District Care Team is ships, income, work and assisted working, making it available to thealways present at the first MDCO, to ensure quality management. target group. The front office consultants conduct a clearly struc-The problem holder, however, is the one in charge. The District tured intake interview with the juvenile and draw up a programmeCare Team adopts the plan of action and decides whether a caseprofile, which is then sent to the back office. The cooperationcan be closed, whether it must be entered on the parallel list, orpertains to:whether extra efforts are still required. The District Care Team -Substantial aspects of, amongst other things, a joint intake process,convenes every month. In practice this implies that, following aa diagnosis and drawing up a programme profile.referral, the District Care Teams team leader plots certain actions -Making vacancies, work placements and educational possibilitiesand it is often only afterwards that he or she submits these to the accessible to juveniles.District Care Team. In the District Care Team the problems are - Linkingdatafilesandexchanginginformationonclients.viewed and analysed from the partners own expertise but analysis-Following the juveniles progress by monitoring the programmedoes not stop at the boundaries of an individuals own discipline.profile drawn up in the front office, in order to reach the objectiveFive life domains are represented in the District Care Team. Forof the Open Window for Juveniles, namely: achieving economicexample,thelifedomainLivingisrepresentedbyonecorporation, independence.but this corporation is also authorised to take decisions on behalfof the other corporations.Initially, the back office consists of offices for the young of SoZaWe, 2. The policy-based process re. the handling of a set of multi-CWI and the RMC [Regional Notification and Coordination Centre].problems. In the District Care Team one discusses cases that mayThe ultimate back office is an organised network of agencies whichgive rise to a change in working methods, terms and institutionsis wider than the cooperative partners SoZaWe, CWI and DSOinvolved, or that must be passed on as district referrals to the urban[Rotterdam Urban Education Service], with which agreements aredistrict manager. If desired, one can also discuss specific cases inmade about the programme to be executed, the registration, andmore detail. The objective is to improve the case-oriented processthe feedback given to the front office. This feedback is crucial forand to adjust it, wherever necessary. Decisions about adjusting the the monitoring function to be well implemented.process are taken in a steering committee which convenes twicea year under the chairmanship of the municipality. In this commit-tee the core partners discuss the working of the chain and makeproposals for improvements.Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 19 19. 3.3 Controlling and dividing tasks, powers and responsibilities: Every man to his trade!!The chain unit: commissioning authority of the chainThe professionals in the chain unit are all-rounders and work onthe basis of one work process. The supervision rests with thechain unit, which acts as a commissioning authority and moni-tors the development of the provision of services. The backoffices of the chain unit partners act as principal contractors inthis respect. Each chain unit has a director, someone who takesthe responsibility and who is capable, competent and accepted;harmonisation and integration takes place within the chain unit,whilst, simultaneously, the parent organisations are questionedsharply about their core duties.Initiator, director and binding decision-makingTHETEAMLEADERDOESNOTINVOLVEHIMORHERSELFINSUBTANTIALMATTERS,BUTIn the Rotterdam Open Window for Juveniles and in theISMAINLYALIAISONPERSON.handling of multi-problem families in Enschede, the initiatorand director is the municipality. The municipality conducts theresponsibilities and the deputies of the organisations in thesupervision and the coordination. The municipality has an inte-chain unit continue to be part of the parent organisations legally.gral stake, it is impartial, and has an overview of the life domains However, at the same time, the decision-making process in theconcerned. In Amsterdam too, the initiative for the Juvenile Crime chain unit is binding on all parties, which implies that the represent-chain units was taken by the municipality. However, the centralatives of participating organisations can bind their own organisa-direction in the chain units in Amsterdam is in the hands of the tions to any agreements made within the chain unit. It is, therefore,Public Prosecution Service. The Public Prosecution Service, as necessary that these representatives are authorised by their parentthe chain director, looks for a good mix between punishment andorganisations to make binding statements. Participation in the chaincare, along with the chain partners, so that a quick intervention is unit without a mandate is meaningless. The representatives mustpossible and the juveniles are prevented from sliding further down have scope for action at an individual case level.the dwindling spiral. The Child Care and Protection Board holds thecase directorship over minors in Amsterdam. Despite this central Definition of duties and escalation levelsdirection, the participating organisations retain their individual An important principle for working in chain units is the razor-sharp 20 Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 20. demarcation of duties, roles and powers. For that reason Enschede does not tamper with the existing responsibilities of the participat- deliberately refused to choose an approach which, ultimately, ing organisations, nor does it carry out the work of the participating left a single care provider with the responsibility for one family or organisations. The participating organisations retain their inde- person. Enschede chose instead to harmonise the approach inside pendence and deputies from the organisations continue to be part the chain unit, in this case the District Care Team so each profes- of the parent organisation legally. They fully retain all the duties sional retained his/her own duties. There is, however, one problem(often of a statutory nature) which they already had. Each partner, holder/ owner. Each parent organisation is questioned rigorouslyand not the chain unit, has the responsibility for carrying out the about its core duties and responsibilities. It is crystal-clear who isduties. Various matters have been set out as protocol to safeguard responsible for what and what all the partners can expect from onestructure and security. Supervision, for that matter, includes more another. The independent team leader has a coordinating role in than just coordination: agreements are made with the participat- this structure, and a mandate to take binding decisions granted bying organisations about the level and nature of the participation the other organisations involved. In the meantime, the chain unit (ServiceLevelAgreements).Themanagementofthechainunithas in Enschede has become a fixed feature of the existing structure of a co-deciding vote concerning the personnel who work in a unit the municipality. The team leader does not deal with the specificson behalf of the participating organisations. The staff must be able of problems, but acts as a process coordinator. The team leader isto reason from an offender-focused approach at minimum (and above all a liaison person. He or she connects the staff memberstherefore, not primarily from the point of view of their own organi- of all the different organisations, the operational level of work tosations), they must also be strongly focused on cooperation and be the administrative level and the various separate duties necessaryable to forward the decision-making process at chain level back to to implement the plan into one coordinated process aimed at the their own organisation. handling of multi-problem families.3.4 Difference between front and There are two types of escalation in Enschede. The first relates toback office: Who directs the seriousness of the set of problems. Enschede has the optionwhom? of scaling up entrenched and very heavy cases to an interventionIf the full provision of services is taken into account, the chain units team operating at a higher level; here too the municipality fulfils a can be considered as front office and the parent organisations central, leading role. The second type of escalation pertains to thebehind them as back office. Both the front office and the back monitoring and performance of agreements made by the partners office conduct actions that form part of the total provision of serv- involved. If agreements are inadequately performed by one orices. The place where they separate services, determines which of several partners, there will be an escalation in the line. At that pointthe duties and functions are carried out in the front office and what the line managers of the chain partners involved will be questioned the burden of responsibilities and powers is in the front-office vis-- about their duties and responsibilities. In Amsterdam the chain unitvis the full provision of services, compared to the back office. ThusGetting to grips with public chains: the chain units21 21. the difference between front and back office is often a difference inthe diagnosis is made and set out in a programme profile, which powers and responsibilities. is transferred to the back office. In some situations the control ofthe demand is strengthened by certain types of demand financing. The relationship between the chain unit and the parent organisa- For instance, Enschede has taken a step towards demand financ- tions behind them is one of commissioning authority versus ing by, on the one hand, making the decision-making process in contractor. The problem analysis, the intake and the determina-the District Care Team a leading factor in the care provision, and, tion of the approach take place in the chain unit, the handling takeson the other hand, by linking a budget to the District Care Team place in the parent organisation. On the basis of their analysis and through which care can be purchased, if desired. The independent approach, the chain units instruct the parent organisations andteam leader has been given a mandate to spend money and to monitor the progress of the handling of the case. The centre ofpurchase care with it. gravity of the provision of services shifts from the parent organisa- tions to the chain units, In essence, what we have here is a chain3.6 Concrete chain versus chain reversal. Where, in the past, it was the supply from the back officeflexibility that was decisive for the process of the provision of services, it isAn important task of chain units is to remove compartmentalisation now the citizens demand that has become decisive, mapped outand to approach social problems in an integrated way. However, by the chain units. In practice, it is not so black and white and thereeven the chain approach can lead to compartmentalisation as, is, in particular, an interactive game going on between all personsin practice, chains often operate according to a pre-determined involved in both the front and the back office, geared to thepattern, and chain partners are insufficiently capable of responding problem situation. to the changing, social problems and the wishes of the citizens.To be able to respond to these changing, social problems and the 3.5 Articulating and controlling dynamics of the environment, there is a need for a certain degree demand of flexibility and adaptability in the chains. We are talking much Consequently, in the chain unit the (client) demand becomes amore in terms of a network organisation here. Whereas the actions leading factor instead of the (agency) supply. An important job forin a chain often happen according to an established pattern, a the chain unit is a good analysis of demands and problems. Thisnetwork will be fluid. It is, actually, a collection of continuously function is aimed at the question behind the question, so that the changing and adapting chains. These adaptations are not arbitrary. entire problem situation can be determined. Subsequently, throughAlliances are being created in accordance with existing wishes and a clear articulation of the demand, it can be determined which serv- problems. An example of this is the distinction between a first and ices and actions are required from which organisation. For example,second skin of organisations surrounding the chain unit which was in the Open Window for Juveniles in Rotterdam, an integrated described above. The first skin of organisations involves the parent intake assessment is carried out in 8 life domains. After this intakeorganisations that form a direct part of the alliance. The second 22 Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 22. skin of organisations are more loosely connected to the chain In Enschede VIS2 was selected as an information infrastructure.unit and are actively deployed by the chain unit depending on the This is intended to be an application with a user-friendly interface,specific problem situation. The chain unit, therefore, should bewhich a new care provider or chain partner can connect to withoutconsidered as a pivot in a network of organisations. What is createdmuch trouble. So VIS2 actually functions as a shared service foris not a new institution, but a form of organisation in which the all the parties involved with the problems of the multi-problemprocesses of the collaborating organisations are intertwined andfamilies and offers the desired level of flexibility, as any new partnerconnected to each other, leading to a clear-cut provision of services can connect to it. VIS2 facilitates cooperation. Without a client-for the client. Which partners form a chain unit together depends led system like this, the coordinated approach to multi-problemon the social issue to be tackled. Chain units, in principle, are families in Enschede would be impossible. At this moment, varioustemporary in nature, until an issue has been solved or reduced to VSI2 links to other shared basic provisions are under development,acceptable proportions. The exact configuration will always changesuch as the GBA [municipal personal records database], compulsoryand will always depend on the social issue to be solved.education records, and the National Reference Index for Juvenilesat Risk. 3.7 Shared information infrastruc- ture: shared services for flex- ible chainsStandardisation and the development of shared basic provisionsare required the most at the level of information supply, in order toattain this flexibility at an organisational level. The government isworking with an information structure for shared and common use,and must bid farewell to any fragmented solutions. Standardisationis a precondition for this and is therefore considered a strategictheme and not a technical instrument. For the information supply ofthe government, this means standardisation and the developmentof shared basic provisions in the form of shared services. These arethe data and services that are used by all government bodies andare equally meaningful to all agencies, irrespective of their policyareas. Examples of basic provisions such as these are the BasicRecords and DigiD.Getting to grips with public chains: the chain units 23 23. In the process of methodology development it is wise to make use of one anothers strong points. Most of all, working at the one location provides a lot of insight into each others work and, there- fore, also offers the possibility of utilizing one anothers strong points. 24. Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice4In this chapter we offer an insight into the key success and failure factors of (the development of) chain units, based on practical experiences inEnschede, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.We have classified them according to the categories discussed earlier in this booklet: politico-administrativeaspects; financialandeconomicaspects; legalaspects; socio-organisationalaspects; contentrelatedaspects; informationandcommunicationtechnological(ICTaspects); informaticsaspects. 25 25. 4.1Politico-administrative aspects Administrative will A chain unit starts with administrative ambition. The first step towards a chain unit, therefore, is to answer three questions: - Do I urgently want to have this social issue solved (administrative ambition and social urgency)? - Do I want to take responsibility for ensuring that the chain starts functioning (administrative input)? - Do I think that this chain cooperation should not be without commitment and am I prepared to create the preconditions for that at an administrative level (administrative commitment)? If these three questions are answered with an unambiguous yes, the administrative will is there and the chain unit is worth consider- ing. Stakeholder selection and mobilisation IFTHEADMINISTRATIVEWILLISTHERE,THECHAINUNITISWORTHCONSIDERING. In stakeholder selection, the central question is: with which players the development of the chain units must be started and which players are relevant to a possible second skin. A successful arrange- ment of participating players depends on the correct assessmentstakeholders will also actually participate in the development of the of which players are essential to a joint action and to what extentchain unit. Stakeholders often do not know what they are letting these players are willing to invest their time and money in thethemselves in for and where their participation might lead them, for development strategy. An important comparative assessment to beexample, the impact of participation on their own autonomy and made is the number of players involved versus the manageabilityperformance. Additionally, most players are usually not interested of the development strategy. The more players there are, the morein doing preliminary work, but only become interested in partici- different interests and perceptions, leading to a greater complexity pation when results are visible and within reach. of the supervision and manageability.There are various strategic options possible for mobilising players. The central issue in stakeholder mobilisation is how to interest 1. The first one involves letting players feel that they are (also) the relevant players and activate them to support the initiative.problem owners, by making the specific problems clear. The The selection of stakeholders will not guarantee that these same dependency on the participation of partners in the chain unit is 26Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice 26. considerable. If organisations decide not to join in, this could approach, were becoming redundant.reduce the possibility of a solid approach enormously. Visualisethis. This makes it possible to demonstrate to them the necessity of Working approach as development strategyparticipation. For the approach to the development of a chain unit, it would be 2. A second option is to choose a working approach. At first, one best to choose a step-by-step process using a working approach.tries to quickly achieve small results and display these to potentialA uniform and centralist approach as regards process and contentpartners. The effect and added value of the chain unit are demon-has no chance of succeeding in a politico-administratively complexstrated in actual practice and, in this way, potential partners can be situation of a chain unit, in which so many parties are involved.invited to participate.Considering the complexity of regulations and work processes, 3. A third strategy is a power strategy. When potential partnersand the large number of organisations involved, it is impossible todepend on other partners, they can be forced to participate in the achieve this through a blue print approach. An open approach,alliance. An example of this is the power that municipalities mayin which the chain unit is formed by mutual consent, has the bestexercise over organisations that are completely dependent on the chance of succeeding. Work with a growth model, and dont takemunicipality for their financing.any irreversible steps in the initial phase. Additionally, strike a good balance between top-down and bottom-up development. Bottom-Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Enschede applied a combination of up allows for the development of major working methods andthese strategies: after the first administrative consultative meetings specific approaches originating from the specific professions. Majorwere held (making the problem a common problem), a coalitionchoices should be made at senior level. By choosing in favour of aof the willing was formed rather quickly, and a working approachgrowth model, it becomes possible to experience first how certainwas adopted. In Rotterdam, they had the advantage of two out things will work out in practice, before the chain unit is developedof the three partners being municipal services. In Amsterdam,any further. Chain cooperation in and around the chain units is athe Municipal Executive played an important part, but there wasshared learning process.also the possibility of continuing an existing collaboration in thehandling of Hard Core Youth. In addition, the municipality madeLimited number of mandatory agreementsfunds available to get the project off the ground. In Enschede,Of course there is nothing wrong with setting out the administra-both civil servants and administrators made their best efforts,tive agreements in a covenant or management agreement. Butthey got two pilot schemes off the ground, and the cooperation the experiences of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Enschede teach usin the District Care Teams was also set out in the regular subsidy that one loses time waiting for a fully worked-out covenant. Whatsagreements. The municipality deployed the subsidy instrument toimportant most of all is to create a climate of cooperation betweenbring about a shift in the focus of a number of participants and tothe organisations and the people who work there, at short notice.restructure a number of consultative structures that, with the new The administrators are essential in this respect. The covenant thenSuccess and failure factors of chain units in actual practice27 27. becomes the conclusion of the development process of the chainmulti-problem families in Enschede, the Open Window for Juvenilesunit rather than its start. In the covenant a few basic agreementsin Rotterdam and the Youth Crime Chain Units in Amsterdam, thisare set out about the (operation of the) chain unit. This covenantwas the municipality. The municipalities were seen as the logicalcan be considered as a declaration of the intent to jointly develop a party to take on problems like safety, social care and juvenile unem-chain unit and an integral approach to a set of problems. Additionalployment and were therefore also accepted in their role of bringingagreements are included in detailed covenants during the furtherthe parties together and initiating the chain approach.development strategy of the chain unit and the integral approach.Thus a structure of covenants is created, with a covenant for the The initiator of the chain cooperation doesnt have to be the samechain unit as a whole, and detailed covenants for specific subjects.person as the chain director. That role can be fulfilled very well byanother organisation. In the Youth Crime Chain Units in Amsterdam,Shared vision and clear goals and ambitions the Public Prosecution Service assumed that role, as it was directlyIt is important to formulate a shared vision and clear goals andlinked to the core duties of the Public Prosecution Service. Theambitions for the chain unit and the chain approach. This visionnaturalness with which these roles will be assumed and fulfilled byoffers an important frame of reference for choices to be made and the organisations depends to a large extent on relationships withinfor further elaborations of the shared approach and work proc-and amongst policy domains. In many cases, however, the munici-esses in the chain unit and chain cooperation. It is also possible to pality will be able to assume these roles. The municipality often hasestablish performance indicators and to measure and follow thean integral stake, it is impartial, and has an overview of various lifeworking of the chain unit and chain cooperation on the basis of domains as well.clear, concrete and specific goals. Administrative ambitions, visionand goals can also be put down on paper concisely. For example, Escalation levelsthis is how Rotterdam did it: every youngster under 23 has a job,Once the decision has been taken to organise a chain unit, theattends school or follows an action plan to work. Or Amsterdam:administrators, or the senior management of the participatingevery persistent juvenile offender knows within 24 hours what hisorganisations, form a steering committee. The people on the steer-follow-up programme will be. ing committee are capable of making decisions by themselves andof entering into agreements for their organisations. The membersInitiator and chain directorof the steering committee jointly direct the (development of the)One of the basic assumptions in the development of chain unitschain unit. They establish the work process, the organisationalis that there is an organisation that considers itself as the agencydesign, enter into agreements regarding the settlement of costsresponsible for the underlying (social) problems. That organisation and investments and make decisions on matters which the chainmust also be in a position to define that role. This is nearly always unit itself is not capable of solving. Conflicts, too, are settled in thea politically legitimised government organisation. In the case of the steering committee. This is important to realise. The success of the 28 Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice 28. and actively influence this network. In this respect it is importantto know what you are selling. A clear concept and view of theprogress of the operation definitely helps.The chains boundsIn even a chain approach, it sometimes appears difficult not tolapse into compartmentalisation, in this case horizontal compart-mentalisation. Sometimes, certain partners are considered byother partners in the chain unit to be chain-unfriendly. In thesecircumstances it requires energy to persuade the partners that theagency/agencies in question is/are necessary in order to handle theproblems. In that respect it helps to highlight the set of problemsand to view any possible partners from that angle. Working witha first and a second ring of cooperative partners, such as in thehandling of multi-problem families in Enschede, is also an incentive PARTICIPANTSINCHAINCO-OPERATIONNEEDTOTAKESEVERALBARRIERS.to approaching the problems and any possible solutions from abroader perspective. chain sometimes calls for sacrifices to be made by one or more of4.2 Financial and economic aspects the chain partners. Members of the steering committee must be in As a result of the large number of organisations involved, the a position to enter into agreements on the above independently.financing of chain activities is a difficult issue. Within the public The members of the steering committee also play an important,sector the budget is often controlled by a municipality or the interventionist role within their own parent organisations. They central government. The budgetary systems of the various assure that the parent organisations cooperate and represent the organisations hardly allow for something like chain-controlling. In commitment of the senior level of the organisation.the main, one is judged by the output of ones own products. Thismakes it difficult for organisations to continue releasing budgets, Expectations managementalso in the event of declining file sizes. These factors, almost by Expectations management is found to be a key factor. Expectationsdefinition, cause costs and benefits to be apportioned unequally. run high and there is enormous political pressure, certainly in theA Central Organization for Work and Income that invests in chain chain units initial stage. There are many parties and many interestscooperation to help juveniles at risk to get work or training will interconnected with each other and it is quite a large task to followsee little of it back in financial terms. The gains usually end up at Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice29 29. the social security office in the form of fewer benefits paid out. Ittation of the separate tasks and increasingly more on solving therequires administrators with vision and guts to opt for solving theproblems in the team in an integral way. They are increasingly drift-social issue, instead of maintaining an institutional interest.ing away, as it were, from their colleagues in the parent organisa- tions. For the parent organisation, participation in the chain unit isIn developing chain units and keeping them operational, one incurs one of their duties, and, in a way, at odds with the other duties. Itroughly three types of costs, to wit (1) costs for the performance ofremains difficult for the parent organisations to get enough supportspecific, content-related work, (2) supervision costs, and (3) general on a more permanent basis for the chain units within their owncosts, such as computer and housing costs. organisations. Not everyone in the organisation is informed about participation in the chain units, let alone that the work processes inIt is important to finance the first type of costs from the internal the parent organisations are tailored to it. The representatives ofresources of the participating organisations, based on the recogni-tion that the activities belong to their own core duties. Where thechain units strictly exercise core duties, these should be fundedby the organisations themselves. The remaining types of costs aredivided amongst the participating organisations by means of anallocation formula or financed from external sources such as subsi-dies from the central government and/or municipality. 4.3 Legal aspectsThe protection of privacy in privacy legislation may be a barrier tothe exchange of personal data amongst organisations. In actualpractice, it turns out that this can be taken care of using specialprivacy regulations. Examples of this are available, amongst otherthings, from the practical cases referred to in this publication. 4.4 Socio-organisational aspectsRelationship between the chain unit versus parent organisationsIn practice tensions can arise between the team members in thechain unit and their parent organisations. The team membersbecome enthusiastic and involved in the integral approach adoptedby the chain unit. Their focus is increasingly less on the implemen- THEPEOPLEINACHAINUNITLOOKDIFFERENTLYATTHESAMECLIENT;TOGETHERTHEYHAVEACOMPLETEPICTURE. 30 Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice 30. the parent organisations in the chain units must therefore have a Different cultures and working methods mandate to be able to take decisions independently and be able to In the chain unit people have to collaborate from different agen- act upon them.cies, with different cultures, different working methods, and, some- times, also, different perceptions of the client. A police officer will Additionally, when developing a new shared work process of thelook at a multi-problem family quite differently from a social worker. chain unit, one should pay proper attention to making connections And someone from the education sector will regard a young person with the back office processes. One must examine which activities quite differently from someone working in a social security office. of the various partners will be carried out in the chain unit and In practice arriving at a shared work process and joint action from which ones will remain with the parent organisations. The basic such a situation is found to be a difficult task. The basic assumption assumption here is that every organisation reverts to its core duties,behind solving these problems is that one should cooperate, for and that duties, roles and powers are defined very sharply. Subse-the most part, on the basis of trust, mutual respect and professional quently, it is of crucial importance that the new work process ties expertise. It is important to visualise the different perspectives on in with the work processes of the parent organisations concerned, the client and make these productive as the presupposition behind with no link whatsoever being overlooked. Another possible solu-chain cooperation is that the combined action of these different tion to maintain communication is to have the staff members ofapproaches contributes towards the solution of the problem. Expe- the chain unit work part of their time on location with the parentrience with one another in earlier alliances helps is this respect. organisations.Additionally, it is important to recognise the significance of team training sessions and integrated training programmes. Participants Giving mandates and making decisionshave also gained positive experience with chain games, on the As we said before: participation in the chain unit is meaningless basis of which different blood types were put together and the without a mandate from the representatives of the organisations staff members of the chain unit got to know each other better. involved in the chain unit. For a decisive chain unit it is necessary for binding decisions taken in the chain units, to be adhered to by Different control levels all partners. This implies that the representatives of the participat-It is difficult when organisations are active at different levels and ing organisations are capable of binding their own organisationshave different ways of exercising control. An example of this is to agreements made within the chain unit. It is, therefore, neces-when two partners are local, but one is managed nationally and is sary that these representatives are given mandates by their parentalso product-driven. This makes it hard to enter into appropriate organisations to make binding statements and that these mandatesagreements at a local level. Bring up any bottlenecks in this field are set out at an administrative level. at steering committee level as soon as possible and sort them out there.Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice31 31. Clear and established work processes things, is the mobilisation of professional insight, aimed at improv-It must be clear to everyone how the work processes in the chain ing and increasing the effectiveness of the interventions. Formerunit run and how these work processes are tailored to the proc-perceptions of one another are readjusted and common interestsesses in the parent organisations. Preferably, the work processesare easier to find.are set out in a so-called process book. Consequently, it is clearto all the parties concerned exactly what expectations are and the In the process of methodology development, it is wise to makeamount of time in which certain tasks should be carried out. The use of each others strong points. In the main, it is working at oneprocess book also offers an important induction tool to supportlocation that provides a lot of insight into one anothers work and,new staff members. This implies that the process book must remaintherefore, the possibility of utilizing each others strong points asuser-friendly and should not contain too much detail.well. It produces new strategies and approaches. 4.5 Content-related aspects4.6 Informatics and technologicalProfessional freedom versus standardisation aspectsIn the chain units there is potential conflict between professionalICT: bottleneck and enablerfreedom and standardisation. Various professionals of all typesCooperation in complex chains requires intensive information trans-and backgrounds, who pride themselves on a certain freedom ofactions to be made between the cooperative partners involved. Aaction, participate in the chain units. However, a certain degreegood information supply is crucial to an integral approach in whichof standardisation in approach and methodology is desirable forseveral organisations are involved as there is much more informa-a coordinated integral approach. Standardisation and methodol- tion available about the problem situation and its background. Theogy teach the professionals to speak each others language, make chain unit acts as an information node in that respect. Informationthe professional actions transparent, and enable them to act morefrom various agencies, disciplines and powers is bundled togethereffectively as a team in the event of complex problems.and shown over a longer period [8]. ICT should enable the informa- tion from all the partners involved to be linked, and to process dataThe univocal orientation towards the client and the shared from the various partners electronically as much as possible. Thisapproach within the framework of the chain units create connec-information forms the basis for the coordination and handling of ations between people, which also strengthen the connections of the multi-problem situation. Besides the necessity for ICT to ensure aorganisations behind them. People become more appreciative ofqualitatively good approach, the ICT input also contributes to theone another and one anothers working methods. In the chain units, reduction of the transaction costs in the chain. Consequently, thedifferent worlds get to know each other and learn to recognise chains efficiency will be improved as well.that they need each other in the clients interest. There is a sharedorientation on the problem. One major success, amongst other 32 Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice 32. Apart from the above, it appears to be difficult to get the informa- tion systems straight. The effectivity of information systems often turns out to be a problem. The information doesnt come up as it was intended or as it was entered into the system. It happens too often that information is still missing. The results and figures are still often insufficiently reliable on account of entry and system errors. It also sometimes happens that representatives of the organisations in question have no access in the chain unit to the mother organisa- tions own system. Our practical examples show that ICT plays an important and double role. On the one hand ICT is the enablerfor new integral approaches of multi-problem situations and a far-reaching coopera- tion is only possible through innovative application of ICT. On the other hand it is found to be difficult to fully utilise new possibilities of ICT and it is an important bottleneck, certainly in situations where the approach is of an interorganisational nature. Success and failure factors of chain units in actual practice 33 33. The chain unit is, in principle, a temporary unit which is wound up when the scope of the social issue has been limited or the client demand has ceased to exist. 34. Conclusion5 Its impossible to imagine life nowadays without cooperation in chains. More and more social issues demand a multi-disciplinary approach. In the past we used to create a new organisation for each new problem; new institutions, with new stakes, for, at times, very specific target groups. Chain cooperation seeks to overcome that problem by bringing the relevant parties together to solve the clients demand or tackle a social issue. However, the big problem of many chains is the lack of decisiveness and commitment to the cooperation, or the time-consuming consultative structures. In this publication we have described a new organisational form that offers a solution to this: the chain unit. A solu- tion tested in the difficult day-to-day practice of handling persistent offenders in Amsterdam, juvenile unemployment in Rotterdam and the handling of multi-problem families in Enschede. Characteristics of this new organisational form are: Thepartnersformone(temporary)sharedorganisationalunittowhichstaffmembersofallthechainpartnersareseconded(interface). Theorganisationalunitworksonthebasisofoneworkprocess. Demandsarearticulatedanddiagnosesaremadeintheorganisationalunit. Theorganisationalunitsupervises,actsascommissioningauthorityofthechainandmonitorsimplementation. Thebackofficesofthechainpartnersactasprincipalcontractors. Relevantclientinformationistransparentforallpartners. Sometimescontainselementsofcontrollingthedemandbythepurchaseofnecessaryservices. The chain unit is, in principle, a temporary unit, which is wound up again when the scope of the social issue has been limited or client demand35 35. has ceased to exist. The chain unit is based on solid administra- this publication at www.inaxis.nl. tive agreements. Decisions in the chain unit are binding on the partners involved and, if necessary, the team leader or chain unitWe hope that this booklet will contribute towards a more effective manager may make decisions if the professionals cant solve the handling of complex social issues. problem. This is a way of organizing influence in order to utilise the partners expertise at an optimum level. You have also been able to read in this booklet that the setting up of a chain unit starts with administrative ambition. Begin this process only if this involves an urgent social issue that you, as an administrator, or, if you are a civil servant, your political bosses, are willing to personally dedicate yourselves to. You can find information about the practical cases inONCE THE SCOPE OF THE ISSUE IS REDUCED, THE UNIT CAN BE WOUND UP. 36 Conclusion 36. Literature 6 [1] Aa, A. van der et al (2002) Towards a methodical framework for chain directorship in public administration. The Hague [2] Duivenboden H.P.M. van, M.J.W. van Twist and M. Veldhuizen (2000). Chain management in the public sector: introduction. In: Duivenboden,H.P.M.vanetalChainmanagementinthepublicsector.LemmaPublishingCompanyB.V.:Utrecht [3] Grijping, J.H.A.M. [1997] Chain informatization, Sdu Publishers: The Hague [4] Aa, A. van der et al. (2002). Towards a methodical framework for chain directorship in public administration. The Hague [5] Bekkers, V.J.J.M. et al. Adaptive ability and architectural development in chains and networks. Center for Public Innovation; Rotterdam [6] Venrooy, A. van (2002). New styles of interorganisational public services. Eburon; Delft [7] Chain partners Covenant on the subject of Juvenile Crime and Multiple Offenders, Amsterdam 37 37. Arjan van Venrooy is a partner at Verdonck, Klooster & Associates. He has various publications to his credit, inter alia, in the field of public services and chain innovation. Arjan obtained his doctorate in New forms of interorganisational public services. Lon Sonnenschein is a deputy Programme Manager at InAxis and has supervised many experiments in the field of inter-municipal shared services and chain cooperation over the past years. 38. Colophon This is a joint publication of InAxis, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and Verdonck, Klooster & Associates B.V. Authors: ArjanvanVenrooyandLonSonnenschein Design: GAZmedia, bureau for graphic and interactive media Illustrations: LoetvanMoll Date: August 2008 ISBN: 978-90-5414-161-7 2008, All rights reserved. Nothing from this publication may be reproduced, saved in a computerized data file, or disclosed, in any form or way, either electronically, mechanically, through photocopies, recordings, or any other way, without the copyright owners prior written permission. 39. Chain units: Coming to grip with public chains Its impossible to imagine life nowadays without cooperation in chains. More and more social issues demand a multi-disciplinary approach. In the past we used to create a new organisation for each new problem; new institutions, with new stakes, for, at times, very specific target groups. Chain cooperation seeks to overcome that problem by bringing the relevant parties together to jointly solve the clients demand or tackle a social issue. However, the big problem of many chains is the lack of decisiveness, and commitment to the cooperation, or to the time-consuming consultative structures. In thispublicationArjanvanVenrooyandLonSonnenscheindescribeanew organisational form that offers a solution to this: the chain unit. This solution has been tested in the difficult day-to-day practice of the fight against juve- nile crime and the handling of persistent offenders in Amsterdam, tackling juvenile unemployment in Rotterdam and handling multi-problem families in Enschede. Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations