Client:
Municipality of Amsterdam
Question:
Can you design and facilitate the co-creation process of the development plans for Buurtteams Amsterdam?
Process:
Future Search based design with elements of Appreciative Inquiry and Open Space.
Results:
Broadly supported development plans for the new Buurtteams Amsterdam, co-created by the stakeholders and approved by the city council.
The municipality of Amsterdam is developing a new social system for Amsterdam. Part of this is strengthening the social base in the neighbourhood. From 2021, Buurtteams will be installed at various locations in Amsterdam to provide access to basic social care for adults.
The central question was:
How do we ensure that Buurtteams Amsterdam optimally matches the lives of the Amsterdammer and all their support questions?
In the autumn of 2019, four large work sessions took place, with 120 people from the broad stakeholder field, to shape Buurtteams together. Professionals and citizens from various stakeholder groups joined, including care providers, clients and residents, social welfare organisations and public policymakers.
Motivation
Setting up Buurtteams Amsterdam is part of the further development of the Social Domain. Among other things, it works on strengthening the basic facilities in the neighbourhoods and city districts. From 2021 onwards, Amsterdam citizens with questions in the field of care, activation and support can contact a recognizable, accessible, and integrated Buurtteams Amsterdam.
‘whole system in the room’
The issue asked for a systemic approach because it is complex and there are many different stakeholders. The different social partners are crucial for successful implementation and broad support from all parties involved including the target group, is necessary.
Design
120 diverse stakeholders participated in four large scale work sessions. The entire process – including preparatory meetings with the preparation group – took six months.
The work sessions were prepared by a preparation group, a small team of eight people reflecting the broad stakeholder field. We worked step-by-step towards the final development plans for Buurtteams Amsterdam. From determining a common starting point, through mapping trends, developments and dilemmas, to visualizing the desired future and determining the shared basis – what do we all want? This resulted in widely supported ambitions. Then working methods and agreements were drawn up, about what exactly the Buurtteams are going to do, how the professionals will work and how they will relate to each other.
“The most valuable result of the co-creation: basis for joint decisions based on the content, in the interest of Amsterdammers and professionals.“
Results
The development plans for Buurtteams were submitted to the Municipal Board in the form of an implementation decision. This was approved at the beginning of 2020. In February 2020, the plan will be assessed by experts and adjusted where necessary, and implementation can begin. The contract will be put out to tender in the spring of 2020. The teams will start in January 2021.
More information?
- Read the report ‘Co-creatiekrant Buurtteams Amsterdam’ (in Dutch).
- Contact Elien Rogaar or Petra de Boer.