The Cabinet Office has formally launched the hunt for frontline public-service delivery experts keen to take up secondments as part of a £100m programme aimed at bringing a "start-up" mindset to government.
Earlier this month, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden set out plans for "test-and-learn secondments" that will introduce staff with direct experience of service delivery to departments to help drive the government's reform plans.
McFadden said the approach would will see secondees work alongside policy officials and tech experts, and that they would be given the freedom to experiment and adapt in a way more like Silicon Valley than Whitehall.
In a speech at University College London's new Stratford campus, McFadden said the initial test-and-learns would focus on family support and temporary accommodation in Essex, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield from next month.
"On temporary accommodation, we want them to begin by looking at how we can reduce costs," he said. "And on family support, they’ll be looking at how family hubs can increase the number of disadvantaged families that they reach."
McFadden said the next wave of test-and-learns would be expanded to other parts of the country and set "bigger challenges", such as reducing the need for temporary accommodation and finding "new and effective ways" to get people into work.
He cited the coalition government's high-profile difficulties in introducing its flagship Universal Credit benefit reforms as part of the motivation for the up-front test-and-learn drive. The Department for Work and Pensions eventually adopted a test-and-learn model for the rollout.
The Cabinet Office's call for expressions of interest in the test-and-learn secondments says it is looking for "individuals with hands-on operational experience across various policy areas to join our public service reform team".
It says the programme wants "public service delivery experts working near the front line to help drive public service reform in their field" and that secondees "will work in multidisciplinary teams to design and test new ways of delivering public services".
It continues: "As part of this programme, we will collaborate closely with local communities, breaking down functional silos to gain deep insights into local needs and rapidly iterating based on user feedback."
The call does not specify the service areas of interest. However, family support and temporary accommodation were the clear focus of McFadden's UCL East observations.
People interested in taking part can contact: secondments@cabinetoffice.gov.uk