I spent a day at the House of Commons last week as a guest of Patrick McCloughin (the Conservative party Chief Whip and my local MP). Fascinating day - I sat through Prime Ministers Question Time ( the Trident discussion day) and then had lunch and a chat with Patrick.

After lunch he had arranged for me to meet with members of the shadow cabinet to swop a few ideas - get an understanding of their thinking and I suppose tap into A4e's thinking on social and welfare reform etc. This is the team that have been tasked by David Cameron to think the unthinkable!

Very interesting - especially because I really hope that after all these years all the people in positions of power are coming round to the fact that organisations like A4e should be asked to deliver great outcomes for people - simple. For example - People who are unemployed want a good job that lasts. It would be great if we were tasked with that simple job! - and left to use our skills, knowledge, networks, partnerships, holistic methods and heart to get on and do just that.

For example in the prison work we do - the prisoners want work to go to - the skills training has to be aimed at a real and tangible job - then the training will be valued. The job is the outcome that we all want - the prisoner because it makes them feel good and part of society again- society because an offender going into work is much much less likely to re-offend. 

It would be great if one day a government got brave enough to let A4e be paid on this basis. (A4e would have to be pretty brave too!) Imagine contracts that are paid out when the individual gets what they need and society financially benefits. (Actually this is pretty much like the contracts we run in Israel)

Going forward i hope that whatever colour of political party makes up the Government in the UK- (and as you know A4e is absolutely non-political in all the countries we work in) they  get brave and stop feeling the need to design and manage the processes/inputs and simply ask organisations for the financially sound outcomes that the we know the people want and society needs. 

I think it is getting there - plenty of Gov. reviews have pointed in this direction - A4e ( and me) will do its bit to help the thinking get there.

As ever I welcome your thoughts too

Emma