A steering group has been formed by a wide range of public sector bodies to drive the development and adoption of Open Referral standards across local government in the UK.
Open Referral UK (ORUK) has been formed to tackle the time consumed by local authorities connecting residents to community services. It will become a data standard that sets a consistent way of recording and sharing service information.
In a statement, ORUK said: “By organising community service data in a common way so that directories can communicate with each other, it simplifies the process of finding and accessing the right service, whether securing transport for a doctor’s appointment or finding housing support.”
Cross-government membership
Led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's Local Digital team the steering group is made up of open referral advocates from the Department for Education, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Central Digital and Data Office, and the Local Government Association.
The steering group will work on connecting central government, councils, public services, voluntary groups and local communities. This work will be directed by the recommendations made in the Scaling the Impact of the Open Referral Standard report and meet quarterly and set up sub-groups to look into best practices, develop an integration roadmap and address challenges.
To foster a community that shares insights and experiences, the second meeting featured the Department for Education and the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board presenting their experiences.
A third meeting is being held on October 9, 2024, focusing on the potential impact on communities.
