Social Services and Housing Directorate
Performance Management.
National,
local and professional pressures have led to the adoption of a wide range of
performance management (PM) measures and elements. This paper outlines current
strengths and areas for improvement.
Directorate
strategy has been to develop skills and
processes that can respond to continuous change and that will improve
performance. A wide range of elements has combined to produce a viable approach
to PM.
National
and local emphasis on a more unified approach to PM means bringing the existing
elements together. This will take place as part of the council’s current PM and
best value development. This is taking place during a period of national
investment in improving the quality and direction of PM in health, social care
and housing organisations.
The
most significant current performance management elements at work in the
directorate are:
(1)
Strategic management of
PM.
(2)
Arrangements for
operating PM.
(3)
The development and
management of information and communications.
Strengths:
A
strategic focus on PM has been an explicit
priority, particularly during a period where good performance brings
resources, flexibilities and freedoms. The directorate’s strategic management
have control of policy and PM, resulting in the ability to take action or
commend. This includes regular and formal reporting of performance by and to
accountable senior managers and periodic reports of significant performance
issues to members.
Improvement:
Areas
for improvement include the need for a unifying corporate performance
management strategy, greater staff engagement in developing PM policy and priorities, and the need for a quality
management model (such as EFQM) which supports strategic management of PM.
(2)
Arrangements For Operating Performance Management
Strengths:
Strengths
include regular reports of operational performance to strategic management by
managers accountable for their performance, and the use of a large number of
national and local performance indicators, together with a comprehensive range
of performance targets at national and local levels.
Other
strengths include regular and detailed financial reporting and controls, a
range of benchmarking activities, inter agency and council working,
comprehensive 6 monthly position statements, and service standards including
those arising from best value reviews.
Operational
performance management is strengthened by a new supervision policy for all
staff, service and action plans, personal development plans, and compliance
with the Investors in People award criteria. Other PM elements concerned with
service quality include best value reviews and service audits, management of
the quality of contracted service quality, the use of the EFQM quality
management model and the introduction of project management methodologies.
Improvement:
Operational
managers and staff from all service areas need to be more involved in regular
performance reporting and analysis. There is also a need for greater
co-ordination and expertise in the setting of targets and the production of
action plans. A greater emphasis is needed on the implementation of the new
supervision policy. The directorate can also benefit more from its experience
in applying quality management models to service reviews, projects and the
management of information.
(3)
Information And Communications Management
Strengths:
A
significant strength is experience in collecting and analysing information
which contributes to a wide range of performance indicators. There is a
catalogue of performance indicators and a newly established library of
policies, procedures and practice guidelines for staff. All staff are familiar
with electronic collection of information and its purpose.
Consultation
with service users and others is developing across all service areas. A
strategy for developing information and communications is in place and will
contribute to corporate communications and information strategy. A variety of initiatives, not least forward
planning prior to statutory inspections, have proved effective. In addition the recent success in obtaining
two stars for the quality of our performance and the positive outcome attained
in recent inspections highlights the importance of effective monitoring and the
use of coherent and productive performance management systems.
Improvement:
There
is a an increasingly critical need to upgrade the directorate’s client
database, which has a singular role in accurately and safely collecting
performance information. The Head of Service for Policy, Performance and
Resources has the overall strategic responsibility for information and
performance for the directorate and will lead a performance review panel to
monitor progress overall. Regular
internal audits are planned and quality control mechanisms have been developed
to monitor the effectiveness of the system. A new client database to replace
the current Acciss system would be of great benefit and we await the outcome of
various initiatives in place to assist secure the funding. Other areas for improvement include full
implementation of the directorate’s information and communications strategy, in
particular those elements which include public information, research and the
development of good practice information for staff.