turning the curve: children’s services and
outcomes based accountability
Jacky Tiotto
Deputy Director, Government Office planning and performance support, DfES
16th April 2007
introduction
challenges and opportunities ahead
what is inspection telling us?
changes on the horizon
what has an outcomes approach got to offer for this ‘middle’ policy term of Every Child Matters?
for this workshop
‘‘are we up for this’?are we up for this’?
“ we must become the change we want to see.” Mahatma Gandhi
some of the challenges we havesome of the challenges we have
it is difficult to describe what ‘making a difference’ looks like or to agree what things look like when we have been successful
we still muddle up population outcomes and service effectiveness
we have learned to be target and indicator submissive and sometimes these have become the ends rather than the means
some of the opportunities aheadsome of the opportunities ahead
our policy documents refer increasingly to outcomes and about doing less better – the national indicator set
there is significant cross - government commitment to outcomes and asking what difference we are making?
Children and young people are high on the political and policy agendas
there is a new performance assessment framework to influence
most data collected describes process change and improvement
what is inspection telling us?
the job description!the job description!
agreed!
why these?
disjointed!
but there are 25!
encourage perverse behaviour
and may not be local
priorities
we chase these and
not the outcomes
these confuse service
outcomes with population outcomes
the outcomes framework will re-launch in the Autumn
the local government white paper with a 200-strong national indicator set, of which a significant number will describe children’s services, and those areas of work where the local authority is a significant but junior partner
Local Area Agreements will be reshaped to become the “delivery contract” between a local area and central government
Each will have a set of targets against up to 53 of the national indicators, with 18 of these the DfES’ statutory targets for attainment and early years
JAR and APA will come to an end in 2009
Annual Comprehensive Area Assessment, based on risk
Some inspection will continue on a regular basis (eg vulnerable children) but for the most part will only occur when “triggered” by the findings of the CAA
changes ahead?
so what is it looking like out there?so what is it looking like out there?
lots of structural reformlots of structural reform
is anyone better off?is anyone better off?
definitionsdefinitions
RESULT or OUTCOME
A condition of well-being for children, adults, families or communitiesChildren born healthy, Children succeeding in school, Safe
communities, Clean Environment, Prosperous Economy
INDICATOR or BENCHMARKA measure which helps quantify the achievement of a
resultRate of low-birthweight babies, Rate of GCSE, crime rate, air quality index, unemployment rate
PERFORMANCE MEASURE
A measure of how well a program, agency or service system is working. Three types:
1. How much did we do? 2. How well did we do it? 3. Is anyone better off?
IS IT AN OUTCOME, INDICATOR OR IS IT AN OUTCOME, INDICATOR OR PERFORMANCE MEASURE?PERFORMANCE MEASURE?
1. Safe Community
2. Crime Rate
3. Average Police Dept response time
4. Children are safe at home
5. % of children in need
6. % of children in the child protection register
outcome
indicator
perf.measure
outcome
indicator
perf.measure
means means notnot ends ends(to improving results)(to improving results) (in themselves)(in themselves)
1. PARTNERSHIP
2. SYSTEM REFORM
3. SERVICE INTEGRATION
4. DEVOLUTION
5. JOINT BUDGETS
how much did we
do?
how welldid we do it?
is anyone better off? #
or %
Quantity Quality
e
ffect
eff
ort %skills and knowledge, %attitude
and opinion, % circumstance and % behaviour
the matter of usethe matter of use
1. first purpose is to Improve Performanceas a contribution to improving results
2. avoid the Performance Measurement equals punishment trap
● acknowledge the experience as real.
● work to create a healthy organizational environment
● start small.
● build bottom-up and top-down simultaneously.
leaking roof/pakistani boys absent from school leaking roof/pakistani boys absent from school
(outcomes thinking in everyday life and school!)(outcomes thinking in everyday life and school!)
experience:
measure:
story behind the baseline (causes):
partners:
what works:
action plan:
Inches of Water/Rate
of GSCE passes
? Fixed
Not OK
Turning the Curve
turn the curve exercise: performance turn the curve exercise: performance assessment:assessment:
young people engaged in positive activitiesyoung people engaged in positive activities5 min: Starting Points- timekeeper and reporter- identify a program to work on- two hats (yours plus partner’s)
5 min: Performance measure baseline- choose 1 measure to work on from lower right quadrant- forecast – OK or not OK?
15 min: Story behind the baseline - causes/forces at work(information & research agenda part 1 – causes)
10 min: What works? (What would it take?) (2 pointers to action)
- what could work to do better? - each partners contribution- no-cost / low-cost ideas
(information & research agenda part 2 – what works)
10 min: Report Convert notes to one page
Programme: _______________
Performance Measure (Lay definition)Performanc
eMeasureBaseline
Story behind the baseline --------------------------- --------------------------- (List as many as needed)Partners --------------------------- --------------------------- (List as many as needed)Three Best Ideas – What Works 1. --------------------------- 2. --------------------------- 3. ---------
No-cost / low-cost/Off the Wall
SharpEdges
‘‘turning the curve for children’?turning the curve for children’?
I want children to smile. If they are smiling, they will be relaxed. If they are relaxed , they will be
confident. If they are confident, they will dare to be curious. If
they are curious, they will grow in understanding.
Anne Wood – Director Ragdoll productions
turning the curve: children’s services and
outcomes based accountability
Jacky Tiotto
Deputy Director, Government Office planning and performance support, DfES
16th April 2007