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MEETING ON 16 MARCH 2001 AT HALTON
REPORT OF THE CO-ORDINATOR
1. Matter for Consideration:
To report developments in this key area of the Annual Work Programme
2. Information:
2.1 The report made to the December 2000 meeting described the actions being taken to progress members' concerns in this area, and identified a need for a conference during 2001 in which members and officers could examine service quality and performance assessment issues in more detail. The Director of Joint Reviews, John Bolton, has already indicated a willingness to participate.
2.2 Before any further detailed plans for such an event had been formulated, news reached Social Services North West of the North West Social Services Performance Group's event "Performance Assessment to Performance Management - The Next Steps", to be held on 27 February in Warrington. The event marks the formation of a cross-regional officer group, whose focus of interest is making Performance Assessment relevant to front line services as something that can be used to deliver tangible benefits to service users. It seemed appropriate to work with and support the organisers of this event before identifying the precise subject matter for the planned Social Services North West conference.
2.3 Over 50 social services and health staff attended the event, at which Tameside Director Colin McKinless opened the proceedings by acknowledging the rapid developments in this area in the North West recently, and the partnership and co-operation established with the Social Services Inspectorate. We need to interpret and act on our own data, as part of the wider agenda of continuous improvement of process and practice - making the move from Performance Assessment to Performance Management. Keith Moultrie from SSRADU outlined some key design and implementation issues, stressing the need for an integrated approach to performance management. Then Mike Beazley of SSI tracked recent developments in the Government's expectations, and foreshadowed future developments. There would be more emphasis on integration and partnerships, and more to do in implementing performance assessment and in addressing the needs of users and carers. We need to make this process more accessible to local managers; focus on quality - what works and why; and address the workforce issues: where are tomorrow's managers coming from? Presentations were then made by Social Services staff from Blackburn with Darwen, Wigan and Warrington, and by a colleague from West Pennine Health Authority. Themes that emerged included the importance of involving members and operational staff, looking at the health interface, the National Service Frameworks, and training needs. It was agreed that there was scope for further work at regional level, to which Social Services North West could contribute.
2.4 A key national development in this area of work is the Government's recent move to establish SCIE, the Social Care Institute for Excellence. £2 million has been allocated to help establish SCIE this year. It will create a knowledge base of what works in social care and the information will be made available to managers, practitioners and users. It will rigorously review research and practice to provide a database of information on methods proven to be effective in social care practice. Using this information, SCIE will produce guidelines on Best Practice. They will be disseminated across the sector and will be readily accessible to the staff who actually deliver the services. SCIE will work to help staff implement Best Practice, ensuring they are equipped with both the knowledge and support needed to bring about an improvement in services offered. The guidelines will also feed into the standards set by the Social Services Inspectorate, and ultimately those produced by the General Social Care Council and the National Care Standards Commission, to monitor performance. This will mean users can then be confident that the services they receive have been tested against the best and most up-to-date knowledge in social care.
2.5 It is proposed that a conference could usefully be held in the early summer, looking at recent developments in Joint Reviews, the emerging plans for SCIE, and picking up continuing themes from the Warrington event in February.
3. Recommendations:
3.1 That the report be noted
3.2 That a conference be arranged on quality and performance management issues, drawing on the themes referred to in this report.
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