turning the curve: children’s services and outcomes based accountability

1. turning the curve: children’s services and outcomes based accountability Jacky Tiotto Deputy Director, Government Office planning and performance support, DfES 16th April 2007

2. for this workshop • 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?

3. ‘are we up for this’? “ we must become the change we want to see.” Mahatma Gandhi

4. some 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

5. some 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

6. what is inspection telling us? • most data collected describes process change and improvement

7. the job description! agreed! but there are 25! these confuse service outcomes with population outcomes we chase these and not the outcomes why these? encourage perverse behaviour and may not be local priorities disjointed!

8. changes ahead? • 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

9. so what is it looking like out there?

10. lots of structural reform is anyone better off?

11. definitions RESULT or OUTCOME A condition of well-being for children, adults, families or communities Children born healthy, Children succeeding in school, Safe communities, Clean Environment, Prosperous Economy INDICATOR or BENCHMARK A measure which helps quantify the achievement of a result Rate 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?

12. IS IT AN OUTCOME, INDICATOR OR PERFORMANCE MEASURE? outcome 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 indicator perf.measure outcome indicator perf.measure

13. means not ends(to improving results)(in themselves) • 1. PARTNERSHIP 2. SYSTEM REFORM 3. SERVICE INTEGRATION 4. DEVOLUTION 5. JOINT BUDGETS

14. Quality Quantity how welldid we do it? how much did we do? effect effort is anyone better off? # or % %skills and knowledge, %attitude and opinion, % circumstance and % behaviour

15. the matter of use • first purpose is to Improve Performanceas a contribution to improving results 2. avoid the Performance Measurementequals punishment trap ● acknowledge the experience as real. ● work to create a healthy organizational environment ● start small. ● build bottom-up and top-down simultaneously.

16. ? Fixed leaking roof/pakistani boys absent from school (outcomes thinking in everyday life and school!) Inches of Water/Rate of GSCE passes experience: Not OK measure: Turning the Curve story behind the baseline (causes): partners: what works: action plan:

17. turn the curve exercise: performance assessment: young people engaged in positive activities 5 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

18. Programme: _______________ Performance Measure (Lay definition) PerformanceMeasureBaseline 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

19. ‘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

20. turning the curve: children’s services and outcomes based accountability Jacky Tiotto Deputy Director, Government Office planning and performance support, DfES 16th April 2007