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This presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration covers compliance with the Batho Pele principle of consultation, research methodology, key findings, good practices, and recommendations.
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PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION Compliance with the Implementation of the Batho Pele Principle of Consultation 25 June 2008
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION • Introduction and background • Research methodology • Key findings • Good practice process for benchmarking • Conclusion and recommendations
Introduction and BackgroundObjectives of the PSC study ▪ Assess compliance with the implementation of the Batho Pele principle of Consultation. ▪ Determine effectiveness of consultation in the Public Service. ▪ Determine challenges and barriers to consulting adequately.
Introduction and Background Cont • CONSTITUTION people’s needs be responded to & public encouraged to participate. • PARTICIPATION • can obviate potential adversarialism between government & citizens • can assist in transforming the Public Service into a service-driven, citizen-centred and accountable institution • BATHO PELE White Paper principle of Consultation requires citizens to be consulted about services they receive from the Public Service. • Previous BP studies undertaken include Service Standards, Access, Redress. • PSC’s Constitutional role monitor & evaluate & BP requirement to be monitored by the PSC 4
Research Methodology • LITERATURE REVIEW • The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa • The White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery • The Batho Pele Handbook • The Charter Mark (UK) • The State of the Public Service Report (2007) • TOOL DEVELOPMENT Semi-structured questionnaire developed on the basis of information from the literature review
Research Methodology Cont • SCOPE OF THE STUDY Scope covered all national and provincial departments except: (i) The South African Secret Service, (ii) The South African National Defence Force, and (iii) National Intelligence Agency. • DATA ANALYSIS • All verbatim data was captured in MS Word format • Responses and items were coded • Data captured into specially designed data base • Frequency distribution was done using SPSS package 6
Key Findings Goals of Consultation • Creates a balance between what citizens want & what departments can deliver • Ensures customer satisfaction with quality & quantity of services delivered • Service delivery improves • Ensures that there is mutual respect between service providers and customers 7
Key Findings Cont Departments’ understanding of Consultation ▪ Soliciting views of stakeholders [90%] ▪ Informing customers of services [3%] ▪ Interacting with customers [3%] ▪ Encouraging participation [2%] ▪ Transforming Public Service delivery [2%]
Key Findings Cont • Departmental consultative initiatives • Workshops/ seminars/ summits [23%] • Izimbizo [17%] • Engaging critical stakeholders* [17%] • Print/ radio/ TV media [11%] • Public awareness campaigns [9%] • Community outreach [5%] • Road shows [3%] • Suggestion boxes [3%] • Other [5%] * Special initiatives introduced to consult critical stakeholders e.g. in Agriculture Farmer Support Structures 9
Key Findings Cont • Consultation standards have been developed by 51% of departments. The following reflects on how Consultation standards have been met: • Standards met [59%] • Standards partially met [21%] • Standards not met [9%] • Don’t know [11%] 10
Key Findings Cont • Service aspects that departments consult on: • Departmental programmes [35%] • Service delivery [11%] • Strategic development [9%] • Awareness of service [7%] • Needs assessment/ satisfaction [7%] • Policy [7%] • Financial planning/ administration [5%] • Service standards [6%] • Other [13%] 11
Key Findings Cont • Measures to consult rural & urban groups • Via key stakeholders [rural 25% & urban 35%] • Community outreach programmes [rural 24% & urban 11%] • Izimbizo/ public meetings [rural 23% & urban 24%] • Flyers/ brochures/posters [rural 8% & urban 7%] • Radio [rural 15% & urban 17%] 12
Key Findings Cont • Informing citizens how their contributions have been incorporated into decision-making • Reports incl. Annual reports [37%] • Meetings/ workshops [35%] • Speeches [10%] • Personal communications [10%] • Public awareness campaigns [8%] 13
Key Findings Cont • Challenges in dealing with consultation • Budget constraints [21%] • Geographic distribution of customers [13%] • Language/ literacy [12%] • Capacity [11%] • Feedback not used [11%] • Poor public participation [11%] • Lack of infrastructure [9%] • Time constraints [7%] • Logistics [4%] • Catering [2%] • Unrealistic expectations [1%]
Key Findings Cont Strategies to address challenges facing consultation
Key Findings Cont • Consultation initiatives budgeted for • Staff training [29%] • Workshops/ meetings [21%] • Printing/ publishing [14%] • Special events [11%] • Marketing/ advertising [9%] • Other [16%] 16
GOOD PRACTICE PROCESS FOR CONSULTATION- Process 1 1st phase • Departments should review mandates & objectives • Assess the degree to which available capacity is aligned with delivering services • Assess available service delivery mechanisms, & how well they function • Gather intelligence on customers incl. profile, how they engage their services and current service use • Identify gaps .
GOOD PRACTICE PROCESS FOR CONSULTATION- Process 1 2nd phase Occurs once departments have dev guidelines for new services or for re-engineered services ▪ Customers consulted on the degree to which new services/ re-engineered services meet their needs ▪ Align operations and services with the needs of citizens ▪ Flag problems with service delivery before they occur
GOOD PRACTICE PROCESS FOR CONSULTATION- Process 1 3rd phase ▪ Evaluate the implementation ▪ Monitor the effectiveness of the service offered
GOOD PRACTICE PROCESS FOR CONSULTATION- Process 2 Process 2 is an activity within Process 1 ▪ Identify objectives of the consultation initiative (objectives should be realistic, achievable and measurable) ▪ Take into account type of information required & level of analysis ▪ Establish qualitative & quantitative data needed ▪ Consult & ensure its according to approved design ▪ Analyse & interprete findings
Conclusion Departments have embarked on a variety of activities to communicate with the public. Not all of these fulfill a consultative function • e.g. through reports, advertisements and websites.
Recommendations • Prioritise the concretisation of consultation standards. • Assess different consultation mechanisms & ensure use of the most feasible, effective & efficient. • Improve the manner in which they monitor & evaluate implementation of consultation.