Comprehensive Area Assessment and UoR Calderdale partners 18 th May 2009

1. Comprehensive Area Assessment and UoRCalderdale partners 18th May 2009

2. By the end of today, you should have: a better understanding of Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA); a better understanding of the new Use of Resources assessment; what each might mean for the ways that you and your organisation work Objectives

3. Five key CAA characteristics: It assesses what makes a real difference to people’s lives It looks at how public services work together – as well as individual organisational performance It focuses on local, as well as national, priorities It provides robust, but proportionate, assessment of local services We will report our assessments directly to the public in straightforward language Headlines

4. Big issues need joined up, coordinated action Need to concentrate on outcomes achieved for local communities Reflect what matters most to local people, with particular focus on people whose circumstances make them vulnerable But needs to stimulate continuous improvement And must continue to provide independent assurance that local bodies are effective and providing value for money Why CAA?

5. How will CAA work?

6. Forward looking, focused on outcomes in local priorities Answers three questions: How well do local priorities express community needs and aspirations? How well are the outcomes and improvements needed being delivered? What are the prospects for improvement? These questions will be underpinned by four themes that run through the assessment: sustainability, inequality, vulnerable people and value for money Green and red ‘flags’ will signal exceptional performance, improvement or innovation, and significant concerns about future outcomes Judgement agreed across inspectorates Area assessment

7. These assessments inform (and are informed by) the area assessment Different public services will continue to be assessed by the relevant inspectorate – these join up to form the area assessment Focus on the contribution local bodies make to improvingoutcomes, as well as individual performance and value for money Council organisational assessments will be scored 4 = performs excellently to 1 = performs poorly Organisational assessment

8. Area assessment links Area assessment Organisational assessment PCT UoR Annual health check UoR Managing performance Council, Fire UoR APACS Police

9. CAA will consider: Local performance management information, including that used for monitoring performance against Local Area Agreements and Sustainable Community Strategies Performance against 188 national indicators (National Indicator Set (NIS)) Evidence from inspection and audit Information from government offices and other agencies Views of local people, the third sector and local businesses Providing the evidence for a shared judgment by inspectors working together Evidence & working together

10. Annual public reporting (in late November) Consumer-oriented look and feel to CAA, with more accessible public name Website will be main communication tool, with plain English summaries of each assessment Will also provide non web-based reporting Green flags will help share good practice Users can drill-down for more detail LSPs and other local bodies will be given regular updates on emerging judgements Aiming for more innovative and interactive reporting from 2010 http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/caademo/ Reporting CAA

11. Website

12. Strong focus on improvement, not process and compliance: People and places No longer focused just on single organisations – collective accountability Clear focus on outcomes and future prospects Big culture shift – for all of us: Mature relationship - honesty, openness and ownership Adaptable and flexible – no need to keep reinventing – ‘evolution’ Less ‘burden’, but more challenging But what’s really different?

13. Publish CAA framework 10 February 2009  Publish our staff guidance end March 2009  CAA ‘goes live’ April 2009  First public reporting at end of November 2009 National overview reporting February 2010 Next steps… for us

14. Have partners identified clear priorities for combating the recession? Are partners providing effective support for local people and businesses in most need? What progress is being made on developing skills? How effective is the partnership in tackling substance misuse and providing activities for young people? What progress is being made to reduce health inequalities? Healthy Halifax - are measures to increase physical activity having an impact? Calderdale – emerging issues

15. are links being made between improving housing and wider regeneration activity? what are partners doing to improve housing conditions for the most vulnerable? What are partners doing to relieve traffic congestion/encourage more use of public transport and make the roads safer? What are partners doing to improve safeguarding of children? How effectively are partners tackling inequality? Calderdale – emerging issues

16. Are planned activities making a difference to outcomes? How do you know? Are resources targeted to meet community needs and aspirations? How effective is local delivery/neighbourhood management? How engaged are all partners? Are Partners using their collective resources efficiently? Calderdale – emerging issues

17. Ask yourselves, and your partners . . . How well do we understand our communities? Is this understanding shared among our partnership? Is it reflected in our shared priorities? How well do we understand our performance and is this clearly focused on outcomes? How well do we understand the challenges ahead and are we working effectively together to meet these and improve priority outcomes? Next steps… for youShould you be ‘preparing for CAA’?