Minister of State Services

Update: Integrated Service Delivery Programme

Purpose

1 This paper:

• outlines the current status and future arrangements for each of the three work streams under the Integrated Service Delivery Programme; and
• advises the disestablishment of the Integrated Service Delivery Chief Executive Reference Group.

Background

2 The Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) programme was set up to address some specific concerns raised by Review of the Centre:

• interaction with Government is not easy for citizens;
• no systematic approach to setting and achieving outcome goals and priorities;
• fragmented state sector makes it difficult to pursue cross-cutting objectives;
• the system is weak at developing and managing capability; and
• many agencies are struggling to understand and meet the needs of Maori.

3 The ISD programme commissioned three work streams that aimed to improve Public Service performance:

• "Circuit Breaker" Problems
  Learn what works by solving some specific service delivery problems, and encourage new ways of working.
• Regional Coordination
  Understand and disseminate good co-ordination practice, and identify and remove barriers to this co-ordination.
• Evaluation
  Suggest ways of enhancing evaluation so that it contributes to the achievement of results.

4 The ISD Programme has been supported by a reference group of Chief Executives (CERG) chaired by Peter Hughes.

Current Status and Future Arrangements

5 The bulk of the work in the three work streams is now complete. From the end of April 2004 the specific ISD Programme has ceased and residual activity has been integrated into related work programmes.

6 The sections below describe the current status and future arrangements for each of the three work streams.

Work Stream 1: Circuit Breakers

Circuit Breakers Round One

7 The first round of Circuit Breakers is well down the implementation track. Chief Executives have assumed responsibility for putting the agreed solutions in place.

Family Violence Funding

8 Nation-wide rollout of the Family Violence Circuit Breaker solution is underway and progressing well. The Implementation Plan, which was signed off by the CERG in late 2003, has three phases with completion in June 2005. The implementation phases are:

• Building relationships and completing funding analysis;
• Integrated approach to QA / audit; and
• Family violence funding planning in collaboration with community.

9 The Implementation manager has advised us that implementation of Phase 1 is almost complete. Since February the implementation team has delivered training to about 130 funding advisors and managers from Child, Youth & Family Services, Ministry of Justice, Department of Internal Affairs, ACC, and Community Probation Service (Department of Corrections) across 11 regions. The new Family Violence Funding teams in those regions are now being established. The first task for each team is creating the Family Violence funding analysis for their region and sharing it with service providers and other regional funders.

10 Phase 2, which will begin in July this year. Phase 2 involves the development and implementation of the new integrated quality assurance / audit process. Initial trials of the new tools in the Waikato have been very well received so far by service provider agencies.

Skilled Migrants

11 The skilled migrant settlement circuit breaker project proposed an integrated agency model to develop better links for migrants to services that would provide better settlement and employment outcomes. The project recommendations are being implemented by the Ministry of Social Development (Work and Income) and the Department of Labour (the NZ Immigration Service).

12 Most of the recommendations have been incorporated into the design and delivery of MSD and DOL programmes. The Government's allocation of $21m over four years for a migrant strategy has assisted implementation and enabled dedicated project management.

13 The Auckland Regional Migrant Resource Centre established in Mt. Roskill by Auckland and Manukau City Councils, Work and Income and the NZ Immigration Service is providing coordinated services for highly skilled migrants, and there are plans to extend this approach elsewhere in the Auckland region.

14 In addition, the lead agencies, Waitakere City Council and community groups are working together to provide an integrated service to assist migrants to pursue better quality employment opportunities and to match the skills of migrants to labour market demand.

Truancy in Rotorua

15 Based on the learning gained by the Circuit Breaker, the Rotorua District Truancy Service is leading an interagency effort with the support of the Ministry of Education to involve relevant agencies in an initiative to reduce truancy. The Ministry of Education recently briefed you on this.

16 The new initiative involves the Rotorua District Truancy Service meeting with Police Youth Aid weekly with wider agency involvement monthly to ensure services are provided to those students involved in chronic truancy.

17 The Circuit Breaker has resulted in greater awareness of truancy issues and has led to increased interagency activity. The schools involved are now part of the work of the student engagement initiative and the District Truancy Service is leading an interagency response to chronic truancy.

Circuit Breakers Round Two

18 Originally, a second round of Circuit Breakers was intended, however this has not proceeded. Following the evaluation of Round One Circuit Breakers, the focus for Round Two was on identifying intractable problems in the environmental or economic sectors, rather than in the social sector.

19 Selected Chief Executives were invited to nominate problems for a Circuit Breaking approach. Three possible problems were put up, but proved unsuitable. Extensive effort was put into identifying potential Circuit Breaker problems via SSC contacts and networks but those problems that did emerge did not fit the criteria. We decided to defer refinement of the approach through further piloting and to focus on capturing and disseminating the methodology itself.

Future use of the Circuit Breaker approach

20 A web-based Circuit Breaker workbook has been produced. It is a practical guide to using Circuit Breaker approach. The workbook is designed to enable people in departments and others with web access, e.g. community groups and iwi, to find out about and apply the Circuit Breaker approach as and when they see fit. The workbook covers the theory and principles of Circuit Breaking, the practical 'how to' aspects of the methodology, a step-by-step guide, and a Toolkit of useful items, e.g. meeting agendas, draft letters, what to look for in a team leader.

21 In June 2004 the Circuit Breaker workbook will be launched on the SSC website and actively promoted to Chief Executives and the various public service manager networks.

Circuit Breaking across the Tasman

22 Late in 2003, the Tasmanian State Government's Department of Premier and Cabinet contacted SSC about the Circuit Breaking approach. During February 2004 we hosted a three-day visit for the official coordinating the development of two Circuit breaker projects in Tasmania later this year.

23 Following this visit, I was invited to Tasmania to provide targeted briefings on Circuit Breaking to approximately 250 people from management and staff from Local, State and Commonwealth Governments, as well as community groups.

24 This was a positive opportunity to share the value from New Zealand government work on Circuit Breaking, and to provide some 'experience-based' insights about the benefits and some of the potential pitfalls of Circuit Breaking.

Workstream 2: Regional Coordination

Effective Regional Coordination - The Mosaics Report

25 The publication of the two regional coordination reports and the good practice guide 'Mosaics' in mid-2003 signalled the completion of the major deliverable for this work stream.

26 This report identified seven areas where further work was required and these are either being pursued through current Commission work, such as "Managing for Outcomes" roll out or will be considered in the proposed work programme for 2004-05.

27 Around the time of the Circuit Breaker Workbook we intend to re-launch/remind people of the Mosaics report. The report contains some useful guidance to improve the effectiveness of regional coordination activity.

Mandated Network - Manawatu

28 Late in 2002 the Manawatu Regional Interagency Network (RIN) was chosen to pilot a Mandated Network approach. The aim of the Network was to strengthen relationships between government agencies and communities, and to focus on how agencies can work together better to achieve results for communities.

29 More than 20 central and local government agencies are now contributing to the network, which covers Palmerston North city, Horowhenua, Tararua and Manawatu districts. Central government agency Chief Executives committed their support for, and the work of, the Network.

30 The purpose of the Network was to lead the development of an All of Government approach to the economic and social development of the region and its communities.

31 The Chair of the Network reports that the Network has made steady and effective progress in the past fifteen months. Agency participation has been good. The Network has commissioned a number of work streams, each with a designated lead agency. The work streams include:

• Stock take of services provided and contribution to social outcomes;
• Organisational alignment (and goals matrix);
• Youth critical issues strategy;
• Planning opportunities; and
• Sharing good practice and business opportunities, including joint training exercises.

32 The Network has started work on a major collaborative project around joined up response to the problems arising from methamphetamine (P). It intends that this project will generate some protocols and processes for future collaborative work.

33 Looking forward, the Network intends to focus on increasing the input from local government, Network responses to economic development opportunities, and increasing participation by local iwi/tangata whenua.

Work stream 3: Evaluation

34 The initial work programme for this work stream was completed in 2003 with the publication of the joint Treasury/SSC paper on evaluative activity and building capability for the use of evaluative activity amongst public service decision-makers.

35 In 2003 Ministers directed central agencies to report to the Minister of Finance, Prime Minister and you, as Minister of State Services, on a process for advising on where there might be value in further developing evaluative activity [Cab Min (03) 26/2 refers].

36 That report, which you have now received, proposed a two-pronged approach:

• reviewing the coverage and quality of current evaluative activity as reflected in Statements of Intent and evaluative strategies, and identifying resources to support improved quality; and
• working with departments and other agencies to ensure that evaluative activity contributes to answering Government's wider policy questions.

37 The report also notes that the future work on evaluative activity will be progressed under the Managing for Outcomes programme 2004 - 05.

Communication

38 The launch of the Circuit Breaker workbook will be announced in a press release, and information about the workbook will also be communicated directly to Chief Executives, and the various networks of public service managers. This communication will also remind Chief Executives of the Regional Co-ordination Good Practice Guide, "Mosaics".

Recommendation

39 It is recommended that you:

1 note the current status of and proposed future arrangements for the three work streams under the Integrated Service Delivery;

2 note that the Chief Executive Reference Group for the Integrated Service Delivery work programme will be dis-established;

3 note that a web-based workbook on Circuit Breaking has been developed to promote wider and ongoing use of the methodology; and

4 advise whether you wish to Circuit Breaker Workbook press release to be issued over your name.

Malcolm Inglis
Deputy Commissioner