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Making parterships work
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In recent years the government has been increasingly focused on service delivery and that most common of phrases, 'joined up government'. The reality of joining up local services has, however, proved much more difficult to achieve than the rhetoric. With competing directives from central government departments, the lack of a common goal and few forums at which local-level policies can be discussed, there can be real difficulties in delivery. Partnership is a much over-used word - yet it's one every new initiative now seeks to achieve and promote.
Below we identify the common partnership pitfalls and how you can avoid them to make your partnerships work. This article is based on our work with a number of partnerships who are seeking to work jointly to improve local delivery. Their goals differ - improved customer contact across a county, a joint approach to using new technology to support waste management and recycling, making local communities more cohesive - but many of the issues they face are the same.
Challenges to Overcome
Much central government money is now tied to partnership working, from improving e-government services to neighbourhood renewal but many organisations are unsure of the benefits that it could bring. Successful joint working is not easy to achieve and individual organisations can feel more secure within their fiefdoms, focussing on their particular concerns and priorities. This is linked to the strong sense of identity that local public sector organisations retain, especially local councils, and a desire to see that this identity is not eroded. Furthermore there is the fear that any partnership could become dominated by a single large organisation, so reducing the levels of collective benefit.
Apparent Benefits
Despite the difficulties inherent in partnership working, there are many apparent benefits. The key benefit is that which the government keeps pressing; 'joined up' thinking. The delivery of services at local level is fraught with complexity. For example, care of children or the vulnerable elderly can in some areas involve the local district council, the county council, community transport, health services and independent housing providers. In cases such as this, it is not surprising that some people can 'fall through the gaps'. Take the Victoria Climbie case as a tragic example. Ensuring that the public sector bodies involved are working closely in a partnership that shares data and processes militates against such occurrences.
The benefits do not merely result in improved customer services. Local government is increasingly coming under the financial microscope, and here again, partnerships can deliver benefits. In our experience, many district and borough councils set up separate systems to perform the same function, such as allowing citizens to perform online reporting of incidents. By pooling resources, the costs of software and hardware procurement can be split across the partner groups, thus ensuring greater value for money. There are also likely to be clear benefits for customers, providing more seamless service enabling them to access a range of public services through one point of contact.
Partnership Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Theory is all well and good, but many a project has looked good on paper only to fall on its face in practice. Whatever your partnership is trying to achieve - be it better e-services for local people or improved community cohesion in a local area - there are a number of pitfalls which our experience shows can undermine the best laid plans.
Over Partnership
There is a real danger of 'over partnership', often because lots of partners are required to secure the proper funding for a single partnership. This can result in funding being secured for projects that are not necessarily top priority for all the partners involved. Therefore, organisations can belong to lots of partnerships, many of which do not seem to be delivering and are only of peripheral importance. Partners will be hassled to go to meetings, and partnership boards will have the headache of trying to cajole reluctant partners into participating.
With this in mind, it is imperative that organisations are clear about the reasons for joining a partnership. A proper business case needs to be formulated to ensure that benefits can be both identified up front and actually delivered. Of course, this may result in the organisation saying 'no' to some partnerships.
Define Your Expectations
Partnerships themselves also need to be clear about what individual partner organisations expect from the partnership. Each partner will have a different agenda, which means there will be varying degrees of involvement at different stages of the enterprise. Some partners may be extremely involved and expect to benefit accordingly, whereas others may just wish to be kept informed as to what is happening. This needs to be built in to the planning and structure of the partnership, as a partnership should be just that; a platform affording equal access and an opportunity for each partner to voice their opinions.
A Clear Remit
Another key question is to determine the remit of the partnership. There is a real danger that in the initial flush of excitement, the partners involved decide that this is the vehicle to deliver change in every nook and cranny of local public services. This is rarely feasible. Targets, whilst being stretching, should be clear, focussed and achievable, as it will foster both a sense of ambition and an eventual sense of achievement when these objectives are met.
Stakeholder Buy-in
Just like any relationship, local partnerships need time and commitment if they are to flourish. This requires buy-in from the key stakeholders within each organisation; those who have the authority to prioritise partnership work and ensure that it gets sufficient publicity, staffing and time on the agenda. Without this, a partnership will wither and die, as it struggles to compete against other initiatives.
Communicate Clearly and Often
Committed stakeholders will also be critical in communicating the strategy, decisions, and achievements of the partnership. It is a common problem that those involved in a partnership are unsure as to its purpose and its remit, and unsure as to what it really does over and above simply increasing paperwork. Each partner organisation needs to identify those individuals and departments which need to be brought on board and encouraged to involve themselves in the partnership's work. Lack of communication merely generates confusion, which will be quickly followed by disillusionment with the entire project. Communication of early successes is also important in keeping people on board and motivated.
Evaluate the Impact
One of the hardest tasks for partnerships seeking to improve local services is to evaluate the impact and success of their work. We are currently involved in a ground-breaking initiative funded by the ODPM and supported by the Cabinet Office to develop a modelling tool which will enable the success of Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) to be measured in a range of different ways - from achievement of its stated objectives to the extent of inter-partnership contacts and joint working. The tool is currently being piloted with LSPs in Mansfield and Newham. Look out for the next issue of 5 in 5 to hear more about this approach and the benefits it can bring.
If you have any questions about the subjects covered in this white paper or you would like to find out more about how Oakleigh Consulting could help your organisation, please contact us on 0161 835 4100 or email us.
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