In years to come, recent weeks may be seen to mark a watershed in debates about public service reform. After conservative plans were announced to give power back to the people through opening up information and setting public data free, the government last week introduced plans for a series of ‘entitlements’ in public services in a bid to drive performance from the bottom up through public demand.
Both plans aim to create more ‘powerful’ people – citizens who will have more information and control to shape the services they require.
A fundamental re-design of the relationship between citizen and state has long been needed to improve outcomes and provide more equal and local public services. Reform of the relationship has lagged behind the changed landscape in which the state now operates. Now, tough fiscal pressures mean that reform is inescapable if services are to continue to deliver improvements with fewer resources.
In the past, reform has focused on structures and mechanisms – and less on the people who deliver services. But for many citizens, the quality of service they receive is just as important as the outcome from that service. Surveys repeatedly show that people want their experiences of public services to be characterised by dignity and respect, in a relationship that goes beyond simply being treated as a consumer of services.
‘Personalised’ services were meant to bridge this gap, by adapting models of delivery and offering more individually tailored support. The welfare system was one of the key testing grounds for personalisation, with tailored one-to-one support from a personal adviser a key aim of successive government strategies.
But new research from ippr shows that frontline staff in the welfare system have been held back from providing truly personal support by excessive use of targets, high caseloads and a lack of autonomy. One-to-one interviews with advisers were often considered impersonal and administrative in nature by claimants interviewed by ippr, with some suggesting they were demoralised rather than motivated by the support they received.
The recession has increased pressure on the system, with ippr research showing adviser workloads have almost doubled since the downturn began. Skilled personal advice is needed now more than ever to tackle growing unemployment and prevent the scarring that results from long-term joblessness. But the government has been slow to fulfill its promise to recruit extra advisers. More advisers need to be put in place as quickly as possible to return to pre-recession levels of support.
Looking to the longer-term, employment advisers need to be trained and supported to play a more proactive, coaching role to meet public expectations of Jobcentre Plus and wider employment support. But first advisers’ own status needs to be raised to encourage staff motivation and retention. This should be achieved through establishing clear career pathways and creating opportunities for progression as well as introducing a universal qualification to raise standards of support.
For more ‘powerful’ people, staff on the frontline of public services need the time and skills to provide meaningful personal support. This means ensuring they have the right mixture of incentives and degree of autonomy needed to perform well, while working in more accountable frameworks.
The full report, ‘Now It’s Personal: Personal advisers and the new public service workforce’ can be viewed here.