Organisation name: Welsh Assembly Government
Submitted: 30/03/2009 by lisa.james@wales.gsi.gov.uk
- Organisation core business: National Government
- What will the project do?: This project will be fundamental in driving the public reform agenda in Wales. It will provide support for the development of Local Service Boards (LSBs) and the delivery of LSB priority projects. The purpose of Local Service Boards (LSBs) is to deliver benefits for citizens through strengthening joint working across all public services in Wales by providing collaborative leadership at the local level to drive improvements. The work of LSBs is ensuring a better response to citizens' public service needs and improved service delivery. They are achieving this by stimulating integration, coordination and collaboration between local, regional and national public services in Wales. Achieving highly effective public services which maximise gains for citizens requires ambitious collaboration between local service organisations. LSB membership includes key leaders from organisations across public, third and private sectors working as equal partners. This project will involve two key strands - development of LSBs and delivery of priority projects. Strand 1 - Development of Local Service Boards 1. The development of Local Service Board membership groups to ensure they can fulfil their role as local public service leaders. 2. Creating a support infrastructure to ensure that the strategy and delivery proposals of the LSB can be implemented both in the short term and in the long term. 3. Partnership rationalisation to ensure efficient integration and coordination across public services. Strand 2 - Delivery of LSB priority projects 1. Priority will be given to large scale collaborative delivery projects across multiple geographical boundaries and partnership organisations. For example, two or more LSBs working together across Wales to achieve a common objective which ultimately results in an improvement in public services. 2. The delivery of priority projects identified by individual LSBs will also be supported providing that they involve collaboration across partner organisations. Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate long term sustainable development and those that aim to increase economic activity.
- Regional area(s) to be covered by the project: All Convergence
- Who will be the end beneficiaries?: Citizens of Wales
- Who will be involved in delivering the project?: The Welsh Assembly Government, supported by a cross sector project board, will be managing applications under the strands identified above, monitoring progress and providing support and advice. Local authorities and LSB partnership / stakeholder organisations will be delivering the priority projects.
- What might be the outputs (activity measures) of the project?: LSB DEVELOPMENT: - Initiatives to support LSB development. - Initiatives focusing on partnership rationalisation. - Number of employees recruited to provide high level support to LSBs on a long-term sustainable basis. For example, ESF may be used for recruitment and development of key staff to drive priority projects delivery but these posts and activities must be sustainable beyond the end of the funding period. Alternatively, staff must be supported with finding alternative employment of equal quality once the funding ends. DELIVERY OF PRIORITY PROJECTS: - Collaborative ('joined-up') delivery initiatives. - Priority projects supported focusing on sustainable development. - Priority projects supported focusing on reducing economic inactivity. - Employers assisted or financially supported (public sector / third sector / private sector).
- What might be the results of the project?: LSB DEVELOPMENT: - Number of initiatives to support LSB development and qualitative review of their contribution to public service delivery across Wales. - Number of initiatives focusing on partnership rationalisation and assessment of their impact on the delivery of integrated public service delivery. - Number of employees recruited or seconded to provide high level support to LSBs on a long-term sustainable basis and the type of training and development activity they have undertaken to support LSB activities. DELIVERY OF PROJECTS - Number of collaborative ('joined-up') delivery initiatives with both quantitative and qualitative review of their long-term impact on public service delivery in Wales. - Number of priority projects supported focusing on sustainable development. - Number of priority projects supported focusing on reducing economic inactivity. - Number of employers assisted or financially supported (public sector / third sector/ private sector). Employers assisted will be a by-product of using ESF to support LSB development project delivery. For example, supporting a workforce planning project collaboratively delivered by a group of organisations is likely to assist those organisations as employers although the primary purpose for ESF support would be to resolve workforce planning issues impacting on public service delivery within the region. Please note that the true value of this project as a whole is greater than the sum of these measurable components. The reason for this is that the LSB model involves a high degree of change management and shift in culture - in order to achieve greater efficiency and integration in the way public services are delivered, we need to fundamentally change the 'way we do things'. This is clearly a long term process although in the short to medium term, the measurable results above will indicate the progress that has been made.
- What would the project's impact be?: Sustainable citizen centred, joined-up, effective and efficient public services across Wales. The full impact will be seen in the longer term and activity measures will demonstrate the progress that is being made in the short to medium term.
- What is the project estimated cost?: £4,000,000