18/09/03 - Cumbria Social Service 'on target' for performance management

Cumbria County Council’s Social Services Directorate has drawn up a new strategy to tackle the whole issue of performance management.  Called `On Target’ the initiative has been commended by the local Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) and even attracted attention from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.  County Councillor John Mallinson, Cabinet spokesman for care and Social Services explains why the plan has been drawn up.  He says,

“In recent years there has been a drive towards accountability, transparency and continuous improvement in public services.  Performance management is a major tool for achieving continuous improvement and frontline staff are in the best position to identify good practice and ways to improve services.  `On Target’ gives us a tool for achieving just that.   It is at the forefront of national thinking and I look forward to its implementation next year and the resulting improvements to frontline services.” 

The `On Target’ system is based on a set of objectives;

• To provide staff with a practical and flexible method of contributing to continuous service improvement and development
• To ensure that managing performance becomes part of the organisation’s culture
• To encourage ownership and commitment amongst employees
• To enable the directorate to demonstrate how well it delivers services
• To ensure data submitted to SSI accurately reflects the situation in Cumbria
• To provide a framework to identify strengths and areas for development, based on reliable evidence.

`On Target’ will be introduced early next year after managers receive training on the initiative in November to ensure that they know what they are expecting from Social Care staff and can communicate those expectations.  Information from staff and service users will be used to measure performance and improve services.