People with Disabilities in Ireland
4th Floor Jervis House
Jervis Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 87 21 74 4
Fax: 01 87 21 77 1
Email: info@pwdi.ie
A New Approach for Delivering Public Services
A new ‘Public Value’ approach for delivering higher value public services that put the customer/user at the centre of service reform. Its main elements are:
• Designing services around people’s needs;
• Prioritising resources on early intervention/ prevention;
• Integrating service provision while providing multi-annual funding and
• Establishing quality standards and reporting on outcomes.
A Medium–Term Perspective for the Planning, Funding and Provision of Services
This should be further developed by the Department of Finance in conjunction with other relevant bodies to tackle key policy issues on a longer-term basis.
Specific bodies, (preferably in the health and education areas) should be selected and allowed greater freedom and flexibility over the use of their resources to innovate and experiment on a pilot basis.
Quality Customer Service
All public service providers should clearly set out the agreed standard of service that users can expect to receive and provide information on their mechanisms for complaints and appeals. The outcomes of public services should be reported upon.
Design and Co-ordination of Public Services
Responsibility for the design and co-ordination of services should be given to a lead agency in each sector of service provision. Other agencies should be obliged to co-operate with the lead agency to provide the joined-up services that people need.
A ‘Case Management’ Approach for More Vulnerable Clients
A ‘case management’ approach should become the way service providers identify and meet the needs of their more vulnerable clients. This would include the use of an ‘advocate’ who would work with the client on an individual basis to help them get the service and supports they need and are entitled to.
Relationship between the State Sector and the Community & Voluntary Sector
A supportive Policy Framework Document should be agreed to strengthen and develop the relationship between the Community & Voluntary sector with the State sector. This would include ensuring a balance between accountability for public money and service delivery on the one hand and flexibility and innovation on the other.
Establish a ‘Standing High-Level Committee on Public Services’
A ‘Standing High-Level Committee on Public Services’ should be established, representative of all the relevant stakeholders, with a clear mandate from Government to drive forward and implement a programme for the improvement of public services, including the recommendations made in this report.
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