Support to Service Delivery Institutions

1. Support to Service Delivery Institutions Presentation to the Portfolio Committee 19 February 2003 Cape Town

2. Presentation Outline • Introduction • Explaining the Focus on Institutions • Levers/Dimensions of Institutional Support: • Implementation of the Support Strategy • Current Initiatives Informed by the Strategy • Conclusion

3. Introduction • Portfolio Committee identified theme of poverty alleviation • DPSA was initially invited to make presentation on poverty alleviation initiatives in the public service • DPSA requested the focus of its presentation to be on support to service delivery institutions • Most of these institutions serve as direct vehicles through which poverty alleviation initiatives can take shape and are thus an important part of the value chain • Provision of support to the institutions is thus a key priority

4. Explaining the Focus on Institutions • Government relies on its network of institutions to deliver on its priorities • Even in instances where outside parties and partnered with to deliver services, government institutions still have to play a crucial role in contract management, oversight and overall accountability • Thus recognise that in moving from the intents, priorities and commitments to action and practice, government requires capable institutions • DPSA has generated a strategy for institutional capacity and this is already informing the support interventions the Department has embarked on

5. Explaining the Focus on Institutions • The strategy has essentially emerged from DPSA’s experience in this area and is thus informed by the Department’s previous efforts of enhancing the machinery of government towards improved service delivery • At the heart of this strategy is the belief that “Institutions Matter”, and that capacity to deliver should be looked at in relation to the institutions rather than the human resources only

6. Summary of the Support Strategy Various service delivery analyses indicate that when institutions have capacity weaknesses, these often relate to the following(individually but often in combination): • Management Capacity • Acting positions • Limited delegations • Posts that are vacant for long • Poor selection of managers (competency assessment not optimally used)/inappropriate management training

7. Summary of the Support Strategy • Human Resource and Change Management • Integrated HR, HR plans not related to Service Delivery Improvement Plans, poor performance management) • Matching posts (in terms of number and level) to service delivery needs of the institution • Posts that are vacant for long • Not serving with pride • Service Delivery Planning and Execution • Gap between planning (and planners) and implementation (implementers) • Often seen through gap between planning, budgeting and service delivery (overestimated/underestimated capacity) • Proper mechanisms for redress (in case service delivery standards are not met)

8. Summary of the Support Strategy • Overall management of the service delivery chain • Poorly managed and sometimes not sufficiently understood chains (management of role players, interdependencies and meaningful interface between operational and strategic personnel • Poorly managed assets and facilities, including maintenance and replenishment • Inhibiting back-office processes (e.g procurement)

9. Summary of the Support Strategy • Basic Administration • Poor keeping of records (e.g HR and Finance) • Basic systems and procedures not adhered to • Adherence to regulatory requirements • Cumbersome procedures, lengthy decision making processes • Conflicting/duplicative requirements placed on front-line staff

10. Summary of the Support Strategy • Monitoring and Reporting • Monitoring of service delivery according to standards and reporting on these • Quality of annual reports • Limited early warning mechanisms to predict that service delivery may decline or collapse • No timely appropriate steering decisions where there is some indication that things may not be well

11. Frameworks Enabling HR & Change Management Management Capacity Basic Administration Institutional Capacity Service Delivery Planning & Execution Monitoring & Reporting Management of the Service Delivery Chain

12. Implementation of the Strategy • Recognition that “Institutions Matter” • Recognition of the existence of service delivery chains • Recognition that in the final analysis, the capacity of the machinery of government should be demonstrated at the level of service delivery institutions – institutions that interface with the public

13. Focus on Service Delivery Institutions Presidency, National Treasury, DPSA, DPLG Departments that set sectoral framework for government operations Departments that set sectoral frameworks for service delivery National departs. Of Health, Education, Social Development, etc. Need more focus and support Departments that deliver services Provincial departments,Regional offices of National Departments. Hospitals Schools Clinics Prisons Labour offices Police stations Govt-citizen interface

14. Implementation of the Strategy • Implementation of mechanisms to support institutions requires at least three critical elements: • Proper monitoring to identify areas of weakness (the list of potential areas of weakness shown above could serve as a pointer). Peer reviews could also be done to complement internal self assessment • Provision of direct support to the institutions that manifest these weaknesses. Where necessary, such support could even include the rapid deployment of multidisciplinary teams, secondment of competent staff from other institutions, contract appointments and mentorships • Indirect support to ensure that there are enabling frameworks to create a conducive environment in which institutional performance can flourish

15. Current Initiatives aligned to the Strategy • Early Warning on Service Delivery • What are the indicators that service delivery may collapse or be slowed down (vacancies?Turn-over rates of critical staff/number and level of suspensions?discrepancy between actual and planned service delivery?maintenance and replenishment of assets? Over/under spending, etc) • Supporting acceleration of social grants registrations (initial emphasis on Child Support grants) in the E Cape through alternative institutional arrangements(mobile units). Target of 425 000 registrations by April 2003 • Supporting establishment of a Social Grants Agency to ensure effective and efficient grant processing • Support improved Social Development Services through a Community Service on Wheels Facility (to start in Peddie, Craddock, and Mt Frere)

16. Current Initiatives aligned to the Strategy • Mobile SAPS facility in Limpopo, already serving a number of communities in the former Venda and Lebowa areas • Transformed business processes accompanied by targeted training, delegations, performance management, and project management methods in Limpopo Public Works • Initiation of a Red Tape Audit – to identify and propose ways of streamlining processes, procedures and practices that inhibit service delivery(e.g convoluted approval processes) • Eastern Cape Intervention (under principalship of the President and Premier, taking a set number of departments and embarking on holistic turn around interventions

17. Current Initiatives aligned to the Strategy • Improved institutional arrangements for the provision of nutritional food supplements to school learners in the Thabo Mofutsanyane development node in thye Free State • Includes establishing a sustainable local food market to serve the nutrition scheme • Improved institutional arrangements and capacity at the Basotho Cultural Village (Thabo Mofutsanyane) so that disadvantaged craftsmen/women and artists can be supported • Includes establishment of a PPP to establish a Grass Product Factory whereby locals would be employed to produce basic grass products which would then be purchased by the Factory

18. Current Initiatives aligned to the Strategy • Supporting turn around of selected hospitals in Limpopo towards better service delivery (Maphuta Malatjie and Letaba Hospitals). • Review of Public Entities as part of government’s machinery of service delivery (the logic of differentiation between different government institutions through which services are provided) • Improving institutional capacity through sound learning and knowledge management. Facilitates access to best practice, obviates duplication of efforts, creates opportunities for ‘leap-frogging’, improves institutional memory

19. Conclusion • The above initiatives have been cited for illustrative purposes. There are others in the DPSA business plan which also accord with this strategy although they may have been designed before it was formally introduced. These include: • the restructuring of the public service in line with Resolution 7 of 2002.(ensuring that departments have the requisite human resources in line with their strategic objectives and service delivery programmes) • Extending the Competency Assessment Framework to levels lower than the Senior Management Service (to create a better basis for recruitment, selection and staff development at these levels) • Developing a scares skills framework for the public service

20. Conclusion • Implementation of Anti corruption strategy • Implementation of the Gateway project • All these contribute to the idea of enhancing institutional capacity either by • Supporting the institutions directly,or • Providing enabling frameworks and platforms through which institutions can function better. • A network of capable institutions is key to giving effect to government’s commitment to creating a better life for all.