Community input ‘delivers better public services’
Research has shown that involving communities more in the design and delivery of public services will achieve better value for money.
It said tapping into the skills of service users and locals helps maximise resources and foster a sense of control among the community. Holy Cross Centre Trust, which provides support to people suffering from mental illness, homelessness and drug abuse in London, was praised by researchers for getting service users and volunteers to contribute 483 hours of time to the organisation in the past year.
This approach means that the trust is less dependent on its professional staff. The National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning, which is managed by the Improvement and Development Agency on behalf of the Cabinet Office, added that more investment in preventative measures could reduce the need for costly future interventions by public services.
Evidence shows that every £1 invested in higher quality residential care for children yields a social return of £4.40 to £6.10. This is because care leavers who received better services as youngsters are more likely to go on to employment and training. Research for the report was conducted by the New Economics Foundation.
Sarah Wood, manager of the programme, said: ‘The public sector is under a lot of pressure to decrease costs, but at the same time they need to deal with increasingly complicated issues, and changing policies. I firmly believe that clever commissioning of services can help with these problems. The public sector needs to think beyond simple definitions of the cost of services. Working with charities and local community organisations allows the public sector to draw on skills and services that are already available, better meeting the needs of local people.’
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