Capability Reviews: Progress and Next Steps - The Civil Service

The review team gave the Department four areas for action to focus on. These were:• ‘Provide a coherent strategy which clearly defines the right delivery systems toachieve the desired outcomes’: developing, communicating and embeddingagreed strategic outcomes.• ‘Manage the delivery chain and performance manage delivery’: developing moreeffective relationships, particularly with non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs),and a sharper focus on performance.• ‘Achieve a transformation in the quality of – and the value attached to – peoplemanagement. Within the constraints of reducing staff numbers, focus hard onaddressing skills needs and on the effective deployment of staff. Actively addressareas of poor performance’: improving the development and performance of theDepartment’s people.• ‘Increase the impact of the board’: improving corporate leadership.Area for action 1: Provide a coherent strategy which clearly defines theright delivery systems to achieve the desired outcomesA successful strategy refresh and improved engagement between the previous DfESboard and ministers led to successful prioritisation of the Comprehensive SpendingReview (CSR) 2007 bid and development of Departmental Strategic Objectives. Thiswithstood the test of machinery of government changes and the arrival of a newSecretary of State. The Children’s Plan, published on 11 December 2007, and theDepartmental Strategic Objective 7 ‘Leading and managing the system’ togetherprovide an opportunity to give the Department, partners and stakeholders a clearvision and direction for the future of the Department.Area for action 2: Manage the delivery chain and performancemanage deliveryThe Department for Children, Schools and Families has made strong improvementsin relationships with key delivery partners at the top levels, due largely to thecreation of the DCSF (originally DfES) Group and personal efforts of seniorleadership teams in the Department and its partner organisations. More work isneeded to replicate this success at other levels. The DCSF Group is now bringinglocal authorities on board and has agreed a more strategic agenda, includingpushing forward the work to rationalise the Department’s delivery chains. DCSF hasmade some progress on cross-Whitehall working and will need to make furtherimprovements in joint working in the context of a more focused and joined-upagenda and the demands placed on joint working by the new cross-cutting PSAframework. Strengthened, regular corporate performance reporting will help theboard focus on the Department’s top priorities. A new ‘corporate bridge’ (see thecase study on page 28) is under development, building on the success of andlessons learned from the Schools Directorate’s ‘Bridge’, for which the SchoolsPerformance Unit recently won a Civil Service award for strategic analysis.8TRANCHE 1 DEPARTMENTS: A YEAR ON