What Governments would like to do, what they can do and what they do are, of course, three quite different matters.
The first of these, what this Government would like to do, is clear: nothing less than a radical modernisation of public services. The White Paper “Open Public Services”, published last week, is “a comprehensive policy framework across public services ” for modernisation.
As for how much they can do and how much they will actually do, well, that remains to be seen. However, there can be no doubt that this policy framework for public services will touch everyone working in conductive education in the UK, or with children and adults with cerebral palsy and their families. Further, it must impact on business and financial models, and how we see ourselves as ‘charitable’ or ‘voluntary’ organisations. And in straightened times, I would argue, whether we learn to work together to survive. This is a White Paper to read.
What follows is a dip into the White Paper and some highly selective quotations and extracts to help you with the flavour of it.
The Government’s plans for public service modernisation are based on 5 principles set out in Chapter 1 of the White Paper:
Choice – Wherever possible we will increase choice.
Decentralisation – Power should be decentralised to the lowest appropriate level.
Diversity – Public services should be open to a range of providers.
Fairness – We will ensure fair access to public services.
Accountability – Public services should be accountable to users and taxpayers.
Let's look at the first three principle in a bit more detail:
Principle One: Wherever possible we will increase choice
1.12 Our vision is for public services that revolve around each of us. That means putting people in control, either through direct payments, personal budgets, entitlements or choices. Wherever possible, we will increase choice by giving people direct control over the services they use.
Principle Two: Power should be decentralised to the lowest appropriate level
1.13 We want control of public services to be as close to people as possible. Wherever possible we want to decentralise power to the individuals who use a service.
Principle Three: Public services should be open to a range of providers
1.14 We want people to have a choice about the services they use, and the only way for that to happen is for provision to be opened up to a range of providers of different sizes and different sectors. In education, for example, we are already supporting new models of provision and new providers through an expansion of the Academies programme and the introduction of Free Schools. (My italics)
1.16 With open public services, the job of government is not to specify which sector should deliver which service to which people; rather, it is to create an open framework within which people have the power to make the choices that are best for them, and where all good, innovative ideas for improving the quality of services are welcomed and encouraged.
The White Paper proposes that the five principles can be applied variously according to the nature of the public service, suggesting three categories:
• Individual services – These are personal services–for example in education, skill straining, adult social care, childcare, housing support and individual healthcare – that are used by people on an individual basis.
• Neighbourhood services – These are services provided very locally and on a collective, rather than an individual, basis – such as maintenance of the local public realm, leisure and recreation facilities, and community safety.
• Commissioned services – These are local and national services that cannot be devolved to individuals or communities, such as tax collection, prisons, emergency healthcare or welfare to work.
As regards Individual Services, the White Paper says:
3.2 Across individual services, we will ensure that funding follows people’s choices. (My italics)
3.3 Therefore, we will, on a customised basis, establish a robust framework for choice in individual services – in adult care, education, skills training, early years, other children’s services, family services, health and social housing.
3.5 Not every individual starts from the same base, and some people need extra help (information, advocacy and funding) to access good public services.
