The purpose and measurement of empowerment
From Future of Local Services to the Public
Contents |
Summary
In recent months, the Government has confirmed its commitment to increasing community involvement. The Prime Minister announced in a Cabinet Report his vision of citizen empowerment as key to producing World Class public services; and the Empowerment White Paper followed work in specific service areas (such as the Casey Review in crime) to shift more power, influence, and responsibility in to the hands of citizens and communities. Local councils are to be given a new ‘duty to promote democracy’ and the ‘duty to involve’ local people in key decisions is likely to be extended. However the purpose and measurement of citizen empowerment and involvement remains unclear.
The Public Administration Select Committee report User Involvement in Public Services recently supported the principle of user involvement but urged slight caution. Although there are positive signs of development, the Select Committee concluded that empowerment and involvement should be considered on a case by case basis where it has user support, provides value for money and positive outcomes.
The Select Committee also considered the moral and political benefits of involvement. A recent study by Ipsos MORI suggests that feelings of influence rather than actual involvement is more important when considering feelings of satisfaction with area, quality of life, community and trust. Therefore measuring higher levels of engagement might not always correlate to higher satisfaction and positive outcomes. Levels of engagement tell nothing of the quality or motive of engagement, where people might to get involved because services are failing.
Impacts
- Establishing where user involvement in design and delivery of services is appropriate and desirable.
- Having the right support structure in place for user involvement to be considered on a case by case basis.
- How to measure success when considering Local Authorities performance in their duty to promote democracy and duty to involve: citizens may only be getting involved for negative reasons; they simply might not want to be involved or feel it should not be their decision.
Relevance
- Front Line staff in services where use-involvement in design and delivery is likely an option (eg Long term health care)
- Those services involved in frequent public ‘consultation’ - be it public meetings or formation consultations
Innovations
References
Cabinet Office Excellence and Fairness: achieving world class public services http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/work_areas/public_services.aspx
DCLG Communities in Control: real people, real power http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/communitiesincontrol
Ipsos MORI Searching for the Impact of Empowerment http://www.ipsos-mori.com/content/home-features/searching-for-the-impact-of-empowerment.ashx
Louise Casey Engaging Communities in Fighting Crime Review
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/crime.aspx
Public Administration Select Committee User Involvement in Public Services http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmpubadm/998/99802.htm
