Performance indicators
Like other departments of the council, Community Care and Housing collates and analyses data on its performance continuously and presents it in the form of a series of regular reports for a variety of audiences.
Best value and the associated 'star ratings' system require us to compare performance with other councils, set targets for improving performance, monitor progress and report the results back to government agencies, councillors, managers and local people. The government specifies the performance indicators to be measured and sets performance standards and targets for most of our services.
The majority of our Community Care indicators are included in the annual statistical collection known as the RAP Return (Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care), although there are some additional ones which together with RAP make up the Performance Assessment Framework (PAF).
The majority of our Housing indicators are included in the HSSA (Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix) and P1E returns. The quarterly P1E forms collect data from English local housing authorities on the discharge of their responsibilities under the homelessness legislation. Some of the performance indicators are also known as Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs), and are audited annually for accuracy and completeness by the Audit Commission. A compilation of BVPIs and data from the HSSA and P1E are used in the ‘Comprehensive Performance Assessment’ (CPA) to determine our grading in the star ratings system.
We report on our performance each quarter.
Self Assessment Surveys
Councils complete a Self Assessment Survey (SAS) of their Community Care functions in the spring of each year and submit it to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). The SAS contains detailed statements about how the council intends to provide its social services for adults and older people for the coming year and forms a significant part of the evidence used in the annual rating of adult social services in the autumn. CSCI uses what the council has said in the SAS to check that we are doing what we have said we will and to check how well the council is improving, year on year. The SAS, along with the results of our annual PAF performance indicators are used by CSCI to make an annual judgement on our performance which results in the award of annual star ratings in the autumn of each year. In previous years the SAS was known as the Delivery & Improvement Statement (DIS).
Equalities monitoring
In line with legislation and guidance from the Equal Opportunities Commission and others, the council is committed to ensuring that it is operating fairly and equitably in both the way it delivers its services and its employment policies. The council's 'corporate equality commitment' and equal opportunities policy will not bring about equality by themselves though. The council also needs a system to check whether the policies are being carried out and whether they are working. Equalities monitoring enables us to:
- Find out if our equality policies are working
- Find out which groups are using our services and how satisfied they are with them
- Determine whether we are offering equality of opportunity and treatment to all groups
- Throw light on any failure to comply with our equality policy
- Avoid what could be costly complaints of discrimination, by making sure that we identify problems and issues at an early stage
- Improve our reputation as a good and fair provider of goods or services and as a good employer