2012

13

Consultation on proposals for new performance and quality framework,

sanctions process and membership package

The Citizens Advice service

Why change now?

The one service strategy sets 5 big objectives:

• make it easier to get relevant advice

• be more influential in preventing problems

• champion equality, reduce discrimination

• become stronger and more sustainable as a service

• work better together as one service

Achieving the 5 objectives

We need to:• know what good looks like• have confidence we can call on the right support• understand what we are accountable for

So we need a performance and quality framework and membership package which:• enable bureaux/consortia to assure themselves

and their clients, funders and Citizens Advice that they are well run and deliver a quality service

• support continuous improvement• set out clear mutual expectations

Performance and quality framework (PQF)

• Fundamental part of the new membership package

• Sets standards for services delivered by bureaux to clients

• Sets standards expected by Citizens Advice of bureaux and consortia

PQF underlying principles

• Client and community needs at the centre of all we do• Performance and outcomes, not processes and

procedures• Basis of quality assurance for the whole service• Embed accountability throughout the whole service• Transparent benchmarking• Support continuous improvement, peer-to-peer

support, innovation• Proportionate and consistent interventions• Swift identification of failing services and action• Harmonise with funder and Citizens Advice

performance requirements

Measuring what we care about most

KPIs and quality measures for:• meeting client needs• effective leadership• financial health 11 KPIs proposed:• Objective and evidence-based• Aligned to funders’ quality requirements• Will help bureaux/consortia identify problems

early and improve• Reporting burden on bureaux/consortia to be

minimised

Meeting client needs – KPIs

1. Client experience: ease of access, needs met, outcomes achieved (measured by client surveys, mystery shopping, performance against operational KPIs)

2. Accurate / appropriate advice (bureaux review monthly sample, Citizens Advice assess monthly sample)

3. Performance on Citizens Advice subcontracts if applicable

Effective leadership – KPIs

4. Equality leadership

5. People management

6. Research and campaigns performance

7. Leadership performance

8. Legal / regulatory compliance

Financial health - KPIs

9. Approved annual budget

10. Actual versus budget performance

11. Free reserves level

Verifying the leadership self-assessment

Leadership self-assessment

Meeting clients' needs KPIs

• Client experience feedback

• Mystery shopping• Performance against

operational KPIs• Advice accuracy and

appropriateness• Performance against

Citizens Advice funded programmes

Effective leadership

KPIs

• Equality leadership -• % of clients with

discrimination issues recorded

• People management survey

• Research and campaigning self-assessment

• Legal and regulatory compliance

Financial health KPIs

• Annual budget• Operating performance

actuals vs budget• Free reserves level

Leadership self-

assessment

Key:

Citizens Advice leads on measurement

Bureaux and Citizens Advice share measurement

• Other hard and soft intelligence

Passporting

The new PQF will passport bureaux to:

• Advice Quality Standard

• Money Advice Service debt quality framework

Questions

• To what extent do you agree that the proposed KPIs and quality measures will enable your trustee board to run your bureau/consortium more effectively?

• What support will you need to play your part in measuring performance against the KPIs and quality measures?

Reporting and benchmarking

Each KPI/quality measure to be rated as:

red: unsatisfactory

amber: needs improvement

yellow: minimum standard

green: good

Questions

• When benchmarking the performance of your bureau or consortium, what comparisons would be most useful to you?

• How useful would it be for bureaux/consortia to be able to see the performance level of all other bureaux/consortia on the quarterly dashboard reports?

• Do the proposed implementation plan and transitional reporting arrangements work for your bureau?

Support, development and intervention on the PQF

• What gets measured gets supported

• Citizens Advice will deliver support in a more focussed and timely way

Teams will lead on supporting:• quality• meeting client needs• effective leadership• financial health

Citizens Advice intervention

KPI = green • No intervention

KPI = yellow

• No intervention - Citizens Advice will support improvement action planning on request

KPI = amber

• Supportive intervention - identify and agree improvement activity; request additional reporting. Referral can be made for specialist support

KPI = red

• Remedial intervention - investigation and diagnostic, risk conference. Failure to agree and /or progress action plan will result in member being placed into sanctions process which could result in termination of membership

Sanctions process

Membership and Standards Committee continues. Proposed changes include:

• align process with new PQF: only ‘red’ members who have not agreed/progressed an appropriate action plan will enter sanctions

• persistent unaddressed failure will be dealt with decisively and swiftly

• the Committee will communicate with the whole trustee board not just the chair

Questions

• Do you agree that the more focussed support, development and intervention offer proposed will support your bureau or consortium to deliver against the new standards?

• Do you agree that the proposed Citizens Advice intervention policy combined with the changes proposed to the sanctions process will result in timely, proportionate and consistent action being taken when bureaux are not meeting standards?

Continuous improvement

Citizens Advice proposes to:

• produce quarterly performance dashboards with open reporting on all bureaux and consortia

• use data from bureaux to identify trends and mitigate risks

• facilitate knowledge sharing

• embed co-designing of change as business as usual

Peer support

• Continue to foster informal peer support

• Establish a quality assured peer supporter scheme: mentoring, direct support and one-off

• Membership and Standards Committee may require a ‘red’ bureau to accept support from a peer

Questions

• What would help your bureau/consortium to embed continuous improvement into business as usual?

• Are there any potential barriers to you participating in informal peer support and learning?

• What support would you need in order to feel confident about getting involved in the formal peer supporter scheme, as a supporter or a recipient?

Equality impact assessment

• Assessment undertaken and mitigations identified

• Equality leadership KPI: recording of discrimination issues

• Equality priorities integrated into other KPIs and quality measurements

Question: Do you have any comments on how equality priorities are being addressed within the PQF?

New membership package

To help us deliver the 5 big objectives in the one service strategy we need an updated membership package which:

• Reflects our new approach, emphasising co-design and bureaux-led sharing of ideas

• Sets out clearly our mutual expectations

Question: are there any barriers to your bureau/consortium engaging in co-design work?

Consulting on changes

Currently: Citizens Advice must consult bureaux on any new or changed mandatory requirement/policy.

Proposed: where changes have been co-designed with bureaux, they will be implemented only if they pass specified tests.

Citizens Advice will continue to consult on:• any changes to the aims and principles• five-year service strategies• changes to the membership package or

basis for determining the fee

Question

Do you think that the proposals for developing changes to mandatory requirements and policies strike the right balance?

Make it easier to get advice

• Every member to contribute to national phone and digital services

• Contributions will vary depending on size of bureau

• All bureaux to be actively participating by October 2016

• Bureaux can work in groups

• Citizens Advice will provide support

• No chargeable 08 business or premium phone numbers after 1 April 2017

New advice framework

Purpose: solve clients’ problems faster and enable bureaux to manage their resources effectively

• Currently being piloted• Includes initial check and post-advice action plan• All bureaux will use the framework when

delivering national phone and digital service• From October 2015 bureaux will be free to

manage face-to-face services as they think appropriate

• Minimum data requirements

Using the brand

New membership package will set out terms and conditions for use of the brand.

Questions

• Would you be willing to join the national phone/digital service as an early adopter in October 2015?

• What support will you need from Citizens Advice to enable you to meet the requirements of the national phone/digital schedule by 31 March 2017?

• What support will you need to enable you to take advantage of relaxed requirements for face-to-face advice and the new advice framework?

• Do the proposals for minimum data requirements work for your bureau?

Developing our people

Proposals:

• Recruit chair using specified skills/competences and with Citizens Advice support

• Mandatory adoption by bureaux of model policy for managing volunteers’ performance, model volunteer complaints policy and a dignity at work policy

Questions

• To what extent do you think using specified skills and competencies for the recruitment of chairs, as well as chief officers, will improve the quality of bureaux leadership ?

• Do you foresee any obstacles to you adopting the mandatory policies (dignity at work policy, model managing volunteer performance policy and model volunteer complaints policy)?

The consultation process

• Closes midnight Sunday 31 May 2015• Respond using online survey (via CABlink)• Responses welcomed from boards/COs on behalf

of their bureaux, and from consortia and individual staff and volunteers

• Chairs and COs are invited to discuss the proposals at Future Forums in April

• July 2015 summary of responses will be published

• Revised PQF, sanctions process and membership package published September 2015 after properly considering all responses

Questions and comments?