Capability Reviews: Progress and Next Steps - The Civil Service

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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
This will act as an innovative and interactive area for problem solving andperformance management.Area for action 3: Achieve a transformation in the quality of – andthe value attached to – people management. Within the constraintsof reducing staff numbers, focus hard on addressing skills needs andon the effective deployment of staff. Actively address areas ofpoor performanceStaff have responded to clear messages on performance management and DCSFhas now got the basics set up in terms of systems and policies, for example onobjective setting, appraisal and pay awards, and managing poor performance. At the12-month point, the HR function was still undergoing significant changes under newleadership. These had not yet translated into full strategic HR support to theDepartment, although there are clear and robust plans in place to achieve this andpriority will be given to this area for action as part of the Department’s newDepartmental Strategic Objective 7, to ensure that the Department is well placedto make further improvements in its overall capability.Area for action 4: Increase the impact of the boardThere has been excellent feedback from staff and delivery partners on the personalefforts of the Permanent Secretary, David Bell, and other board members in drivingforward the transformation of the Department and also on the senior leadershipteam’s accessibility to staff. The board has been working more corporately, althoughthis is not yet universally recognised by staff. Board members should continue tofocus on this and on modelling the DCSF values and building strong relationshipswith the new ministerial team.ConclusionThe review team feels that DCSF has grasped the transformation agenda firmly andhas made good progress across the board in implementing the actions flowing fromtheir Capability Review.CAPABILITY REVIEWS: PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS9
Page 1 and 2: Capability Reviews:Progress and Nex
Page 3 and 4: This has been an excellent example
Page 5 and 6: 1. Tranche 1 departments: a year on
Page 7: Department for Children, Schools an
Page 11 and 12: • ‘Managing for improvement’:
Page 13 and 14: Home OfficeStarting from a low base
Page 15 and 16: Department’s wider agenda. Develo
Page 17 and 18: Ministry of JusticeThe MoJ was crea
Page 19 and 20: A number of significant programmes
Page 21 and 22: 2. Common capability gaps: progress
Page 23 and 24: later tranches have not been able t
Page 25 and 26: or hinder it:‘lack of leadership
Page 27 and 28: All of these aspects came together
Page 29 and 30: Case study: Collective leadership i
Page 31 and 32: • Engaging the wider SCS. This is
Page 33 and 34: Participants’ comments included:
Page 35 and 36: Consequently, the areas of focus su
Page 37 and 38: Building up the supply and demand s
Page 39 and 40: Case study: Development work with d
Page 41 and 42: Case study: A skills strategy for g
Page 43 and 44: The recent CSR has emphasised the i
Page 45 and 46: At six months after the review:•
Page 47 and 48: Our challenge now is to ensure that
Page 49 and 50: • a more comprehensive approach t
Page 51 and 52: The Tranche 3 report identified the
Page 53 and 54: Case study: The Home Office Strateg
Page 55 and 56: The group is expanding to include l
Page 57 and 58: • The Sunningdale Institute facil
Page 59 and 60:
Exhibit 3: Change trajectoriesCapab
Page 61 and 62:
original reviews. The re-review wil
Page 63 and 64:
Departments increasingly have to wo
Page 65 and 66:
LeadershipKey questions that test c
Page 67 and 68:
DeliveryKey questions that test cur
Page 69:
Capability Reviews TeamCabinet Offi
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Capability Reviews: Progress and Next Steps - The Civil Service

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