Local Authorities and other public service providers need to get under the skin of what citizens experience when they pass through major 'life events', such as a birth or moving house, if they are to implement constructive modernisation programmes, according to KPMG Consulting. Charles Lilley, a Director with KPMG Consulting, speaking at the 'Modernising Local Government' Conference in London today, warned that unless public service providers understand the chain of events that can occur when an individual or family undergoes a 'life event', they will be unable to determine how to upgrade their services to benefit citizen.
While Central Government acknowledges the importance of understanding life events in the Modernising Government White Paper, which this conference elaborates on, this acknowledgement is not necessarily filtering down to those who are designing and implementing modernisation programmes. In order to demonstrate the importance of effective analysis of 'life events', KPMG Consulting has constructed realistic scenarios to explain the factors involved and the pressures that citizens are under. One example is that of 'Lorraine' - a single mother with two children who is looking to move house, change her job and find new schools for her children all at the same time.
"In the case of Lorraine", commented Charles Lilley, "KPMG Consulting estimates that the Benefits Agency had to pay out far more to her than would have been necessary if she had been adequately supported in meeting her original objectives when moving house and jobs. Due to failures in the system, such as a lack of child care facilities, Lorraine was unable to devote enough time to finding suitable employment so had to take a low paid job. Lorraine's situation, although a fictional account, is based on a realistic situation demonstrating some of the problems and pressures that people have to endure when dealing with public service providers. It also shows that, in many cases, public service providers spend far more on a person than should be necessary to meet the needs generated by a particular life event. This is due to a lack of knowledge about people's real needs and consequent poor administration and inefficiency.
"Prior to the implementation of modernisation programmes it is vital that public service providers have a detailed knowledge of the problems that a life event can create, enabling informed judgements about how these impact on people's use of the support services that the state offers. Only then can we ensure that all sectors of society are catered for and that all services are delivered in the most efficient and effective way possible", concluded Lilley.
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