Making England the best place in the world to grow up

ENGLAND – The Department for Children, Schools and Families is improving in all areas and is in a strong position to deliver on the new challenges set out in the Children’s Plan according to the DCSF Capability Review, published recently by the Cabinet Office.

This is the second stage of a cross-government programme to assess the capability of government departments to deliver on long term aims and identify improvements that are needed for the future.

The Capability Review of the then Department for Education and Skills in 2006 was a catalyst for a major programme of change and this review finds that since then significant progress has been made in many areas, against the backdrop of a major re-organisation and taking on new children and families responsibilities.

The report, recently published, details the findings of the review team who have been assessing the performance of the department against three objectives: leadership, strategy and delivery.

The review looks at internal and external issues including staff management, forward planning and resource allocation, and how they work with their external partners.

In particular the review finds that the Children’s Plan has helped the department develop a shared purpose and direction. But this new agenda brings significant challenges and the review has identified areas where we need to continue to improve so we can deliver our future objectives.

The report concludes that:

• there are ‘no serious areas for concern’ and no ‘urgent development areas’;

• the department has strengthened its leadership – the Permanent Secretary and the Board are praised by staff and external partners and the ministerial team are found to be energetic and committed;

• staff are passionate and motivated;

• stakeholders feel more positive about their relationships with the department;

• the department has transformed its internal structures and processes on forward planning and resource allocation, and has a clear idea of priorities;

• the department needs to identify and develop the skills mix needed to meet its future goals, with an emphasis on the significant challenges of the Children’s Plan, in particular in bringing about behaviour change;

• there is a need for stronger, more focused leadership of people;

• the department needs to engage more closely with its stakeholders so they can influence and shape policy using their front-line expertise and local knowledge;

• the challenges and ambitions of the Children’s Plan will test the department’s delivery systems. It is important that this is informed by a clear understanding of the motivations, needs and behaviour of all the people who use and deliver services.

Commenting on the report, Permanent Secretary, David Bell, said: “I welcome and accept the review’s findings which are a credit to the whole department only one year on from a major reorganisation.

“Our aim is to make this country the best place in the world for children to grow up. This is a huge task that will require commitment from our staff and our partners delivering services for children and families.