Outcome Based Accountability

Adapted for Luton Children’s Services by:Carole BrooksPerformance Review ManagerChildren & Learning Department, Luton Borough CouncilSeptember 2008

Mark FriedmanFiscal Policy Studies InstituteSante Fe, New Mexico

www.resultsbasedaccountabilty.comwww.raguide.comwww.trafford.com

Purpose

Improve outcomes Offer a partnership way of working

that helps move from: outcomes to needs analysis to inter-agency service planning and

development to joint commissioning.

Why is it so good?

Adopted by government agencies (including IdEA)

Widely used in the US Used within many local authorities

already Simple, flexible Common language, common sense,

common ground

Outcome Accountabilityis made up of two parts:

Population Accountability

about the well-being of

WHOLE POPULATIONSfor neighbourhoods – districts – regions - countries

Performance Accountability

About the well-being of

CLIENT POPULATIONSfor projects – agencies – service providers

Definitions

Outcomes Indicators Performance Measures

Definition: OUTCOMES

“A condition of well-being for children, adults, families or communities.”

• Children born healthy• Children succeeding in school• Safe communities• Clean Environment • Prosperous Economy

Stated in plain language that people can understandNot about government jargon“A condition of well-being for people in a place......”

E.g. “All Babies in Luton are born healthy”

Every Child Matters Outcomes

Being Healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle.

Staying Safe: being protected from harm and neglect and growing up able to look after themselves.

Enjoying and Achieving: getting the most out of life and developing broad skills for adulthood.

Making a Positive Contribution: to the community and to society and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour.

Economic Well-being: overcoming socio-economic disadvantages to achieve their full potential in life.

Definition: INDICATORS

A measure which helps quantify the achievement of an outcome.

• Rate of low birth weight babies• Key stage test scores• Burglary rate• Air quality index• Life expectancy rates

How would we recognise these outcomes in measurable terms if we tripped over them?E.g. Low burglary rate helps to quantify a safe community

Definition: PERFORMANCE MEASURES

A measure to evaluate how well a programme, agency or service system is working.

Performance measures tell us how well service providers are working as opposed to the impact on whole populations (i.e. outcomes)

From ends to means...

ENDS

OUTCOMES“A condition of well-being for children, adults, families or communities”

PERFORMANCEMEASURES“A measure to evaluate how well a programme, agency or service system is working”

MEANS

INDICATORS“A measure which helps quantify the achievement of an outcome”

Pop

ula

tion

A

ccou

nta

bil

ity

Perf

orm

an

ce

Accou

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ity

MEANS not ENDS:

Collaboration (eg Local Strategic Partnership)

System Reform (eg Progressing Integration Project)

Service Integration (eg Children’s Trusts)

Funding pools (eg Pooled Budgets)

Strategies and Plans (eg Sustainable Community Strategy, Children and Young

People Plan, Local Area Agreement)

(to improving outcomes) (in themselves)

The Leaking Roof

Inch

es o

f W

ate

r

Time

Experience

Measure

Story behind the baseline (causes)PartnersWhat Works?Action Plan (Strategy)

Forecast

OUTCOME “Children Being Healthy”

INDICATORSMeasures of the outcome

1. Infant mortality rate2. Use of Class A Drugs3. % Teenage Smokers

BASELINES • Where we’ve been• Where we’re going• Where we want to be

STORYBehind the baselines

• The causes, the forces at work• What’s driving the baselines?

PARTNERSWith a role to play

• Public, Private and Voluntary Sector• Community groups• Residents

WHAT WORKS• What would it take to turn the curve?• Best practice• Best hunches

ACTION PLAN • What we propose to do, how and by when

Data DevelopmentAgenda (Pt 1)

Data DevelopmentAgenda (Pt 2)

Using The Framework

The outcome required

State who is your population

The indicators measuring this

The story behind the baseline

Data development agenda

Key Partners

Ideas to improve

Turning the Curve – report card workshop

10 mins: Starting Points Consider your theme and vulnerable group Decide what “hats” you are going to wear to ensure all key partners have a say

10 mins: Establish Your Baseline Identify your indicators. Speculate on the forecast and draw the curve to turn

30 mins: The Story Behind The Baseline What are the causes/forces at work? What factors are driving the baseline (Data Development Agenda)

30 mins: What Would It Take To Turn The Curve? What could work to do better? Each partners contribution No cost/low cost ideas

10 mins: Reivew your report and create action plan Baseline, Story, 3 best ideas (including one no cost/low cost idea) Start your action plan

10 mins: Plan to continue the work after today

NOW ACTION & IMPROVE! Finalise action plan:

What do we propose to do? How much will it cost? Are funds available? Ensure actions have a responsible person,

timescale, costed How will you measure progress?

Implement: Ensure all stakeholders are aware of actions

required and take responsibility for their actions Review:

How much did we do? How well did we do it? Is anyone better off?

Performance Accountability

For programs, agencies and service systems

“All Performance Measures

that have ever existed

for any program

in the history of the universe

involve answering two sets of

interlocking questions….”

Programme Performance Measures

QUANTITY QUALITY

How Muchdid we do?

(number)

How Welldid we do it?

(percent)

Programme Performance Measures

EffortHow hard did we try?

EffectIs anyone any better off?

Fitting it all Together

Population and Performance Accountability

The Linkage between Population and Customer Outcomes

POPULATION ACCOUNTABILITYBeing HealthyRate of low birth-weight babies

Staying SafeRate of Child Abuse and Neglect

Enjoying and Achieving% with five GCSEs Grade A-C

PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY

No. of Investigations

completed

% initiated within 24 hours of report

No. of repeatabuse/neglect

cases

% of repeatabuse/neglect

casesCUSTOMEROUTCOMES

POPULATIONOUTCOMES

ContributionRelationship

Alignment ofMeasures

AppropriateResponsibility

Child Protection Service

How this fits with Narrowing the Gap

Or how to turn the curve AND narrow the gap at the same time…..

Narrowing The Gap

PAST NOW FUTUREGood performance is low

“Backcasting”Where have we been?

OK?

The curve to turn:bigger for vulnerable groups to narrow the gap

Ind

icato

r R

esu

lt

ForecastingWhere are we going?

Not

All C&YP

Vulnerable group

Three Wise Men…

“Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to

draw different conclusions. “Evan Esar

 “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

Albert Einstein

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit

theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Toolkit

Luton:

http://www.cypp.luton.gov.uk/go/narrowingthegap/

Mark Friedman:

www.resultsbasedaccountabilty.com

www.raguide.com