CSR 07 and CSED
CSR ‘07 took into account the demographic and budgetary pressures that are being experienced by Local Authorities -and in giving 1% growth it expects that Local Authorities will make 3% efficiency gains year on year over the next three years.
Since October 2007 CSED has been building on the achievements of its collaborative work with councils beyond the Gershon time line.To achieve this, CSED has been examining opportunities for efficiencies in adult social services over the CSR 07 period (2008 -2011) and beyond, planning a model of support to councils that will meet their needs to deliver cashable savings.
Key stakeholders, including Chief Executives, Directors of Adult Social Services, representatives from the health sector and other efficiency partners, have been working with CSED to identify both tactical and strategic efficiency opportunities which will form the programme of support CSED will offer councils from April '08.
The Key Stakeholder Group is jointly chaired by ADASS and LGA representatives and seeks to achieve a support framework of the key efficiency opportunities that will build upon the impressive performance of efficiency savings across most councils in CSR '04
Update October 07
CSED has now commenced an 'opportunity assessment' exercise to identify additional areas where councils could achieve sustainable efficiency savings.
The focus of CSED to date has been on tactical changes through which we believe further savings can be achieved over the period 2008-11. The scope of the opportunity assessment work will focus on more strategic and transformational changes which could be commenced over the CSR 07 period. Whilst taking forward transformational changes might produce some, largely tactical savings earlier, they are mainly expected to impact from 2010 onwards.
To support this work CSED is establishing a Local Authority Stakeholder Panel who will offer a high-level critique of the vision for more efficient personal social services, emerging new opportunities (both strategic and tactical). It will create the necessary forum for informed and authoritative comment on the emerging work of the project team. It will comprise representatives of the primary local authority stakeholders (ADASS, LGA, IDeA, RCEs/RIEPs) and representative decision makers: Chief Executives, Treasurers. We would also like to engage key senior staff e.g. Assistant Directors for Operations and Finance from any agreed ' test site' local authorities to form a sub-group of the stakeholder panel, to offer critiques of the tactical opportunities, inform members of the main panel group and advise on issues of detail.We plan to hold our first meetings over the month of October. CSED is also establishing a 'Critical Friends' panel of external experts in areas such as commissioning, commercial skills and change management to offer advice and external challenge to the project team which will commence its work during October.
An "idea concept form" through which we can capture innovative ideas has been developed. This is a simple one page form and can be downloaded HERE. We are looking for ideas from a wide range of directions - including Local Government and providers.
Anyone - including people receiving services and carers - can complete the form and submit to CSEDideas@dh.gsi.gov.uk.