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Accountability within an integrated contracting environment: a preliminary exploration of alignments and tensions
Last modified: 2010-06-09
Abstract
At the centre of any social service delivery is a complex multi-dimensional human. Some social service organisations focus their attention on one specific dimension; for example the parenting role, or competence with budgeting household finance. Others engage simultaneously with a number of human dimensions.
A number of NZ government initiatives have been introduced over the last ten years that have attempted to respond to the frustrations felt by providers of holistic social services with the conventional ‘silo’ approach to contracting. Following on from the Integrated Contract(1) and Strengthening Families(2) initiatives of the previous Government, are the High Trust(3)and Whanau Ora(4) approaches developed by the current Government. While there is some variation across these four initiatives, they do all share an integrated and devolved philosophical foundation. Within this context, the value community organisations offer to civil society is calculated through the notion of accountability. As Robert Schwartz(5)notes, ‘public administration discourse bestows an honoured place to the theory and practice of accountability’. The question thus becomes: what does accountability look like within this new ‘integrated’ and ‘devolved’ contracting environment?
This paper presents a preliminary exploration of some of the alignments and tensions that play out within the complex accountability environment of an integrated government funding contract. Our research is drawn from a multi-stakeholder evaluation project undertaken by the Otago Youth Wellness Trust during 2009/2010. The OYWT is a Dunedin based Charitable Trust that provides free wrap-around case management for young people (11 – 18yrs of age) with multiple and complex needs who are least likely to access mainstream services for support. The core wrap-around service provided by the OYWT has been largely funded by an Integrated Contract since 1999. In March this year they became one of the first community social service organisations to enter into a High Trust funding contract.
Notes:
(1)Ann Pomeroy (2007) “Changing the culture of contracting: funding for outcomes” Social Policy Journal of New Zealand Issue 31:158-169
(2)http://www.strengtheningfamilies.govt.nz/about/
(3)http://www.familyservices.govt.nz/documents/working-with-us/news-room/community-connect/community-connect-issue-9.pdf
(4)http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/planning-strategy/whanau-ora/index.html
(5)Robert Schwartz (2002) “Accountability in new public management: an elusive phenomenon?” in Public Administration: an inter-disciplinary critical analysis, Edited by Eran Vigoda-Gadot, Marcel Dekker: New York, p63.
A number of NZ government initiatives have been introduced over the last ten years that have attempted to respond to the frustrations felt by providers of holistic social services with the conventional ‘silo’ approach to contracting. Following on from the Integrated Contract(1) and Strengthening Families(2) initiatives of the previous Government, are the High Trust(3)and Whanau Ora(4) approaches developed by the current Government. While there is some variation across these four initiatives, they do all share an integrated and devolved philosophical foundation. Within this context, the value community organisations offer to civil society is calculated through the notion of accountability. As Robert Schwartz(5)notes, ‘public administration discourse bestows an honoured place to the theory and practice of accountability’. The question thus becomes: what does accountability look like within this new ‘integrated’ and ‘devolved’ contracting environment?
This paper presents a preliminary exploration of some of the alignments and tensions that play out within the complex accountability environment of an integrated government funding contract. Our research is drawn from a multi-stakeholder evaluation project undertaken by the Otago Youth Wellness Trust during 2009/2010. The OYWT is a Dunedin based Charitable Trust that provides free wrap-around case management for young people (11 – 18yrs of age) with multiple and complex needs who are least likely to access mainstream services for support. The core wrap-around service provided by the OYWT has been largely funded by an Integrated Contract since 1999. In March this year they became one of the first community social service organisations to enter into a High Trust funding contract.
Notes:
(1)Ann Pomeroy (2007) “Changing the culture of contracting: funding for outcomes” Social Policy Journal of New Zealand Issue 31:158-169
(2)http://www.strengtheningfamilies.govt.nz/about/
(3)http://www.familyservices.govt.nz/documents/working-with-us/news-room/community-connect/community-connect-issue-9.pdf
(4)http://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/planning-strategy/whanau-ora/index.html
(5)Robert Schwartz (2002) “Accountability in new public management: an elusive phenomenon?” in Public Administration: an inter-disciplinary critical analysis, Edited by Eran Vigoda-Gadot, Marcel Dekker: New York, p63.