Joint Statement from HMIE and PSIF
The PSIF Partnership and HMIE believe that there are fundamentally common shared objectives for the Public Service Improvement Framework and the Quality Management in Education Model (QMIE 2) and that both support the planning and delivery of service improvement within Scottish local authorities.
There are also shared values around how these frameworks actively contribute to improving the quality of life for citizens and communities across Scotland, and therefore supporting the commitments outlined within the Concordat, and the principles endorsed through Single Outcome Agreements. A mapping exercise has been carried out to assist education officers working within local authorities to align their QMIE2 results to PSIF and vice versa. By reducing the duplication of effort, both organisations aim to meet one of the key recommendations from the Crerar Review of 2007.
Public Service Improvement Framework (PSIF)
The Public Service Improvement Framework (PSIF) is a corporate performance management improvement self-assessment framework, which encourages organisations in the public and voluntary sector to conduct a systematic and comprehensive review of their services and outcomes.
The framework is based on the EFQM Excellence Model and integrates the use of best value principles, Investors in People Standard and Customer Service Excellence Standard. Through the integration of these standards, duplication is minimised and increased efficiencies are encouraged throughout the review of service areas, thus driving improvements in a consistent and co-ordinated way.
Through the rigour and robustness of the framework, the organisation's status is identified with subsequent improvement plans agreed through a consensus approach, supported by detailed service improvement and implementation plans. This also ensures that tangible outcomes are realised in both the planning and delivery of local outcomes, their contribution to national outcomes as determined through Single Outcome Agreements, and ultimately to promote a culture of excellence in Scotland's public services.
More information on PSIF is available on the Improvement Service website.
Quality Management in Education (QMIE 2)
QMIE 2, published in 2006, was based on the overall principles of the Excellence Model of the EFQM and was designed to be used in conjunction with other quality models such as Investors in People, Chartermark and ISO 9000. Evidence produced through the use of other quality models and frameworks could be used to contribute to overall evaluations.
QMIE 2 was developed in partnership with key agencies and was designed to assist local authorities, together with their main stakeholders and partner agencies, such as the Improvement Service in developing and implementing a systematic approach to the self-evaluation of their education functions. The publication provides practical assistance and advice on the process of self-evaluation at both strategic and operational levels. It focuses on the role of self-evaluation in developing a council's capacity to drive continuous improvement and, most importantly, to secure and demonstrate measurable improvement in the quality of learners' educational experience. The clear focus is on impact and outcomes.
QMIE, like the PSIF and other quality frameworks, aims to provide support for authorities in carrying out the process of self-evaluation through which they can:
- achieve the best outcomes for all learners;
- take action to sustain quality, improve services and achieve excellence;
- meet the responsibilities set out in the relevant legislation; and
- meet the requirements of Best Value and Efficient Government.
HMIE are happy to accept any self-evaluation structured using the PSIF Framework for QMIE2 submissions, reducing the burden of duplication on those organizations who use the PSIF.
More information on QMIE and the work of HMIE is available on the HMIE website – www.hmie.gov.uk
Joint statement from SWIA and PSIF
SWIA welcomes the publishing of the Improvement Service's evaluation report of the piloting of PSIF in social work services. SWIA worked closely with the Improvement Service when we published our guide to supported self-evaluation, "Building excellent social work services" in January 2009. We were pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Improvement Service again, and with the three councils involved in this pilot.
In common with the PSIF Partnership, SWIA believes there are fundamentally common objectives for the PSIF and SWIA' s own Performance Improvement Model (PIM). They are both based on the EFQM model. A mapping exercise undertaken in 2008 confirmed the many similarities between the PSIF and the PIM. It also showed the potential of the PSIF, as a widely adopted corporate self-evaluation framework to be used for the self-evaluation of social work services.
The pilot has allowed the mapping to be tested by three councils in a practical environment and with the support of SWIA link inspectors. The evaluation findings of the pilot are encouraging. In particular, it shows the PSIF is a suitable vehicle for the self-evaluation of social work services and that with some further work and refinement, its applicability can be further improved.
This said, the mapping exercise and the pilot have confirmed that the PSIF as it currently stands and, on its own, does not sufficiently address some important aspects of social work services and the SWIA PIM. These are :
- assessment and care management and statutory supervision;
- risk management and accountability;
- and commissioning arrangements.
A short life working group has been established to address this, along with other areas for improvement identified by the pilot. It will include the development of tailored guidance for PSIF assessments of social work services. SWIA is contributing to the short life working group.
The evaluation also used online surveys to look at the support provided by SWIA link inspectors as part of the pilot. It found that three quarters of assessment team members and two thirds of PSIF facilitators found the involvement of the SWIA link inspector very helpful or helpful.
Alexis Jay, Chief Social Work Inspector said: "I welcome the publishing of the evaluation report. In particular, I am pleased that it confirms the positive contribution that SWIA' s own self-evaluation guide and our link inspectors can make to councils who use the PSIF to evaluate and improve the quality of their social work services".
