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Annual review
- Our review of the past year highlights some of the many projects we have been involved in. You can download a copy as a PDF here
Carbon Conversations
- On 20th March, OPM and the Environment Council brought experts from across the fields of local sustainability together to look at how local strategic partnerships and local authorities could create sustainable communities that work socially, environmentally and economically. For further information, see our blog. You may like to download a graphical recording of the event. Or to find out about how we can help download our flyer.
recently published
- Integrated commissioning for children's services (latest edition, revised)
Find out more
- Co-production and social capital
This paper looks at the concept and practice of the co-production of outcomes. It describes its practical use in making joint commissioning more effective and explores its implications for democratic renewal. Buy a copy from our bookstore.
OPM provides innovative services in consultancy, people development, research and specialist support. Our own public interest activities keep us at the leading edge of research and analysis.
State of trust
OPM fellow Simon Parker comments on his new research about how local government can build trust with its citizens.
In State of Trust, a study written for Demos, we explored what trust might mean, why it is useful and how councils can get more of it. The result is a set of practical tools and recommendations that can help local authorities to build trust.
Capital results
by Clive Miller
OPM principal Clive Miller looks at using co-production and social capital to create the outcomes people really want.
The creative challenge in performance management
by Helen Brown
OPM director, Helen Brown, looks at some of the thornier issues in performance management within public services and makes some recommendations.
A future for London
by
Phil Copestake
OPM is currently working, in partnership with the Young Foundation and Common Purpose as the 'London Collaborative', on an ambitious programme of activity to help London's public services work more effectively together. Phil Copestake describes the 'future scenarios' the Collaborative has developed to help London's public services understand their future challenges.
Commissioning community health services
Strategic commissioners need to think carefully about which commissioning responsibilities they delegate to practice-based groups and which they retain. OPM Principal Judith Smyth looks at ways to proceed.
LAAs – one borough council shares its successful approach to deciding priorities
Having difficulty selecting the most relevant measures to include in your local area agreement? Swindon Borough Council developed a new model that would manage stakeholder expectations whilst enabling the council to narrow down the measures most pressing for the local area.
Across the divide: evaluator and commissioner perspectives
Phil, who is Deputy Head of our Analytical Studies Unit, looks at how working relationships can influence the success of an evaluation.
How to get the most out of coaching
Helen Brown, an OPM principal, has been an executive coach for leadership for many years. Here she looks at the best ways to approach finding and making best use of a coach.
Also ...
National LSCB Challenge and Improvement Tool
OPM was commissioned to develop a tool to support the future development of LSCBs and to provide them with guidance on measuring effectiveness. This tool has now been published and is complemented by supporting products: 13 case study examples of effective local practice, covering a range of areas which LSCBs identified as needing further information and support; and eight case studies focusing firstly, on how the child protection system can intervene successfully to safeguard the siblings of gang members; and secondly, on how local services identify and and safeguard sexually exploited young people. Find the National LSCB Challenge and Improvement Tool on the 'every child matters' website.
in a similar vein ...
Reviewing Childcare Sufficiency Assessments (May 08) [PDF, 554KB]: Our report to DCSF examined whether local authorities had completed their childcare sufficiency assessments in a consistent and valid way which satisfied the requirements of the Childcare Act 2006; and to identify key findings in relation to gaps between supply and demand for childcare.
Information prescriptions: getting ready to roll
For the past year, the Department of Health has funded 20 pilot sites, dealing with a variety of long-term health conditions, to test the concept of 'information prescriptions'. It is anticipated that, by 2010, information prescriptions will be offered to everyone in England with a long-term condition, directing them to specific sources of advice and information.
OPM has been working with the pilot sites to assess the impact of their work on their organisations and on service users. We've also been working on an online resource designed to help health and social care organistions benefit from what the pilots have learned. You can find more information here: http://www.informationprescription.info/index.html. The Information Prescriptions project is featured in the Spring 2008 issue of Macmillan Voice, which also includes an article by OPM director Ewan King.
Shropshire County Council has been commended in the 2008 Municipal Journal Achievement Awards for its work with local councillors. OPM, originally working on behalf of the Leadership Centre for Local Government, has been supporting Shropshire Council in a project to pilot local meetings as an essential means of involving local communities in the lead up to unitary status. The project, which involved enhancing councillors’ leadership, scrutiny and community champion roles, was shortlisted in the Councillor Development Achievement category. Read the project submission paper.
Muslim students' experiences of studying in higher and further education institutions in London. 
The Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority commissioned us to conduct research into the challenges facing Muslim students in further and higher education. The survey went to FE and HE institutions, mosques, community groups, and student and youth organisations across London. On 16 January, we held an 'Open Space' event where participants discussed some of the early research findings. We had identified five major areas of concern: 'tackling discrimination', 'meeting Muslim students' needs', 'the social environment', 'the learning environment, and 'identity'. One of the participants immediately wrote up his impressions of the day: you can read his blog entry here.
Open to Public Scrutiny: involving the public in overview and scrutiny. Our short guide looks at how scrutiny committees can work in more effective, creative and interesting ways with the public, to support change and improve services. Order copies from our bookstore.
Going forward with good governance: we have revisited our Good Governance Standard three years after its first publication. This report summarises what we know about how the Standard has been used, the new challenges arising from the changing policy context for governance, and how good governance might be taken forward in the public interest. Download 'Going Forward with Good Governance'
'Introducing individual budgets and self-directed support for disabled children, young people and their families and carers'. Our paper explores the practice and commissioning implications of the widespread introduction of individual budgets for children with disabilities. Download a copy of the paper.
The Street Wardens' Programme (SWP) was set up in April 2001 with the intention of improving the 'liveability' of deprived neighbourhoods. In a recent paper, Chih Hoong Sin draws on evidence from the national evaluation of the SWP to challenge our understanding and expectations of the effectiveness of such interventions. Subscribe to the article, or contact the author.
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