Centrelink's 'Place Based Services' : can a national service delivery agency address local needs and conditions?

Michael Darcy, Gabrielle Gwyther

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paperpeer-review

    Abstract

    ![CDATA[As the national government’s key ‘service delivery’ agency, Centrelink is responsible for delivery of income security payments and (limited) social work services to the widest possible population of disadvantaged individuals and households in Australia. It is a large bureaucracy with more than 25,000 staff located in over 300 customer service centres and other offices. Moreover, the nature of services, and the categories and eligibility conditions for benefits, are set out in national legislation and in policies promulgated by other government departments, so the opportunities and incentive for innovation appear to be very limited. Following the election of the Rudd Labor government in late 2007, federal agencies were encouraged to develop strategies aimed at ‘social inclusion’ which includes not only more holistic service delivery, but coordinated efforts to address systemic factors in disadvantage. While this recent overarching policy direction of ‘social inclusion’ is defined very broadly, the institutional framework of government service delivery continues to strongly reflect principles of targeted eligibility and mutual obligation. As an organisation whose statutory charter and organisational culture have historically been dominated by universalism and rule-based compliance, Centrelink is now seeking ways to be ‘customer-centric’, collaborative, and flexible. Centrelink’s ‘Place Based Services’ program was designed as an action research project to determine the extent to which locally developed collaborative approaches to assisting selected customers could improve their social inclusion outcomes, and the capability of local service delivery networks. In 2008 and 2009, six small teams in seven selected locations were briefed to develop ‘holistic and customer-centric’ service delivery practices, and to attempt to ‘build community capacity’ through collaboration with other agencies. Broadly speaking, each initiative was designed and implemented by local managers, customer service staff and/or social workers, who were given a relatively free hand to work with other local stakeholders to tailor the organisation’s practices (the ‘service offer’) for selected groups of Centrelink customers or potential customers. This paper presents findings from a study which set out to document and understand what had been learned from this unique program. The study involved extensive review of documentation, and approximately 160 interviews with local and central project personnel, senior executives and customers. The Place Based Services program can be seen as an attempt to sponsor and monitor innovation as a response to: a) complex and potentially conflicting policy aims, b) diverse local social and economic contexts, and c) complex and entrenched customer needs. The program was based on an explicit assumption that local innovation was required to make the service offer more equitable. In practice, local initiative personnel maintained their statutory and bureaucratic accountabilities while being challenged to creatively and collaboratively address ‘barriers to social inclusion’ with participants and local stakeholders. The experiences of service providers and customers provide important insights concerning the capacity of public agencies to respond to client needs in highly disparate conditions and locations. The study clearly illustrates the constraints upon, and conditions required for, effective innovation in a large bureaucracy. The paper will also discuss some specific issues highlighted by the program including: training and support needs of staff; managing relationships with stakeholders; and questions concerning accountability and performance measurement.]]
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationInnovation in Public Policy Making and Practice: Proceedings of the 2010 Social Policy Association Conference: 5-7 July 2010, Lincoln, England
    PublisherSocial Policy Association
    Number of pages18
    Publication statusPublished - 2010
    EventSocial Policy Association (Great Britain). Conference -
    Duration: 5 Jul 2010 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceSocial Policy Association (Great Britain). Conference
    Period5/07/10 → …

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