Designing

 Public  Services  for  the  21st  Century  

 

Designing  Public  Services  for  the  21st  Century  

 
 
Introduction  
 
The  history  of  public  service  reform  in  the  UK  is  dominated  by  large-­‐scale  structural  
reforms  and  attempts  at  driving  service  efficiency  and  improvement  from  the  centre.    
But   despite   the   considerable   time   and   effort   expended   on   reform,   the   design   and  
approach   of   public   services   has   remained   remarkably   similar   in   many   respects   to  
what  was  established  by  the  radical  innovators  of  1940’s  post-­‐war  Britain.    Over  the  
past  sixty  years,  the  British  welfare  state  has  had   significant  success  in  increasing  the  
health,   prosperity   and   opportunities   of   citizens   and   in   transforming   British   society.    
But   in   order   to   solve   complex   social   problems   and   match   the   scale  of   the   challenges  
of  the  twenty-­‐first  century,  public  services  must  be  transformed.i    
 
 
The  “gyroscope”  of  public  services  
 
The  support  that  people  need  often  sits  in  the  gaps  between  traditional  services,  but  
citizens   are   currently   faced   with   a   fragmented   array   of   services   that   do   not   make  
sense  to  them  or  their  lives,  and  which  treat  them  as  passive  consumers.      
 
Vertical   funding   streams,   lines   of   accountability   and   performance   management  
systems   encourage   public   servants   at   all   levels   to   focus   on   delivering   outputs   and  
meeting  targets  within  their  narrowly  defined  area.    The  resulting  fragmentation  and  
duplication   undermines   and   damages   the   relationships   between   services   and  
citizens,  which  are  crucial  to  tackling  complex  problems.  Some  citizens  and  families  
can  be  the  target  of  hundreds  of  interventions  a  year  which  they  become  skilled  at  
deflecting;   a   family   in   Suffolk,   for   example,   received   700   interventions   in   an   18  
month   period   from   just   two   agencies   (the   council   and   police).   This   issue   has   been  
likened  to  a  gyroscope:    
 
“On  the  outside  of  the  family  is  all  the  activity  of  the  system  and  on  the  
inside   nothing   moves   or   changes.   The   activity   of   the   system   actually  
creates  a  barrier  to  change  for  the  families.  ”  ii    
 
 
Preventing  prevention  
 
Despite   this   activity,   there   are   gaps   in   support   that   mean   problems   can   go  
unidentified   or  untreated.  Public  services  are  often  targeted  at  major  life  events  (e.g.  
birth,  illness,  loss  of  employment,  etc.)  but  offer  limited  support  in  between.  
 
There   are   many   examples   where   providing   citizens   and   families   with   low   intensity  
and   holistic   support   at   an   early   stage   could   avoid   the   need   for   high   intensity   (and  

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expensive)  interventions  at  a  later  stage.  For  example,  filling  the  gap  in  support  for  
families   between   a   child’s   birth   and   their  first   day   at   school   could   significantly   boost  
their   life   chances.   But   the   fragmentation   of   public   service   management   systems  
means   that   public   agencies   are   not   incentivised   to   spend   resources   on   prevention   or  
early  intervention.        
 
As   a   result,   public   servants   are   often   restricted   to   managing   the   symptoms   of  
problems,   rather  than  building   capability.  So  each  agency  or  professional  works  hard  
to  tackle  problems  in  their  narrowly  defined  area,  but  their  underlying  causes  remain  
untouched,  meaning  social  problems  persist  and  are  inherited  by  future  generations.    
As  a  senior  manager  within  a  local  authority  commented,  her  locality  had  become:  
“good  at  services,  but  not  solutions.”  
 
The  human,  social  and  financial  costs  of  failing  to   build  these  capabilities  and  dealing  
with   the   resultant   problems   are   huge.   The   New   Economics   Foundation,   for   example,  
estimated  that:   “The  costs  of  doing  nothing   to  improve  social  problems  in  
the  UK  over  the  next  20  years  would  be  almost  £4  trillion.”  iii  
 
 
Reorienting  public  services  
 
In  the  context  of  ever  increasing  demands  on  public  services,  to  be  effective  service  
providers   must   adopt   a   doing   yourself   out   of   business   approach,   whereby  
they   build   the   participation,   capabilities   and   networks   of   citizens,   families   and  
communities  in  order  that  they  are  less  reliant  on  public  services  and  high  cost  needs  
are  prevented.  In  current  political  terms,  public  services  need  to  help  build  the  ‘Big  
Society’.  
 
This  implies  and  requires  a  reorientation  of  services  in  two  respects:  
 
Firstly,   it   implies   a   new   relationship   between   public   services   and   citizens,   where  
services   are   designed   with   citizens   and   from   their   perspective.     This   represents   an  
expanded   view   of   a   citizen:   they   are   not   passive   customers,   but   activists,   with  
knowledge  and  resources  of  their  own.    
 
Public   administration   and   services   in   the   20th   Century   were   dominated   by   large  
institutions   and   powerful   professional   groups.     Grouping   knowledge   and   expertise   in  
this  way  had  a  number  of  benefits  in  a  pre-­‐internet  age.    But  in  turn  it  meant  citizens  
had  little  involvement  in  decision-­‐making  (beyond  the  ballot  box)  and  were  passive  
(rather  than  active)  recipients  of  services.    
 
Personal   and   human   relationships   with   public   servants   are   vital   to   peoples’  
experiences   of   and   the   success   of   public   services.     Yet   these   qualities   have   been  
undervalued  by  professional  groups  and  reformers  who  instead  encouraged  parent-­‐
child  and  producer-­‐consumer  relationships.  A  balanced  and  productive  relationship  
with   public   servants   can   unlock   and   enhance   the   insights,   motivation,   capabilities,  

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and  networks  of  citizens  and  communities,  which   can  in  turn  boost  social   resilienceiv,  
achieve  greater  public  valuev  and  catalyse  innovationvi.  
 
Secondly,   it   implies   a   change   of   focus   for   public   services,   from   managing   the  
symptoms   of   social   problems   to   dealing   with   their   underlying   causes   and   building  
social  resilience.    By  working  with  citizens,  families  and  communities  to  develop  their  
participation,   capabilities   and   networks,   evidence   suggests   that   problems   can   be  
prevented,   peoples’   independence   increased,   deeply   ingrained   social   problems  
overcome  and  significantly  better  outcomes  achieved.  vii  
 
 
Conclusion  
 
There   is   no   doubt   that   public   services   provide   invaluable   support   to   millions   of  
people   every   day,   helped   by   their   incremental   improvement   over   recent   decades.  
But  if  they  are  to  meet  the  challenges  of  the  twenty-­‐first  century  it  is  vital  that  the  
assumptions   that   underpin   existing   systems   and   services   are   reconsidered;   top   of  
the  list  should  be  their  relationship  with  citizens  and  their  focus.    In  the  context  of  
large   scale   budget   cuts   but   rising   demand,   the   reorientation   of   public   services   in  
these  respects  presents  a   significant  opportunity  to  achieve  better  public  value  with  
less  public  resource.  
 
 
Tim  Hughes  
December  2010  
 
                                                                                                           
i  See  pp.18-­‐20,  2020  Public  Services  Trust  (2010)  From  s ocial  s ecurity  to  s ocial  productivity:  a  vision  for  2020  Public  Services.  
ii  p.8,  Participle  (2009)  The  Swindon  Family  L IFE  Programme:  Report  
iii  nef  (2009)  Backing  the  Future:  w hy  investing  in  c hildren  is  good  for  us  all  
iv  Rowson,  J;  Broome,  S;  Jones,  A.  (2010)  Connected  C ommunities:  How  s ocial  networks  power  and  s ustain  the  Big  Society;  
Maddock,  S  &  Hallam,  S.  (2010)  R ecovery  Begins  with  H ope;  Young  Foundation  (2009)  Sinking  and  Swimming;  Edwards,  C  
(2009)  Resilient  Nation;  &  Halpern,  D  (2010)  The  Hidden  Wealth  of  Nations.  
v  2020  Public  Service  Trust  (2010)  From  Social  Security  to  Social  Productivity;  Bunt,  L  &  Harris,  M.  (2009)  The  Human  Factor;  
Boyle,  D;  Slay,  J;  &  Stephens,  L .  (2010)  Public  Services  Inside  O ut.  
vi  Boyle,  D  &  Harris,  M.  (2010)  The  Challenge  of  Co-­‐Production.  Gillinson,  S;  H orne,  M;  &  Baeck,  P.  (2010)  Radical  Efficiency;  
Bunt,  L;  Harris,  M;  &  Westlake,  S.  (2010)  Schumpeter  Comes  to  Whitehall;  Bunt,  L  &  Harris,  M.  (2010)  Mass  L ocalism    
vii  Rowson,  J;  Broome,  S;  Jones,  A.  (2010)  Connected  C ommunities:  How  s ocial  networks  power  and  s ustain  the  Big  Society;  
Maddock,  S  &  Hallam,  S.  (2010)  R ecovery  Begins  with  H ope;  Young  Foundation  (2009)  Sinking  and  Swimming;  Edwards,  C  
(2009)  Resilient  Nation;  Bunt,  L  &  Harris,  M.  (2009)  The  Human  Factor;  &  H alpern,  D  (2010)  The  Hidden  Wealth  of  Nations.  

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