Value for money

The Ministry is a large organisation and sees a huge investment from the Government.

Given the current economic circumstances we must be prudent with our allocation of this investment. Our size is our strength; we have the opportunity to re-evaluate how we do things, and make our processes more efficient and become more productive.

Most importantly we need to make sure we have the resources we need at the frontline, where our services are delivered.

Because of the recession more people need our help. We need to meet that demand for our services by providing increased resources to the frontline. We have made some tough decisions about our structure to make sure our people are where they need to be. This has already started happening. For example, we have just recruited more Work and Income case managers and we have re-deployed our qualified/ registered social work staff to frontline roles in our Child, Youth and Family site offices. Making sure we have the right people in the right places to meet the increase in demand comes with additional costs.

We are also improving our systems, redesigning our business processes, and further reducing our overhead costs. One of the ways we are doing this is by developing technology to improve our clients' ability to help themselves. We are working on online tools for students and superannuitants so they can find out about their eligibility and make simple transactions. This will free up staff to help those with more complex needs.

In the Waikato Region, we have trained some of our staff to look at how we work to make sure we remove the clutter and deliver the most effective and efficient service possible. We are using the Lean Six Sigma business improvement method. This method works by making sure we are not duplicating work across groups, by removing any unnecessary process steps, and by building on staff solutions, with the aim of improving client services.

Last year we opened a Community Link centre in Huntly. A Community Link centre lets people tell their story only once to get access to the social services they need from one location. This improves our ability to help our clients, especially when some of their needs are closely linked, for example income, housing, health and employment.

We're focusing even more on delivering an effective and efficient service to the people and local businesses who ask for our help.