Statement of Intent 2006 - Research and evaluation - how we know what works
The Ministry has mechanisms in place at an organisational and activity level to monitor how well we are doing and identify where improvements can be made.
At Organisational Level
At an organisational level we have structured the Ministry’s functions to ensure a strong efficiency focus in each of our activity areas. Much of the work we do in this area is ongoing, and involves looking at how we can improve what we are doing.
In 2005 we initiated a Value for Money Review across our departmental operating expenditure. This was a significant piece of work designed to strengthen organisational efficiency and effectiveness and to assist us to manage cost pressures.
The Value for Money Review aimed to:
- provide assurance to stakeholders that taxpayer funds are being utilised prudently to successfully deliver outcomes
- maximise the value from the Ministry’s departmental baseline
- identify possible efficiency and effectiveness gains across the Ministry to enhance our ability to be sustainable in the future.
The Value for Money Review will enable the Ministry to manage its services into outyears from within existing resources. As part of the initiatives arising from the review:
- policy functions are continuing to ensure the work they are engaged in is closely aligned with government priorities, and that they are supported by effective management of productivity and prioritisation of work
- service delivery functions are realising improvements as part of a move towards an outcomes focus that relies on front-line staff being freed up by more efficient and capable back-room and processing functions, and provides opportunities to review and improve core processes
- corporate support functions are using their cross-Ministry focus to generate economies, and have focused on ensuring the Ministry’s infrastructure and corporate systems operate efficiently.
As part of our continued commitment to strengthening organisational efficiency and effectiveness, we are initiating a Value for Money Review of the Crown expenditure administered by the Ministry.
There will be a continued emphasis in the expanded Ministry, following the merger with Child, Youth and Family, to look at ways of improving performance and cost effective delivery of services in a sustainable way.
At the Activity Level
At the activity level, we conduct research and evaluation on a wide range of programmes to gain an understanding of what works, and what works well. We use this information to make improvements to the services and programmes we deliver.
Over the next year we will work on establishing a suitable set of cost effectiveness measures to include in future statements of intent, as required under section 40(d)(ii) of the Public Finance Act 1989.
As part of the research and evaluation work we do, we gather information on the number and costs of the employment programmes we deliver and investigate the impacts of these programmes in relation to different variables. This information provides part of the material needed to build a picture of cost effectiveness. We will use this information to inform the development of appropriate cost effectiveness measures over the coming year.
Example
In 2005, the Ministry undertook research into the impact of selected employment programmes provided through Work and Income of job seekers receiving a benefit, by benefit duration.
The research found that:
- most clients participating in the programmes had been unemployed for six months or more
- clients who receive assistance early in their benefit spell (under six months) are less at-risk of future long-term benefit receipt
- employment programmes are more effective when targeted towards disadvantaged clients.
The Ministry is developing a new framework for guidelines for employment programmes. As part of this work the Ministry will consider what changes are needed to individual employment interventions. The research findings outlined above will help inform this work.
