'The Collaborative Citizen'
25 Apr 2014 11:33 AM
A
new report released today from Collaborate argues that public services are not
doing enough to involve people in decision-making, as findings reveal that less
than a quarter (14 per cent) of people say they have a voice in how services
are run.
The report also reveals that tax-payer funded providers are
falling short in understanding the needs of ‘citizens’ in relation
to housing, jobs and living standards.
A ‘digital divide’ exists where households with no
access to the internet feel marginalised and with no voice. |
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These stark
findings are based on an Ipsos MORI poll (1) commissioned by Collaborate which
said they present a challenge to all political parties in the run up to the
General Election.
The report’s
author’s Dr Henry Kippin and Lord Victor Adebowale said service provision
is failing to keep pace with people’s needs.
Dr Kippin, director of
Collaborate, said: ‘Citizens want to be treated as human beings- with
dignity, respect, competence and understanding. ‘In public services, both
state and market are falling short against this goal. Across the board they
need to get better at engaging, enrolling and inspiring the
public.’
Key findings from the
Mori survey include:
* 79
per cent say public services treating them with respect and dignity is
as important as giving them the final outcome they need. However, the
elderly and the lowest grade workers in particular are not getting the dignity
and respect they deserve.
* 27
per cent are willing to work with providers to improve the public
services they offer.
Yet only
14 per cent say they are always or often involved in decisions about how they
use services.
*
Nearly 30 per cent of people believe government and public
services should provide exactly the same services to everyone, regardless of
their situation in life. This reflects a drop in support for equality of
opportunity. The report warns it reflects the fact equality has been downgraded
as a core goal under the current Coalition.
* 73
per cent of those surveyed feel the government has some responsibility
to keep living standards manageable, help secure them a decent place to live
and help with jobs and careers.
Since the financial crisis, the
government and the public sector has focused more on putting the citizen at the
centre of new commissioning plans.
However, Dr Kippin said that if
organisations fail to embrace further change then the quality of services will
be eroded and welfare will become stigmatised. Public services must get
better at both understanding people and involving them in service design, he
added.
He said: ‘These findings
highlight the voices of citizens in a debate which is dominated by public
finance and service demand. We need a new system of services to the public that
puts the engaged citizen at its heart. The current debates on public service
reform are too narrow.’
Julia Unwin CBE, chief executive
of The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said the report was a wake-up call for
policymakers. She said: ‘More than ever, it is relationships and
the balance of risk and trust between service users, providers and their
communities which count. Public services must be driven by these
relationships.’
Welcoming the findings, Dr Greg
Parston, Executive Director of Centre for Health Policy Institute of Global
Health Innovation, Imperial College London, said: ‘Today, citizens are
treated as objects of policy making and of service delivery decisions, rather
than as active participants in the changes that will directly affect their
lives. The consequence is apathy, disillusionment and even
anger.’
You can download a copy
of The Collaborative Citizen report at www.collaboratei.com