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The PSC

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How cases of misconduct are handled. Findings: ... Shorten the time of handling cases of misconduct. 9. Efficiency, economy and effectiveness ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: The PSC


1
The PSCs Public Administration Monitoring and
Evaluation System First Consolidated Report12
Nov 2003
2
Structure of Presentation
  • Introduction and Background to Project
  • Purpose of the Public Administration M E System
  • Unpacking the Nine Principles
  • Conclusions

3
Background to Project
  • The PSCs Public Administration System
  • Built up in phases
  • Scoping exercise
  • NC pilot
  • Initial round in 2002/3 included research in
    seven nat depts and seven prov depts in three
    provinces
  • This report is an overview of the first 14
    research projects

4
Purpose of the Public Admin M E System
  • Contribute to improved government and service
    delivery
  • Problems are identified, priority areas are
    communicated, good practice is noted
  • Departments reflect on own performance
  • BUT
  • Value and acceptance of findings and
    recommendations remains a concern

5
Assessment Framework
  • How is it packaged?
  • SA Constitution lists 9 principles that should
    govern our PS
  • Assessing Departmental adherence to these
    principles forms the framework
  • A high std of prof ethics must be promoted
  • Efficient, economic and effective use of
    resources
  • Public administration must be development
    oriented
  • Peoples needs must be responded to and the
    public must be encouraged to participate in
    policy making
  • Accountability Transparency Good HRM and
    career development practices Representivity

6
The underlying programme logic
Overall result Better governance and service
delivery in South Africa
Problems are addressed
Achievements are affirmed and promoted
Departments focus on priority areas
Learning from Good practice examples takes place
FOLLOW UP
Problem areas identified
Good practice by others is identified and promoted
Priority areas in public administration Are
communicated
Departments reflect on their own performance
REPORTING
Public service monitoring
7
Professional Ethics
  • System Checks
  • How cases of misconduct are handled
  • Findings
  • Basic infrastructure for promoting a high
    standard of professional ethics has been created
    BUT it is still rudimentary and not yet fully
    effective

8
Professional Ethics
  • Strategy for improvement
  • Depts need to develop a link to the National
    Anti-Corruption Strategy
  • Capture ethics-related processes and procedures
    in manuals and guidelines
  • Improve record keeping
  • Shorten the time of handling cases of misconduct

9
Efficiency, economy and effectiveness
  • System Checks
  • Expenditure is as budgeted
  • Programmes are implemented as planned
  • Findings
  • National depts are generally spending within
    their targets, although in some instances
    variations were quite high.
  • In provinces, while expenditure is more or less
    on target, there are more serious concerns around
    alignment of departmental objectives with
    strategic priorities.
  • Programmes are generally being implemented as
    planned

10
Efficiency, economy and effectiveness
  • Strategies for improvement
  • Research shows that the PS is starting to
    overcome its difficulties in spending funds
  • BUT
  • Management reporting systems in both national and
    prov depts are unimpressive and can be improved
  • Prov depts need support in strategic planning
    processes
  • Training will be required
  • Key management concepts not well understood
    (outputs, outcomes, activities, objectives, etc)

11
Development Orientation
  • System Checks
  • Programmes targeting poverty are in place and are
    successful
  • Beneficiaries participate in project design
  • Good project management standards are maintained
  • Poverty alleviation projects and programs are
    integrated into local development plans

12
Development Orientation
  • Findings
  • Most departments implement programmes that either
    directly or indirectly seek to alleviate poverty.
  • Water Affairs and Forestry and Agriculture are
    succeeding admirably in drawing a pro-poor,
    developmental approach into their core business
    strategy.
  • PROBLEMS
  • Generally accepted development management
    principles are not implemented.
  • Generally prov depts slower to support or
    undertake such projects

13
Development Orientation
  • Strategies for improvement
  • Absence of a single, national social development
    strategy is felt by depts
  • Project management manuals and info systems must
    be more widely available
  • Institutional learnings need to be captured and
    shared

14
Impartiality and Fairness
  • System Checks
  • Compliance with the Administrative Justice Act
  • Prior notice of the nature and purpose of admin
    action is provided
  • Opportunities are provided for people affected by
    admin action to make representations
  • Clear statements are provided on admin actions
  • Departmental policy for responding to requests
    for the provision of reasons for admin decisions
    is in place
  • Request for reasons are properly processed
  • Reasons provided for decisions are fair and
    reasonable

15
Impartiality and Fairness
  • Findings
  • Performance by Depts is disappointing
  • In most instances, low level of awareness of the
    Act
  • Few efforts to ensure compliance
  • Few depts have provided training to their staff
  • Almost none have amended business processes
    specifically in order to comply

16
Impartiality and Fairness
  • Strategies for improvements
  • Widespread need for training and increased
    awareness of the Act and its requirements is
    needed
  • More effort is needed to monitor compliance with
    this Act by the Dept of Justice and
    Constitutional Dev
  • Need for a National campaign?

17
Public Participation in Policy Making
  • System Checks
  • Policy on public participation is formally stated
  • A system for soliciting public inputs is
    effectively implemented
  • All policy inputs from the public are
    acknowledged and formally considered
  • Findings
  • Most depts have a formal commitment BUT this is
    not translated into formal policies and
    procedures.
  • However, in some depts eg Justice and
    Constitutional Dev, consultation does take place
    regularly despite the absence of a written
    policy.
  • DWAF has a well-structured and useful Guide.

18
Public Participation in Policy Making
  • Strategies for improvement
  • Strategic direction and executive leadership is
    required to ensure that there is formal interest
    in community views, policies and procedures in
    place
  • DPSA to lead process?
  • Good practice needs to be shared more widely
    (DWAF)

19
Accountability
  • System Checks
  • The Auditor Generals assessment of financial
    controls conclude that they are adequate and
    effective
  • Fraud prevention plans are in place and
    implemented
  • Key staff for ensuring implementation of fraud
    prevention plans are in place and operational
  • Fraud prevention plans are based on a thorough
    risk assessment

20
Accountability
  • Findings
  • Most nat depts appear to have solid internal
    control systems
  • In many instances fraud prevention plans had just
    recently been adopted and are in the process of
    being rolled out
  • Performance by provinces is less satisfactory
  • In many instances the Auditor-General has issued
    qualified audit reports with the lack of internal
    controls a common concern
  • In some instances fraud prevention plans are not
    in place

21
Accountability
  • Strategies for improvement
  • National depts are more advanced in addressing
    this area, but prov depts generally appear to
    need extensive support and assistance.
  • Building provincial accountability structures and
    systems will clearly be a long-term process that
    needs to be tackled in a systematic and sustained
    manner
  • Financial capacity programmes should be
    accelerated
  • Consider accreditation for Public Service
    Financial managers

22
Transparency
  • System Checks
  • Compliance to Treasury-prescribed standards for
    compiling of Annual Reports
  • Reporting on performance against predetermined
    objectives
  • Quality of the reports

23
Transparency
  • Findings
  • Annual Reports have improved in recent years BUT
    many depts do not systematically report on their
    results in achieving strategic objectives
  • Annual Reports of Depts of Agric and Social Dev
    of a very high standard (egs of best practice)
  • Prov dpets Ars are less succesful in meeting the
    prescribed standards

24
Transparency
  • Strategies for Improvement
  • Distinct improvement in annual reports is a
    positive trend that must be encouraged
  • Depts that do not meet the prescribed stds should
    be advised and assisted
  • Now that basic compliance is being addressed,
    more attention should be paid to the style and
    language of annual reports simple and accessible

25
Good Human Resource Management Practices
  • System Checks
  • Whether vacant posts are filled in a timely
    manner
  • Implementation of the Skills Development Act
  • A skills development plan is in place
  • Activities planned for are implemented
  • Results achieved through skills development are
    monitored and recorded

26
Good Human Resource Management Practices
  • Findings
  • Most nat depts have recruitment policies and
    procedures in place
  • However, there are high vacancy rates
  • Skills dev plans generally adopted but in many
    instances implementation had not commenced
  • Prov depts are less effective in managing
    recruitment processes
  • In some instance, take very long to fill posts
  • Also less effective in implementing skills
    development plans, with many depts having no plan
    in place

27
Good Human Resource Management Practices
  • Strategies for improvement
  • Policy and procedure issues need to be addressed
    especially at the prov level
  • Implementation of skills development strategies
    need improvement
  • Should be a systematic, widespread assessment and
    general upgrade

28
Representivity
  • System Checks
  • Whether depts are representative of the SA people
    and diversity management measures are implmented
  • Findings
  • PS is successful in overcoming racial imbalances
    in a fairly short space of time BUT
  • Attracting and retaining women into senior posts
    remains a challenge
  • Depts are finding it difficult to meet their
    disability targets.
  • Few prov depts have diversity management measures
    in place

29
Representivity
  • Strategies for improvement
  • Attracting and retaining disabled people is an
    area that needs dedicated attention
  • Depts should prioritise recruiting and retaining
    women in senior managerial levels
  • Diversity management is an area that is
    relatively underdeveloped and needs to be better
    promoted

30
Conclusions
  • Need for a government wide M E framework
  • National depts
  • Research results depict a diverse and complex PS
  • Appear to be performing better than prov
    counterparts
  • Closer compliance to prescribed stds
  • Provincial depts
  • Tend to be large
  • Are often in need of support and development both
    in their management and delivery of core services
  • Using research findings in a constructive and
    positive way

31
Conclusions
  • Using research findings in a constructive and
    positive way
  • To be valuable and useful, findings and
    recommendations must be taken up or alternatives
    put in place
  • Not clear whether depts are using the research
    findings
  • Need for a better and sustained relationship
    between the depts and researchers
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