Members of the public should be given clear and comprehensive information on their rights and entitlements to public services in areas such as health, welfare and education, a report by a State think tank has urged.
A draft report by the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) has recommended a range of practical measures which could help improve the delivery of public services.
One of the major issues facing the public service is how to move away from a system which has a one-size-fits-all approach to deliver services which are wrapped around individual needs.
The report says this is particularly important in making public services culturally sensitive and accessible to immigrants and ethnic groups, given the increasingly diverse nature of society.
Overall, a reform of services should ensure they are provided in a fair manner, concentrate on improved outcomes for people and be delivered in a cost-effective way. To underpin this new approach, it recommends a range of measures. These include:
Better links between those responsible for policy or resources at national level, and providers of services at local level. These co-ordination structures could be dedicated to specific issues, such as the Homeless Agency, which has had substantial success in addressing homelessness in Dublin.
Public services should be measured by national performance indicators and local indicators. The satisfaction of customers or users of services could be assessed to see if the desired outcomes are being achieved.
Early intervention should be a focus of services, to help avoid individual problems becoming more chronic and costly for the State to address in the long term. This applies especially to areas such as education for children, primary healthcare, homelessness, etc.
New skill and competency requirements for staff in helping to deliver better and more customer-focused services.
The report suggests introducing a case-management approach where a "broker" would work with a client to cut through bureaucracy and help them get the service to which they are entitled.
The report suggests that each government department should begin the process by identifying areas where brokers would be appropriate within its own service and for services under its remit.
It also says a "quality service standards initiative" should be introduced for public service providers. Under this, each provider would set out the entitlement and standard of service which users or customers could expect to achieve.
"This should provide a basis for adapting and improving service delivery. These findings should be made available to the public. This initiative should be implemented by each government department or body . . . which receives public funds for the delivery of public services," the report recommends.