governance good practice guide

examples from public sector

the good governance standard for public services

The Good Governance Standard for Public Services (GGSPS) was produced by the Independent Commission on Good Governance in Public Services (CGGPS) (established and supported by the Office for Public Management (OPM) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).

Launched in early 2005, the GGSPS is applicable to all public service organisations and partnerships and also to a range of other agencies which are in receipt of public funding.

Over 450,000 people contribute as trustees and governors to a wide range of public service organisations, partnerships and other publicly funded agencies (eg learning and skills, health, housing, criminal justice etc).

While many sectors, such as housing associations and education, have their own governance guidelines and arrangements they all face the difficult task of monitoring the quality of services provided and the way public money is spent.

The GGSPS is intended to provide a benchmark standard, which all these organizations can aspire to and use to measure their performance against.

GGSPS definition of governance:

• The function of governance in any arena is to ensure that an organisation or partnership fulfils its overall purpose, achieves its intended outcomes for service users and stakeholders and operates in an effective, efficient and ethical manner.
• It is the concept of public value that differentiates the provision of public services from a purely-for-profit organisation.
• This means that governance in the public services arena must also ensure public value in terms of quality outcomes, services and public trust.
• Good governance leads to effective management, sound performance, efficient stewardship of public money, real public engagement and quality outcomes.
  

responsibilities of governors in the public services

• leadership, direction and control of the organisation they serve
• monitoring and reviewing the purpose and objectives of the organisation, ensuring that they work in the public interest
• ensuring positive outcomes for the people who use the services, as well as providing good value for money for the taxpayers who fund the services
• balancing the public interest with their accountability to government in an increasingly complex regulatory environment
• motivating front-line staff by making sure that good executive leadership and management is in place.

In short, governors fulfil a challenging role and their activities (supported, where applicable, by the clerk to the governing board) are critical to the quality and effectiveness of the organisations they serve.

role of the clerk to the FE governing board

The GGSPS makes specific reference to the role of the clerk in FE: governance arrangements in the sector benefit greatly from his or her activities.

The clerk is independent, which means that he or she provide objective and extensive support and services relating to the:

• governing board's legal requirements and statutory powers
• governing board's procedures and practices
• smooth and efficient running of the governing board.

The clerk also has a significant role to play in governor development and self-assessment.

CEL run a governance development programme which includes an annual Conference for Clerks in FE, as well as a level 5 Certificate for Clerks in FE accredited by ICSA which new and experienced clerks may study for using a combination of taught sessions and examination.

Click here for information on the clerk's qualification, LSC programme.

The Good Governance Standard for Public Services (GGSPS) represents a common code that offers guidance across the complex and diverse world of services provided by the public sector and by a range of other agencies.

This may be particularly helpful to the learning and skills sector at a time when government is encouraging close partnership and collaborative working in the interest of all learners.

Such partnerships may be formed from different organisations and individuals from within and outside the learning and skills sector. In such circumstances the GGSPS not only clarifies governance issues to diverse groups, but also provides common ground for building shared understanding, values and culture.

the GGSPS six core principles of good governance

There are six core principles that are as appropriate for the smallest school as the largest hospital trust or college and entail:

(1) focusing on the organisational purpose and on outcomes for users and citizens

(2) performing effectively in clearly defined functions and roles

(3) promoting values for the whole organisation and demonstrating the values of good governance through behaviour

(4) taking informed, transparent decisions and managing risks

(5) developing the capacity of the governing body to be effective

(6) engaging the public and making accountability real.

These principles provide a useful vehicle for promoting a shared understanding of governance arrangements - not only across the whole range of public services, including learning and skill organisations and agencies, but also with individual and corporate stakeholders and partners. They help to promote clarity, consistency, high standards and a demonstration of real public value.

Their application can support partnership and collaborative working, defining a focus on what there is in common, rather than what differentiates or separates.

Feedback from the FE sector indicates that some governing boards are finding the GGSPS helpful and are using it as a self-assessment framework against which to measure the board's performance.

Click here for information on good practice prompts.