Cabinet Office learning labs

Report: 11
Date: 10 October 2000
By: Clerk 

Summary

The PCA, CPS, and MPS, with the assistance and support of the Cabinet Office and Home Office, jointly plan to form a Learning Lab to:

• Review the process arising from public complaints against the police;
• Identify and make recommendations on how to provide better service delivery to complainants and police officers subject to complaints;
• Consult with customers in relation to those recommendations and implement those recommendations following consultation. This paper discusses possible involvement of members of the Professional Standards and Performance Monitoring Committee.

A. Supporting information

1. The driving force behind the Modernising Government White Paper was a determination to raise the quality and responsiveness of public services. It was recognised that, in order to achieve this, there needed to be changes of culture in the public service by freeing up and engaging front-line staff. ‘Learning Labs’ are part of that process. They have evolved from experience in the US. There the ‘re-invention laboratories’ form an important part of the public service reform programme. In the UK, as in the US, the lab concept is based on the premise that front-line staff are usually aware of the problems facing users, can identify the barriers to better service delivery and will have ideas to tackle them. However, all too often they are held back by red tape and bureaucracy.

2. Given the wide range of functions performed by public service organisations, learning labs, while sharing some key characteristics, will take many different forms and vary in scope and structure. Learning Labs are expected to be:

• Driven by front-line staff, supported by their parent and supporting organisations, to develop, implement and evaluate new ways of working;
• Able to benefit from increased operational flexibility as a result of ‘learning lab’ status;
• Subject to ongoing evaluation;
• Capable of identifying lessons for broader dissemination and wider learning; and
• Able to add value to existing work.

3. The Police Complaints Authority (PCA), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS), with the assistance and support of the Cabinet Office and Home Office, jointly plan to form a Learning Lab to:

• Review the process arising from public complaints against the police
• Identify and make recommendations on how to provide better service delivery to complainants and police officers subject to complaints.
• Consult with customers in relation to those recommendations and
• Implement those recommendations following consultation

4. Further details of the proposed Police Complaints Learning Lab are at Appendix 1.

B. Recommendations

1. That the Committee note the proposal for a Police Complaints Learning Lab.
2. That a member of the Professional Standards and Performance Monitoring (PSPM) Committee be nominated to the management steering board of the Police Complaints Learning Lab, together with a deputy.

C. Financial implications

These would be approved duties so non-Assembly members involved would be able to claim for expenses incurred.

D. Review arrangements

The Committee could review progress at quarterly intervals.

E. Background papers

The following is a statutory list of background papers (under the Local Government Act 1972 S.100 D) which disclose facts or matters on which the report is based and which have been relied on to a material extent in preparing this report. They are available on request to either the contact officer listed above or to the Clerk to the Police Authority at the address indicated on the agenda.

None.

F. Contact details

The author of this report is Alan Johnson.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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