Annual Self-Assessment 2022-23
Methodology- A Thematic Approach
To provide a clear structure and focus the self-assessment is designed around a thematic framework of key corporate and organisational themes, with performance under each of these themes assessed.
The 5 themes are:
SA1 - Strategy and performance.
SA2 - Resource planning and management.
SA3 - Leadership, governance and culture.
SA4 - Working with partners and customers.
SA5 - Well-being Objectives.
Each theme is supported by a set of sub-themes to supplement our understanding of how we are performing in each area.
SA1 – Strategy and performance
- SA1.1 Strategic, corporate and service planning.
- SA1.2 Corporate performance management.
SA2 – Resource planning and management
- SA2.1 Annual budget setting and monitoring.
- SA2.2 Medium term financial planning.
- SA2.3 Strategic asset management.
- SA2.4 Workforce planning.
- SA2.5 Procurement.
SA3 – Leadership, governance and culture
- SA3.1 Overview and scrutiny.
- SA3.2 Democratic participation.
- SA3.3 Audit and governance.
- SA3.4 Equalities.
- SA3.5 Welsh language.
SA4 – Working with partners and customers
- SA4.1 Partnership working.
- SA4.2 Consultation and engagement.
- SA4.3 Complaints and compliments
SA5 – Well-being Objectives
- SA5.1 Education.
- SA5.2 Social Care.
- SA5.3 Economy.
- SA5.4 Housing.
- SA5.5 Clean environment / climate change.
- SA5.6 Improvement and transformation.
Self-assessment is an evidence-based analysis, understanding what a range of quantitative and qualitative information at the Council’s disposal reveals about how it is exercising its functions, using its resources and governing itself. We have asked ourselves 3 key questions to assess performance under each sub-theme. These are:
- How well are we doing? (Assessing current performance using both qualitative and quantitative information)
- How do we know? (Providing appropriate evidence to demonstrate the above)
- What can we do better and how? (Identifying forward looking improvement actions)
The self-assessment draws on a range of internal and external sources, ensuring a broad evidence base to inform the actions the Council will take to increase the extent to which it is meeting the performance requirements in future. Below are a range of examples of the type of information we have drawn on as an evidence base:
- Service plan self-assessment sections.
- External regulatory reports.
- External service reviews.
- Corporate Performance Scorecard
- Scrutiny findings and recommendations.
- Citizen engagement and consultation exercises
- Annual Governance Statement.
- Budget monitoring reports.
- Other statutory reports e.g. Director of Social Services Annual Report.
A note on scoring criteria:
As last year, in order to provide a visible and transparent way of measuring where we are on our improvement journey through time, each sub-theme is scored using the system set out below, providing both a current and forward looking perspective.
It should be noted that the scoring by its nature is broadly indicative, taking as it does large, complex thematic or service areas and assessing a wide range of activity and evidence contained within each in an objective, balanced manner. While it is accepted this approach may lack some nuance in terms of picking up variance in performance within broad thematic or service areas, it nevertheless provides a useful touch point to understand how the organisation is currently performing in a broad sense within a particularly area at a given time. Similarly, it is important to note that the ‘improvement phase’ scoring should not be read with a positive or negative connotation, but rather simply the stage at where we think we are in terms of the improvement journey.
Score:
1- Excellent (current performance), Effective (improvement phase).
2- Good (current performance), Embedding (improvement phase).
3- Fair (current performance), Evolving (improvment phase).
4- Poor (current performance), Emerging (improvement phase).