Information Management Project (IMP)

Cumbria, Lancashire, Oldham & Wigan are participating in a national CLG Pilot that aims to ensure that by April 2008 every LSP can:

1. Have direct and automatic access to its own 200 performance indicators;
   
2. Can report on its 35 targets to the Government Office efficiently and in a common and structured format;
   
3. Each GO has ready access to this information.

North West Pilot: Background

The new performance management framework, as set out in the Local Government White Paper, reduces the number of indicators that local authorities will need to report on annually to 200. These indicators will be agreed through a process of negotiation across government over the next few months with the full set announced through the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2007.

The performance of each local authority will be monitored annually against a sub-set of 35 targets agreed as part of the Local Area Agreement. They will also be assessed against 18 mandatory DfES related targets.

Contextual data (nationally and locally collected area information) is a vital element of the LAA process both for local authorities and LSPs and for Government Offices as this will inform the target setting in relation to the 35 indicators. Local authorities will also want to share and benchmark a whole range of local data/indicators for their own purposes.  They may also set their own local targets.

Context

The Information Management programme (IMP)

The IMP is overseeing a number of work-streams related to the delivery of the technical infrastructure required to enable the delivery of the indicators within the new performance management framework.

These work-streams are: 

• Streamlined central reporting systems: Overseeing proposals for providing information against national indicator set to cover access, quality and security of data reported.
• Reduced central reporting burdens.
• Working towards a goal of reducing duplication in the supply of data to central government.

Improved reporting to residents: 

• Developing best practice on the reporting of performance management data to residents.

Making better use of local information:

• Supporting the development of systems and services that enable the presentation and analysis of information about the area, covering both performance and contextual data.

Improved data sharing between partners: 

• Enabling data sharing through guidance and legal aspects related to data sharing.

Development of voluntary performance indicators: 

• Providing a central resource of maintained contextual indicators.
• Improved data quality 
• Ensuring indicators delivered through the new performance management framework are to a common and fit for purpose standard. 

IT enablement:

• Encouraging the use of standards and participation in an agreed IT architecture. 

The NW Pilot

We wish to ensure that by April 2008 every LSP can have direct and automatic access to its own 200 performance indicators (including, where possible, a time series of past trends); that it can report on its 35 targets to the Government Office efficiently and in a common and structured format; and that each GO has ready access to this information. The options and business case will be explored in this pilot, for which a system will be set up in the North West as a test bed. This is the “must do” element of the pilot.

In parallel we wish to explore and pilot how more local and contextual data can be shared in the North West, including between LSP partners, the regional health observatory, and (possibly) citizens.

The different systems and working practices and relationships across authorities within the NW should provide the opportunity for a comprehensive 'case study' of how to implement the requirements of the Information Management Programme (IMP).

What will this pilot achieve?

In broad terms this pilot will have three very clear aims: 

1. To address the needs of the NW GO and authorities in respect of information exchange and management for the new LAA performance framework, and to improve the effectiveness of partnership working.
   
2. To scope, deliver, and test in the North-West an approach to the interchange of indicator information for the new performance management regime from April 2008, including the scope for automation, together with the technical and business process requirements that meet the wider IMP vision of seamless data sharing and delivery for contextual and citizen data.
   
3. To provide a set of materials that facilitates and enables the roll-out of a solution across the eight other English regions in a robust and scaleable manner. Material will include technical specifications/schemas etc, and supporting guidance and case study write ups.

The pilot will add particular value by clarifying a number of interlinked processes that need to be implemented in order for the wider IMP vision to be achieved, and by producing and testing the products down to the detailed level - for example production of metadata guidance, geographic referencing, application of disclosure control, data quality checking processes, and so on. 

For further information of the project, please contact Diane Roberts on 0161 952 4441.