Programmes and Support 2008/11

The EM IEP is driving forward service improvement, focussing on supporting local authorities to accelerate efficiency gains, to build capacity and to foster innovative and collaborative working. The following summary provides the headlines of how the EM IEP has been meeting the challenge of sector led support for improvement and innovation by achieving more through partnerships and collaboration.

Efficiency EM IEP is provided a broad range of support to help authorities to make efficiency savings through smarter procurement and transforming services by working in partnership and collaboratively with stakeholders. The efficiency programme has also provided a comparison of authorities' cost/performance to provide a tailored challenge testing the robust nature of their efficiency programmes and to facilitate the re-modelling and improvement of services.

Community and Neighbourhood Development Programme EM IEP supported LAs by working with partners and stakeholders to provide a targeted and information driven programme of free events, networks and use of Local Improvement Advisers. Through developing their skills and knowledge as community leaders at the neighbourhood/ward and corporate levels, this programme has helped elected members to be in a position to shape the emerging agenda rather than just respond to it.

Economic Growth Programme A practical programme was delivered covering the key themes of Skills/Worklessness and Supporting the Local Economy. The programme brings together authorities, business, voluntary sector and other agencies to facilitate the development of practical solutions by supplementing and providing additionality to other centrally funded programmes.

Performance Improvement for Councils in Difficulty The EM IEP programme included an element of funding that was ‘set aside' for Peer support from the region's councillors and officers for ‘councils in difficulty', where this need was identified by the EM IEP Board and partners in GOEM and IDeA. In addition regional and sub regional programmes have provided support to improve performance in areas identified as weaknesses through the CAA.

Adult Social Care Programme - all nine Directors of Adult Social Care are working together with the Department of Health East Midlands, the Strategic Health Authority and other key stakeholders to implement the regional Joint Improvement Plan (JIP) priorities. The JIP programme consisted of 27 improvement and efficiency projects.

Children & Young People's Programme - the Joint Regional Improvement and Efficiency Plan for Children & Young People's Services is enabling greater collaboration and focused activity, across the region, to enable all partners to make better use of existing resources in the achievement of agreed common regional service improvement and efficiency objectives.

Environmental Services Programme - has enabled LAs to deliver efficiencies and improvements across three work streams: Climate Change, Waste Management and Local Environmental Quality.

Sub Regional Partnerships' Programmes - The establishment and funding support for the five sub regional partnerships has enabled the development of shared services and two tier working collaboration to be accelerated within the five county areas of the East Midlands.

Fire & Rescue Improvement Programme - In working collaboratively, the Services have built capacity and created opportunities to improve service delivery.