Shalom from
As a voluntary sector community worker / researcher in an inner city borough
I can only comment that the issue of joined up policy is one which seems a
matter of urgent pragmatism rather than ideology.
In our information rapid, network society, (and that's the style most
community workers have operated in for years) the tragedy of bureaucrats,
with their petty departmental divisions continues to work itself out every
day. Any attempt to join up policy, practice and information sharing must be
welcome, though frankly I don't think the government, civil service or even
more local authorities have a clue how to do it. Meanwhile dislocated ,
disjointed policy and practice continues with perverse effects.
Some examples from experience:
Benefits regulations.. complex enough anyway... but the difficulties that
presents to a client (even if they are articulate in written English which
most aren't) at navigating between offices.. and confusions such as housing
benefit for East London being administered by a private firm in Cumbria lead
to delays of months and eventually evictions!
The A&E department of our local hospital regularly has waits of 8-12 hours
for minor injuries. And the information sharing or customer care is so bad
they don't even tell you there is another hospital only 5 miles away where
you can be treated for the same injury with a 10 minute wait!
Our local council has a head of research in the Chief Exec's department who
cannot even supply a list of the pieces of research commissioned by the
different departments of the local authority. As a result it falls to me as
a freelance / social entrepreneur to compile a listing and now a web page
which is a gateway to a wide range of local statistics.
In regeneration the SRBS, NDCS, EAZ's, HAZs and pathways all opperate as
independent partnerships with different funding regimes, overlapping
geographical boundaries and different required outputs. Impossible to
understand even for Council officers, let alone voluntary groups seeking
grants or Jo/Joan Public.
Greg Smith (Research Consultant)
Aston Charities Community Involvement Unit
Mayflower Centre
Vincent Street
London E16 1LZ UK
web site at http://www.astoncharities.org.uk/research/
tel (44) 020 7 474 2255 Email [log in to unmask]
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