What is it?
The Audit Commission website provides a wealth of information and data for local authorities and statutory services including audit commission reports, joint reviews, interactive tools and websites, public interest reports, district reports, national studies and best value data.

Who’s it for?
Mainly for staff in public organisations.

Where is it?
Audit Commission website homepage

What is it?
The site provides comprehensive guidance on how to create an Area Profile as well as a wide range of data at Local Authority level. The Area Profiles website provides guidance on how to create a profile of a local area, how to produce a profile that focuses on a particular group of people, contextual and performance data about the quality of life and services in a local area, residents’ and service users’ views on the quality of life and local services; and inspectorate judgements about local services.

Who’s it for?
Local public service providers (to identify where improvement is most needed locally), Government officers and regulators (to concentrate strategically on those areas most in need of support).

How do you use it?
The site takes the user through how to put together an area profile from scratch, providing step-by-step guidance, advice, templates and links to local statistics.

Where is it?
Click here to access Audit Commission Area Profiles

Where is it?
The homepage of the DCSF website has a link to the DCSF Research and Statistics Gateway

There is also more data and tools on the Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young Peoples Services

What is it?
Part of the DCSF website devoted to statistical data.

It holds statistics which can be searched by Keywords, Subject category, and reference numbers.

The first level of subject categories is:

- Education and Skills

- Employment, jobs and careers

- Health, well-being and care

- Science, technology and innovation

- Public administration

It also has links to DIUS (Department for Innovation Universities .

Where is it?
Access to the Data interchange Hub is hosted on the info4local website. You may need to register to get access. Details on how to do this can be found on the Hub sign in page.

A guide to the Data Interchange Hub can be found on CLGs website.

What is it?
The most useful aspect of the Data Interchange Hub to most people will be the website managed by CLG to keep all the data on national indicators in one place.

A one-stop data repository providing secure, centralised data storage and interchange, the Hub is designed to support the collating and monitoring of national indicators and published targets, including local area agreement priorities. The Hub is a means of collating and sharing National Indicator information. It is not designed as a window for the general viewing of the NI information or as an analytical tool. For viewing and analysing the NI information users can either use Floor Targets Interactive (see link below) or utilise local information systems.

Who’s it for?
The Hub is for members of staff in local and central government who are involved in providing data, e.g.
- performzance managers/research and intelligence managers in a local authority or local strategic partnership
- performance managers or locality managers in a Government Office
- officers in a government department with a responsibility or interest in performance indicators
- inspectorate bodies such as the Audit Commission
- .. and others

How do you use it?
The majority of the national indicators are directly transferred into the data interchange hub by government departments and for these indicators, no additional collection, calculation or reporting of data will be required by local authorities. A small number of indicators will be entered directly into the hub by local authorities. The Hub will be hosted on the info4local internet. All users wanting to access the Hub will need to be registered and assigned a role. The role, along with the type of organisation and the type and status of the data will control what data they are authorised to access. Data can be shared using the web service facility.

Where is it?
DWP statistics are held on the DWP website
You can find it through the navigation under the Resource Centre -> Research analysis and statistics -> Statistics

What is it?
Part of the Department for Work and Pensions website devoted to statistical data. 

It holds statistics in an A-Z and by the following themes:

 

- Disabled and Carers

- Families and Children

- Pensioners

- Working age

- Other statistics

- Statistical summaries

- Family Resources Survey

 

It also has links to other major statistical sources such as Neighbourhood Statistics (see and NOMIS (see NOMIS)

What is it?
A website that allows users to find and analyse data which is used to measure the performance of different places with respect to key government targets. It allows the users to interact with maps and data, produce area profiles and view national targets. Data is available at national, regional and local level.

Who’s it for?
The site is intended to service both users in government and academia and the wider public audience.

How do you use it?
The site enables the user to access data in a variety of ways. It enables the user to create area profiles, to create national target reports, to access regional and sub-regional change. It takes the user step-by-step through the process of accessing and analysing data and has a useful online tutorial to guide the user through a number of real world scenarios.

Where is it?
Click here to access the Floor Targets Interactive website

What is it?
The Interactive Population Tool is an dynamic Excel spreadsheet that allows users to view estimates of population figures from Mid 2007. It is based on figures on ONS site.

The tool includes the data tables with the numerical information and several charts and graphs that further analyse the data.

The tool allows you to see population broken down by Local Authority, age and ethnic groupings.

Who’s it for?
Anyone with an interest in Local Authority population figures

How do you use it?
Select the relevant Local Authority and the page updates itself with that areas statistics.

Where is it?
South West Observatory website

What is it?
iQuanta is an internet-based analysis tool developed and maintained by the Home Office Performance Strategy Directorate. It turns crime based statistical data routinely collected by the Home Office into useful information for understanding and improving crime reduction and community safety performance. It was launched in 2003.

Who’s it for?
It is only available to nominated individuals in Home Office departments.  For a full list see the Home Office iQuanta webpage

Where is it?
Available to only nominated individuals. For more information visit the Home Office iQuanta webpage

What is it?
It is an Excel interactive tool that allows users to view national indicator (NI) performance of any English unitary or upper tier local authority. Performance is shown alongside LAA targets, both as trajectories for a particular place and across a region or nationality. It also includes a performance summary across all the NIs for each Local Strategic Partnership, with direction of travel.

Who’s it for?
Anyone with an interest in LAA targets and local area performance.

Where is it?
The LAA Target Analysis Tool is available at the following link: http://www.go-london.gov.uk/Tools/LAATargetAnalysisTool.xls

What is it?
This tool has been developed by DCSF to gather local authority performance data against key early years and educational outcomes.

Who’s it for?
GO staff.

Where is it?
Analytical and performance teams and / or thematic leads within the GO will be the main point of contact for accessing and using this system.

What is it?
A service provided by the Office for National Statistics providing access to the most detailed and up-to-date UK labour market statistics from official sources (from national level to lower super output level). It provides access to labour market and related population data for local areas from a variety of sources including the Labour Force Survey (LFS), claimant count, Annual Business Inquiry (ABI), New Earnings Survey (NES), and the 1991 and 1981 Censuses of Population, plus data from official government sources (mostly National Statistics). The latest published figures and time series data, in some cases back to the 1970s.

Who’s it for?
Central and local government, academia and the wider public audience.

How do you use it?
Nomis offers two main ways to access data: labour market profiles and detailed statistics. Labour market profiles provide summary data from a range of sources for a single area; the detailed statistics options give you access to the full range of data allowing you to query a single data source in greater depth and for multiple areas.

A good starting point is the local authority profile, which provides an overview of the main data sources along with background information in the “definitions and explanations” included at the end of the profile. You can get time series from the local authority profile using the link at the top of each table.

To download detailed statistics you can choose between the wizardor advanced query options. Both give you access to the same range of data – the advanced query offers a greater range of facilities but with less guidance.

Where is it?
Click here to access NOMIS web

What is it?
It is the UK Statistics Authority gateway to the latest National Statistics. You can also access neighbourhood statistics which provides statistics for different geographical areas (regions, local authorities, neighbourhoods) to inform policy and decision making. The Neighbourhood Statistics site has a link to the Neighbourhood Statistics analysis toolkit. This underpins the Renewal.net Evidence Toolkit, particularly in terms of analysing evidence by thinking about reliability, comparability and cause and effect.

Who’s it for?
Practitioners in central and local government, community and voluntary organisations, academics and the wider public audience

How do you use it?
National data can be sourced through clicking on any of the tabs to the left hand side of the home page, where you can access a ‘UK snapshot’ on topics such as the economy, environment, society, population, labour market or health. The ‘neighbourhood’ tab takes the user to the neighbourhood statistics page. The user is asked to select a specific geography (or set of geographies) from a range of options (e.g. local authority, ward, super output level) before being presented with a list of topics from which multiple data can be chosen. Data can be downloaded into Excel format.

The Neighbourhood Statistics Analysis Toolkit consists of a series of worked examples aimed at assisting and guiding users wishing to analyse local data. Sections published so far include:

- Finding statistics to help build the evidence base

- Creating common statistics

- How to find out if an area has changed over time

- How to find out the characteristics of an area

Further sections on making comparisons between areas and evaluating significant change over time are in development.

Where is it?
Click here to access the ONS website

Click here to access the Neighbourhood Statistics website

What is it?
It is an interactive tool designed by Communities and local Government (CLG) to support the analysis of published National Indicator Set (NIS) data. It enables ongoing and consistent monitoring of trends and performance against the NIS in different places and is especially useful for assessing performance against those indicators that have been targeted by each Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) in their Local Area Agreement (LAA).

Who’s it for?
Anyone with an interest in LAA targets and local area performance.

Where is it?
The Places Analysis Tool resides on the internet site for the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG).

What is it?
It is a new GO intranet-based tool which summarises the key facts and issues in local authority areas.  It is not a briefing tool in itself but provides a starting point for understanding a place with links to further information and intelligence.  It contains soft summary information about a place with core information on: MPs and constituencies, economy and jobs, children and learners, transport, social exclusion, equalities and the third sector, health and social care, housing, growth and planning, crime, justice and drugs, environment and climate change and other issues relevant to that place.  Key summary facts are also included to provide greater context and to ensure a more rounded picture of each place is presented.

Who’s it for?
Area Directors (to keep track of key issues), new starters (simple introduction to places), anyone briefing on a locality (as the starting point for what the issues are and who knows more), business planners (as core information for locality reports on OPMS), Number 10 briefings (as a longer term replacement for Fact Files)

How do you use it?
It will enable anyone to access an up-to-date summary about a place on the intranet (although the long term plan is to have it on the internet in place of Fact Files).  Overall responsibility for managing each PCI will be with the area team, with specific contributions from others (ie. analytical and ministerial teams) to ensure that each PCI is relevant, accurate and up-to-date.  Area teams will commission the updating of each PCI on a quarterly basis.  Further information on the process is provided on the GOEM intranet.

The intention is not to duplicate other sources of information such as the Data Interchange Hub and OPMS. It provides the soft intelligence that complements hard data and performance assessments. Work is underway to establish whether or not the systems can be made interoperable so that data and intelligence can be shared automatically between these and other systems.

Where is it?
The PCI is currently being trialled in GOEM. Drafts will shortly be available on the GOEM intranet

It can also be accessed via the Fact Files section

The PCI is currently being trialled in GOEM.  GO staff can see how it is developing by looking on the GOEM intranet.  The longer term plan is for GOs to have PCIs for all unitary and two-tier areas that will be available on the internet.

You can view the latest PCI for Lincolnshire in Q3 of the Analysis section

What is it?
The Places Community was formed in September 2008 to bring together several analytical windows and data stores (eg. the hub, Places DB) to provide a one-stop-shop for visitors to assess the data service they are looking for.  

The Community brings together existing data stores and is a shared resource for CLG and its external partners/ stakeholders to improve delivery of evidence-based policy and decision making. The Community's main aim is to enable a shared understanding of the 'facts' and so provide stronger and more effective collaboration and partnership working on policies and programmes at local, regional and national levels. 

The Places community provides a range of analytical windows and data stores through which you can view and analyse data including the Data Interchange Hub (Hub), Floor Targets Interactive (FTI), State of the Cities (SOCD), Green Spaces, the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), Community Maps and the Geography Publishing Service.

Who’s it for?
The Places Community is for anyone involved in Local and Central Government that has an interest in data and mapping services. 

How do you use it?
The Places Community is a web page where visitors can decide which data service is most relevant to their needs and then link to the relevant web sites.

The Places Community interactive forum will launch on www.esd.org.uk in December 2008.

Where is it?
Places Community is at www.communities.gov.uk/placescommunity

What is it?
The places database is an application that allows you to find a broad range of statistical data and information at several geographic levels across England (e.g. Cities, City Regions, Town Centres, Local Authorities and Regions).

At it’s simplest you can type in a place (such as Headingley) and get a report on the following themes:

- Demographics - population / religion / age / ethnicity

- Education and employment

- Housing


Who’s it for?
Anyone looking to get an overview on a place on the stated themes.



Where is it?
The Places database resides on the internet site for the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG).

What is it?
The Place Survey is a tool available to councils and their partners to help them to understand the views of local people. It will supply the data by which nineteen national indicators will be measured, replacing the Best Value User Satisfaction Survey. The national indicators will measure how well the Government’s priorities, as set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review, are being delivered by local government and local government partnerships over the next three years.

Who’s it for?
Local Authorities and their partners, local service providers.

How do you use it?
The Place Survey manual provides step-by-step guidance of how local authorities should meet the eight common standards for the Place Survey, which includes adhering to the timetable, using the questionnaire template, using the sampling method and the sampling frame, using the designated methods of data collection, maximising the response rate, adhering to the statistical reliability and submitting the results.

Where is it?
It can be accessed by clicking here: Place Survey

What is it?
Regional Observatories have been established in the English regions to enable access to key regional data and intelligence on a range of economic, social and environmental issues.

Who’s it for?
The work of Regional Observatories is used directly by those working in research, policy, forecasting, planning and strategy in the public and private sectors.

How do you use it?
The Regional Observatories aim to enable evidence-based policy and improved decision making.

Where is it?
Regional Observatories can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
Regional strategies on policy areas e.g. housing, economy, environment, health and housing are accessible through the relevant regional assembly website and provide information such as current conditions, policy and planning and future targets.

Who’s it for?
All internet users

Where is it?
Regional Strategies are available through the relevant regional assembly website:
North West
North East
Yorkshire & Humber
West Midlands
East Midlands
South East
South West
East of England
London

What is it?
State of the Cities is a tool which allows the generation of reports about Cities, City Regions, Town Centres and Retail Cores. The information in these reports comes from a broad range of themes and subjects.

Who’s it for?
Accessible to all internet users

How do you use it?
Reports can be downloaded or printed directly from this site, and the raw data which underpins the reports can be obtained in a Microsoft Excel file for further analysis.

Where is it?
This tool can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
A traffic light or Red-Amber-Green (RAG) rating is another straightforward way of visualising performance against a set of agreed outcomes or targets. The RAG rating can be made more sophisticated by adding in further gradations, usually Amber-Red and Amber-Green. This makes it easier to avoid the temptation to put lots of things down as Amber and requires some thinking around whether performance is “amber but improving” or “on the good side of Amber” (Amber-Green) or “amber but not improving” or “on the weak side of Amber” (Amber-Red).

How do you use it?
The RAG rating is used to assess performance on an LAA indicator against the four elements of successful delivery set out in this Handbook. Clear criteria are set out to explain what qualifies as green, amber and red performance.
Bringing the different RAG ratings together into one scorecard means you can provide a rounded picture of performance.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Performance section provides more information on traffic light systems.

Where is it?
Transport Statistics are on the Department for Transport website

What is it?
Part of the Department of Transport website devoted to statistical data.  It holds Transport statistics by the following themes:

- Transport Statistics Great Britain (TSGB)

- Transport Trends

- Accidents and casualties

- Attitudes towards transport

- Aviation

- Energy and the Environment

- Freight

- International comparisons

- Local Transport Plans

- Maritime

- Modal comparisons

- Personal travel (National Travel Survey)

- Public transport

- Railways

- Regional Data

- Roads and Traffic

- Vehicles

What is it?
A balanced scorecard is a performance management tool that can be used to rate and capture performance against a number of success criteria or performance indicators. It was initially devised for the corporate management teams of private organisations to monitor financial progress. It now used in the public sector more generically as a term for a "progress report".

Where is it?
LAA Balanced Scorecard for Bristol City Council provides an example of how these can be used.

What is it?
It is a data-source and analytical tool that holds key education based statistical data on UK regions, LA's and schools.  It has a number of preset dashboards, charts and tables for ease of use, but will also allow you to perform your own analysis.  This tool has been developed by DCSF to help assess the performance of local authorities against key national educational priorities.

Who’s it for?
Restricted GO staff / LA staff / LSP staff.

Where is it?
It is on DCSF internet site, but due to the potentially sensitive nature of the data in the system, you need to have a username and password to get access.  This is administered by the DCSF Local Implementation and Children's Services IT Unit.  If you do not work for a GO or LA Children and Learners team then you need to be sponsored by one.  For more details please use the DCSF Local Area Interactive Tool submission page.

What is it?
Using computer software to have recorded discussions with colleagues without the need to have a physical meeting.
Your own organisation should have its own internal discussion forums.  They are usually located on your intranet. NB Internal discussion forums should be used where information on them could be of a sensitive nature.
If the information you want to discuss is to be shared with local partnerships then the Local Government Association (LGA) has developed a site under the name of IDeA which is devoted particularly to developing “Communities of Practice”.   Discussion forums range from ‘Sustainable communities’ to ‘performance management’ and ‘measurement and use of information’.  The IDeA site also allows users to set up wikis, blogs, news feeds and libraries.

Where is it?
For internal discussion forums have a word with your intranet managers or IT team.
For discussion forums in the public domain please use the forums on IDeA’s Communities of Practice website.  New users need to register first to see the content, but you can use the “Communities” list to see a full list of descriptions of all the communities currently in existence.

Who’s it for?
The IDeA site is primarily targeted at Local Authority staff, however the administrators let most staff from partnerships and government departments gain access.

How do you use it?
For internal organisation forums, each forum will have its own style and method of working so please talk with your local administrator for more information.
There are full instructions on using the IDeA Communities of Practice on the site.

What is it?
A series of five questions which embodies the GO ‘challenge role’ in terms of constructively challenging whether and how local authorities and their partners have put in place a robust Delivery Plan underpinned by a rigorous approach to planning

Who’s it for?
GO staff to support LAAs

How do you use it?
For use if you are acting as a critical friend and helping an LAA in their development or more formally assessing a delivery plan to check that it is fit for purpose.

Where is it?
Click here to access the GO Assessment template.

What is it?
Provides the latest knowledge and good practice in local government under the categories of ‘improving your council’, ‘leadership’, ‘workforce improvement’, ‘partnership working’ and ‘people and communities’

Who’s it for?
All internet users

How do you use it?
Easy to use search function for local authorities in England and Wales

Where is it?
This site can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
The Interactive Population Tool is an dynamic Excel spreadsheet that allows users to view estimates of population figures from Mid 2007. It is based on figures on ONS site.

The tool includes the data tables with the numerical information and several charts and graphs that further analyse the data.

The tool allows you to see population broken down by Local Authority, age and ethnic groupings.

Who’s it for?
Anyone with an interest in Local Authority population figures

How do you use it?
Select the relevant Local Authority and the page updates itself with that areas statistics.

Where is it?
South West Observatory website

What is it?
The GO Network has developed the LAA Progress Assurance Report guidance to test partnership delivery arrangements and capacity. It provides a series of ‘Questions to consider’, examples of good performance and examples of where improvement is required.

Who’s it for?
GO locality managers may find it particularly useful to use at mid-year and annual reviews.

How do you use it?
The guidance should be used as a flexible guide to reviewing a partnership’s capacity and delivery arrangements in relation to its LAA targets.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Delivery section provides more information on the LAA Progress Assurance Report

What is it?
It is an Excel interactive tool that allows users to view national indicator (NI) performance of any English unitary or upper tier local authority. Performance is shown alongside LAA targets, both as trajectories for a particular place and across a region or nationality. It also includes a performance summary across all the NIs for each Local Strategic Partnership, with direction of travel.

Who’s it for?
Anyone with an interest in LAA targets and local area performance.

Where is it?
The LAA Target Analysis Tool is available at the following link: http://www.go-london.gov.uk/Tools/LAATargetAnalysisTool.xls

What is it?
This tool has been developed by DCSF to gather local authority performance data against key early years and educational outcomes.

Who’s it for?
GO staff.

Where is it?
Analytical and performance teams and / or thematic leads within the GO will be the main point of contact for accessing and using this system.

What is it?
The Government Social Research Unit has prepared this set of guidance notes on policy evaluation and analysis to help 'intelligent customers' and 'intelligent providers' determine what constitutes high quality work in the field on policy evaluation and analysis.
These guidance notes complement HM Treasury's Guide to Economic Appraisal, which is more commonly known as The Green Book, and other sources of guidance from within government.

Wh’so it for?
Central and local government

How do you use it?
The notes contain hyperlinks to chapters of the guidance which include: what is policy evaluation, harnessing existing research, statistical concepts and analysis, what is sampling, data collection and survey design, social experiments for evaluating government policies and programmes and qualitative methods of evaluation.

Where is it?
The site can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?

The OPMS is the internal business and resource planning and performance system. Through OPMS we can plan, manage and report on performance our corporate objectives across the network. OPMS also enables quarterly reporting across the GO Network against sponsor departments’ PSA and other key performance indicators.

Where is it?
Click here to access the OPMS

What is it?
A tool for analysing the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal and Organisational factors and trends which can affect delivery in a place.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Delivery section provides more information on PESTELO

What is it?
It is an interactive tool designed by Communities and local Government (CLG) to support the analysis of published National Indicator Set (NIS) data. It enables ongoing and consistent monitoring of trends and performance against the NIS in different places and is especially useful for assessing performance against those indicators that have been targeted by each Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) in their Local Area Agreement (LAA).

Who’s it for?
Anyone with an interest in LAA targets and local area performance.

Where is it?
The Places Analysis Tool resides on the internet site for the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG).

What is it?
Prince 2 is a widely known project management methodology, which is often used within the civil service. It provides a set of tools for the practical aspects of project management – such as risk identification, timetables and budget management.

Who’s it for?
Civil servants who work to this project management methodology

How do you use it?
PRINCE2 should be used as a framework providing a set of adaptable tools for managing specific and finite projects with measurable outcomes and products.

Where is it?
The best starting point for advice on PRINCE2 is the dedicated Office of Government Commerce resource:

http://www.ogc.gov.uk/methods_prince_2.asp

What is it?
A problem-solving tool, popular in the policing and community safety sector, for identifying and bottoming out problems and planning solutions using a Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment methodology.

Its four stages are:

Scanning – spotting problems using knowledge, basic data and electronic maps

Analysis – using hunches and information technology to dig deeper into problems’ characteristics and underlying causes

Response – devising a solution, working with the community, wherever possible

Assessment – looking back to see if the solution worked and what lessons can be learned.

Where is it?
Click here for an introduction to SARA on the Home Office crime reduction website

What is it?
It is a commonly used tool for analysing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organisation or place. It is a useful tool to assist understanding and decision-making for all sorts of situations. The headings provide a good basis for reviewing strategy, positions and direction for an area or a particular intervention. Carrying out a SWOT analysis is simple and works particularly well when conducted in a group situation.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Delivery section provides more information on SWOT analysis

What is it?
A traffic light or Red-Amber-Green (RAG) rating is another straightforward way of visualising performance against a set of agreed outcomes or targets. The RAG rating can be made more sophisticated by adding in further gradations, usually Amber-Red and Amber-Green. This makes it easier to avoid the temptation to put lots of things down as Amber and requires some thinking around whether performance is “amber but improving” or “on the good side of Amber” (Amber-Green) or “amber but not improving” or “on the weak side of Amber” (Amber-Red).

How do you use it?
The RAG rating is used to assess performance on an LAA indicator against the four elements of successful delivery set out in this Handbook. Clear criteria are set out to explain what qualifies as green, amber and red performance.
Bringing the different RAG ratings together into one scorecard means you can provide a rounded picture of performance.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Performance section provides more information on traffic light systems.

What is it?
”Turning the Curve” is a simple methodology devised by Mark Friedman to help organisations (especially public organisations) to achieve positive results and outcomes in programmes and projects they manage.

It has been used by several government departments such as DCSF and the Home Office who have case studies on where this approach was used and how it changed the outcome of their projects.

Who’s it for?
It can be used by anyone working on project where the outcome is to improve a service or enrich the lives of the beneficiaries.

It can be used by all senior strategic managers and project workers in all areas of public work. It is of help to professionals and practitioners and those interested in evaluating and monitoring impact and outcomes

How do you use it?
The toolkit includes guidance, templates and case studies. It has been designed so that it can be used in a flexible way by different partners. It takes the user through the key aspects of collecting data, to carrying out the Turning the Curve exercise. The tools, resources and templates have generic application but it is made explicit that it must be used with sensitivity to local needs.

Where is it?
Mark Friedman the author of the Turning the Curve methodology has two websites that include many guides and tools to help you implement this way of thinking into your work:

- Mark Friedman’s The Results-Based Accountability Implementation Guide
- Results-Based Accountability (RBA) / Outcome-Based Accountability (OBA) website

See Also on this site
- Question 2 on Core Tools in the Planning section Turning the curve “2 minute briefing”
- Question 8 on pitfalls in the Planning section a brief one-page presentation on Mark Friedman’s definitions of outcomes, indicators and performance measures

Where is it?
Home Office Crime Reduction website

What is it?
A website guide that gives a framework aimed to reduce re-offending by ensuring that all probation work is based on evidence of success.

Who is it for?
Primarily staff involved in crime reduction projects. However the methodology for undertaking these projects is very similar to the Delivery Cycle and other frameworks for success that others could use it and apply it to their work.

What is it?
The paper that looks at the practical experience of local authorities of using performance indicators to improve services. It addresses the difficulties that have been encountered and describes the solutions that authorities have developed. The paper discussed how authorities can make fuller use of the information they have.

The paper includes useful information, guides, case studies written to help local authorities and other public bodies improve the services they provide.

Who’s it for?
The paper is aimed at local authorities that would like to improve their use of performance information and to start acting on facts. However, the content can be useful by anybody who is in the delivery chain.

Where is it?
The Acting on Facts report can be accessed on the Audit Commissions website. It sits in the Reports and Publications section which also holds some very useful resources.

What is it?
The primary role of the Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) is to monitor the implementation of policies and assess their effectiveness. They draw on key national, regional and local datasets to monitor policies set out in Regional Planning Guidance. AMRs are carried out by each English region on a yearly basis.

Who’s it for?
All internet users

How do you use it?
Provides information on English regions on a range of thematic areas

Where is it?
AMRs are available through the relevant regional assembly website:

- North West

- North East

- Yorkshire & Humber

- West Midlands

- East Midlands

- South East

- South West

- East of England

- London

What is it?
The Audit Commission website provides a wealth of information and data for local authorities and statutory services including audit commission reports, joint reviews, interactive tools and websites, public interest reports, district reports, national studies and best value data.

Who’s it for?
Mainly for staff in public organisations.

Where is it?
Audit Commission website homepage

What is it?
The site provides comprehensive guidance on how to create an Area Profile as well as a wide range of data at Local Authority level. The Area Profiles website provides guidance on how to create a profile of a local area, how to produce a profile that focuses on a particular group of people, contextual and performance data about the quality of life and services in a local area, residents’ and service users’ views on the quality of life and local services; and inspectorate judgements about local services.

Who’s it for?
Local public service providers - to identify where improvement is most needed locally, Government officers and regulators (to concentrate strategically on those areas most in need of support).

How do you use it?
The site takes the user through how to put together an area profile from scratch, providing step-by-step guidance, advice, templates and links to local statistics.

Where is it?
Click here to access Audit Commission Area Profiles

What is it?
A balanced scorecard is a performance management tool that can be used to rate and capture performance against a number of success criteria or performance indicators. It was initially devised for the corporate management teams of private organisations to monitor financial progress. It now used in the public sector more generically as a term for a "progress report".

Where is it?
LAA Balanced Scorecard for Bristol City Council provides an example of how these can be used.

Where is it?
Access to the Data interchange Hub is hosted on the info4local website. You may need to register to get access. Details on how to do this can be found on the Hub sign in page.

A guide to the Data Interchange Hub can be found on CLGs website.

What is it?
The most useful aspect of the Data Interchange Hub to most people will be the website managed by CLG to keep all the data on national indicators in one place.

A one-stop data repository providing secure, centralised data storage and interchange, the Hub is designed to support the collating and monitoring of national indicators and published targets, including local area agreement priorities. The Hub is a means of collating and sharing National Indicator information. It is not designed as a window for the general viewing of the NI information or as an analytical tool. For viewing and analysing the NI information users can either use Floor Targets Interactive (see link below) or utilise local information systems.

Who’s it for?
The Hub is for members of staff in local and central government who are involved in providing data, e.g.
- performzance managers/research and intelligence managers in a local authority or local strategic partnership
- performance managers or locality managers in a Government Office
- officers in a government department with a responsibility or interest in performance indicators
- inspectorate bodies such as the Audit Commission
- .. and others

How do you use it?
The majority of the national indicators are directly transferred into the data interchange hub by government departments and for these indicators, no additional collection, calculation or reporting of data will be required by local authorities. A small number of indicators will be entered directly into the hub by local authorities. The Hub will be hosted on the info4local internet. All users wanting to access the Hub will need to be registered and assigned a role. The role, along with the type of organisation and the type and status of the data will control what data they are authorised to access. Data can be shared using the web service facility.

What is it?
A 60+ page guide on using evidence to plan a delivery programme or implement a policy or strategy. It includes information on:

 

- How to use numbers and opinion as evidence
- How to use rudimentary statistical analysis techniques
- More complex analysis techniques
- How to turn data into evidence
- How to analyse performance
- How to evaluate your project
- Case studies of good and bad practice
- Links to signpost to further resources

The guide seeks to help build core knowledge in using evidence, for example, in:

- considering forms of evidence and weighing up their validity, relevance and limitations
- understanding and interpreting commonly used methods for analysing data
- applying evidence in strategic activities such as setting targets and reviewing trends and trajectories

- The guide is structured to enable you to dip in and out as necessary as you seek answers to analytical questions you might have.

Who’s it for?
It was developed in 2006 by contractors to CLG as part of the Supporting Evidence for Local Delivery (SELD) programme.

Who is it for?

Anyone looking to use evidence in providing better outcomes and those who want an introduction to analysis.

This guide is intended as an introduction to issues, techniques and solutions relevant for partners who wish to make better use of evidence in what they do, especially in a Local Area Agreement context.

While it is aimed at practitioners who are relatively unfamiliar with data analysis and research techniques, more experienced users will also find ideas, examples and signposts of value to their work.

Where is it?
The Evidence for Better Outcomes guide will be published shortly on the IDeA website. In the meantime, several excerpts of the guide have been extracted and used in the analysis section of the Places Handbook. Once it is published we will link to the full version.

What is it?
Provides the latest knowledge and good practice in local government under the categories of ‘improving your council’, ‘leadership’, ‘workforce improvement’, ‘partnership working’ and ‘people and communities’

Who’s it for?
All internet users

How do you use it?
Easy to use search function for local authorities in England and Wales

Where is it?
This site can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
The GO Network has developed the LAA Progress Assurance Report guidance to test partnership delivery arrangements and capacity. It provides a series of ‘Questions to consider’, examples of good performance and examples of where improvement is required.

Who’s it for?
GO locality managers may find it particularly useful to use at mid-year and annual reviews.

How do you use it?
The guidance should be used as a flexible guide to reviewing a partnership’s capacity and delivery arrangements in relation to its LAA targets.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Delivery section provides more information on the LAA Progress Assurance Report

Where is it?
A section on Local Area Agreements is on the CLG website.

What is it?
A section on the department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) website. 
The website has publications on the roles and responsibilities of various partners in the LAA process cycle.  It gives information on National Indicators, negotiating Local Area Agreements, updates on the LAA process and more.

Who is it for?
Anyone in the public sector working in the field of LAAs

What is it?
The IDeA website provides key information on each English local authority which includes  contact details, economic and demographic data, budgetary information and a contextual summary for each local authority. There is also a link to each local authority’s website through an A-Z search tool.

Who’s it for?
All internet users

Where is it?
The IDeA website can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
It is the UK Statistics Authority gateway to the latest National Statistics. You can also access neighbourhood statistics which provides statistics for different geographical areas (regions, local authorities, neighbourhoods) to inform policy and decision making. The Neighbourhood Statistics site has a link to the Neighbourhood Statistics analysis toolkit. This underpins the Renewal.net Evidence Toolkit, particularly in terms of analysing evidence by thinking about reliability, comparability and cause and effect.

Who’s it for?
Practitioners in central and local government, community and voluntary organisations, academics and the wider public audience

How do you use it?
National data can be sourced through clicking on any of the tabs to the left hand side of the home page, where you can access a ‘UK snapshot’ on topics such as the economy, environment, society, population, labour market or health. The ‘neighbourhood’ tab takes the user to the neighbourhood statistics page. The user is asked to select a specific geography (or set of geographies) from a range of options (e.g. local authority, ward, super output level) before being presented with a list of topics from which multiple data can be chosen. Data can be downloaded into Excel format.

The Neighbourhood Statistics Analysis Toolkit consists of a series of worked examples aimed at assisting and guiding users wishing to analyse local data. Sections published so far include:

- Finding statistics to help build the evidence base

- Creating common statistics

- How to find out if an area has changed over time

- How to find out the characteristics of an area

Further sections on making comparisons between areas and evaluating significant change over time are in development.

Where is it?
Click here to access the ONS website

Click here to access the Neighbourhood Statistics website

What is it?

The OPMS is the internal business and resource planning and performance system. Through OPMS we can plan, manage and report on performance our corporate objectives across the network. OPMS also enables quarterly reporting across the GO Network against sponsor departments’ PSA and other key performance indicators.

Where is it?
Click here to access the OPMS

What is it?
Provides case study material around delivery for each of the LAA indicators and enables users to add their own good practice to it.

Who’s it for?
All internet users

How do you use it?
Easy to use library where users can browse by theme, PI or key words.

Where is it?
This is hosted on the IDeA website, and can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
The PMMI Resource Pack is a library of checklists, guidance notes and case studies on performance management. It has been developed jointly by the Audit Commission, the IDeA.

Who’s it for?
The Pack is aimed primarily as local authority service managers, and also contains information for elected members. You can use many of the resources it contains with practitioners.

How do you use it?
The Pack is available online. You can also join the performance management ‘Community of Practice’ through the site.

Where is it?
You can access the Pack by clicking here.

What is it?
It is a new GO intranet-based tool which summarises the key facts and issues in local authority areas.  It is not a briefing tool in itself but provides a starting point for understanding a place with links to further information and intelligence.  It contains soft summary information about a place with core information on: MPs and constituencies, economy and jobs, children and learners, transport, social exclusion, equalities and the third sector, health and social care, housing, growth and planning, crime, justice and drugs, environment and climate change and other issues relevant to that place.  Key summary facts are also included to provide greater context and to ensure a more rounded picture of each place is presented.

Who’s it for?
Area Directors (to keep track of key issues), new starters (simple introduction to places), anyone briefing on a locality (as the starting point for what the issues are and who knows more), business planners (as core information for locality reports on OPMS), Number 10 briefings (as a longer term replacement for Fact Files)

How do you use it?
It will enable anyone to access an up-to-date summary about a place on the intranet (although the long term plan is to have it on the internet in place of Fact Files).  Overall responsibility for managing each PCI will be with the area team, with specific contributions from others (ie. analytical and ministerial teams) to ensure that each PCI is relevant, accurate and up-to-date.  Area teams will commission the updating of each PCI on a quarterly basis.  Further information on the process is provided on the GOEM intranet.

The intention is not to duplicate other sources of information such as the Data Interchange Hub and OPMS. It provides the soft intelligence that complements hard data and performance assessments. Work is underway to establish whether or not the systems can be made interoperable so that data and intelligence can be shared automatically between these and other systems.

Where is it?
The PCI is currently being trialled in GOEM. Drafts will shortly be available on the GOEM intranet

It can also be accessed via the Fact Files section

The PCI is currently being trialled in GOEM.  GO staff can see how it is developing by looking on the GOEM intranet.  The longer term plan is for GOs to have PCIs for all unitary and two-tier areas that will be available on the internet.

You can view the latest PCI for Lincolnshire in Q3 of the Analysis section

What is it?
The places database is an application that allows you to find a broad range of statistical data and information at several geographic levels across England (e.g. Cities, City Regions, Town Centres, Local Authorities and Regions).

At it’s simplest you can type in a place (such as Headingley) and get a report on the following themes:

- Demographics - population / religion / age / ethnicity

- Education and employment

- Housing



Who’s it for?
Anyone looking to get an overview on a place on the stated themes.


Where is it?
The Places database resides on the internet site for the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG).

What is it?
The Place Survey is a tool available to councils and their partners to help them to understand the views of local people. It will supply the data by which nineteen national indicators will be measured, replacing the Best Value User Satisfaction Survey. The national indicators will measure how well the Government’s priorities, as set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review, are being delivered by local government and local government partnerships over the next three years.

Who’s it for?
Local Authorities and their partners, local service providers.

How do you use it?
The Place Survey manual provides step-by-step guidance of how local authorities should meet the eight common standards for the Place Survey, which includes adhering to the timetable, using the questionnaire template, using the sampling method and the sampling frame, using the designated methods of data collection, maximising the response rate, adhering to the statistical reliability and submitting the results.

Where is it?
It can be accessed by clicking here: Place Survey

What is it?
Regional Observatories have been established in the English regions to enable access to key regional data and intelligence on a range of economic, social and environmental issues.

Who’s it for?
The work of Regional Observatories is used directly by those working in research, policy, forecasting, planning and strategy in the public and private sectors.

How do you use it?
The Regional Observatories aim to enable evidence-based policy and improved decision making.

Where is it?
Regional Observatories can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
Regional strategies on policy areas e.g. housing, economy, environment, health and housing are accessible through the relevant regional assembly website and provide information such as current conditions, policy and planning and future targets.

Who’s it for?
All internet users

Where is it?
Regional Strategies are available through the relevant regional assembly website:
North West
North East
Yorkshire & Humber
West Midlands
East Midlands
South East
South West
East of England
London

What is it?
The Review is one element of the PMMI Resource Pack. It is a summary of 15 different performance improvement models and tools, with information on the objectives, usage, scope, strengths and issues with each, and a guide to which is most useful is different circumstances. It also contains a short summary table which is set out in the Handbook.

Who’s it for?
Although the PMMI pack is aimed at local authority practitioners, the Review is useful to any manager looking for information on different performance improvement methods.

How do you use it?
The Review can be used a reference guide to the different methods. The summary table can be used to quickly test the usefulness of different methods when faced with a performance task.

Where is it?
You can access the review by clicking here

What is it?
A series of five questions which embodies the GO ‘challenge role’ in terms of constructively challenging whether and how local authorities and their partners have put in place a robust Delivery Plan underpinned by a rigorous approach to planning

Who’s it for?
GO staff to support LAAs

How do you use it?
For use if you are acting as a critical friend and helping an LAA in their development or more formally assessing a delivery plan to check that it is fit for purpose.

Where is it?
Click here to access the GO Assessment template.

What is it?
This tool has been developed by DCSF to gather local authority performance data against key early years and educational outcomes.

Who’s it for?
GO staff.

Where is it?
Analytical and performance teams and / or thematic leads within the GO will be the main point of contact for accessing and using this system.

What is it?
The Government Social Research Unit has prepared this set of guidance notes on policy evaluation and analysis to help 'intelligent customers' and 'intelligent providers' determine what constitutes high quality work in the field on policy evaluation and analysis.
These guidance notes complement HM Treasury's Guide to Economic Appraisal, which is more commonly known as The Green Book, and other sources of guidance from within government.

Who’s it for?
Central and local government

How do you use it?
The notes contain hyperlinks to chapters of the guidance which include: what is policy evaluation, harnessing existing research, statistical concepts and analysis, what is sampling, data collection and survey design, social experiments for evaluating government policies and programmes and qualitative methods of evaluation.

Where is it?
The site can be accessed by clicking here

What is it?
A tool for analysing the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal and Organisational factors and trends which can affect delivery in a place.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Delivery section provides more information on PESTELO

What is it?
Prince 2 is a widely known project management methodology, which is often used within the civil service. It provides a set of tools for the practical aspects of project management – such as risk identification, timetables and budget management.

Who’s it for?
Civil servants who work to this project management methodology

How do you use it?
PRINCE2 should be used as a framework providing a set of adaptable tools for managing specific and finite projects with measurable outcomes and products.

Where is it?
The best starting point for advice on PRINCE2 is the dedicated Office of Government Commerce resource:

http://www.ogc.gov.uk/methods_prince_2.asp

What is it?
A problem-solving tool, popular in the policing and community safety sector, for identifying and bottoming out problems and planning solutions using a Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment methodology.

Its four stages are:

Scanning – spotting problems using knowledge, basic data and electronic maps

Analysis – using hunches and information technology to dig deeper into problems’ characteristics and underlying causes

Response – devising a solution, working with the community, wherever possible

Assessment – looking back to see if the solution worked and what lessons can be learned.

Review of Performance Improvement Models and ToolsIDEA / LGA
Click here for an introduction to SARA on the Home Office crime reduction website

What is it?
This is a tool for addressing complexity of outcomes. Systems thinking (also called systems analysis) tries to map the connections between outcomes so that you can work out where is the best place to intervene to have maximum impact – usually through addressing the key drivers. However, because the sort of delivery that GOs support is invariably very complex, it can be a useful approach to work out where to intervene in complex systems.

Who’s it for?
Can be used by GOs to support complex delivery systems or for LAAs to map the connections between outcomes

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Planning section provides more information on Systems Thinking

What is it?
The toolkit is a needs assessment tool based on the ‘Turning the Curve’ process, commissioned by the Children’s Trust Policy Team (DfES). Its purpose is to disseminate local learning from Portsmouth’s experience in using the ‘Turning the Curve’ approach; to focus practically on the ‘how’ of using the approach in different environments and to offer a partnership way of working.

Who’s it for?
Senior strategic managers from the voluntary, community and statutory sectors; managers of children, young people and family’s services; those involved in the joint commissioning of children’s services; those interested in evaluating and monitoring impact and outcomes and professionals and practitioners working with communities and service users. 

How do you use it?
The toolkit includes guidance, pro-formas and case studies. It has been designed so that it can be used in a flexible way by different partners. It takes the user through the key aspects of data collection on local need to carrying out a Turning the Curve exercise with different populations, communities, parents, young people, practitioners and strategic managers. The tools, resources and pro-forma have generic application but it is made explicit that it must be used with sensitivity to local needs.

Where is it?
Question 2 in the Planning section provides more information on Turning the Curve

Where is it?
Home Office Crime Reduction website

What is it?
A website guide that gives a framework aimed to reduce re-offending by ensuring that all probation work is based on evidence of success.

Who is it for?
Primarily staff involved in crime reduction projects. However the methodology for undertaking these projects is very similar to the Delivery Cycle and other frameworks for success that others could use it and apply it to their work.