Piloting a model for citizen-based monitoring at frontline government facilities.

DPME is piloting an approach to getting systematic feedback from citizens on the performance of frontline facilities – e.g. police stations, clinics etc. This pilot is being undertaken in partnership with the South African Police Service, Department of Health, Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency. 

The approach being piloted starts with developing simple survey tools to collect feedback from both partners: citizens will give feedback on their experience of the service facilities and frontline staff will give feedback on how well the senior department managers support and enable them to perform well. Such feedback can provide reliable evidence of how citizens and frontline staff assess the quality of services at the facility and higher up in the management structure of the department.

The feedback is then analysed and ‘performance reports’ are created that the facility and senior management can use to affirm good practice, identify improvements needed and take action to implement them.

The reports can also be discussed with stakeholders in a way that helps to build trust, manage expectations, and agree on how each group can best contribute to better service quality. When included into the formal performance management systems of the department, this can give citizens a real voice in how facilities are managed.

If successful, these tools and guidelines can be adapted to other government service departments, and training and support programs put in place to build capacity of government to do this well.

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The pilot is running from October 2013 to mid 2015, starting in Tugela Ferry in KZN and Phuthaditjhaba in Free State, and then expanding to pilot sites in all nine provinces. The pilot will be implemented in the police stations, health facilities and SASSA and DSD offices in each site.