Notice Board - News

Funding for Outcomes – Integrated Contracts

Ministry of Social Development, National

Funding for Outcomes – Integrated Contracts

Update - May 2006

Milestones

Thirteen providers now deliver services under an integrated contract and several more providers and their funders are close to finalising contracts. Since the project began, the FfO team has worked with 61 providers and 40 government agencies (including district health boards (DHBs) and local government).

Kitset to develop integrated agreements

Over 800 copies of the kitset (which contains the legal documents, templates and guidelines to assist funders and providers to develop integrated agreements) have been distributed to government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Steering Group

District Health Boards New Zealand recently joined the Steering Group. We look forward to a strengthened relationship with DHBs.

Who we work with

Almost half of the providers we work with are funded by a combination of Child, Youth and Family, DHBs, Ministry of Education and/or the Ministry of Social Development.

Many aim to improve outcomes for young people and their families with contracts that include services to improve mental health, reduce youth offending, improve educational and/or employment outcomes and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

New providers identified for integrated contracts

We work with locally based central government funding forums to help us to identify providers that will most benefit from integrated contracts. Some of these forums include local government funders.

We prefer to work alongside local staff who already work together to ensure that services are delivered effectively in their area. This way we can benefit all groups by having integrated contracts that reflect local funder and provider plans.

Early findings from the evaluation of FfO

Providers tell the FfO evaluators that an integrated contract:

• provides a better match between what they are doing and what’s in their contract
• improves relationships with funders
• service delivery is more cost effective
• services better target client need.

Evaluation findings suggest that the integrated approach:

• gives a clearer understanding of what funders and providers are trying to achieve
• improves relationships between providers and funders
• improves relationships between co-funders
• gives funders a better understanding of their co-funders’ core work
• increases shared information between funders
• increases funders’ understanding of the provider and their work.

FfO now part of Family and Community Services (FACS)

In December last year the FfO project team moved from Social Services Policy to Family and Community Services and is now guided by Deputy Chief Executive, Richard Wood, and General Manager Operations, Marti Eller.

The move to FACS will mean we have stronger connections with MSD’s operational teams and with similar initiatives in MSD.

Link to FfO web page: http://www.familyservices.govt.nz/our-work/community-development/funding-for-outcomes.html

What is Funding for Outcomes (FfO)?

Community organisations contracted by several government agencies to provide services are often faced with a maze of reporting requirements and multiple processes and systems. FfO aims to simplify this and improve the provision of government funded services delivered by community, iwi and Maori social service providers.

Government agencies ‘join up’ their contracts for service delivery when they fund the same community service provider. This means that the provider doesn’t have to deal with multiple agencies, negotiate multiple contracts, write multiple reports and provide information for multiple audits.

The project is being led by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).