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INTRODUCTION
This initial Self Assessment Questionnaire is issued by the Scottish Executive to assist public service organisations ( PSOs) in considering how to secure their Best Value duties. It has been prepared in discussions with the Best Value in Public Services External Reference Group and Audit Scotland. The Questionnaire is issued to Accountable Officers and their organisations to use on a discretionary basis - there is no compulsion from either the Scottish Executive or Audit Scotland in this process. However, it is hoped that many PSOs will find it useful in reflecting upon continuous improvement, and the Scottish Executive encourages some form of self-Assessment to enable PSOs to prepare for annual Assessment of performance against Best Value by the Auditor General for Scotland 1.
The Questionnaire should be read in conjunction with the Best Value in Public Services Guidance to Accountable Officers and Secondary Guidance, which explain the duty of Best Value and its nine characteristics. Toolkits containing links to useful information and case studies on each of the nine characteristics of Best Value will be issued electronically by the Scottish Executive during summer 2006, and will also assist PSOs in responding to the self Assessment questions. The diagram below illustrates the relationship between these layers of Guidance and the Toolkits.
The Scottish Executive considers self-Assessment to be a first step in assisting PSOs to pursue continuous improvement. It is not an end in itself, and completion of the questionnaire does not suggest that an organisation has achieved Best Value. Rather, the Scottish Executive would encourage PSOs to use the findings from the questionnaire to help set out plans, strategies, targets and outcomes that will drive forward continuous improvement.
The process by which PSOs consider and complete the questionnaire should, of course, be proportionate to the scale of the organisation and its capacity. Smaller organisations in particular should not feel compelled to answer all of the questions, especially if they require a level of detail which does not seem appropriate to the scale of activity. Larger PSOs, on the other hand, may benefit from a more thorough approach. Benchmarking with other PSOs, sharing knowledge and joint working would all be useful in this process, as would discussing findings with sponsoring teams and departments within the Scottish Executive.
This Self Assessment Questionnaire is issued in initial form, and the Scottish Executive would welcome feedback from PSOs who have completed the Questionnaire on its utility, relevance, and how it might be improved in future. PSOs are also encouraged to adapt and modify the document to better suit their own unique circumstances and approach to continuous improvement. There will be further opportunities to update the Questionnaire in future, and the Scottish Executive wishes to continue the sense of ownership and partnership on Best Value from which it has been created.
1. Please note that the questions in bold are identical to those used in Audit Scotland's 2006 baseline review of the arrangements that are in place to secure Best Value in Public Services.
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