Productivity Commission release final report into more effective social services

September 17, 2015 at 5:38 PM

The final report on the Productivity Commission’s More effective social services inquiry has now been released.

The report examines the commissioning and contracting of social services and recommends some changes to the system to improve the effectiveness of social services, and ultimately provide better outcomes for clients.

WAVES Trust in partnership with Community Waitakere developed a collaborative submission to the inquiry which you can read here. 

Recommendations in the final report include:

  • New approaches to providing services to the most disadvantaged in society
  • A system that is more oriented towards clients’ needs
  • Ways to empower clients with greater choice and control over services
  • A system that learns, innovates and is more accountable
  • How to improve the way agencies commission social services.

We believe that our findings and recommendations offer a way to improve the performance and effectiveness of social services, especially for the most disadvantaged New Zealanders.

Supporting material on the website includes:

  • A video of Murray Sherwin explaining the key findings and recommendations
  • A four-page summary
  • A one-page diagram "At a glance" showing what needs to change and how to achieve it
  • A summary of the findings and recommendations

Case studies on employment services, Whanau Ora, services for people with disabilities, and home-based support of older people.