Fire & Rescue Authority Support

The National Framework Document for Fire & Rescue has had a real impact on driving the modernisation of the Service.  Our approach recognises the significant challenge to move from a response driven organisation to a more inclusive community partner, focused on prevention across the statutory duty services. 

Over the last ten years we have worked with Fire & Rescue Authorities across England and Wales to develop their capacity in a number of key areas. In addition we continue to work with Communities and Local Government to stay abreast of future developments and ensure we are able to offer support to FRAs as we move to a new framework of inspection through CAA and the plans for Operational Assessment. Our support includes:

• Performance management and business planning;
• Partnering and community engagement;
• Optional appraisal and business case development;
• Integrated Risk Management Planning;
• Preparation for inspection and external assessment.

More specifically we are currently working with the service in the following areas:

• Preparation for CAA, Organisational and Operational Assessments;
• Self-Assessment development and interim challenge;
• Peer Review.

Preparation for CAA, Organisational and Operational Assessments

As we move in to the new CAA arena and with future inspection, review and scrutiny of the service changing, Excellence in Business has developed a number tools to support FRAs prepare for these challenges.  Critical and common to Organisational Assessment, Use of Resources, the Performance Theme and Operational Assessment, is the ability to demonstrate heightened self-awareness and capacity to improve. 

We have developed our EiB Health Check to reflect the increased emphasis placed on FRAs on being community led as well as to challenge:

• The extent to which you focus on outcomes;
• How you are working in partnership with key stakeholders;
• How you embrace and deliver on the broader community safety agenda;
• The steps you are taking to address diversity in a robust manner.

 Self-Assessment Development and Interim Challenge

We have also developed a service specific 'toolkit' to assist FRAs to complete an initial self-evaluation.  The results provide a clear indication of the higher 'risk' areas, an indication of key areas you could consider in helping to address identified shortcomings and the implementation of notable practice into the future.

Based on our experience of working with CLG, the Audit Commission and FRAs over the last 10 years we have developed an approach to assist colleagues in developing:

• More evaluative self-assessment documentation;
• Clear evidence based on demonstrating impact and outcome;
• A local/internal challenge to test the rigour of draft self-assessment documentation.

Peer Review and Challenge - Our Track Record

During the first round of CPA and Operational Assurance, Excellence in Business supported over 25 reviews helping individual services realise their potential and achieve excellent ratings - 60% of the services we supported achieved a 'good' or 'excellent' rating and are still recognised as improving

Increasingly, both central and local government are utilising a more inclusive approach to assessing Corporate Capacity, Quality of Service and Value for money.  As a result, the key challenges for the future are to:

• Clearly demonstrate how you and your partners/sub-contractors will seek to address what matters most to local people - this will further demonstrate your understanding of community impact;
• Prepare your managers and people for the type of issues, questions and processes which potential 'scrutineers' will want to pursue as part of the assessment/inspection process;
• Use the peer review to significantly reduce the amount of preparation required for the likes of future 'reality checks' and other external scrutiny of the authority.

In addition to the respective key lines of enquiry we seek to challenge:

• The alignment of your vision and priorities with those of your key stakeholders;
• The effectiveness of leadership across the organisations and influence on regional/local operations;
• The focus on management development and capacity building of people and teams;
• The ability to demonstrate:
•     A clear commitment to the needs of the service users/public;
•     You have the capacity to improve;
•     The understanding of the public's broader needs;
•     The understanding of the wider public sector environment and partnerships that exist;
• The ability to introduce improved continuous improvement arrangements at a local level. In particular, the framework/systems which enables you to identify and share good practice across the region.

It is clear that as the process of inspection, scrutiny and challenge evolves into the new CAA arena there is a need to ensure Authorities continue to be able to demonstrate clear self-awareness and that they have real capacity to improve further.

Our Approach to Peer Review 

The success of our model is dependent on a number of key factors.  These include:

• Strong senior management commitment to both the concept of Peer Review and to each distinct Challenge exercise;
• Effective leadership with a clear sponsor and individual accountability relative to each aspect of our support;
• The opportunity to regularly monitor and review progress and take the necessary action to assure the ongoing success of our support.

We recognise the importance of a development/capacity building initiative like this being able to demonstrate its real impact on organisational performance.  On this basis, we work with our clients at the start of our support to identify an appropriate set of performance indicators that can be used to assess progress and to measure the overall impact of our Peer Review Support.

Our approach is designed to encourage Authorities to identify and challenge their strengths and areas for improvement and the opportunities and barriers to delivering improvements.  Peer Challenge in this context is about trying to raise awareness and understanding, offering the insight, encouragement and support necessary to develop true capacity to improve.  The aim is for Authorities to use this external challenge to produce a stronger, more forward looking self-assessment that they can own which truly drives business and service planning at all levels of the organisation.

The EIB Peer Review Model and Timeline

Whilst the actual approach taken varies according to the type, size, nature and complexity of each organisation and the type of review required the typical stages we follow are outlined below together with our approach to each stage and associated timescales.

Assessment Planning

Each 'assessment' team is led by one of our experienced Peer Review Managers, each of whom have conducted a minimum of 10 similar assessments over the last 3 years.

The first stage of the process is usually based on individual planning meetings for each assessment - 1 day per assessment.  During this session, facilitated by our Review Manager, we pair assessors to take a lead on identified themes/Key lines of enquiry areas during their respective assessment and assist each team in:

• Developing the issues to explore at each site, centre or location;
• Identifying the key people that they would want to interview;
• Listing the main documents and evidence that they would want to be made available during the site-visit;
• Establishing a set of objectives for each assessment.

To ensure that the assessment is well planned and managed within, we recommend our clients appoint a co-ordinator to take the draft list of interviewees, evidence etc. and ensure that all the logistical arrangements are sorted at a local level.  In addition, if possible, we encourage the co-ordinators to give a short 10 min presentation on the FRA during the planning meeting to set the context and assist the peer team in ensuring that their plans are bespoke to the needs of each individual Fire & Rescue Service.

 Site Visit - 3 days

Having planned the assessment, we facilitate the onsite review of the Authority over a three day period using the 'current' Operational Assessment Toolkit and Key Lines of Enquiry.

The assessment typically involves:

• Individual interviews with selected officers, staff, partners and stakeholders;
• Holding a number of focus groups of staff, managers, partners and stakeholders from across the organisation;
• Collecting necessary evidence and documentation to inform the team's assessment against the key lines of enquiry.

During the assessment our Review Manager not only has their own portfolio of interviews, but also sits in with each of the paired assessors to ensure consistency and provide feedback to support their future development.

We also provide each assessor with an assessor aide memoire containing a 'site-visit' assessment record, interview template and guidance, the key lines of enquiry and any other tools that will assist the process (examples provided).  At the end of the assessment our Review Manager provides an initial 'Hot Debrief' outlining the key emerging themes and observations from the site visit activity to your FRA's senior team.

Consensus Meeting & Feedback

We facilitate individual consensus meetings with each Authority.  At this meeting the team:

• Review all of their findings and ensure consensus on each of the Assessment themes/key lines of enquiry;
• Ensure that recurring themes and general observations are recorded and added to the report;
• Identify and resolve any areas of concern or lack of clarity;
• Develop the final report detailing; findings, conclusions and recommendations on how to strengthen each Authority's self-assessment submission;
• Ensure that the full and objective report accurately reflects the findings of the Site Visit.

The final report includes a summary of the process, key themes and a summary of the key strengths and areas for improvement identified under agreed common reporting criteria.