THE BATHO PELE PRINCIPLES RELATING TO LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

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THE BATHO PELE PRINCIPLES RELATING TO LANGUAGE
AND COMMUNICATION

• Anton Hurter

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Presentation outline

• Goal, objective of this presentation
• Background to the revitalisation
• Todays situation
• How do we get there Recommendations
• Way forward

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Goal

• Batho Pele! Let this be our rallying cry as we
  acknowledge that the tide has indeed turned from
  a period of rigid and untransformed public
  service to one that is putting all citizens first
  through service delivery excellence.
• Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi

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Objective

• To communicate Cabinet approved Batho Pele
  Revitalisation Programme dubbed, Together
  Beating the Drum for Service Delivery.
• Why? In order to ensure
• 1. Better understanding
• 2. Internalisation
• 3. Ownership
• 4. Championship

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Background

• Audit on the implementation of BP carried out in
  2002.
• Many and various challenges identified.
• DPSA developed a Cabinet Memorandum on the
  revitalisation of BP.
• The revitalisation of Batho Pele is a holistic,
  integrated approach to service delivery
  improvement, hence the following four key themes
• 1. Taking public services to the people
• 2. Mainstreaming and institutionalising Batho
  Pele.
• 3. Know your service rights campaign.
• 4. Service user relations management.

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Todays Situation

• Consultation and service standards
• Levels and forms of consultation are numerous and
  varied e.g. Imbizos, citizen forums, road shows.
• Departments do not demonstrate how feedback
  improves planning and service delivery.
• Most departments do not communicate service
  standards to the public.

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Todays Situation

• Access
• Access still largely relies on conventional
  approaches.
• Most departments offer their services and
  information largely in English and Afrikaans.
• There are emerging innovative ways of addressing
  access, e.g. MPCCs, call centers.
• The biggest challenge remains for a coherent,
  integrated access strategy that recognises
  existing initiatives.

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Todays Situation

• Information
• Various strategies used to disseminate
  information, e.g. annual reports, media releases,
  websites.
• GCIS has also improved the dissemination of
  information on key government initiatives,
  policies.
• Increasing demand for the DPSA initiated Batho
  Pele Directory of Public Services prototype.
• Lack of usage of other official languages remains
  a key barrier to better understanding of key
  government information.

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Todays Situation

• Redress
• Many departments unable to demonstrate systems,
  procedures to ensure effective redress. Many
  examples of the publics complaints not being
  handled particularly in the social services
  sectors.
• It also is clear that the public does not know
  what channels to follow to seek redress.
• Again this situation begs the importance of a
  service-user management capability.

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How Do We Get There

• Rationale and principles informing the
• recommendations
• 1. Aligned to the Government Programme of Action
  to give effect to the Peoples Contract.
• 2. Based on the four key broad areas of
  interventions
• 2.1 Taking public services to the people.
• 2.2 Know your service rights campaign.
• 2.3 Service user/customer relations management
• 2.4 Mainstreaming and institutionalising Batho
  Pele.
• 3. Based on the integrated Batho Pele model.

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How Do We Get There?
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Recommendations

• 1. Taking public services to the people.
• Key challenges and rationale
• Access is key to accelerating service delivery,
  eradicating socio-economic marginalisation and
  achieving the objective of the developmental
  state.
• therefore recommend
• DPSA, GCIS in collaboration with other relevant
  departments develop a comprehensive, integrated
  2014 access strategy and vision for the Public
  Service
• Cascade BP to local government (in line with the
  principle of a Single Public Service).
• DPSA undertake a feasibility study and pilot on
  the extension of service hours and the provision
  of services on Saturdays for service intensive
  departments with the objective to ensure an
  informed full roll-out.

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Recommendations

• 1. Taking public services to the people
  (continued)
• Quick wins recommended
• 1. All public service departments/institutions
  and buildings in general should have proper
  signage both outside and inside the buildings
  with basic but key information regarding services
  offered, costs (if any), etc.
• 2. All public servants interfacing directly with
  the public should wear name tags all the time
  when on duty.

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Recommendations

• 2. Know your service rights campaign.
• Key challenges and rationale
• Currently the public has very limited knowledge
  regarding its rights in relation to services and
  how to seek redress.
• therefore recommend
• A concerted public awareness and education on
  Know your service rights and responsibilities,e.
  g. Customer Charter.
• 1. The campaign should also emphasise a
  partnership between the public and government in
  service delivery, e.g. Provincial Language
  Policy.
• 2. The campaign should also emphasise the
  importance of responsible usage of
  services/infrastructure provided by government.
• 3. It should also educate the public on means of
  seeking redress in the event that they didnt
  receive services in line with the spirit of Batho
  Pele.

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Recommendations

• 3. Service-user relations management
• Key challenges and rationale
• Currently no capability to manage service and
  client
• related matters. Including
• 1. Retrieving information on number of services
  rendered by a respective official.
• 2. Type of queries/complaints received.
• 3. Rate of successful resolution of clients
  complaints/queries.
• 4. Pattern of queries/complaints.
• 5. Proactively informing citizens on expiry of
  licenses, passports, etc.

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Recommendations

• therefore recommend
• The DPSA will develop a customer/service user
  management framework in collaboration with other
  relevant departments which will include the
  following elements
• 1. Service Delivery Watch comprising
  Ministerial Visits and PSC service delivery
  inspections.
• 2. SMS service delivery challenge deployment of
  every SMS member to a service delivery
  institution in every performance year to gain
  first hand of service delivery challenges thereby
  ensuring that SMS members develop policies that
  are cognisant of the coalface realities thus
  avoiding adverse policy implementation
  consequences.

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Recommendations

• 4.Mainstreaming, institutionalising, sustaining
  and fostering accountability for Batho Pele.
• Key challenges and rationale
• Human resources systems and practices (such as
  performance management system, induction,
  training, recognition and rewards) are key to
  systematically engendering the spirit and
  practice of Batho Pele.

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Recommendations

• therefore recommend
• 1. Include BP as a KPAs in performance contracts
  of heads of department.
• 2. Incorporate the belief set and the principles
  into the performance management system of all
  public servants.
• 3. Performance management systems must link
  institutional, individual and team performance.
• 4. A national recognition and reward system for
  service delivery excellence.

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Recommendations

• therefore recommend
• 5. Incorporate Batho Pele principles and the
  belief set into the compulsory Induction
  Programme.
• 6. Roll out compulsory standardised training for
  all frontline staff on Batho Pele in particular
  customer/service user care.
• 7. Incorporate Batho Pele into all training
  material for the public service.
• 8. PSC to be responsible for monitoring,
  evaluation and accountability of the
  implementation of BP in line with its mandate.

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Batho Pele Principles
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Way forward

• 1. The Department of the Premier has developed a
  Batho Pele Revitalisation Roll Out Programme
  (submitted to the Forum of Heads of Department
  and the EXCO)
• 2. The draft Provincial Language Policy is
  included in the Roll Out Programme to improve
  service delivery in the FSPG and to insure
• Understanding, support, ownership and
  championship.
• 3. It is recommended that the Language Policy
  Committee should also embark on leadership
  engagement through
• Provincial HODs meetings.
• Provincial Cabinet Meetings.
• Learning networks.

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Way forward

• The Premier and her Executive Team appeals to all
  public servants across all levels, all spheres of
  government please internalise, embrace and
  champion the ownership. Batho Pele is everyone of
  uss responsibility!!!
• Together let us beat the drum for service
  delivery because We Belong, We Care, We Serve!!!

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THANK YOU