Public Social Partnerships

= A Public Social Partnership (PSP) is a strategic partnering arrangement which involves the third sector earlier and more deeply in the design and commissioning of public services. [1]

(p2p warning: may be a means for privatising public services)

Description

"Public Social Partnerships (PSPs) are strategic partnering arrangements, based on a co-planning approach, through which the public sector can connect with third sector organisations (voluntary, charity and social enterprise organisations) to share responsibility for designing services based around service user needs. Once designed and trialed, such services can then be commissioned for the longer term through a competitive tendering process." (http://readyforbusiness.org/programme-offering/public-social-partnerships/)

Example

Scotland

"A guide on how to ensure local services are better designed and built around people and local communities has been launched by the Scottish Government today.

Minister for Local Government Aileen Campbell launched the guide, which promotes public-social partnerships, during a visit to community hub 'Out of the Blue' in Leith, Edinburgh.

The guidance builds on the experience of ten projects, in a range of areas including social care, youth services and recycling. These piloted new ways to effectively link the public and third sectors and to ensure the people and communities are kept at the centre of all discussions on the design and management of the service.

Ms Campbell said:

"To provide a high quality public service, the needs of the people and communities intended to benefit from the service must remain at the very centre of design and organisation.

"The approach is obvious but can too often be over complicated. All organisations, in the third, public and private sectors have a responsibility to ensure public and community services are joined up and delivering what individuals and local areas need.

"The guidance launched today promotes public-social partnerships which have been piloted and been successful in supporting organisations to be more adept at designing services around the needs of the public." (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/07/08133636)

More info: Public Social Partnership in Scotland: Lessons learned. [2] + [3]