Managing escalating demand for public services in a time of financial austerity: a case study of family interventions

The UK (along with many other countries) is facing the challenges of financial austerity with little or no growth in public funding for the foreseeable future. This creates particular challenges for public services as economic downturns often increase the demand for public services at a time when resources are constrained. A particular service of this type is the provision of support to ‘troubled’ families through what are termed family interventions, in one local authority area, and the impact of financial austerity on those services. It considers the strategic options available for dealing with the dilemma of increasing demand and declining resources, and assesses the implications of implementing these options. It also considers the key factors which inhibit the development and implementation of such approaches, in order to provide a starting point for developing a practical strategy for dealing with the challenges ahead. Finally, it considers how the findings related to family interventions can be applied to other services in a similar situation of increasing demand and decreasing resources

New development : value for money (VFM) in public services - the importance of organisational culture

VFM has been a key aspect of public service management for several decades and its importance has been raised in recent years as a consequence of austerity. Organizational culture is recognized in research literature as a key driver of organizational performance. However, little attention has been paid to the topic of organizational culture in relation to VFM in public services. This article presents the findings of new research in this area

What lies beneath

Lurking under treacherous public spending waters is an iceberg of off-balance sheet costs and other hidden debts. Future generations will have to pick up the tab

The importance of strategic financial leadership in the UK public sector in a time of financial austerity

Given the severity of financial pressures on public authorities, this report is concerned with how finance managers in public services are coping with the demands placed on them and how they can demonstrate improved value by providing more effective strategic financial leadership. It considers how they are applying managerial approaches and solutions to the challenges of austerity and the role that the public sector finance function can play in this process