Complaints Within Constraints: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Citizen's Charter Complaints Task Force

Blackmore, Martin

doi:10.1177/095207679701200303

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The lack of functional CSUs -which, according to Quartey (2008), were to be equipped with the tools to track complaints from the public and to keep a database where speedy and accurate information about public services would be providedmeant that aggrieved service recipients had neither the opportunity to complain nor a promise of resolution, which are major facets of the Citizen's Charter (Blackmore, 1997). When a question was put to an interviewee in an organization outside the CSU on how it is resolving complaints, the person remarked: 'Currently, nobody is handling complaints, although there are 10-15 complaints a day dealing with the process of service delivery.…”

Section: The Citizen's Charter: a 'Holy Grail'?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The new Charter System in Ghana: the ‘holy grail’ of public service delivery?

Ohemeng

2010

International Review of Administrative Sciences

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Public services delivery has been at the forefront of public sector reforms in many countries throughout the past three decades. Invariably, the desire is to do more with less, empower citizens, enhance transparency, and hold public servants accountable. Many countries have therefore developed a number of service delivery mechanisms over the years to achieve this objective. A good example is the Citizen’s Charter System. First developed in the United Kingdom, the idea quickly spread to other developed countries and, more recently, to some developing countries as well. Ghana has followed the lead taken by these countries by developing its own Citizen’s Charter, which is believed to be the ‘holy grail’ of service delivery in the public sector. The article attempts to examine the Citizen’s Charter, evaluate its rationale, and any challenges that may be faced in its implementation. It argues that there are a number of constraints, which the government should have addressed before establishing the Charter. The government’s failure to address these challenges, it is argued, will significantly affect the success of the program. Points for practitioners In the last few decades, governments in both developed and developing countries have been searching for better delivery mechanisms for public services. One such mechanism is the Citizen’s Charter, which has become popular in the developed world as a means of achieving efficient, effective, and accountable service delivery. More recently, it has also become popular in some developing countries. The implementation of a Citizen’s Charter requires a solid understanding of the capacity of a state’s public sector; however, in many developing countries, this sector is characteristically weak. It is important, therefore, for practitioners to understand the limits of the public sector in any given state, and the barrier it may pose to the successful implementation of service delivery mechanisms.

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Section: The Citizen's Charter: a 'Holy Grail'?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The new Charter System in Ghana: the ‘holy grail’ of public service delivery?

Ohemeng

2010

International Review of Administrative Sciences

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“…The courtesy‐oriented approach to the user as customer, also invoked by respondents, resembles the responsive service offered by Conservative Prime Minister John Major’s Citizen’s Charter (Cabinet Office 1991). The many charters that followed were designed to force service providers to be accountable to their users, but critics noted that many of the service specifications were about superficial aspects of service provision rather than the service itself (Prior et al 1995, p. 57; Blackmore 1997, p. 37). Labour governments have indicated support for a more radical personalization and choice model than that offered by the Citizen’s Charter.…”

Section: Service Implications Of Customer Carementioning

confidence: 99%

Customer Care and the Public Service Ethos

Needham

2006

Public Administration

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The Labour governments that have been in power in the UK since 1997 have reconceptualized the public service ethos. In an apparent departure from their Conservative predecessors, Labour ministers have argued that the distinctive culture of public service can enhance rather than impede service quality and deliver high levels of customer care. This article utilizes interviews and content analysis data to explore the ethical dimension of public service, the significance of the language of customer in relation to ethos, and the implications for service delivery of a customer care focus. Case study findings show that a customer orientation is endorsed by politicians and bureaucrats in both central and local government, although there is a lack of clarity about the service manifestations of such a shift in emphasis. Respondents voiced concerns about the viability of customer care in the public sector as well as the sidelining of the political role of citizen.

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“…At the very least the project serves as an illustration of the importance attached to complaints by the previous Conservative government in its attempt to develop a consumer culture in the public sector. The limitations of space prevent any detailed analysis of the Taskforce's extensive work here (see Blackmore 1997), but in 1993 the Taskforce identified basic principles for effective complaints systems, including a checklist of key questions for public services to ask about their own complaints system (Citizen's Charter Complaints Taskforce 1993). It was the view of the Taskforce that complaints systems should be easily accessible and well-publicized; simple to understand and use; speedy, with established time limits for action and keeping people informed of progress; fair, with a full and impartial investigation; confidential to maintain the confidentiality of both staff and complainants; effective, addressing all points at issue, and providing appropriate redress .…”

Section: Complaints In Social Carementioning

confidence: 99%

Complaining Our Way to Quality: Complaints, Contracts and the Voluntary Sector

et al. 1998

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The research on which this paper is based is part of a wider study of quality assurance and the voluntary sector. The focus of this paper is on complaints procedures, as part of quality assurance mechanisms, where voluntary agencies are the contracted service providers. The authors argue that, with the introduction of contracting and particularly with its further development, the way in which complaints mechanisms currently operate will need to be revised if they are to be an effective part of the quality assurance process.

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Complaints Within Constraints: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Citizen's Charter Complaints Task Force

Abstract: In June 1993 a Task Force within the Citizen's Charter Unit of the Cabinet Office initiated a review of complaints procedures in public sector organisations.

Cited by 6 publications

References 4 publications

The new Charter System in Ghana: the ‘holy grail’ of public service delivery?

The new Charter System in Ghana: the ‘holy grail’ of public service delivery?

Customer Care and the Public Service Ethos

Complaining Our Way to Quality: Complaints, Contracts and the Voluntary Sector

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