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Reports, training materials and briefing papers

Some of our older publications are now not available to buy but can be downloaded as PDFs. Click here to visit our e-books to download page.

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Each year we publish a number of research reports, briefing papers and training books and booklets. Those listed below are available to purchase, either via this site or by sending us a cheque made out to OPM.

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There are 15 items in this section.

Members of the public and stakeholders, such as the voluntary sector, have a role to play in determining the quality of public service outcomes. Involving them in overview and scrutiny is another way that they can positively influence service delivery in their communities. There is little doubt that overview and scrutiny committees can benefit from the knowledge, skills and fresh insights that the public and stakeholders can bring to reviews. At its best, this will mean that scrutiny committees can work in more effective, creative and interesting ways to support change and service improvement – as outlined in this guide.

September 2007 A5 12pp ISBN 978 1 898531 92 0
£4.00 (inc post & packaging)

This book provides practical guidance for all those involved in the integrated commissioning of children's services. It includes sections about the organisation of the commissioning function within children’s services authorities, the governance of commissioning, and the management of commissioners’ relationships with different service providers. It also explains multilevel commissioning and suggests a simple framework to ensure high standards to keep children safe from harm. Two appendices provide a sample commissioning framework and a sample 'terms of reference' for any CYPSP to apply.

February 2007 A4 36pp ISBN 978 1 898531 91 3
£10.00 (inc post & packaging)

This paper examines how integrated service networks could be used to provide personalised, outcome-focused services. Using as an example the fictitious ‘Netborough’, the paper shows how local partnerships might set out to meet the challenge of improving services for older people and people with learning disabilities. It describes how networks are organised, the arrangements for care management and support brokerage, and the implications for commissioning, market management and governance.

December 2006 A5 24pp ISBN 1 898531 90 6
£5.00 (inc post & packaging)

Services do not produce social outcomes; people do. It is important that we acknowledge this active part that users and the wider community play in achieving social outcomes. Recognising and valuing their contribution, and understanding how far public services depend on this co-production – can only lead to more efficient services and improved outcomes.

October 2007 A5 28pp ISBN 978 1 898531 99 9
£5.00 (inc post & packaging)

Our new guide to developing local children's trust arrangements is based on our own field and development work, and draws on the DfES draft guidance and national research into the children’s trust pathfinders.

May 2005 185x245 70pp ISBN 1 898531 88 9
£18.00 (inc post & packaging)

The Independent Commission on Good Governance in Public Services, chaired by Sir Alan Langlands, worked throughout 2004. From two rounds of consultation, the Commission drew on the views of a wide range of people with experience of governance, and of service users and citizens, to produce the Good Governance Standard for Public Services. The Standard presents six principles of good governance that are common to all public service organisations and are intended to help all those with an interest in public governance to assess good governance practice. The Independent Commission on Good Governance in Public Services was established and supported by the Office for Public Management (OPM®) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
a discount is available for multiple copies: please phone us for details

January 2005 A4 38pp ISBN 1 898531 86 2
£10.00 (inc post & packaging)

This booklet looks at how a focus on co-production could produce the increase in public service effectiveness required by the Children Act and Every Child Matters: Next Steps. It sets out practical details of a new model for achieving this, based on OPM’s research, that will help public service managers, especially in newly integrated services. The authors examine the reasons for moving towards co-production in our services and explain the core ideas behind it and how they can be adapted to meet local circumstances. They look at how co-production can be used to transform organisations, in areas such as partnerships, integration, performance management, information and communication systems, human resources and governance.

June 2004 A5 28pp ISBN 1 898531 84 6
£6.00 (inc post & packaging)

This publication examines the practical implications of achieving greater integration between health and social care services. It is a very practical book, illustrated throughout with real life examples, practical tips and 27 'try this' exercises for individuals or groups.

June 2003 185x245mm 96pp ISBN 1 898531 79 X
£18.00 (inc post & packaging)

Rubber Stamped? looks at the experiences of appointed public service governors and the senior executives who work with them. It explores how governors perceive their roles; how the role is changing as a result of modernisation; how governors and executives work together; and what helps and hinders their efforts to improve services.

May 2003 ISBN 1 898531 81 1
£10.00 (inc post & packaging)

This practical book, designed to help people involved in cross-sector integration of services for children and their families, argues that the point of integrating services is to make sure that the lives of children, young people and their families improve as a result.

June 2003 185x245mm 82pp ISBN 1 898531 80 3
£18.00 (inc post & packaging)

Public sector managers and their private sector counterparts are motivated by very different things. This research, which looked at the goals and motivation of 400 senior managers in the public, private and voluntary sectors, reveals much about the public sector ethos.

October 1999 ISBN 1 898531 56 0
£10.00 (inc post & packaging)

This workbook is for people in public service organisations who wish to develop their understanding and skills in strategic management. Through a series of practical exercises, it emphasises the social outcomes that public management aims to produce and how these can be achieved.

March 2000 A4 50pp ISBN 1 898531 595
£18.00 (inc post & packaging)

A workbook for people in public services who wish to develop their understanding and skills in the management of change. It provides a framework and a range of tools and techniques for identifying, planning and managing change.

June 1999 A4 72pp ISBN 1 898531 48X
£18.00 (inc post & packaging)

Taking as its starting point the current pressures on the public sector and the social outcomes that public management aims to produce, this workbook provides guidance on how to manage staff in a productive and developmental way, so that organisational goals can be achieved.

November 2001 A4 76pp ISBN 1 898531 730
£18.00 (inc post & packaging)

You can order the set of three Inside Managing for Social Results workbooks (Managing People and Performance, Managing Strategy and Managing Organisational Change) for £43.20 which represents a 20% discount on the price of ordering them separately.

May 2001 ISBN 3bookisbn
£43.20 (inc post & packaging)