Insights to Build a Stronger Social Sector
The New Zealand Government invests over $8 Billion a year into the social sector. A large portion of that funding goes to government services and agencies, whilst the rest goes to Social Service Providers (NGO’s and Charities) to deliver services on behalf of government, to New Zealanders in need.
Running a Social Service requires a lot of time, energy, and money to be put towards government interactions and compliance — which could be going to their clients. In February 2017 Accreditron began broadly researching this problem with the help of MSD, searching for pain-points and opportunities.
We conducted over 70 semi-structured interviews with Social Service Providers and Government staff over a six-week period, and then used thematic analysis to discover common insights. Here are the top six things we heard from Social Service Providers:
1— The cost of compliance is too high
As a Provider, I need the cost of compliance to be lower; which may include: staff time, volunteer time, resources, and financial cost. Because my resources are scarce, I need to spend my time delivering service to clients.
2— Giving the right information to Government can be difficult
As a Provider, I need to clearly know what information government requires, and have an easy way to give it to them. I need be made aware of any problems quickly, so I can be certain that I have done everything I can to maintain a high standard of compliance.
3— Changes in processes and requirements are surprising
As a Provider, I need to know when Government standards are changing and how, so I can stay compliant without the goal posts moving unexpectedly.
4 — Government should help providers improve capability
As a Provider, I need and want assistance from agencies to develop and improve my organisation so I can provide the best service possible to the public.
5 — Legal jargon is not easy to understand
As a Provider, I need the standards to be easy to understand, so I don’t have to waste money paying a lawyer to tell me what I need to do to be compliant.
6 —A lack of consistency across government is risky to providers
As a Provider, I need consistency of behaviour and standards between different government staff — so if my contact changes, I will know that I will still be found compliant.
Addressing these insights with Accreditron
Accreditron is a platform that makes it easier for Social Service Providers to spend less time on paperwork so they can spend more time with their clients. Every insight above has been thought about carefully during the initial design and build of the Platform.
We’re currently working with 27 business units in nine central government agencies. We’re focusing on using plain language, creating consistency in processes, and only asking the same question once. This way, Providers can transparently and securely share their information with Government, and Government can trust the quality of that information and access it instantly.
The Social Service Accreditation process is our top priority because it’s the most standard and in-depth process that a majority of providers go through regularly, and is used across several central government agencies. Submitting pre-assessment documentation for Accreditation is the first interaction and process offered to Providers on Accreditron.
Get involved
If you are a Provider, and want to be involved please get in touch! We constantly are conducting usability, feedback, and discovery sessions to improve the design and experience of using Accreditron, and we’d love to hear from you.
