Strategic planning – a mini-guide

Strategic planning is the process of developing and sharing a vision for the future. It focuses on the long term rather than the here and now, and is concerned with putting values into action. In the caring services, it is about valuing people and improving their lives. For caring services, values are one of the most important motivating factors for individuals and developing shared values is a way of binding people together.

The Government has developed strategic plans for the health and social care sector as a whole, setting out its vision for the future. The vision is:

• to promote and enhance people's independence, safety and quality of life
• to provide services that meet each individual's specific needs
• to provide services in a fair, transparent and consistent way
• to provide services which are effective and meet clear standards
• to ensure people who use services have a say, and are involved in planning
• to focus on joined-up and more preventive services.
• to ensure children looked after by local authorities are given the best life chances
• to ensure the workforce is appropriately qualified, trained and skilled
• to ensure close working between partner agencies.

Social care organisations need to take these values into account when developing services locally. In doing so, they need to prepare a statement of values or beliefs, which sets out how services should be delivered. Such a statement is a requirement of some national minimum standards but is recommended for all service providers. This is best done in collaboration with the board of trustees/directors and business partners, and with the active participation of people who use services, carers, staff and volunteers.

Changes in society need to be considered as part of the strategic planning process. For health and social care, demographic change is one of the most significant with a steep increase in the numbers of people over retirement age. This in turn has a major impact on both the workforce and the way in which services are delivered. For other services, the prevalence of mental health problems within the community, issues associated with family and lifestyle changes and the issues of social exclusion all have an impact on the demand for services and the way they are delivered.

By looking at the changing needs within the local area, and the strengths and capacity of the organisation to address them, a plan can be developed which sets out how the organisation intends to respond to the changes.

The organisation's strategy can have a number of different dimensions: growth, consolidation or reduction of some business areas, and a competitive strategy based upon either product differentiation (meeting the needs of people who use services in a different way), quality (more effectively meeting the needs of people who use services) or price (meeting the needs of people who use services more cost-effectively).
In developing its strategic orientation, the organisation will have to consider its capacity (how much work) and capabilities (what specific skills or assets it has), the potential for growth or development in terms of the opportunities in the local area and internal resources available to fund any further growth.

Organisations will need to anticipate what the needs will be, and the 'business opportunities' available, as well as the management capacity and infrastructure needed to maintain the service.

The plan will set out the long-term aims or objectives and the priorities, and how they can be achieved. This will then provide a framework for the business or service plans that will set out in detail how the objectives are to be achieved.

A strategic plan and the broad long-term objectives it contains needs to be communicated effectively to people who use services, staff, volunteers, carers and partners. It should be incorporated into key documents such as job descriptions and processes such as staff appraisal, and included in external communications such as job adverts and annual reports.

Not least, having a comprehensive and inspiring vision will attract business and funding, and secure the long-term future of an organisation and the service it delivers.

References

White Papers: Modernising Social Services; Building for the Future; Aiming for Excellence; Our health, our care, our say (Cm 4169, Cm 4051, Cm 4288 and Cm 6737)
Liz Kendall and Lisa Harker (eds.), From Welfare to Wellbeing: The future of social care, IPPR (2002)
Lynda Tarpey, Workforce planning toolkit, London: TOPSS
Dench S, La Valle I, Evans C., Supporting Skills for Care Workers, IES Report 347 (1999)
Skills Foresight Plan for Social Care Sector in Wales, Care Council for Wales (2003)
Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities: The Strategy for Social Services in Wales over the next decade, Welsh Assembly Government (2007) Planning for Caring, Social Services Inspectorate for Wales/AGCC (2003)
Derek Wanless, Securing Good Care for Older People: taking a long-term view, Kings Fund (2006)

About this document

This document currently has a rating of 2 stars and has been viewed 13187 times. It was last updated on Friday, 4 July 2008.

Current document comments:

What did you think of this document?

Are you a member? By logging in you can post comments, ask questions and rate this resource. Login now.
Not currently a member? Join now for free, and be part of SCIE's People Management network.