Meeting of the Parliament 11 June 2026 [Last updated 19:16]
I do not know whether the member came into the debate late, but she should have heard the first part of my speech in which I listed a whole page of things that we have delivered on the back of the Christie work. However, we recognise that there is more that we need to do to take such work forward, and that is the whole point of the public service reform strategy.
Of the four Christie principles—empowerment, prevention, integration and efficiency—this debate rightly focuses on the one that I believe underpins all the others, which is empowerment. Individuals should not have to navigate a maze of disconnected services in order to access the support that they need. Too often, people, and particularly those who are facing the greatest disadvantage, have to tell their story multiple times, undergo repeated assessments and deal with fragmented support. That is not good for people and it is not good for the system. It involves unnecessary duplication, stress and waste. Services must organise around the person and their family in order to understand what is important to them.
Our commitment to whole-family support is a great example of place-based, person-centred change in action. We must consider how we deliver public services to ensure that families get the right support at the right time and in the right place for as long as they need it, and join up different parts of the system to focus on efficient and effective preventative support for service users. We know that, when services are designed in that way, we achieve better outcomes and better value for every pound that we spend. Achieving that requires significant change at both local and national levels in order to move away from one-size-fits-all approaches and siloed and crisis-driven responses towards the design and delivery of support for individuals and families that is more flexible, person centred and preventative.
With regard to the empowerment of communities, I recognise the hugely important role of development trusts, social enterprises, supported businesses and the voluntary sector in the delivery of services at a community level, which is why we talk about public service reform and not just public sector reform. Empowerment of communities is critical to public service reform.