Beth Leeson Center for the Study of Social Policy

1. BEST START TRAININGJanuary 27, 2014Understanding and Applying Results-Based Accountability (RBA) Beth Leeson Center for the Study of Social Policy

2. What is Results-Based Accountability (RBA)? • A commonsense framework to help us: • Improve the quality of life for communities, individuals and families; and • Improve the quality and effectiveness of organizations, agencies and programs. • Developed by Mark Friedman and outlined in his book “Trying Hard is Not Good Enough.”

3. Key Ideas of RBA • Simple, commonsense way to move “from talk to action” • Start at the end (Results) to determine what you ultimately want to achieve • Data-driven and transparent way of decision making and communication • Identify the appropriate level of accountability: • Population or whole community = Population Accountability • Service System, Agency or Program = Performance Accountability • Ask effective questions to quickly move from discussing results to discussing strategies • Work with the contributions of various partners

4. [ ] DEFINITIONS LANGUAGE DISCIPLINE RESULT A condition of well-being for children, adults, families or communities. POPULATION ACCOUNTABILITY EXAMPLES: Children succeed in school; Safe neighborhood; Children are safe; Children are healthy INDICATOR A measure which helps measure the achievement of a result. EXAMPLES: Rate of children enrolled in early childcare; rate of children born healthy; rate of subsequent pregnancies PERFORMANCE MEASURE PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY A measure of how well a program, agency or service system is working. 1. How much did we do? 2. How well did we do it? 3. Is anyone better off? Three types: = Customer Results

5. Population AccountabilityGetting from Talk to Action Population Results Experience Indicators (Data Development Agenda) Baselines Turned Curve Trend Story behind the baselines (Information & Research Agenda about Causes) Partners What works (Information & Research Agenda about Solutions) Criteria Strategy and Action Plan

6. Results Indicators Baseline & Story The 7 PopulationAccountability Questions • What are the quality of life conditions we want for the children, adults and families who live in our community? • What would these conditions look like if we could see them? • How can we measure these conditions? • How are we doing on the most important of these measures? • Who are the partners that have a role to play in doing better? • What works to do better, including no-cost and low-cost ideas? • What do we propose to do?

7. RBA Implementation (Example) Result: Concrete Supports: Families access concrete support that meets their needs, including high quality services and opportunities for economic and educational success. Indicators:Parents know where to go when they feel they need assistance. Data and story behind the data: What do we know about social isolation, lack of informal and formal support, language barriers? Who is not finding or accessing services? Who is our target population?Parents who experience maternal depression. What do we propose to do (objectives)? • Connect parents to formal and informal supports and resources; • Train groups and agencies in the use of Protective Factors

8. RBA Implementation (Example Continued) • Prioritize community change activities to pursue: Select and design implementation work plans for specific activities/projects (including low cost/no cost ideas). • Recruit groups and agencies to fill the gaps in services • Make plans to provide groups and agencies with Protective Factors training • Performance Measures: Community Partnership tracks and assesses progress on each key activity by selecting a set of performance measures.

9. Performance Accountability Types of Measures found in each Quadrant How well did we do it? How much did we do? • % Common Measures • (e.g. client staff ratio, workload ratio, staff turnover rate, staff morale, % staff fully trained, % clients seen in their own language, worker safety, unit cost) • % Activity-Specific • Measures • (e.g. % timely, % clients completing activity, • % correct and complete, % meeting standard) # Clients/Customers Served # Activities (e.g. by type of activity) Is anyone better off? # # # # • % Skills / Knowledge • (e.g. parenting skills) • % Attitude / Opinion • (e.g. toward drugs) • % Behavior • (e.g. school attendance) • % Circumstance • (e.g. working, in stable housing)

10. Best Start Performance Measures (examples) Fill the Gaps in Available Opportunities How well did we do it? How much did we do? # of new agencies/groups recruited to partner in the effort # of mothers connected to formal or informal services % of new opportunities that addressed language barriers % of participants who were provided with transportation Is anyone better off? # of mothers who reported new formal or informal services meet their needs % who reported new formal or informal services meet their needs

11. Best Start Performance Measures (examples) Provide Protective Factors (PF) Training How well did we do it? How much did we do? # of new agencies/groups were provided training in PFs # of staff/volunteers trained in PFs % of training done in the primary language of the participants % of participants who report the training met their needs Is anyone better off? # of agencies/groups who report applying new knowledge of PFs to the way services are designed/provided % of agencies/groups who report applying new knowledge of PFs to the way services are designed/provided

12. Performance Measures Quality Quantity How welldid we do it? How much did we do? Effect Effort Is anyonebetter off? # %