Privileging service consumers voice via Routine Service Outcome Measurement essential in Family Court Reforms (Justice and Electoral Select Committee)

Privileging the service consumer’s voice via Routine Service Outcome Measurement is essential for measuring the service efficacy of any and all services provided to the Family Court, be they legal, social, psychological, or meditative, says Steve Taylor, Director of 24-7 Ltd, Counsellor, Mediator, and Social Service Outcomes Researcher said to the Justice & Electoral Select Committee Hearing today.

“While various special interest battle lines have been drawn in this debate, no-one has yet addressed what the Ministry of Justice has stated in its own reports into the Family Court – namely, that in the 32 years of the Family Court’s existence, consumer service outcome measurement has never been gathered.

The international service outcome evidence is clear that such outcome measurement, in order to improve service outcomes for consumers, is most accurately measured from the consumers perspective.

This means that service consumers would be able to directly measure the service performance of those providing services to them, and this data could then be collated to identify how effective service providers were being with those most directly affected by the provision of service – the consumer.

It is not sufficient for service providers to simply claim “we know what is best for consumers”, when all the comparative analysis evidence of consumer progress shows that this is not the case – it is the consumer who is best able to determine the outcome of service provision, and the consumers voice needs to be the most respected and valued voice in this Family Court reform process, not experts, and most certainly not lobby groups for the Family Court status quo” said Mr Taylor. ENDS

ENDS

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