Questions about specific partnerships for public bodies to consider both individually and collectively with their partners

1  Rationale for the partnership (paragraphs 43-47 in Chapter 1 and paragraphs 136- 143 in Chapter 5):

a  Why does this partnership exist?

b  What are its agreed aims?

c  Where have they been published?

d  Can you identify a better way of serving the public?

2  Added value from the partnership:

a  How does this partnership add value? (Paragraphs 67-71 in Chapter 2.)

b  How do you demonstrate this added value to the public? (Table 1 in Chapter 3.)

c  How do you know whether funds are being well spent? (Case study 2 in Chapter 2 and paragraphs 101-104 in Chapter 3.).

d  How does the public know that partnership funds are being well spent? (Table 1 in Chapter 3.)

3  Governance arrangements:

a  How do your partnership's corporate governance arrangements link to those of individual partners? (Paragraphs 72-74 and Table 1 in Chapter 3, and paragraphs 140-143 in Chapter 5.)

b  How are decisions made?

c  How are they recorded?

d  Who makes sure that they are acted on?

e  Who scrutinises them?

f  To whom are they reported? (Paragraphs 75-79 and Case study 4 in Chapter 3.)

4  Performance management (Paragraphs 94-100, and Case study 7 in Chapter 3):

a  How do you know which partnership targets you are meeting and which you are failing to meet?

b  Who manages and reports progress?

5  Financial management (Chapter 3):

a  Who provides the money?

b  Who decides how to spend it?

c  Can the money be reallocated?

d  What are the financial reporting arrangements?

6  Risk management:

a  How do you know when things are going wrong?

b  Who can take action when things are going wrong? (Chapter 1, Chapter 3 and Chapter 5.)

c  How do you resolve conflicts of interest? (Paragraph 80 in Chapter 3)

7  Termination arrangements (Paragraphs 136-139 in Chapter 5):

a  What are the arrangements if this partnership comes to an end?

b  Or if you decide no longer to be involved?

c  How will resources be reallocated back to partners?

8  Serving the public (Table 1 in Chapter 3 and paragraphs 127-132 in Chapter 4):

a  How effectively does this partnership communicate with the public?

b  How can the public and service users obtain redress when things go wrong?

c  Is there a complaints and suggestions process the public can use?