Former Member 11 Years Ago Hi Chris, This is a very interesting topic. For me some of this comes down to the geographical area that you are in. An area that has a county unit could benefit in terms of a joint post, which would provide some longitivity for a unit, and I would imagine appeal in terms of having a single point of contact for a PCC. But what about the districts that feed into that process? Would they have to agree that the CSP Manager represents them all, and is their point of contact with a PCC? Would the CSP Managers remit change if they are joint funded, and would their work focus on the partnership community issues for their area, or would they be an extension of the Office of the PCC? Looking ahead to the future (crystal ball time) would a new PCC for the county want the same structure and joint post / model of working? For me operating in a county where there are three unitary authorities, we do not have a county service or county CSP Manager. The three CSPs are different and have aligned to their local community need, but we do have some shared services (IOM, DIP countywide and Domestic Abuse as a shared service between two authorities). If a PCC is looking countywide for commissioning, then utilising the CSPs knowledge and experience as commissioners would be a practical approach. This may also aid commissioning 'a service' with joint outcomes rather than one per Local Authority. Communication is key - what outcomes are we trying to get to and what outcomes can we only reach together? Let's not forget that the PCC has a major role with the Police, Victim Services and Criminal Justice, some of which is still being worked through. Strong working relationships with colleagues in these organisations will be essential to jointly improve and work through inevitable changes. CSPs need to challenge what they do and how they do it. Where can I add value as a CSP Manager and how can the CSP work smarter? Like I say, a very interesting topic! Joy 0 Reply as... Cancel