Justice College’s responsibility is to contribute to the DOJ&CD’s performance and the attainment of its strategic objectives through learning.
Justice College as the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development fully accredited training institution; is responsible for training that provides functional training to all officials of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. The training is integral to and promotes the Department’s efforts to widen and improve citizens’ rights to access justice and improved service delivery. Course attendees are equipped and empowered with tools and skills which they should be able to demonstrate in the workplace and heighten their skills which in turn will serve the community better. Justice College is aiming to further extend training to all professionals and officials of the Department; including all justice-sector personnel in other departments.
Public Administration NQF Level 5 training programme.
To demonstrate that Justice College is passionate about contributing to the provision of excellent service; PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION NQF LEVEL 5 which consists of the following modules is offered:
Service Delivery is a cornerstone of the National Development Plan 2030 (NDP).
The NDP is a blueprint for eliminating poverty and reducing inequality by 2030 through uniting South Africans, unleashing the energy of its citizens. According to the NDP, all South Africans should feel and be safe. This vision can be achieved if there is a well-functioning criminal justice system in which the police , the judiciary and correctional services can work together to ensure that suspects are caught , prosecuted , convicted if guilty and securely incarcerated.
The following are the main goals of the NDP that relate to the department and the Justice Correctional Services Police and Social Services (JCPS) Cluster:
To achieve the above the training of justice officials becomes a strategic intervention because all training interventions must contribute to the developing of capable state.
The National Development Plan (2011: 261, 294); states that education, training and innovation are central to South Africa’s long-term development. They are core elements in eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. Helping people to develop their skills and enhance their capabilities is an essential part of a sustainable strategy for tackling poverty. Education, training and innovation are central to this. Highly educated and trained individuals have much better chances in the labour market and will be able to participate in the knowledge-driven economy of the future.
Skills Development Levies Act No.9 of 1999
The recent Government directive issued by the Minister of Public Service and Administration implies that all three tiers of government - National, Provincial and Local; will have to pay a skills levy (1% of salary bill) in accordance with the SDLA and report annually on the training conducted (DPSA Circular no. HRD 1 of 2013), requires of the Department to have a central point of coordinating training as opposed to the current situation.
There is a need for the education and training of all legal, professional and administrative personnel in pursuit of enhanced service delivery. This need cannot be adequately addressed through the Justice College in its current form of inadequate human resources.
The need for the continued existence of an institution like the Justice College is unquestionable. The nature and extent of the needs as well as the vision of the DOJ&CD and Government can dictate the form it takes throughout its existence. The current overwhelming need within the justice sector is for skilled legal practitioners, leaders, managers and administrators.
Delivering excellent service starts from the attitude of the service provider and the availability of the essential resources.
Any organisation could have ambitions to provide excellent service but without the appropriate resources and working equipment; that will not be possible. No Business Unit or entity can deliver good service without trained service providers, adequate budget and appropriate working equipment.
As an employee; are you a great service provider?
“In order to provide excellent service; one needs to believe in self! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or joyful. Self - confidence leads to self-realisation and successful achievement,” (Peale 2015:1990).
A service provider should be visionary.
“Your career will also fly when you commit to being the opposite of ordinary in all the work you do. See into the future and avoid being stuck in the past. For example; we used to do things this way. Do not be afraid to shatter the routine work. Continuously rethink the way you work. Ask yourself “how can I boost my productivity? How can I work faster? How can I wow my customers / clients even more? Regularly put yourself in the shoes of your customers clients; then set about to take that experience to a completely new level of world-class.
Remember that getting to your leadership best comes down to simply doing a few smart moves each day that stack up to an imaginable achievement over a period of time. Daily ripples of superior performance add up over time to a tidal wave of outrageous success.
Choose innovation over stagnation and you will be a star. Choose calculated risk taking versus operating the same old way, and you will do great. You will be awesome.” (Robin Sharma, 2010: 61-64).
According to Kotler (2000: 442); it is important for the organisation to have an efficient customer complaints system. The system should have contact numbers including toll-free ones.
The complainant should be told about the flow of the process and time frames. The customer is not interested who will resolve the problem but are purely interested in the speedy resolution of the problem.
Role of employee / service provider
Employee’s attitude plays a crucial role in the client relationship.
Employees do more than deliver client service. They personalize the relationship between client and supplier. They are the link between the client and the experience with the organisation. How they communicate, is key to successful client relationships. Therefore, they need to be empowered and enabled to play their part in building and maintaining strong relationships.
Feedback from service users
A complaints/feedback process is an important part of providing quality support that is responsive to people’s needs and that supports continuous improvement in service delivery. The information received through a complaints/feedback process can assist an organisation to take steps to better support individuals and/or improve administrative practices
Feedback should be solicited through: Surveys, desk research, customers’ comments book, complaints, Compliments and Suggestion boxes. Employees can also solicit feedback from their communities, friends, relatives etc.; in order to incorporate the needs of the people in the offerings.
Stakeholder engagement
It is important to engage with stakeholders frequently. This results in the identification of problems in the early stages. Positive matching of the needs and objectives of stakeholders and those of the organisation, is imperative for a healthy and good relationship. Stakeholders’ needs are key.
Service standards
Why are Service Standards Important?
Crafting service standards
Definition of Service standards
A Service standard is a level, grade, calibre, merit, yardstick, benchmark, measure, criterion, touchstone, such as a code of behaviour, code of honour, principle, ideal, ethics, seniority levels at work, etc. A standard is something specific, measurable and realistic that can be achieved within a given time-frame.
For example,
‘A client will not spend more than two hours without being attend to’
‘A protection order will be issued within a day of application’.
The following elements should be considered when crafting a Service Standard:
Benefits of service standards
Organisations that meet or exceed service standards will experience a rise in customer / client satisfaction and a change of public perception and be able to measure overall organisational performance.
Service quality and its dimensions
The public service will be evaluated based on one criterion – its effectiveness in delivering services which meet the basic needs of all citizens of the state.
The dimensions of quality consist of the following:
Measures to rectify service delivery failures
Developing, motivating and managing employees’ service delivery
Conclusion
Five star ways to satisfy your clients / customers: RADAR
References
1. Department of Public Service - A Circular no. HRD 1of 2013.
2. Heppel M; 2015; 5 Star Service, How to deliver exceptional customer service. United Kingdom, Pearson Education Limited.
3. Justice College Transformation Strategy 2013.
4. Kotler P; 2000. Marketing Management – The Millennium Edition. USA; Price Hall International, Inc.
5. National Development Plan: 2011. National Planning Commission of S.A.
6. Peale N.V; 1990. The power of positive thinking. London, Great Britain. Random House Group Company.
7. Robin Sharma; 2010. The leader who had no title. United Kingdom, Great Britain. Simon & Schuster UK Ltd.
8. Service Delivery Unit, Service Delivery Notes, 2016.
Published: 25 Jan 2018
