Improved Public Services (GE0066)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Georgia Action Plan 2018-2019
Action Plan Cycle: 2018
Status: Active
Institutions
Lead Institution: LEPL - Public Service Hall, Ministry of Justice of Georgia
Support Institution(s): UNDP- Georgia; donor – the Government of Sweden
Policy Areas
Capacity Building, Marginalized Communities, Public Participation, Sustainable Development GoalsIRM Review
IRM Report: Georgia Design Report 2018-2019
Starred: Pending IRM Review
Early Results: Pending IRM Review
Design i
Verifiable: Yes
Relevant to OGP Values: Civic Participation
Implementation i
Completion: Pending IRM Review
Description
The Government of Georgia (GoG) has taken many important steps to make an efficient public administration system, which is to enhance the rights and freedoms of people with disabilities. For this purpose the GoG has ratified international agreements, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015-2030, etc.
The LEPL Public Service Hall (PSH) is aimed at increasing and simplifying an access of citizens to public services. The PSH is the largest supplier of public services in Georgia. Therefore, hundreds of persons with disabilities (PWDS) make use of its services annually, throughout the country. In spite of improvement of the quality of servicing the persons with disabilities, they still face definite challenges in this process.
In order to cope with these challenges, it is necessary that:
- The PSH would develop clear-cut procedures for its personnel in connection with servicing the PWDS;
- The skills and competences of the PSH personnel would improve.
Within the framework of this Plan and with the direct participation of PWDS, a quality standard of serving PWDS, gesture language tutorial will be developed.
By meeting this commitment, the PSH will become the first public institution in Georgia having introduced the standard of serving the PWDS.
Commitment 1: Improved public services for all
Lead Agency LEPL - Public Service Hall, Ministry of Justice of Georgia
Other Involved Actors/Partners Public agencies
Civil society/ Private Sector/International organization
UNDP- Georgia; donor – the Government of Sweden
Issues to be Addressed A quality service standard has been established at the PSH, which provides for rules of consumer communication and service procedures. However, said standard does not include special rules that need to be taken into account when serving PWDS. It is noteworthy that no other public service provider has developed such a standard and, correspondingly, there is no a unified approach thereto, which would constitute a part of the state policy in the area of protection of the rights of PWDS.
It is noteworthy that the language of gestures lacks denotations of the specific terminology used in public structures when providing public services. Additionally, the lack of standards and guides conditions low competence of the personnel of public service providers, which constitutes a serious barrier for PWDS.
Main objective Improvement of the serving quality by developing for PWDS a standard of serving, gesture language tutorial and upgrading the PSH personnel in the serving of PWDS.
OGP Principles/Value Transparency Accountability Public Participation Technologies and Innovations
Milestones to fulfill the Commitment New or ongoing commitment Start date: End date:
Study of needs (with direct participation of PWDS in the focus group and round table format) New June 2018 October 2018
Developing for PWDS a standard of serving tutorial New July 2018 October 2018
(1) Developing in the course of serving PWDS a training module suited to their needs; (2) Conduct of training trainers and other training courses for the PSH personnel; New August 2018 November 2018
Development of necessary terminology in the language of gestures for communicating with public institutions and a relevant tutorial for PWDS and the PSH personnel. New July 2017 October 2018
Personnel retraining for mastering the language of gestures New September 2018 November 2018
Raising awareness of public, particularly of PWDS and their family members about the services adapted to PWDS available in the PSH. New November 2018 December 2018
Indicator - Three focus groups with participation of PWDS to study needs have been held;
- Engagement of PWDS in the process of the standard of serving and gesture language tutorial development, for which 4 meetings with PWDS in the round table format were arranged, has been ensured;
- The PWDS Serving Standard has been developed and is accessible;
- The Gesture Language Tutorial has been published and distributed through the organizations working on the rights of PWDS;
- The Training Module has been developed and approved;
- 50 PSH employees have been trained by means of Training Trainers, 750 – by means of other training courses, and 2- by means of the gesture language mastering course;
- 80% of trainees have upgraded their skills being evidenced by the pre and post tests;
- At least 80% of trainees positively assess the training;
- Materials for raising awareness have been developed and distributed.
Risks and assumptions Shortage of respective experts
IRM Midterm Status Summary
Commitment 1: Improved Public Services for All
Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:
“The LEPL Public Service Hall (PSH) is aimed at increasing and simplifying access of citizens to public services. The PSH is the largest supplier of public services in Georgia. Therefore, hundreds of persons with disabilities (PWDS) make use of its services annually, throughout the country. In spite of improvement of the quality of servicing the persons with disabilities, they still face definite challenges in this process.
In order to cope with these challenges, it is necessary that:
- The PSH would develop clear-cut procedures for its personnel in connection with servicing the PWDS
- The skills and competences of the PSH personnel would improve
Within the framework of this Plan and with the direct participation of PWDS, a quality standard of serving PWDS, gesture language tutorial will be developed.
By meeting this commitment, the PSH will become the first public institution in Georgia having introduced the standard of serving the PWDS.
It is noteworthy that the language of gestures lacks denotations of the specific terminology used in public structures when providing public services. Additionally, the lack of standards and guides conditions low competence of the personnel of public service providers, which constitutes a serious barrier for PWDS.”
Milestones
- Study of needs (with direct participation of PWDS in the focus group and round table format)
- Developing for PWDS a standard of serving tutorial
- (1) Developing in the course of serving PWDS a training module suited to their needs; (2) Conduct of training trainers and other training courses for the PSH personnel
- Development of necessary terminology in the language of gestures for communicating with public institutions and a relevant tutorial for PWDS and the PSH personnel
- Personnel retraining for mastering the language of gestures
- Raising awareness of the public, particularly of PWDS and their family members about the services adapted to PWDS available in the PSH
Start Date: June 2018
End Date: December 2018
Editorial note: For the full text of this commitment, please see https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/georgia-action-plan-2018-2019/.
Context and Objectives
Persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Georgia, particularly citizens who are blind and visually impaired or deaf and hard of hearing, often face challenges accessing public services. According to recent civil society reports, public spaces, government buildings, and public transportation are often not adapted to the needs of PWDs. [1] Moreover, there is limited information about available services for PWDs. [2] [3]
This commitment continues the aims of Commitment 1 from Georgia’s third action plan (2016–2017). That commitment required Public Service Hall (PSH) to add special navigation systems with tactile paths and braille maps to its buildings. [4] This current commitment aims to further improve PSH’s service delivery to PWDs by developing a specific service-related terminology guide in consultation with PWDs and through focus groups. It also calls for PSH personnel to be trained in accordance with the new guidelines. The commitment seeks to raise the quality of service delivery and raise awareness about available services among PWDs and their families.
For Milestone 1, the government will conduct a needs assessment through focus groups and roundtable discussions with PWDs, to collect data to improve services. This element makes the commitment relevant to the OGP value of civic participation. The milestones are verifiable. The action plan provides specific indicators for the activities, such as the number of focus groups to be held and the number of PSH employees to be trained.
If fully implemented, this commitment could lead to PWDs-specific service standard guidelines. It would create a sign language handbook and improve the competence of PSH personnel regarding provision of services to PWDs. Interviewed civil society representatives, PWDs, and focus group participants unanimously told the IRM researcher that these activities could improve existing accessibility standards in the country. For example, according to an interviewed representative from ANIKA, a leading Georgian nongovernmental organization serving PWDs, [5] this commitment could help PWDs to access public services more independently. Such independence is essential for their integration into their communities. [6]
PSH provides access to 400 public and private sector services through 22 branches nationwide. If this commitment is fully implemented, PSH would become the first government agency in Georgia to develop and incorporate a PWDs-specific service methodology into the service delivery in its nationwide branches. [7] According to the action plan, Georgia currently lacks unified guidelines on PWDs-specific standards across all service providers. Therefore, PSH’s efforts for this commitment might provide a valuable example for other service providers in the country. However, the action plan does not specify if the planned PSH activities might be mainstreamed in all the relevant state policies and programs across the country. Therefore, the overall potential impact is considered minor.
Next steps
If the government carries this commitment forward to the next action plan, the IRM researcher recommends strengthening its link to OGP values by conducting a more extensive needs assessment, with the broader coverage. The next needs assessment would incorporate more quantitative measures and involve all relevant stakeholders, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and their family members. This assessment could help better plan and prioritize the improvement of service delivery. It could also help form a unified approach to service delivery standards for PWDs statewide.
ANIKA recommends that the government continue working on the permanent improvement of accessibility by adapting infrastructure to ensure safe access to public services. Thus far, special navigation systems with tactile paths and braille maps have been built in PSH facilities as part of the 2016–2017 action plan. However, these facilities still lack fully functioning voice-assisted navigation systems. Thus, ANIKA recommends integrating a voice-assistance module into the entire navigation system. This change would drastically improve the ability of PWDs to access public services independently. [8]
[1] Institute for Development of Freedom of Information, “Analysis of Statistics on Persons with Disabilities,” 16 March 2018, https://bit.ly/2pfTrMo.
[2] Public Service Hall, Guidelines for Service Delivery for People with Special Needs, 2018, p. 11, https://bit.ly/2GfaCqS.
[3] Charity Humanitarian Center Abkhazeti, Barrier Free Environment—Adaptation of Buildings and Infrastructure in Georgia and International Experience, 2017, https://bit.ly/2Dj0euD.
[4] Open Government Partnership, IRM: Georgia Progress Report 2016–2018, https://bit.ly/2XKZWpP.
[5] ANIKA is a local association that works to create equal opportunities and conditions for persons with disabilities, http://anika.ge/?lang=en.
[6] Irakli Seperteladze, Member of Board at ANIKA, interview with the IRM researcher, 6 June 2019.
[7] Irakli Seperteladze, Member of Board at ANIKA, interview with the IRM researcher, 6 June 2019.
[8] Irakli Seperteladze, Member of Board at ANIKA, interview with the IRM researcher, 6 June 2019.
Commitments
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Improved Public Services
GE0066, 2018, Capacity Building
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Citizen Engagement Platform
GE0067, 2018, Capacity Building
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Unified Authentication System
GE0068, 2018, E-Government
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Economic Governance
GE0069, 2018, E-Government
-
Environment Portal
GE0070, 2018, E-Government
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Strengthen Anti-Corruption Institutions
GE0071, 2018, Anti-Corruption
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Monitor SDGs
GE0072, 2018, Capacity Building
-
Citizen Engagement Legislation
GE0073, 2018, Legislation & Regulation
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Publish Court Decisions
GE0074, 2018, E-Government
-
Increasing Transparency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
GE0075, 2018, E-Government
-
Citizen Participation in Public Finance
GE0076, 2018, Anti-Corruption
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Transparent Public Funding System
GE0077, 2018, Fiscal Openness
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Public Procurement Improvements
GE0078, 2018, Access to Information
-
Housing Policy Planning
GE0079, 2018, Land Rights & Spatial Planning
-
Openness and Accountability of State-Owned Enterprises
GE0080, 2018, E-Government
-
Transparency and Good Governance
GE0081, 2018, Legislation & Regulation
-
Open Data Collection and Publication
GE0082, 2018, Access to Information
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Participation for Disabled Individuals
GE0083, 2018, Infrastructure & Transport
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Participatory Budgeting
GE0084, 2018, Capacity Building
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Your Idea for the Zugdidi Mayor
GE0085, 2018, Capacity Building
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Electronic Services
GE0086, 2018, E-Government
-
I. Gov. Zugdidi
GE0087, 2018, Capacity Building
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Service and Citizen Satisfaction Assessment
GE0088, 2018, Capacity Building
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Promoting and Monitoring SDGs
GE0089, 2018, Open Parliaments
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Citizen Involvement in Budget
GE0090, 2018, E-Government
-
Technology for Transparency
GE0091, 2018, E-Government
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Citizen Engagement Center
GE0092, 2018, Capacity Building
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Raising Public Awareness About Parliamentary Democracy
GE0093, 2018, E-Government
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Electronic Innovations for More Transparency and Efficiency of Public Procurement
GE0056, 2016, Anti-Corruption
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Adoption of the Environmental Assessment Code
GE0057, 2016, Anti-Corruption
-
Introduction of a Mobile App as an Alternative Channel to Connect to “112”
GE0058, 2016, E-Government
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Development of Local Councils for Crime Prevention
GE0059, 2016, Justice
-
Development of a Guidebook for Economic Agents
GE0060, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Development and Introduction of the Quality Control Program of Commercial Service
GE0061, 2016, Capacity Building
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Presentation of Company Reports in an Electronic Form and Provision of Their Accessibility
GE0062, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Introduction of an Electronic Petition Portal and “Zugdidi-INFO” on the Webpage of Zugdidi Municipality Assembly
GE0063, 2016, Capacity Building
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Transparency of Ozurgeti Municipality Assembly Meetings
GE0064, 2016, Capacity Building
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Creation of Electronic Mechanism for Local Budget Planning in Kutaisi, Ozurgeti, Batumi and Akhaltsikhe
GE0065, 2016, E-Government
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Adapting the Public Service Hall to the Needs of the People with Disabilities
GE0042, 2016, Capacity Building
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Launch of the Unified Healthcare System Information Portal
GE0043, 2016, Capacity Building
-
Introduction of Electronic Licensing System in the Field of Natural Resources Application
GE0044, 2016, Anti-Corruption
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Creation of Spatial (Geographic) Data Web-Portal for the Energy Sector
GE0045, 2016, Capacity Building
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Creation of Innovation Ecosystem
GE0046, 2016, Capacity Building
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Electronic Portal for Registering and Disposal of State Property – Customer’S Module
GE0047, 2016, E-Government
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Development of the Freedom of Information Law
GE0048, 2016, Access to Information
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Development of a Monitoring and Assessment System of the Government Policy and Legislative Acts
GE0049, 2016, Capacity Building
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Introduction of the Public Officials’ Asset Declarations Monitoring System
GE0050, 2016, Anti-Corruption
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Establishing Unified Regulations to Publish Court Decisions
GE0051, 2016, Judiciary
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Development of Transparency and Integrity Strategy and Action Plan in the Field of Regional Development and Infrastructure
GE0052, 2016, Capacity Building
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Improvement of the Database of the Convicted and Transfer of the Penitentiary Department Entirely Onto the Electronic Workflow Management
GE0053, 2016, Capacity Building
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Publication of Phone Tapping Data According to the Nature of the Crime and Geographic Area
GE0054, 2016, E-Government
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Increasing Citizen Participation in Supervision of Public Finances (Public Audit)
GE0055, 2016, Anti-Corruption
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"Voice of the Consumer"
GE0013, 2014, Public Participation
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JUSTdrive
GE0014, 2014,
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Educational Services
GE0015, 2014, Education
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Citizen's Portal (Www.Mygov.Ge)
GE0016, 2014, Capacity Building
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Transformation of Public Libraries for Regional Development
GE0017, 2014, Capacity Building
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Digital Signature and Online Authentication
GE0018, 2014, E-Government
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Open Data Portal (Data.Gov.Ge)
GE0019, 2014, Access to Information
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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Draft
GE0020, 2014, Access to Information
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Georgia's OGP Forum
GE0021, 2014, Public Participation
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I-Change.Ge
GE0022, 2014, E-Government
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Transparency of Public Service Recruitment
GE0023, 2014, E-Government
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Asset Declaration Monitoring System
GE0024, 2014, Anti-Corruption
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Political Party Financial Declarations
GE0025, 2014, Access to Information
-
Accessibility of Ministry of Interior's Webpage to People with Special Needs
GE0026, 2014, E-Government
-
Proactive Publishing of Surveillance Data
GE0027, 2014, Civic Space
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Public Awareness of the Electoral Process
GE0028, 2014, Capacity Building
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Transparency of Budgetary Processes
GE0029, 2014, E-Government
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Electronic System of Procurement
GE0030, 2014, Anti-Corruption
-
Digital Human Resource Management System
GE0031, 2014, E-Government
-
Digital Preservation System: E-Archive
GE0032, 2014, E-Government
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Openness and Accessibility of National Archives
GE0033, 2014, E-Government
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Electronic Catalogues of Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) Archives
GE0034, 2014, E-Government
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Public Finance Management System
GE0035, 2014, E-Government
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Alternative Channels to "112"
GE0036, 2014, E-Government
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Interactive Statistics and Crime Mapping
GE0037, 2014, E-Government
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Travel Insurance Services
GE0038, 2014, Citizenship & Immigration
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State Property Registration
GE0039, 2014,
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Development of Community Centers in Georgia
GE0040, 2014, E-Government
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Introduction of e-Governance in Local Self-Governments
GE0041, 2014, E-Government
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Public Service Hall-Hub of Public Services
GE0001, 2012, Access to Justice
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e-Governance in Local Governments
GE0002, 2012, E-Government
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Citizens’ Portal
GE0003, 2012, E-Government
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Easily Accessible and Better Healthcare
GE0004, 2012, E-Government
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Launch Ichange.Ge and Data.Gov.Ge
GE0005, 2012, E-Government
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Platform for Participating in the Legislative Process
GE0006, 2012, E-Government
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Citizens and Justice
GE0007, 2012, Access to Justice
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Transparent Party Financing
GE0008, 2012, Anti-Corruption
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Home-Grown Concept of E-Procurement
GE0009, 2012, Anti-Corruption
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e-Declarations
GE0010, 2012, Anti-Corruption
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Technology Cares for Safety: ICCMS, Crime Mapping, and Safety in Your Neighbourhood
GE0011, 2012, E-Government
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NGO Forum
GE0012, 2012, Capacity Building