Central Management Support Unit (CMSU)
What does the CMSU do?
The Central Management Support Unit (CMSU) was established by the Five Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland in January 1999 to:
- support organisational development and continuous improvement across the whole range of educational support services provided by the boards.
- to provide quality management information on the performance of services, leading to a more effective and customer focused decision making process for education and thereby contributing to the Northern Ireland Programme for Government.
The Five Education & Library Boards welcome the new Best Value legislation, which became a statutory duty for boards with effect from 1 April 2003. This provides an opportunity to refocus our approach to the whole process of continuous improvement and allows us to concentrate on key issues that are a priority for the Five Education & Libraries Boards in Northern Ireland.
The CMSU carries out a programme of fundamental best value reviews and promotes the use of quality models such as Investors in People, Charter mark and The Excellence Model.
Our aim is to improve services provided by the boards by:
- spreading best practice throughout the boards and encourage working together;
- championing the best in our services;
- developing performance indicators and benchmarking; and
- encouraging continuous improvement in the standards of customer care delivered.
Who works in the unit?
The CMSU is based in Room 304, SELB, 3 Charlemont Place, The Mall, Armagh, BT61 9AX.
Fundamental Reviews
Comments from the review process:
“As a result of the review, I am now being provided with the support needed to do my job better and to implement recommendations. We are now able to do the things that need done and we can plan more effectively.”
To date fundamental reviews have been completed on:
From December 2003, a review of the Youth Service is in progress, with initial plans for reviews of The Curriculum Advisory & Support Services (CASS) and Library Service programmed for 2004 and 2005 respectively.
As part of the fundamental review process, services are assessed using the recognised process of Best Value, namely the 4C’s:
- Challenging all aspects of the service
- Comparing with similar providers
- Consulting with a range of stakeholders
- Demonstrating Competitiveness
Recommendations from Reviews to date include:
 BUILDING MAINTENANCE REVIEW - (86Kb)
- Adoption of a common set of criteria for use in selection of building maintenance contractors
- Development of a common system for selection, appointment and payment of consultants
- Implementation of an Estate Management Information System to incorporate indicators on customer satisfaction, contractor performance and client effectiveness
- Development of a system to inform users of the nature, content and proposed timetable for all planned maintenance schemes
- Development of an environmental strategy for the building maintenance service.
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Curriculum Advisory Support Service (CASS) Review
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SPECIAL EDUCATION REVIEW - (495Kb)
- Development of links with voluntary organisations working in support of children and families with special educational needs.
- Involvement of schools and Boards of Governors in strategic planning and policy development in relation to special education
- Development of links with further and higher education institutions to increase provision for young people with special educational needs leaving the school system.
- Review current processes to improve quality of advice and support, timeliness and accessibility of officers.
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SCHOOL CATERING REVIEW - (847Kb)
SCHOOL CATERING EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - (63Kb)
- Development of a whole school approach, promoting healthy lifestyle and healthy diet.
- Implement use of smart card technology into all schools to facilitate catering, transport and library services.
- Reduction in sales of sugary, fatty and salty foods within schools coupled with availability of fresh drinking water.
- Information on menus, including variety, choice and prices, to be made regularly available to all parents.
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Comment from the Catering Review:
" A very impressive report. Congratulations to all who contributed and especially to those who did all the hard work. The recommendations are very good. This was a valuable experience for me to be part of the team."
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