Performance evaluation in a Local Government: The case of a Social Work Department meals-on-wheels service

The first part of the paper reviews the problem of measuring performance in the public sector and highlights the importance on giving appropriate attention to measuring the effectiveness of services. A Local Government Social Work Department meals-on-wheels service is taken as a case study and appropriate performance indicators are developed for economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Critiques of the use of performance indicators are reviewed but it was concluded that in the case study considered, their use gave decision-makers useful insights into the operation of the service and raised a number of key issues.