A Year In Review | Section 4: Organizational Performance

Section 4: Organizational Performance

4.1 - Performance Measurement Framework

In October 2017, SMRC developed a Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) with assistance from the Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis (DGMPRA) PMF Project Team. The PMF was created in accordance with the Military Personnel System (MPS) PMF and is aligned with the Departmental Results Framework (DRF) to assess the organization’s performance and provide data as part of the 2018-2019 Departmental Plan.

 A total of 17 Key Performance Indicators based on 3 core Strategic Objectives have been developed. We also developed several mechanisms to be able to track these indicators, while others are gathered through the annual Your Say Survey. The PMF will be updated in 2018 to align with the new Charter’s objectives.

In parallel, a Business Planning Matrix has been developed to track progress towards the Charter’s objectives and the ED’s performance objectives, and to ensure alignment between human resource capacity and SMRC activities.

4.2 Feedback

To evaluate delivery of its mandate and improve services, SMRC has collected feedback using two internal surveys of CAF members. 

4.2.1 - Your Say Survey 2017

The Fall’s Your Say Survey (YSS) 2017 was sent to a stratified sample of 9,000 Regular force and Primary reserve members and looked at CAF programs from the perspective of individual CAF members. As part of this survey, SMRC has been gathering feedback on awareness of, and satisfaction with, SMRC.

According to the 2017 results on questions pertaining to awareness of SMRC, approximately 60% of respondents have heard of the SMRC. This is lower than reported in 2016 (68%). Primary reserve members were less likely to have heard of the SMRC compared to Regular force members (63% vs 56%).  Most respondents were informed of the SMRC through a briefing by a Commanding Officer or other senior leader of their unit. With respect to knowledge of the SMRC, 58% of respondents believe the SMRC is independent from the chain of command and 58% that confidentiality is effectively protected, 67% are confident that SMRC is beneficial, and 67% would be comfortable seeking advice and support. Related to service delivery, 64% of respondents who contacted SMRC in the previous year provided positive ratings of the SMRC services. Alternatively, 20% of those who had contacted SMRC disagreed that the Counsellors effectively identified their needs, were helpful, and were able to refer to appropriate services.

 A caveat to these findings is that only 2% (n=36) of respondents had contacted SMRC in the previous year, meaning that the 20% who were dissatisfied equates to 7 people. This represents less than 3% of CAF members who contacted SMRC this year. While a small number, it is still important for SMRC to review its services to ensure we meet the needs of all who reach out. A more concerning statistic is that only 2% contacted SMRC even though 21% reported having experienced or having been impacted by sexual misconduct. 

The survey results were informative in that SMRC needs to continue to focus on outreach activities to raise awareness of its services. This is particularly true of Primary reserve units. Given that most had been briefed on SMRC by their chain of command, it is not surprising that respondents’ understanding of some of the critical features of SMRC – independence from CAF and confidentiality – was less than desired and reiterates the need for a continued focus on awareness delivered by SMRC personnel.

The survey also allowed respondents the opportunity to suggest additional services. Over half of respondents indicated that SMRC should include peer support and face-to-face consultations. This, together with feedback from CAF leadership survey to be described below, as well as a victim survey being conducted by DGMPRA expected to be completed in 2018, will be helpful as SMRC looks to expand its services.

4.2.2 - CAF Leadership Feedback

Included in the SMRC Charter is the requirement for SMRC to conduct annual surveys of CAF satisfaction with SMRC and to report this to the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS). This reflects CAF as an organization’s satisfaction as a client of SMRC as opposed to individual client satisfaction. For this fiscal year, SMRC decided to focus the survey on CAF senior leadership.  In March 2018, questionnaires were distributed to 20 CAF leaders who were requested to complete it anonymously. Questions examined satisfaction with three broad areas: promotion and awareness activities, service delivery, and quality of services, and allowed for input into service enhancements.  The response rate was 60%, and overall satisfaction was 87%. The top three service enhancements endorsed were the development of a victim liaison role (75% of respondents), alternative resolution processes (67% of respondents), and rehabilitation options for perpetrators (58% of respondents). There were also recommendations to expand clientele to include DND civilians and former CAF members. The results were presented to the CDS in July 2018.  The survey for 2018-2019 will be revised and will include a larger sample of CAF respondents. SMRC will also explore third party alternatives to obtain feedback to increase transparency and objectivity.

4.3 - Informing and Engaging DND/CAF

SMRC produced monthly reports that summarize information related to contacts to the Centre. These reports were shared with senior leadership and key stakeholders. This fiscal year, the ED began making monthly presentations at the CDS’ Operations meeting. This provides a regular opportunity to brief senior CAF leadership on specific trends, topics or themes related to sexual misconduct. For example, she presented on trends in contacts to the SMRC, the role and impact of the embedded military liaison team, and male victimization and their unique barriers to reporting.

The ED also made presentations at several committees or learning venues. She briefed Defence Executive Committee and Defence Management Committee on the new Charter and priorities going forward. She briefed the Canadian Armed Forces Personnel Management Committee on two occasions, on SMRC’s mandate and services and on the 6-month review of 24/7 operations. She also briefed Armed Forces Council on the 24/7 6-month review. She provided expertise at several learning venues including the Defence Leadership Symposium, an Army Leadership Forum, a learning venue for Air Force Chaplains, and a professional development day for Defence Counsel Services. 

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