Abstract

This paper sets out to assess the impact of two dimensions on the highly publicised failure of this government 'Next Step' agency. Initially there is a brief history of the agency, not only since its formation, but also before its conception, after which the question of 'Why the allocation of child support should reside within the public sector?' is addressed. The first dimension considered is the operational/internal issue of control and management, which is reviewed using the theoretical basis of the New Public Management principles. The second dimension is one of the agency's relationships with the home department and associated minister. The discussion here invokes criticism of the system of accountability in place and proposes that the ambiguities and practical implications of such a system have helped to limit the agency's effectiveness.