1. Scrutiny as a Critical Friend
Dave Mckenna
Overview & Scrutiny Manager

2. What exactly is a ‘Critical Friend’?

3. A critical friend can be defined as a trusted
person who asks provocative questions, provides data to
be examined through another lens, and offers critiques
of a person’s work as a friend. A critical friend takes the
time to fully understand the context of the work
presented and the outcomes that the person or group is
working toward. The friend is an advocate for the
success of that work
Costa, A. and Kallick, B.(1993) "Through the Lens of a Critical Friend". Educational Leadership
51(2)
The term was really first used in education

4. a listening ear
tuning in
the different perspective that
outsiders can provide
a fresh pair of eyes
an understanding of the
situation
Swaffield (2002) Contextualising the Work of the Critical Friend Conference Paper University of
Cambridge Faculty of Education
There have been lots of ideas about how it can be
explained
the point of balance between
support and challenge
about the task not the
peoplegiving
feedback
shining a
light reality check

5. A critical friend is somewhere between a hostile
opponent and an unquestioning follower
About here

6. ‘Critical friend’ is a term now commonly used in
scrutiny

7. In summary, a critical friend is someone who:
• Shares the same ultimate aim
• Asks constructive questions
• Brings new information / a different perspective
• Takes time to develop a proper understanding
• Builds a relationship of trust and respect

8. Why is this important?

9. The critical friend role is a widely recognised way to
drive improvement

10. Scrutiny is the best place for the critical friend role to
happen
• Scrutiny is the best place to provide constructive
challenge to cabinet members
• Scrutiny is the best place for backbenchers to influence
service improvement
• Scrutiny provides a way to achieve consensus about
sensitive issues
• Party politics can take place elsewhere

11. So getting it right really matters

12. How can scrutiny be an effective critical friend?

13. 1. Be clear about what the shared aim is
The shared aim

14. 2. Develop questioning strategies and skills

15. 3. Bring something new to the debate
Public
views
Service user
perspectives
New
evidence
External
experts
Different performance
questions
National
research
Staff
ideas
Councillor
experiences

16. 4. Make sure you fully understand the issues

17. 5. Check to make sure you are making a difference
• Does scrutiny provide an effective challenge to the
Executive?
• How does scrutiny have an impact on the work of the
executive?
• How does scrutiny routinely challenge the authority’s
corporate strategy and budget?
• Are external partners involved in O&S and how are they
included?
• Does scrutiny work effectively with the executive and
senior management?
Centre for Public Scrutiny (www.cfps.org.uk)

18. Finally, remember that ‘critical’ means both
‘challenging’ and ‘essential’
Both meanings should be relevant for scrutiny

19. Scrutiny as a Critical Friend
Dave Mckenna
Overview & Scrutiny Manager