By John May
Promoting volunteering is on the agenda of the main political parties and its benefits are broadly recognised. Young Enterprise has a history of training and supporting volunteers effectively and its chief executive looks at the volunteering scene and outlines how it can be developed locally and nationally.
Read more on THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING A VOLUNTEERING CULTURE…
By Gayna Hart, MD, Quicksilva
Customer focus is the aim of all public services. The importance of this approach is very clear in health and social care. Several agencies can be involved in providing support and they all have different processes and systems. The author describes how connecting the health and social care information systems can bring a range of benefits.
By Charles Boulton
Efficiency savings on current ways of working will not delver the scale of savings that budget cuts demand from the public sector. The only way forward is transformational change. Managing change on this scale is challenging and success depends on understanding what is going on in the minds of the people involved. The author explains the part that the ‘unwritten rules’ play in the change process and how recognising them can help to limit resistance.
Read more on KNOWING THE UNWRITTEN RULES CAN IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY AND CUT COSTS…
The total place approach is already gaining ground and the task now is to take it forward into everyday behaviour in public services. This round up of views from the regional improvement and efficiency partnerships shows how local strategic partnerships (LSPs), which in turn bring together different parts of the private, voluntary and public sectors in promoting improvement initiatives, are being supported. It also reveals thinking about what lies ahead.
Read more on TAKING TOTAL PLACE FORWARD – THE VIEW FROM THE SHARP END…
By Phil Neal
Budget are coming under pressure across the public services. Although education is a priority with some ring fencing, there will be no exemption from the pain of cuts. The author offers a range of suggestions for pain free cost savings.
Read more on COST CUTTING IN EDUCATION – IS IT CRUNCH TIME FOR SCHOOLS?…
By Gerard Khoshnaw
Most local authorities are handling almost one Judicial Review dispute every month, but few cases are referred to mediation. This is despite the fact that, in the great majority of cases, mediation results in a settlement. The author explains why mediation is neglected and how to choose cases to explore this avenue.
By Wendy Woodcock
The behaviour of pupils in schools is not improving. The traditional response to bad behaviour is exclusion, but the number of exclusions remains constant each year and many pupils are excluded more than once. The author describes an alternative restorative approach which has proved effective in resolving conflict and improving behaviour.
Read more on IMPROVING PUPIL BEHAVIOUR THROUGH A RESTORATIVE PROCESS…
By Chris Davies
Education, like other parts of the public sector, is entering a new era of budget restraint. The task of improving standards has become more challenging, but there are ways to respond to the challenge. The author describes what school leaders can do to get the most out of scarce resources and the support that is available to do it.
Across the country pioneering project teams have found out how public money is spent in their area and then looked in detail at how services could be improved at a lower cost. The new approach of focusing on what happens in a place across all public service boundaries and then getting together to find better ways of doing things has been proved beyond doubt. This has not been easy, but the greater challenge lies ahead. People in Whitehall and town halls together with colleagues in the health service, the police and other public bodies have to find ways to take forward the idea of Total Place.
Read more on TAKING TOTAL PLACE FORWARD FROM PILOT TO MAINSTREAM…
By Rob Marcus
The public sector, councillors and MPs are lagging behind other European countries in the uptake of social media initiatives. The author looks at the benefits social media has to offer to councils and local and national politicians.
Read more on PUBLIC SECTOR SHOULD WISE UP AND TAKE THE ‘SOCIAL MEDIA PLUNGE’…
© PublicNet is a KnowShare production | Technology by Jag Singh + Hilton & Hilton Ltd | Admin Log in
