ADSO Laura Latham and IIMC President Mary Lynn Stratta

With this in mind, Laura Latham, ADSO Board Director and Scrutiny Officer at Blackpool Council took the opportunity to fund herself to venture across the globe to the IIMC conference in Reno, Nevada in May 2010. Having worked in Democratic Services for 5 years, Laura was keen to meet colleagues from around the world to discuss differences in practice, the future of local democracy and legislative changes and share examples of best practice from colleagues in Europe, South Africa and America. The conference provided the opportunity for 650 city clerks and democratic services professionals from across the globe to come together for 5 days to attend a variety of workshops, concurrent education sessions and speakers seminars by renowned international speakers such as ‘Ultramarathon Man’ Dean Karnazes. 

The hospitality provided by the Host Clerk and the IIMC President 2010, Mary Lynn Stratta was second to none, with the conference providing social opportunities to visit Virginia City, attend a reception at the National Automobile Museum and meet the Mayor of Reno, Bob Cushell and tour the city of Reno. 

Laura also discussed the development of ADSO with presidents of similar organisations across the world and the arrangements in place for raising the sector of the profession through comprehensive qualifications and training. 

Of the whole conference visit, Laura explained that it was the networking with colleagues which provided the most valuable experience. ‘Chatting to colleagues reminded me that similar challenges exist in local government across the world, particularly in providing comprehensive support to elected members, dealing with ethical codes and practices in meetings and the pressures of budget savings. It was also interesting to consider the context in which Democratic Services professionals work, particularly when they are elected to their positions, rather than being an appointed Council officer.’   

It is hoped that a representative from the IIMC will be in attendance at ADSO Annual Conference in Leeds on 15 and 16 November 2010 to share information with conference delegates regarding democratic practices from across the world. 

For more information about ADSO or the IIMC please visit the organisations respective websites http://www.asdso.co.uk/ or http://www.iimc.com/

Then read on, as the second cohort of learners for the Certificate in Democratic Services Practice is to start shortly and you can join them! The Certificate in Democratic Services Practice was officially launched at the ADSO Conference in October 2009. There are currently 15 Regional Advisers working with over 40 learners across the country, benefitting from shared learning opportunities and up to the minute knowledge. 

We now have a new budget year and managers are requested to think about the benefits staff could gain from working towards the Certificate. Learners in cohort one are already starting to realise the new knowledge they are acquiring as part of their work and the opportunities it can bring for further development. Jenny Hambley from the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority said “I didn’t realise that by undertaking this qualification, I would not only improve my knowledge but would have the opportunity to learn how things are done in other Authorities as well. It’s a real learning curve and has given me the opportunity to provide the democratic support to the AGMA Democratic Services Managers Group.” 

Ian Barton, a learner from Sefton Council was of a similar view “I have just started to work in the Scrutiny Support team and this qualification has given me a good foundation to help me develop my new role.”

The ADSO Qualifications and Development Centre is now seeking potential learners for cohort two which will commence in early July 2010. Interested parties are encouraged to submit expressions of interest through the ADSO website www.asdso.co.uk/qualifications and will be contacted by the relevant Regional Coordinator to discuss their involvement further. The cost of the Certificate is £1,400 which includes attendance at free training events with other learners for the 7 Knowledge and Understanding modules. The qualification should take 12 months to complete.

The new Award and Certificate in Democratic Services were launched at the ADSO conference in October 2009. The first cohort of learners and Advisers started in September and are making good progress towards their qualifications.

We are now looking for a second cohort of learners and Advisers to start in June / July.

So if you want to:

• Improve your knowledge and understanding

• Increase your career opportunities

• Work towards a professional qualification

• Have the opportunity to network and learn with colleagues from other Authorities

Please visit www.asdso.co.uk/qualifications to find out more about gaining the Certificate in Democratic Services Practice or training as a Regional Adviser. You can complete an expression of interest for the next cohort of learners and Advisers due to start in June 2010.

The Regional Adviser training will take place on the following dates:

• 21st and 22nd June in the South

• 28th and 29th June in the North

The cost is £675 +VAT for all materials, assessment and certification

The learner induction sessions will take place on the following dates:

• 5th July in the North

• 14th July in the South

The cost for the Certificate is £1400 for ADSO members and £1650 for non ADSO members with reductions for learners with in-house advisers.

You can download an information flyer via http://www.asdso.co.uk/images/stories/documents/candidateflyer.pdf

For further information about the qualifications please contact either Mark Towers, mark.towers@blackpool.gov.uk or Sue Keogh, sue@seemp.co.uk

It is open to all those working in, or with an interest in, Democratic Services and its theme will be Democracy in the 21st Century’. During the two day conference, there will be a number of speakers and workshops on topics relating to participation, petitions and engagement. Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from experts and practitioners in Democratic Services and to network with others in the sector.

The conference will be held at the Hilton, Leeds City and the costs are as follows:

• One day (non residential):

£150.00 +VAT ADSO members

£175.00 + VAT non ADSO members

• Two day (residential):

£250.00 + VAT ADSO members

£300.00 + VAT non ADSO members

This residential rate includes a conference dinner on the 15th and free use of the hotel’s leisure facilities.

Full details of the conference including the programme, workshops and speakers will be available shortly. In the meantime, to register your interest, please visit the Association website: www.asdso.co.uk

For further information, please contact Sue Keogh on sue@seemp.co.uk

The main duties are:

To provide support to the Overview and Scrutiny Committees in their roles of policy development and scrutiny of the executive, contributing to the Council’s improvement agenda.

To work closely with members of Overview and Scrutiny Committees, providing research and advice in relation to scrutiny work which will include projects aimed at improving services and developing policy.

To provide project management support to Overview and Scrutiny Committees on specific projects, including scoping the project, implementing and co-ordinating the actions, ensuring deadlines are met, and ensuring that the project is completed on time and within budget (where appropriate).

To proactively challenge existing practice in relation to scrutiny projects or issues members wish to review.

To provide information and undertake research into existing practice and performance at the Council and best practice elsewhere.

To analyse information and research findings and develop options for improvement of a service or the development of a new policy for consideration by members.

To ensure community/interest groups, local residents and the community panel are engaged in and contribute to scrutiny projects, and engage external witnesses, experts, partners or officers from other local authorities as appropriate.

To work closely and effectively with Strategic Directors, Heads of Service and other officers on scrutiny projects, including call ins, as appropriate and to build good working relationships with them.

To pro-actively publicise the work of Overview and Scrutiny Committees, working closely with the Public Relations Officer to ensure that a wide range of media are used, including the website and local papers.

To present information to different audiences including members and officers in a variety of ways including formal reports, formal and informal presentations and briefings in connection with scrutiny projects.

To provide administrative support both to the Overview and Scrutiny function and other Committees as required, including convening meetings, assembling and publishing agendas, reports, minutes and action sheets.

To track the outcome of Overview and Scrutiny activities and report both annually and periodically throughout the year to enable Overview and Scrutiny Committees to review their effectiveness in improving services and developing policy.

Since the Award in Understanding Democratic Services and the Certificate in Democratic Services Practice were officially launched at the ADSO Conference on 14 October 2009, the first cohort of trainee Regional Advisers and learners have embarked on their work. There are 6 trainee Regional Advisers working with 10 learners in the North and 7 trainee Regional Advisers working with 14 learners in the South. Induction sessions were held for all individuals working with the new Qualifications in London, Birmingham and Manchester during December 2010.

Trainee Regional Advisers who are working towards their A1 Qualification commenced study in November 2009 and have attended three day sessions run by ENTO, the last of which took place in February 2010.  They have been working with two learners each, undertaking the Certificate in Democratic Services Practice who have begun to make progress towards a number of modules.

To support the development of the qualifications further and to ensure effective working practices all involved, a consultation on a draft specification for a qualifications area of the ADSO website is being undertaken. It is anticipated that an online facility will enable learners, Regional Advisers and Coordinators to save, upload and access documents online and submit work for assessment.

As the new budget year approaches, managers are requested to think about the benefits staff could gain from working towards the Democratic Services qualifications. Learners in cohort one are already starting to realise the new knowledge they are acquiring as part of their work and the opportunities it can bring for further development.

The Standards and Qualifications Group is also beginning to make headway in developing the Professional Diploma in Democratic Services. It is anticipated that this will be launched in October 2010 as part of the ADSO Conference. This qualification is likely to be a Level 5 qualification, with options for building on knowledge and practice within a specialist area through a dissertation based research piece and supplementary knowledge and understanding modules.

The ADSO Qualifications and Assessment Centre is now seeking potential trainee Regional Advisers and learners for cohort two which will commence in June 2010. Interested parties are encouraged to submit expressions of interest in either capacity through the ADSO website www.asdso.co.uk/qualifications and will be contacted by the relevant Regional Coordinator to discuss their involvement further.

The East Midlands Regional Democratic Services Forum met for the first time on Tuesday 23 February 2010 at Blaby District Council.  All authorities from the East Midlands were invited to attend.

Representatives discussed the arrangements and operation of a regional ADSO body.  The meeting was well attended and all the representatives had a positive input and later discussed a number of best practice issues including approaches to e-petitions and officer support at council meetings.

Lincolnshire offered to host the next meeting in June.  More details will be available on the ADSO website closer to the time.

In YOUR Region – the North East

The Regional Democratic Services Group, in association with the North East Regional Employers Organisation, recently organised an event for those working in democratic services, including officers at all levels working in members support, civic support, community governance, overview and scrutiny and meetings support.

The objectives of this event were to:

¬  launch and promote the Association in the North East region;

¬  promote the Association’s qualification;

¬  provide professional development workshops for officers working in democratic services; and

¬  consider the establishment of a North East branch of the Association.

This event was held on Friday 26 February 2010 in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Durham.

The seminar included:

¬  a presentation on the background, development, and anticipated benefits of membership of the Association from John Austin, Chairman of ADSO;

¬  a presentation from Bill Crawford, Executive Director (Commercial) of the Association of Electoral Administrators on how the AEA North East branch operates;

¬  a presentation on the new Democratic Services qualification and information on how to become involved;

¬  information and discussion on the establishment of North East branch of the Association; and

¬  presentations and trade stands by Public-I and Astech

Delegates were given the opportunity to participate in one of a series of professional development workshops covering topics of interest to those working in democratic services.

In YOUR Region – the North West

Following a number of successful regional events held in 2009, a meeting of the North West Democratic Services Steering Group will take place on Friday 12 March 2010.  The meeting is being hosted by Warrington MBC and will commence at 10.00am.

The focus of discussions will be the development of an NW ADSO branch, arrangements for a mini AGM and conference to be held in late 2010 and development of the qualifications within the region.

Interested parties are asked to contact Mark Towers for more details via mark.towers@blackpool.gov.uk

In YOUR Region – the South East

As you may be aware, work is underway to set up Regional branches of the Association.  Rather than duplicate or compete with current regional networks, ADSO are working in partnership with South East Employers to hold a joint network meeting.  The first of these was held on 3 March at Old Sessions House, Clerkenwell Green, London.   This was followed by a first (informal) branch meeting to discuss what members would like from a Regional branch and how you would like it to operate.

In YOUR Region – the South West

To complement regional briefings about ADSO and the new qualifications, South West Councils also conducted a survey across the SW region, the aim of which was to establish:

¬  Level of awareness in region of ADSO

¬  Likely level of membership in SW region

¬  Support for a branch in the region

¬  Format for a branch in the region

¬  What an AGM might look like

¬  Level of interest in the qualifications

The survey was promoted through Heads of Democratic Services for cascading to all DS staff (with a specific request to include areas such as the civic and scrutiny roles which are sometimes placed outside of DS).

We estimate there are around 300 DS staff in the region and we received 55 responses.  Of those who responded:

¬  89.1% had heard about ADSO

¬  30.5% of those who had heard about ADSO had joined the association

¬  53.1% of those who hadn’t yet joined were planning to

¬  100% of those who had joined or were thinking of joining, supported the idea of a branch organised through South West Councils

¬  48% of those who had joined or were thinking of joining, favoured bolting a branch onto an existing network

¬  30% of those who had joined or were thinking of joining, favoured an annual conference as a branch meeting

¬  52% of those who had joined or were thinking of joining, favoured the AGM as part of an annual conference

¬  70.6% of respondees had heard about the new qualifications

¬  42.9% of those who had heard about them were considering undertaking one of them

¬  86.7% of those who were thinking of undertaking a qualification favoured the Certificate level

What does this tell us?

¬  Overall, there is a good awareness of the Assocation in the region although more work needs to be done to encourage membership.

¬  The idea of a branch in the region has been well received but needs further exploration in what benefits a branch may bring that existing networks don’t already offer.

¬  Awareness of the qualifications appears to be at a reasonable level but some further awareness raising needs to be done.

¬  The Level 3 Certificate in Democratic Services Practice appears to be the most likely qualification to be undertaken for those who are considering it.

SW Councils Scrutiny Officers network met on 5 February and received a full briefing on ADSO, post launch activity, web progress and the idea of a branch for the SW region.

There was discussion around the benefits of joining ADSO, in particular the website.

However, the general feedback was that the CfPS web site provided scrutiny officers with a wide range of freely available information which was not similarly available on the ADSO web site.

The two launched qualifications were discussed in some detail and the Diploma was referred to.   Some members of the network felt that the qualifications weren’t transferable or recognised by other employers and that they did not represent a professional qualification for those in Scrutiny roles.

SW Councils are planning a conference for the region during July 2010.  Against the background of likely challenges in delivering the local government agenda of the incoming national government, the conference theme concerns the increasing need to work collaboratively whether it is across teams, across authorities and areas or with other agencies to achieve more efficient ways of working towards shared objectives. This conference will look at that agenda in the context of Democratic Services and examine  ways in which we are already working together, explore how we may need to work in the future and identify what skills are needed to deliver national and local objectives. A range of workshops will consider specific areas of the democratic services environment where delegates have an opportunity to shape the future.

On that basis the Association has submitted a detailed response to the Government on the duty to respond to petitions as contained within the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act. 

The Association has consulted its membership on the provisions contained within the draft guidance and submitted comprehensive practitioner input to the consultation exercise. The main responses from the membership revolved around the thresholds that trigger the provisions, the validation of signatures and the need for the Government to recognise executive arrangements within these provisions.

ADSO’s response was also keen to recognise the current arrangements that authorities all had in place currently to deal with petitions and to emphasise local discretion in all of the provisions. 

The final submitted version can be found at http://www.asdso.co.uk/ in the Members’ Forum discussion area.

I am pleased to be able to update you on a number of developments, some of which will be covered later in more detail.

We have significantly improved our website and now have an area where members can interact with each other, questions can be posted and answered and views expressed.  We have introduced a job vacancy section which has already been used.  Councils advertising jobs in this way can also receive a significant discount on an advertisement in Opportunities Magazine.

www.asdso.co.uk

Membership of ADSO is growing steadily and we have now passed the 500 mark. If you haven’t already joined, please take a look at the website to see what we have to offer.

Many of you will be aware of the Municipal Journal ‘Democratic Services Team of the Year’ award, sponsored by ADSO.  This is the first year for this award, and has come about because of ADSO’s existence.  I am pleased to announce that 23 nominations have been received for the category.  The award ceremony will take place on 24 June at the Park Lane Hilton, London and the best of luck to all who have submitted an application.  Thanks for supporting the event.

I hope you find this newsletter helpful.  If you have any suggestions for improving it or have any views about ADSO generally, please contact me.  It would be good to hear from you.

Module 1 – The structure and functions of local government in England

The learner will be asked to demonstrate an understanding of local government and its relationship with central government. An understanding of the different types of local authorities, the relationships between them and knowledge of areas such as election cycles, the role of political parties and the rules of proportionality will also need to be demonstrated.

Module 2 – The legal framework of local government in England

The learner will be asked to show an understanding of the basic legal requirements for local government in England. Knowledge of the constitutional requirements for local government in England will also have to be demonstrated.

Module 3 – The role of elected members and officers in local government in England

The learner will be asked to understand the roles and responsibilities of elected members in local government in England, including the electoral processes for being elected, the different roles members can play within the Council and on outside bodies. They will also need to demonstrate the roles and responsibilities of officers, including the importance of delegation, the importance of political independence and an understanding of the various codes and protocols used.

Module 4 – Executive and the role of Council in local government in England

This Module will require the learner to explain the different options for executive arrangements in local government in England, the key features of the strong leader model and the elected mayor model. The learner will also have to demonstrate an understanding of the role of Council and the powers reserved to it.

Module 5 – The role of Scrutiny in local government in England

The learner will be asked to show a knowledge and understanding of the powers and responsibilities of scrutiny and the role it plays in influencing decision-making. The module will also ask the learner to explore the new requirements of scrutiny and its role in influencing key partner organisations.

Module 6 – Community leadership and engagement in local government in England

This module will ask the learner to demonstrate an understanding of the context and requirements of partnership working in local government in England. This would include an understanding of issues such as the duty to co-operate, the role of local and multi – area agreements, local strategic partnerships and the comprehensive area assessment.

Module 7 – Understanding your own Authority

The learner will be asked to show an understanding of the key features of their own authority, including its geographic, environmental, economic, social and political makeup. They will also be asked to demonstrate an understanding of the governance arrangements in their own authority, including the decision making structures, processes and its political context.

Certificate in Democratic Services

Modules

Learners MUST complete the 7 modules which form the Democratic Services Award and then they must complete 6 practice modules to be able to gain a certificate in Democratic Services.

In undertaking the Certificate, the learner MUST complete the following 3 mandatory modules (8, 9 and 10).

Module 8 -Behaving professionally in a Democratic environment (credit value 4)

The learner will be asked to show evidence of of demonstrating a number of ‘democratic’ behaviours including adaptability and innovation, communication, customer focus, self management, political awareness and working effectively with others.

Module 9 – Working Relationships in local government (credit value 3)

The learner will need to provide evidence to show that codes of conduct and protocols have been followed in respect of relationships between officers, elected members and members of the public.  Evidence would also need to be provided to show that in maintaining and developing relationships the learner has treated individuals in a fair and equitable way, with due regard for diversity and has shown political sensitivity.

Module 10 – Organising and co-ordinating events (credit value 4)

Evidence would need to be provided demonstrating how venues are selected, resources are identified and booked and attendance is encouraged. The learner would need to provide evidence showing how an event has been supported. Events could include civic events, partnership meetings, member training events or scrutiny visits/ events.

A credit value has been applied to all the ‘Practice’ Modules, in order to show the approximate ’size/ length’ of the module.  The higher the credit value the larger the Module and longer it will take to complete.  A credit value of 1 equates to approximately 10 hours.

As well as the compulsory modules listed above, the learner must then complete a selection of the optional modules listed below, to a total credit value of at least 8:

Module 11a – Managing and Supporting Meetings (credit value 5)

The learner will need to provide evidence of preparing an agenda, supporting the running of the meeting, advising at the meeting and producing clear and accurate minutes if the meeting, together with recording and notifying agreed actions. Meetings could be formal committee meetings, informal working/ task groups or partnership meetings.

Module 11b – Presenting and advising effectively in a democratic environment- (credit value 2)

The learner would need to provide evidence that they have pro-actively advised elected members with clarity and accuracy in a public environment.  This could include presenting reports at a committee meeting, delivering a presentation to members, or facilitating a training and development session.  Learners would also need to provide evidence of situations where they had given clear and succinct advice in a reactive manner.

Module 11c – Planning and implementing scrutiny activities- (credit value 6)

The learner would be asked to provide evidence to show assistance in the scoping of a scrutiny activity, demonstrating an agreed plan with timescales and methodology identified. They would also need to show assistance in the identification of witnesses and types of research, how these are evaluated and the production of a final report in an agreed format and ‘signed off’ by agreed stakeholders.

Module 11d – Researching, analysing and reporting information- (credit value 2)

The learner will be asked to show evidence of research undertaken including how this has been collected (e.g. from similar authorities, by electronic information sources etc), analysed and presented for report in an appropriate format.

Module 11e – Supporting elected members casework- (credit value 2)

The learner will need to show evidence of how assistance has been provided to elected members in managing and supporting their casework.  This could include dealing with complaints about services, failure to meet agreed standards and requests for information about services and service providers.  A learner would need to demonstrate appropriate response times and relevant delivery of responses.

Module 11f – Supporting the development of elected members- (credit value 2)

The learner would need to demonstrate evidence of how assistance has been provided in supporting the development of elected members.  This could include helping to identify individual development needs, supporting members in training and development events and helping produce a development programme.

Module 11g – Managing and publishing information- (credit value 2)

The learner would need to demonstrate evidence of storing information in the relevant location.  The learner would also need to show the type of information available to the public, its correct form for presentation (e.g. website/ printed means) and adherence to the requirements of freedom of information and data protection.

Module 11h – Supporting the civic office (or Chairman of an authority) – (credit value 3)

The learner would be asked to provide evidence to show how support has been given to the work of the Civic/ Chairman’s Office.  Evidence would need to demonstrate how office diaries have been organised and prioritised, how arrangements for events have been communicated to Civic/ Chairman representatives and other support staff and how major Civic/ Chairman occasions are planned for.  In undertaking this module evidence would need to demonstrate how relevant protocols have been followed.