Have you been to a Civil Service Local event, worked in another government department on secondment, or used continuous improvement tools on a project? Maybe you’ve collaborated with colleagues from other departments or volunteered on a community project. We would like to include any of your experiences in future issues of the magazine, so long as they relate to the Civil Service Reform plan, engaging staff and raising awareness of opportunities in our region.
Are you planning a project or developmental opportunity that you want to tell colleagues about, or do you want to advertise your own skills to potentially help fellow civil servants? Use our classifieds section, a virtual noticeboard that advertises what projects and opportunities are available. We also want to reach more colleagues across the North West, so contact the editorial team if you want to share your experiences or be added to our distribution list.
The magazine came about as a result of the 2014 Civil Service North West Academy, in which we formed the Sparks family. We had to create and develop a project idea – delivering a new, cross departmental e-magazine to civil servants throughout the region. Our aim was to promote the Civil Service Reform plan’s ideas of developing staff and cross-departmental working to encourage the sharing of ideas and processes. And so The Network was born.
To date, we have produced four issues, with each one focussing on a department within the North West. Issue four features the Department for Education, while previous issues covered the Department for Work and Pensions, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Department of Health. A member of the Senior Civil Service provides a brief overview of their functions to help raise the awareness of colleagues not normally involved with that organisation.
We have learned as we’ve gone along, improving our distribution list and considering readers’ feedback. This is an ongoing process, meaning that the magazine is continuing to evolve to meet the needs of Civil Service reform and our readers’ requirements. Why don’t you get involved? We’d love to hear from you.
Kerry-Ann McKinley