The Do Digital project aims to improve citizens’ digital skills to encourage them to use online government services and make the most of an increasingly digital world. A project team in Oldham did just that – and learned a bit about themselves into the bargain.
Every September, a group of excited - and slightly apprehensive - civil servants meet for the first time at the Front Line Managers’ Academy. Four days later they emerge as confident leaders-in-waiting, keen to deliver a project that will help transform the Civil Service.
Team Quattro have said goodbye to their 12-month project – and now they want you to carry on their good work raising funds for older citizens.
Thousands of civil servants descended on Manchester for the return of Civil Service Live to the North West. They learned new skills, made new contacts, and came away inspired to help deliver the vision of a Brilliant Civil Service.
Now that the dust has settled on Civil Service Live in Manchester, it’s a good to time to reflect on the event – and say a big thank you to all those volunteers who made it happen.
Julie Birkett from HM Land Registry took part in a fun scheme to raise the aspirations of primary school children in Blackpool, and tells us why she can thoroughly recommend it.
Our new pilot project helping vulnerable citizens in Lancaster has been a great success. I went along to meet Civil Service volunteers and citizens to find out what it was all about.
This is the first in a series of blogs where we’ll be following a cross-government group of middle managers called Team Quattro, who are focusing on helping citizens in our community who find themselves in vulnerable circumstances. We start by looking at their recent visit to an Age UK day centre in Manchester.
As part of our new project helping vulnerable citizens, we spent a day supporting volunteers in Blackpool to enable them to serve the local community better.
The second part of the Middle Managers’ Academy was held in Preston at Lancashire Police HQ, so the appearance of TV detectives Kojak and Columbo wasn’t surprising. But the serious message of the event was the importance of middle managers developing themselves so they can be better, more inspiring leaders.
It’s not every day that you can learn about resilience and crisis management from a senior civil servant who is involved with planning the government’s response to threats ranging from terrorist attacks to floods. But civil servants at a recent discovery session in Blackpool had precisely that opportunity.
Through my involvement with several Civil Service Local projects, I’ve learned how cross-government working can lead to sharing good practice and discovered the importance of engaging with people at all levels. I’ve benefitted from my experiences, and so has my employer, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Colleagues across the North West have developed their leadership skills and earned a qualification through Civil Service Local’s partnerships with learning providers. To date, 120 civil servants have taken, or are taking, a level 5 Apprenticeship in Learning and Management.
“Don’t even think about it – just do it!” A recorded address from John Manzoni, the Civil Service CEO, encouraged colleagues to get involved with Civil Service Local and help make a difference to citizens. Colleagues at a Continuous Improvement event in Manchester took him at his word, as I found out.
Sue Bridson from HM Revenue and Customs reflects on the developmental journey she has made so far with Civil Service Local.
Civil Service Local North West held celebration events to thank the volunteers whose hard work and enthusiasm has made the citizen focussed projects so successful. Mandy Morris, from HM Courts and Tribunals Service, took part in the Going Forward project at Hindley Green prison and went to one of the events, where she swapped stories and reminisced about how she had made a difference.
Would you like to improve your skills and competencies while helping to raise the aspirations of school children? Applications are open now for the next phase of our Inspiring Young People project, which aims to give students practical advice to help prepare them for the world of work, while providing Civil Servants with a valuable opportunity to develop themselves.
How to improve a team’s performance is one of the key concerns of any manager. Paul Brown led a discovery session on how to drive high-performing teams, and his candid, relaxed style found favour with an engaged audience in Birkenhead . . .
As civil servants we often view the role of the Civil Service through the lens of experience. We know that what we do improves the lives of our citizens - but do they know that? We teamed up with journalism students from Liverpool City College so they can cover events on our behalf while adding to their portfolio of work. These aspiring young journalists have a keen eye and a different perspective. Do they see what we see? Student Liam Bulloch had his first brush with civil servants when he attended the North West Academy.
Devolution is a word that’s bandied about frequently, but how much do we really know about it? A pilot for a new discovery session about devolution revealed some of the answers.
