The Continuous Professional Development Framework for Elected Members in Scottish Local Government has been developed by the Improvement Service in consultation with local authorities.
The Framework is based on 14 political skills which are underpinned by 73 behaviours. It is flexible enough to accommodate the different levels of experience and seniority of members, and to allow for implementation to be adapted to the local circumstances that prevail within individual Councils.
The CPD Framework has been designed to give Elected Members feedback about their performance and to provide them with a wide range of learning opportunities through the CPD Framework Development programme that will enable them to further enhance their effectiveness as an Elected Member. The CPD Framework will:
- deliver enhanced, more focused and more structured support arrangements for Elected Members as they lead local government through a period of considerable change.
- help develop Elected Members in their existing roles, prepare them for greater responsibilities, help them become more creative in tackling new challenges and provide them with transferable skills which can be utilised in other roles beyond their local government responsibilities.
- help Elected Members fulfil their governance roles more effectively, thereby improving local governance and accountability of public services to local communities.
- complement existing Elected Member development and support frameworks already in place in Councils.
- provide Elected Members with access to the online Development Programme 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the learning resources being available to them ‘just in case, just in time’. In other words, Elected Members can access the learning resources as and when they need support to deal with an issue or challenge.
It is a voluntary framework. It will be up to individual Councils whether they choose to adopt the framework and if a Council does sign up, it will be up to individual Elected Members to decide whether they wish to participate.
How to log onto the National Elected Member Portal
If your Council has signed up to the CPD Framework and you have received log-in details to the National Elected Member portal, you should open the portal from the following link - http://tracking.brightwave.co.uk/LNT/ISElectedMembers. The screen below will appear, in which you should enter your email address and password.
To help you navigate your way around the National Elected Member portal, you may wish to access the user guide
If your Council has not signed up to the CPD Framework and you are interested in finding out further information, please contact sarah.gadsden@improvementservice.org.uk
