Library
Our library contains documents held on the Improvement Service site together with links to documents held externally. A list of websites which also hold publications and information useful to those working in local government is available in our Information Sources section.
Users of the IS site are invited to submit documents that they think will be of value to other site users. Please note that you must be a registered user of the Improvement Service website and logged in if you wish to submit a new document. Documents submitted will not appear on the site immediately but will be subject to approval by our editorial team.
If you need any guidance or help please read our 'How to use this site' document.
Programme Leaflets
DocumentsDate added
February 2011 update on the 'Improving Local Outcome Indicators' project.
Information about proposed changes to legislation to allow public information notices to be published electronically and the Public Information Notices (PINs) portal. This leaflet aims to clear up some misunderstandings about the the proposed legislative changes and the role of the PINs portal.
Newsletter about the Customer Service Professional (CSP) Qualifications, a set of national customer service qualifications developed specifically for councils by councils. This newsletter features CSP news and key facts about the qualifications.
Information on workforce planning in Scottish local government - why it is necessary, key questions for councils and ongoing help and support from COSLA, the Improvment Service and SPDS.
The Public Service Leadership Programme is a leadership and management development programme currently being piloted in two Scottish councils. This update provides an overview of the Programme, its aims and objectives.
The PINs portal is Scotland's national public information notices portal, allowing statutory public notices across Scotland to be published in one place for the first time. This leaflet provides an overview of what the portal can do and its benefits for councils and citizens.
Information on the Local Government Pension Scheme Pathfinder Project, which aims to establish if there are any opportunities to rationalise and improve the management of the Local Government Pension Scheme in Scotland.
National Elected Member Development Strategy for Scottish local government - March 2010 Update
01/03/2010
Following consultation, the Improvement Service published a National Elected Member Development Strategy for Scottish Local Government in January 2010, which sets out a framework through which enhanced, more focused and more structured support arrangements can be put in place for elected members in leading local government through a period of considerable change. This update summarises the work undertaken since then on implementing the strategy.
A summary paper by David Hume, Chief Executive of Scottish Borders Council and Chair of the Project Board, ‘Improving Local Outcome Indicators Project’. The paper provides an overview of the project, established in 2009, to identify the most robust outcome-focused indicators available for use in SOAs. Under the project, an updated Menu of Local Outcome Indicators was published in November 2009 which focuses on the broad outcomes contained in SOAs and identifies the most relevant and robust outcome indicators currently available nationally for tracking progress of those outcomes.
Information about the Improvement Service/IDeA Communities of Practice for Local Government - a social networking site that enables councillors and council officers to connect, learn and share with each other online - and what the Improvement Service website offers its users.
Information about the Improvment Service's Consultancy Framework, designed to help councils cut the time and money they spend on buying services. The framework gives councils access to a list of suppliers along with rates and discounts not available on the open market across 10 services areas: consultancy; events; PR and marketing; facilitation; research and evaluation; training development; web content; staff/team development; knowledge management tools and techniques; and design-related services.
Summaries of each of the programmes which make up Customer First, including the National ICT Infrastructure/Citizen Account, Customer Relationship Management, National Entitlement Card, and OneScotland Gazetteer.
The Public Service Improvement Framework (PSIF) is a self-assessment framework which encourages organisations to conduct a comprehensive review of their own activities and results. It incorporates the EFQM Excellence Model, the Investors in People Standard, the Customer Service Excellence Standard (formally Charter Mark), and Best Value principles. This update summarises the work carried out over 2009-10, including the mapping of PSIF to other frameworks including SWIA (Social Work Inspection Agency), HMIE and the Equalities Framework for Local Government.
Information about the Planning Development Programme, managed by the Improvement Service. The Planning Development Programme was set up to support the training and development of planners, staff in planning departments and councillors with planning responsibilities across Scotland's 34 planning authorities. It works with planning authorities to improve their internal approaches to learning and development, provides workshops/training on planning-related subjects and encourages knowledge-sharing between organisations.
Summary of work the Improvement Service is planning over 2010-11 around local government transformation and shared services. The work will focus on helping councils identify and achieve efficiency savings, supporting collaboration (with a particular focus on mobile and flexible working), and shared services.
