As part of this work, and in partnership with five councils, the Improvement Service is running a pilot project to better manage councillors' caseloads using a caseload management software tool. The five councils involved in the pilot are Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire, Perth & Kinross and Dumfries & Galloway.
The caseload management tool allows for more effective management of enquiries including full tracking of the status and history of all case events. Ultimately, using such a tool creates the conditions for elected members' time to be freed up and available fulfil their other critical roles of policy making and community leadership; assists officers to better support elected members; allows for elected members to better represent constituents and provides the opportunity for better customer service.
The project launch meeting held in Broxburn on 15 September achieved its objectives of briefing the pilot council champions on the project and identified top line requirements and evaluation criteria.
Since then, the project champions have been engaging their elected members to support the pilot and gathering data on business requirements. Between now and the end of October, the caseload management tool is being tailored to the requirements of each council ready for the training and launch to elected members at the start of November 2006.
The pilot will run from November to March 2007, when an evaluation will take place to determine how a caseload management tool might meet Scotland's 32 councils' needs in the longer term.
The Improvement Service would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge publicly the enthusiasm and co-operation of the project champions and elected members' support staff in the five pilot councils.
Further information
For further information, please contact Martin Brown, CRM Programme Manager on 01506 775558 or martin.brown@improvementservice.org.uk
