An average of 65% of Elected Members in seven pilot councils have signed up to take part in the CPD Framework for Elected Members project. The project has now gone live in East Lothian, Falkirk, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire Councils, with a launch imminent in Fife Council and a launch planned later this year in Aberdeenshire Council.
Online Development Profiles were issued to participating Elected Members in the five pilot councils on 10 November, which will involve them rating the importance of 80 behaviours to their role as an Elected Member and then assessing how they think they are performing against each behaviour. Just over one-third of these Elected Members have also opted to gain 360 degree feedback on their behaviours, nominating individuals that they have dealings with either in their council, community planning partnership, community or at other government levels to provide feedback.
The Elected Members and those providing 360 degree feedback will have three weeks to complete their Development Profile, after which the Elected Member will receive a report summarising the responses to their Development Profile and identifying development needs. The Elected Member will then meet with an officer from their council to discuss their report and development needs and to prepare a Personal Development Plan.
The pilot project is being supported by Brightwave - which specialises in designing, developing and delivering customised e-learning and communication solutions to a wide range of organisations in the UK and worldwide (www.brightwave.co.uk). To assist in the future development of e-learning amongst Scottish councils, Brightwave is providing the seven pilot councils with the online Development Profile tools, a learning management system and an e-learning platform at no cost for the duration of the pilot project.
The pilot Project Board is currently tendering for a development programme that supports the fourteen political skills set out in the CPD Framework. It is anticipated that the development programme will consist of the following elements:
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workshops which will either be targeted at members from an individual council, or targeted at members from across councils
- e-learning programmes
- checklists, quick tools and self directed learning supports
- an online resource/reference library, which will provide access to a range of relevant support materials, such as reading materials, topical news, web links
Elected Members will be able to select from the programme the supports that best suit them and their needs. The project board is aiming to appoint the successful partner or partners in December, with a view to implementing key elements of the development programme from March 2009 onwards
