Early Learning and Childcare Expansion Update

Local authority staff working hard towards the expansion of early learning and childcare (ELC) got together in September at the Early Learning and Childcare Summit.

 

Workshop aims to improve data management and use

The Improvement Service and East Ayrshire Council recently ran a workshop on data science and analytics advice and guidance. Many of the council’s service managers and transformation officers were in attendance and involved in breakout sessions to discuss topics raised.

 

Councillor surgeries are now online!

Information about councillor surgeries is now available on TellMeScotland.

 

Debt advice funding and delivery models report published

The Improvement Service has published a preliminary report, 'Potential Funding Models And Delivery Approaches Which Could Be Used To Allocate The Levy Funding Devolved To The Scottish Government For Debt Advice', on potential funding models and delivery approaches for allocating levy funding for debt advice.

 

Promoting roads careers in South and East Ayrshire

The Roads Collaboration Programme has been working with Ayrshire Roads Alliance and East Ayrshire Education to provide two educational insight events into roads careers.

 

Councillor Gail Mcgregor, COSLA's Resources Spokesperson, visits the Improvement Service

COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor visited the Improvement Service to find out more about the organisation’s role in supporting improvement and innovation in local public services and the work being delivered by the IS to support national public service reform at a local level.

 

The ambition for superfast broadband for all in Scotland

How the One Scotland Gazetteer is helping Scottish Government achieve its broadband ambitions.

 

Nominations open for the Scottish Public Service Awards 2019

Nominations are now open for the Scottish Public Service Awards 2019, which celebrate excellence within Scotland’s public services.

 

First PDA in Project Management students qualify

The Improvement Service congratulates the first cohort of the PDA in Project Management, who have received their certificates for the SCQF level 8 course.

 

Improving digital public services for young people

The Improvement Service is working with Young Scot to increase the range of digital services available to Scotland’s young people, regardless of geography, experience and circumstance.

 

Place, public health reform and the case for the early adopter

As Scotland embraces the aspirations of public health reform, the Improvement Service (IS) is working on a Place and Health Early Adopter programme looking at how to integrate spatial planning into public health policy.

 

IS response to public health consultation

The Improvement Service (IS) has published its response to the Scottish Government consultation on the creation of a national public health body, 'Public Health Scotland'.

 

Regional approaches to inclusive economic growth

The experiences of Scotland’s local authorities in relation to regional economic working have been set out in a new report.

 

IS shortlisted for national planning award

The Spatial Information Service at the Improvement Service has been shortlisted for a national planning award by the Scottish Government.

 

Volunteers wanted to help create new social security system

The Scottish Government is seeking volunteers to help shape Scotland’s new social security system. Applications are open to people from any background with experience of the current benefits system to join the Scottish Government’s Social Security Experience Panels.

 

Scotland's Census 2021 is going online!

Census 2021 will be the first to be conducted in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland primarily online.

 

Economic development group publishes strategic plan

SLAED, the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development Group, has published its Strategic Plan for 2019-22.

 

The future of digital services for young people

Thanks to a brand new membership platform, young people aged 12-26 in Scotland can now discover and access Young Scot discounts, rewards and additional bespoke opportunities all in one place for the first time.

 

IS wins at Scottish ICT Awards

The Digital Public Service team at the Improvement Service has won the Connect Innovate Award at Holyrood’s 2019 Connect ICT Awards.

 

Local Development Plans among new Spatial Hub datasets

The Spatial Information Service (SIS) has published several new datasets as part of the Spatial Hub data publication schedule.

 

Improvement Service supporting STEM career activities

The Improvement Service recently supported a STEM Jobs and Skills Fair, held in the Livingston Football Stadium, run by Developing Young Workforce West Lothian.

 

Recovering from domestic abuse: Cedar’s impact in Scotland - National Cedar Conference

The recent national Cedar (children experiencing domestic abuse recovery) conference took place at COSLA, with keynotes including Cllr Kelly Parry, Trevor Owen (Scottish Government), Anne Marie Hicks (National Procurator Fiscal) and Cedar graduates.

 

Spatial Hub commercial partnership offer promoted at GeoBusiness/GeoData conference

The Spatial Information Service (SIS) team exhibited at the annual GeoBusiness/ GeoData conference in London in May. It was specifically promoting its offer of commercial partnerships to help get local government data out to the 100+ companies that have been requesting it over the past few years.

 

Former Chief Executive of the Improvement Service dies

It is with great sadness that we announce that Colin Mair, former Chief Executive of the Improvement Service, passed away on Friday, 17 May.

 

IS Finalist in three categories at Scottish ICT awards

The Digital Public Service team at the Improvement Service have been shortlisted as a finalist in three categories at the upcoming Holyrood’s 2019 Connect ICT Awards.

The Awards are Scotland’s only event which celebrates the excellence and achievements of ICT in the Scottish public sector. The categories reflect the innovative and creative solutions found to solve public service challenges through the use of technology to bring real benefits to Scotland’s citizens.

 

West Lothian Council launches parentsportal.scot for schools in Linlithgow

West Lothian Council launches parentsportal.scot for schools in the Linlithgow area. parentsportal.scot is a new secure online service to transform communications between schools and parents. With direct digital communications replacing the schoolbag run, it provides secure access for parents to a wide range of online services and information about their child’s education.

 

IS Spatial Information Service to attend GeoDATA Forum

The Improvement Service has made great progress in creating a sustainable model for increasing the use and maintenance of key local government data assets.

Given that we are currently looking for partnership opportunities to help in those endeavours, the Spatial Information Service will be exhibiting and hosting a workshop at the upcoming GeoDATA Forum/GEO Business conference in London from 21-22 May 2019.

 

Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, Kate Forbes MSP visits the Improvement Service

The Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy, Kate Forbes MSP, visited the Improvement Service to find out more about the organisation’s role in supporting local government improvement and transformation. The visit specifically focused on the close partnership work between the Scottish Government and the Improvement Service in delivering high quality digital public services which are continually improving and responsive to citizens' needs.

 

Your views needed: A Money Guidance Practitioner framework

In 2017 the Money Advice Service (now part of the Money and Pensions Service) brought together a consortium of 14 advice and guidance organisations from across the UK to consider how to raise the quality of money guidance through practitioners.

 

Councils urged to check rigorous systems and processes are in place to safeguard finances

Systems to prevent public money being lost to mistakes and fraud in Scotland's councils may be becoming strained, says Scotland’s public spending watchdog for local government.

 

Blog: Shared Lives Moray

At the end of January, I was delighted to attend a Parliamentary reception in Holyrood, to celebrate Shared Lives in Scotland. Sponsored by Richard Lochhead MSP, the event brought together Shared Lives Shared Lives carers, service users, scheme staff and members of the Scottish Parliament to celebrate all that Shared Lives schemes in Scotland have achieved over the past year.

 

Step into STEM

Staff from the Improvement Service’s Roads Collaboration Programme and the Spatial Hub supported the recent Step into STEM Event in West Lothian (Wednesday 6 March).

 

Four ways planning can improve wellbeing across Scotland

Planning’s well-evidenced impact on the creation of successful places contributes to the National Performance Framework ask to improve physical and mental wellbeing.

 

Scottish citizens can now use digital identity app Yoti to securely access their Improvement Service myaccount

Scottish citizens can now use digital identity app Yoti to securely prove their identity and verify their Improvement Service myaccount.

 

IS signs agreement with Local Government Digital Partnership

The Improvement Service and the Local Government Digital Transformation Partnership have signed a partnership agreement with the aim of providing more seamless support for digital transformation within councils.

 

Fourteen councils express interest in community lottery

Fourteen Scottish councils have expressed interest in taking part in a community lottery, with a number of others wanting to be kept informed of progress. Fourteen councils express interest in community lottery

 

£250,000 reimbursed to Scottish councils for data improvements

The IS' Spatial Information Service (SIS) recently reimbursed local authorities a total of £250,000 to assist with improving their spatial data.

 

IS funds software training for address and street data management

During January 2019, the Improvement Service funded technical software training for Scottish local authority staff to assist with the management of their street and property data.

 

Councils continuing to perform well for communities but pressures are starting to show

Scotland’s councils have done a very good job in delivering essential services for their communities in light of increased demand for services.  They are very aware, however, of the increasing challenges ahead as budget pressures begin to bite, as a new report highlights.

 

Leadership course for roads managers

The Roads Collaboration Programme welcomes the second cohort of aspiring road service managers to the Routes to Leadership course, commencing in March 2019.

 

PhD opportunity - Using administrative data to improve neighbourhood environments

The Improvement Service, in partnership with the University of Stirling, has successfully applied for funding from the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science to jointly support an ESRC-funded PhD studentship.

 

Affordable credit briefing for elected members

The IS and Carnegie Trust UK have produced a briefing paper for elected members which explains what is meant by affordable credit and why it has a  key role to play in locally based policies that alleviate poverty and address income inequality.

 

Satisfaction with Improvement Service increasing

Eighty-one per cent of stakeholders are satisfied or very satisfied with the support they receive from the Improvement Service (IS) - an increase of 4% from 2017.

 

Councils' investment in money advice reaps benefits for citizens

Local authority investment in money and welfare rights advice provision reaps significant benefits for citizens with every £1 invested providing financial gains of £21-24 for clients, according to a new report.

 

New Report Highlights Extent of Councils’ Economic Development Activities

The Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development (SLAED) Indicators Report for 2017/18 was published on 6 December 2018. The publication coincided with the SLAED- EDAS annual conference.

 

New transformation support available from IS

The Improvement Service has launched a renewed offer of support to councils on transformation.

 

Blog: Public health reform is an opportunity we need to grasp

Last month I had the pleasure of meeting directors of public health as a group for the first time and was deeply encouraged by their positive attitude not only towards the reform of public health but also to the role local government plays in improving health and wellbeing outcomes for our communities.

 

A community lottery for Scottish local government

For a number of months, the Improvement Service has been facilitating discussions with councils on the potential to establish a local authority lottery scheme.

 

First cohorts of project management qualification underway

The first three cohorts of the PDA in Project Management are underway, with each group progressing well and really interesting debates in each workshop.

 

Improvement Service hosts second Change Manager’s Networking Event

In June 2018 the Improvement Service hosted its first Change Manager's Networking Event.

We listened to those who attended the event and found that individuals and organisations were looking for support with change and transformation, particularly around service redesign, leadership, culture, people, empowerment and data.

 

Spatial Information Service publishes new national datasets and encourages conference attendance

The Spatial Information Service (SIS) exists to improve local authority’s spatial data and its use. It also plays a role in promoting spatial data and technology across the wider community.

 

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign - 25 November to 10 December

Violence and abuse can have a devastating impact on the lives of women and children in local communities. It is estimated that more than 1 in 3 women in Scotland have experienced physical and/or sexual violence, and 1 in 5 children have experienced domestic abuse.

 

Improvement Service to be awarded Cycle Friendly Employer Award

On 3 December the Improvement Service will be presented with the nationally recognised Cycle Friendly Employer Award by Cycling Scotland. The Award aims to support and encourage cycling as a healthy, sustainable and accessible way to travel to work.

 

Improvement Service supports Scottish Poppy Appeal 2018

Inspired by Lt Colonel John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields, written during the First World War, the poppy has become the symbol of Remembrance for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

 

Change Management Training for Councils

The IS’s Change Management Team has developed a range of free training for councils to help improve their change management skills and capacity.

 

Cloud services and online proof of identity among myaccount developments

Work on the next generation of myaccount has begun following the contract award in August. With the ink now dry on the contracts, the Improvement Service has been busy working with the four appointed suppliers - Tata Consultancy, Brightsolid, Yoti and Wallet Services - to lay the foundations for the next generation ambitions to be achieved.

 

Funding to increase number of money advice workers in GP practices

The Scottish Government has granted £189,000 to the Improvement Service to extend the availability of money and welfare advice in healthcare settings.

 

Supporting STEM careers through pupil placement

Geospatial data underpins almost everything we do, from satellites to smartphones. With a recognised skills deficiency in this sector, the Improvement Service recently hosted a week-long pupil placement in geospatial data analysis.

 

Increasing the value of local government data

The Spatial Information Service (SIS) delivers a range of projects and initiatives that seek to make better use, and increase the value, of local authorities’ rich location and address-based data. It also provides guidance, support and representation for local authorities on many national data and technology initiatives.

 

Get ready for Talk Money Scotland Week 2018

The Talk Money Scotland Week (formerly Financial Capability Week) will take place between the 12-18 November 2018. The annual event is celebrating the work thousands of organisations are doing to improve financial capability across the UK.