The 'go to' organisation for Local Government improvement in Scotland

Role of host local authority

• Lead the peer collaborative improvement process.
• Undertake necessary and relevant preparatory work in terms of considering its area of focus.
• Provide relevant and useful data, intelligence and evidence to inform the peer-led improvement (the assumption is that data should already be available, rather than be created only for this purpose).
• Oversee the smooth running of the process, including ensuring that the peer collaborative improvement team have access to all relevant documentation and data.
• Lead the fieldwork, which will involve colleagues from the host local authority, peer reviewers and IS exploring priority areas and looking for ways to help address identified challenges.
• Produce an improvement plan based on the peer collaborative improvement, which includes a focus on actions and next steps and which reflects input from peer reviewers and the Improvement Service.

Role of peer reviewers

• Engage in purposeful discussion which supports peer collaborative improvement, for example, through reflective questioning to determine and or confirm the evidence-base in the host authority’s self-assessment
• Facilitate change, by helping the host local authority identify areas for improvement and aid its capacity to change.
• Engage with a range of stakeholders through interviews and focus groups, and assimilate the key points made as part of the peer collaborative improvement work, to help inform the host local authority’s improvement plan.
• Adopt the role of critical friend, providing supportive, robust and constructive challenge to help drive improvement.
• Apply their specialist knowledge and expertise to the host local authority, sharing examples of good practice for their own experience, and providing an external perspective.

Role of Improvement Service

• Manage and facilitate the peer collaborative improvement process.
• Meet with the host local authority in advance of the peer collaborative improvement to agree how it will work (see getting ready section)
• Work with the host local authority to identify and approach three local authorities to contribute peer reviewers.
• Undertake analysis of relevant information and data, where available, to help inform the peer collaborative improvement, including LGBF data and family group analysis.