Good Practice in Member and Officer Development 14 th October 2009

Session Outline.. The role of the Member Development Officer (MDO) Prioritising Training Needs for MDO’s Support for Members

The role of the Member Development Officer Sue Baxendale North West Employers Organisation

The role of MDO in supporting elected members Critical role – whether as main role or part of a wider role Need to be determined…and resilient! This role determines how effective and successful member development is Helps to have senior officer and member support Important that MDO’s are supported through their regional employers and colleagues

What’s been happening in the North West Identified MDO’s had significant role with member development – emerged from work done in promoting modern councillor Carried out a diagnostic exercise with the Member Development Network to identify areas for development and support Identified 2 ‘types’ of MDO – Democratic Services officers and HR/L&D officers Democratic Services need more L&D support whereas L&D/HR need more political support Identified some area’s relevant to both

Member Development Network Embedded in the region Meets 3 times per year Firmly established relationships Attended by members Support always available across authorities and from NWEO

Northern Member Development Officers Conference - May 2009 First of its kind! ‘Raising the Profile’ NW approached NE and Y&H Regions Developed a cross-region event with support from each regional EO, the RIEPs and the IDeA Approach – national > regional > local issues Encouraged networking and sharing The event helped to shape the support for MDO’s in each region

MDO Person Specification Sub-group of volunteers! Compared Job Descriptions to create a draft ‘blueprint’ MDO role more explicit Recognises both the Democratic and L&D elements of the role Mapped against piece of work carried out by IDeA on MDO roles and responsibilities Linked to the new ADSO Certificate

Sharing and Learning Days Outcome from the MDO Conference Topics that MDO’s want more support with: - Conducting PDP’s/Reviews - New Member Induction - Approaches to member development and engaging members in training and development

What else are we planning… Action Learning for MDO’s to support them with their work towards Charter Level 1 and Level 2 (CharterPlus) – to help achieve NWIEP target for the NW Sufficient interest for 2 groups Using Action Learning facilitators – NWIEP funding being re-invested back into the region Would like to do more cross-regional networking and sharing

Why are we doing this?... Develops the knowledge and skills of MDOs in the region Helps to raise the profile of the role MDO conference basis for future networking/events/sharing Helps officers meet the requirements of the new ADSO qualifications Provides effective support for members in dealing with challenging times Increased confidence – encourages MDO’s to ‘push’ members To improve the knowledge and skills of our elected members!

Any Questions?

Prioritising Training Needs Sue Crosland South West Councils

Activity 1 - Prioritising Training Needs against Existing Provision Discuss the different skills and/or knowledge you need to carry out your jobs. Write these skill/knowledge needs onto Post- it notes Rate them on the activity chart according to how important you think they are in terms of need and whether adequate provision already exists to provide these skills.

Activity 1 – Prioritising training needs against existing provision Adequate provision already exists, therefore low need to develop provision Little provision already available – therefore high need to develop training provision Conflict Management Local Governme nt Act 2000 Red area represents skills/knowledge for development – high skill need and little accessible provision Member/ Officer relations Low Skill required for role High

Activity 1 – Prioritising training needs against existing provision Adequate provision already exists, therefore low need to develop provision Little provision already available – therefore high need to develop training provision Conflict Management Local Governme nt Act 2000 Red area represents skills/knowledge for development – high skill need and little accessible provision Member/ Officer relations Low Skill required for role High

Activity 1 – Prioritising training needs against existing provision Effective Personal Development Planning Conflict Management Mediation Skills for the workplace Speed Reading Customer Service Skills Minute Writing Scrutiny Processes and Techniques Councillor Call for Action Member/Officer relationships Negotiation Skills Problem Solving Techniques Local Government Act White Papers Developing Self and Others

Activity 2 – Barriers to training Using the scale and Post-it notes provided, identify all the barriers to attending a learning event you can think of and rate them according to how significant you think each barrier is in stopping people from attending At the end, one member from each group to feedback the outcomes Budget Time

Support for Members Nano Hill West Midlands Leaders Board and Improvement & Efficiency WM

Officers Supporting Members Critical role - Makes all the difference You can determine success Very demanding, essential that MDO’s are supported by regional employers and colleagues Must know what is available for members – local/regional/national

Member Development Charter IDEA National Charter & Charter Plus NWEO Charter - Levels 1 & 2 West Midlands Charter - Primary & Full

Competency/Skills frameworks Syndaid (Welsh LGA) – updated 2009 IDeA Political Skills framework Planning Advisory Service Programme Role Descriptors Jobs go public – TNA/Skills Analysis

Regional Support Available Share good practice - Officer & Member Networks Toolkits Member Development ‘Evaluation toolkit’ - West Midlands ‘Making a Difference’ - Impact Evaluation Toolkit - NWEO ‘Toolkit of Ideas’ – West Midlands RIEP Leadership Workstreams Member Gateway - NWEO West Midlands Community Leaders’ Support Programme IDeA – Leadership Academy, Peer Mentoring Leadership Centre

Flexible Learning Resources E-learning - Learningpool’s Modern Councillor programme Learndirect on line courses Audio CDs – Calderdale MBC Web access to IDeA Local Leadership Academy Member workbooks CIPFA DVD – Local Government Finance Ashridge Virtual Learning Library Whole host of resources on the internet

Qualifications and/or Accreditation Level 3 Award in Democratic Services (Members complete & are tested on 7 ‘knowledge’ modules in new ADSO qualification) SW Councils BTEC in Corporate Governance BTEC Level 3 – Member Champions NCFE Level 2 – Working in Neighbourhoods NWEO Developing Level 4 – Effective Neighbourhood Working SEE’s Post Graduate Certificate in Local Governance for Councillors – London South Bank University Liverpool CC & JM Councillor Development Programme ILM endorsement for in house programmes

Contact Details Sue Baxendale North West Employers 6th Floor, Delphian House, Riverside New Bailey Street Manchester M3 5AP Tel: Sue Crosland South West Councils Dennett House, 11 Middle Street Taunton Somerset TA1 1SH Nano Hill West Midlands Leaders Board & Improvement & Efficiency WM Regional Partnership Centre, Albert House, Quay Place, Edward Street, Birmingham, B1 2RA Tel: Sue Keogh South East Employers Newfrith House, 21 Hyde Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 7DR T M W >

Any Questions or Comments?