It’s September and I have just witnessed a torrential downpour. I have realised I live in hope and bought into all those promises of summer heat waves in August that never materialised and now there is another one forecast for September – hmmm! My holiday is done and dusted and I’m back to work, trying to catch up on all I missed while away so you’ll forgive a shorter than usual newsletter introduction I hope.
VVG Symposium and ADSO conference
Firstly, if you are going to VVG symposium in Amsterdam and you haven’t registered via the app link sent to you by VVG, please do so urgently. It’s good to see the attending group beginning to communicate. This year is of particular interest to me as there is a strong focus on leadership development which will link nicely to a discussion I am facilitating at our conference in November around the development of senior managers or development into senior management.
Our own conference in November is full and we are carrying a waiting list so if you have secured a place but your circumstances change, please let us know as there are others keen to take your place.
It is so positive to see such interest in opportunities for face-to-face networking amongst ADSO members – don’t forget these opportunities can also occur at regional meetings. I am really looking forward to some solid conversations and networking in November.
NHS governance – new training course
We have piloted and are just about to run our first training course focused on the complexities of NHS Governance. Opportunities for DSOs from local government to move across to the NHS have long been of interest and there are many synergies but also differences. The course is full and we are holding a waiting list, at the moment the majority of interest is from your counterparts in the NHS but those of you who are interested in making that move, or anyone who is keen to understand better how governance in the NHS works, might want to take a look at the course description to see if it would be useful. The trainers, John Thorpe and Matthew Kane are both ex DSOs but now working in the NHS so bring an interesting perspective.
Introduction to Health Service Governance
National Training Programme
Bookings for courses to December opened on 1st August and the majority are now full. We do hold waiting lists for cancellations and because it helps us see if we need to put on an extra course or timetable for early in the new year. Our programme for 2024, which starts in January, will begin to take shape over the next couple of months so look out for the publication of the forward programme later this year. Please remember we open course places for booking in tranches – usually 4 months ahead and that we try to schedule to fit in with the ADSO Qualifications assessment timetable – but not exactly!
ADSO Webinars
We have monthly webinars planned up to the end of the year, details of which you can find on our Webinar programme webpage. You can register for our September and October events now by clicking on the links below:
10:30am, Tuesday 26 September: Debate Not Hate: Ending abuse in public life with Jess Norman from the Local Government Association (LGA). Attendees will hear about principles of good practice identified in the LGA’s recent report and particular examples from other councils.
10:30am Thursday 19 October: ‘All of the power, none of the risk’: Designing accessible public meetings and information with Katherine Harclerode from Rotherham MBC. This webinar considers the benefits of designing for accessibility and proposes practical approaches and resources.
Members Forum
I like to have a quick browse to see what the current areas of interest are.
- I see Karen Widdowson from Charnwood is looking for examples of elected member induction surveys – https://www.adso.co.uk/forums/topic/induction-survey/. Do get in touch if you have something you could share with her that she could adapt for her own purposes.
- Chris Ebberley has been seeking alternatives to Modern Gov as he has been asked to do some market testing. Good to see some responses and suggestions in the chat already – do share any alternatives you are aware of with him: https://www.adso.co.uk/forums/topic/committee-management-system-3/
- Really good to see a couple of positive responses to Sarah Gales ‘fab’ piece on work experience students. https://www.adso.co.uk/forums/topic/student-work-experience/. Succession planning, apprenticeships and ‘growing your own’ come up on a regular basis and it’s good to see others sharing their good experiences. There is a facilitated discussion at the ADSO conference on ‘How to attract good staff and keep them’ that builds on this – especially where contributing to the skills base of local young people and engaging them in democracy is concerned.
That’s all from me folks – enjoy the next week.
Susan Biddle, ADSO Director of Training