ADSO is hosting the interactive, virtual course ‘Working in a Political Environment’. This will be delivered as two, virtual 3-hour workshops. Delegates will be required to attend both of the virtual workshops.
Audience
This course is aimed at Democratic Services Officers who wish to work more effectively with elected members. The target audience will be those who are relatively new to democratic service teams and those with a few years’ experience.
The content is also linked to Module 6, Members and Officers in Local Government, of the ADSO Certificate so it will help learners with their research for this module.
How the course will be delivered
The course will be delivered virtually, to maximise the delegates learning experience the course has been broken into two virtual workshops.
The workshops will seek to:
- Explore and better understand the differences between the roles and responsibilities of elected members and officers.
- Examine the legal, constitutional and procedural framework regulating the conduct of members and officers.
- Enhance your understanding of the political environment around you.
- Develop your knowledge and skills of how to operate effectively in a political environment.
The workshops are designed to be interactive and include a lot of smaller group working and case studies. Participants are encouraged to take an active part in the course and to learn from the experiences of other delegates from across the country.
Trainers – Michael Robson & Rachel Basham
Michael has recently taken up a senior governance role in the North of Tyne Combined Authority, previously working in the Democratic Services Team at North Tyneside Council for over 30 years. During this time Michael has supported a wide variety of democratic functions, including regulatory and scrutiny committees, the health & wellbeing board and school admission appeals. Since electing its first Mayor in 2002, North Tyneside has experienced significant periods of political turbulence, particularly when the Council and its overview and scrutiny committees were controlled by the opposing group to the Elected Mayor. Michael serves on the ADSO Board as a representative for combined and themed authorities. As well as a trainer, Michael is also a qualified A1 Assessor working with learners undertaking the Certificate in Democratic Services.
Rachel has over fifteen years’ experience of working in local government, in a variety of roles across Democratic Services and Leadership teams. Her current substantive post is Member Services Manager at Surrey County Council, although she is currently on a 12-month secondment at Woking Borough Council, providing additional strategic support to their Leadership team. Rachel is a City and Guilds qualified adult trainer alongside being an assessor for both the ASDO Certificate in Democratic Services and the Charter for Member Development.
Date and time
Workshop One – Tuesday 12th March 2024, 9.30am-12.30pm
Workshop Two – Wednesday 20th March 2024, 9.30am-12.30pm
Delegates are required to attend both workshops. Please note that you only need to book on 12th March course date to be able to attend both workshops.
Cost
- ADSO Member rate – £110 + VAT per person to attend the course
- Non-ADSO Member rate – £160 + VAT per person to attend the course
Please email adsotraining@emcouncils.gov.uk if you wish to be allocated a learner place.
How to book a place
To book a place please use the online booking form via the link below. Terms and conditions for booking can be found here.
Booking requirements
- A purchase order number is required for all bookings. Please make the PO out to ADSO.
- A hardcopy of the purchase order is required.
- Please provide us with your ADSO Membership number (if applicable)
- A few days after booking you will receive a calendar invite for the workshop(s). Please note that your email address will be visible to all participants unless you advise us otherwise.
Please send the above information to adsotraining@emcouncils.gov.uk.