Tag: good practice

Partnerships & Places case studies

Case studies for the Partnerships and Places Library, developed by IDeA (now part of the Local Government Association) – intended to enable ‘sharing learning and innovation to transform localities’. These have included:
  • Dorset Performance Management Partnership
  • Implementing a reward target in Derby: children’s physical activity
  • Manchester Economic Development Services Framework
  • Manchester: tackling worklessness amongst social housing tenants
  • Enable, Nottingham (learning and skills consortium in the voluntary and community sector)
  • Flight of the Flamingos, Wolverhampton (partnership development programme aimed at middle managers)
  • Lewisham: putting people first (an effective model for driving service improvement and efficiency savings, now being used in a partnership setting, a joint local authority/NHS centre for children with learning difficulties and their families)
  • Salford Spotlights (locality action planning)
  • Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership
More recent case studies were published on the Work Together site, which the Local Government Association trialled as a precursor to their Knowledge Hub:
  • Social Innovation Lab for Kent (SILK)
  • Oldham Reducing Teenage Pregnancy Through Information Sharing
  • Green Flag Thematic Study: Improving Economic Prosperity During the Recession
  • Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea’s Virtual School

The case studies were part of our work for IDeA/Local Government Improvement and Development under a framework contract for ‘Sustainable Communities’ and ‘Policy and Performance’. The Library also contained updated versions of case studies we originated for the predecessor site, Renewal.net – such as B&Q Bolton recruitment policies.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=182

Tackling Worklessness Review

Derrick Johnstone acted as lead Neighbourhood Renewal Adviser for CLG and DWP in support of the Tackling Worklessness Review (2008/09) led by Councillor Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Council. This investigated the role of local authorities and partnerships and its final report proved influential, with the then Government accepting many of the recommendations. These include the introduction of the Future Jobs Fund, intended to create short-term jobs aimed at young people and at localities hardest hit by the recession.Derrick’s input involved co-ordination of NRA contributions to the Review, including support for fact-finding visits and analysis of briefings and visit reports, eg, in identifying good and promising practice and use of the Working Neighbourhoods Fund. He also presented on the Review to a conference organised by the National Association for Neighbourhood Management on ‘Tackling Worklessness: A pivotal role for neighbourhood management?’.

Material from this research phase fed into case studies and ‘How to’ guides published by the IDeA. Educe prepared case studies on the Manchester Economic Development Services Framework (which marks a radical change in the City Council’s approach to commissioning services), and Enable, Nottingham (a highly successful learning and skills consortium in the voluntary and community sector).

Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=239

City Growth Strategies

Advisory role as member of national Resource Team (2002-04) for City Growth Strategies (CGS) – a national pilot programme, funded by the Small Business Service of the Department of Trade and Industry (now BIS). CGS promoted a market-led approach to turning round disadvantaged areas, concentrating on economic potential rather than social problems. Key features included: giving business a leading role in strategy development; ensuring a robust evidence base; and capitalising on business clusters to drive productivity improvements and local prosperity.Treasury and DTI backing for CGS was inspired by Michael Porter and Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) in the USA. The national CGS programme sought to spread lessons from the pilots and draw on US ideas and experience.Nottingham, Plymouth, St Helens, and four parts of London were selected to take part in the first round in 2001, followed in a second round by Derby, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Portsmouth, and three more parts of London.Overview of CGS prepared for Renewal.net ( pdf  83KB), plus case studies of Nottingham ( pdf  76KB) and St Helens ( pdf  84KB).

Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=207

LSP Induction Pack

Induction materials ( 657 KB) designed to provide a ‘survival guide’ to what partners need to know about Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) and their LSP partners.The pack provides:

  • an introduction to LSPs, and the relevance of neighbourhoood renewal and equalities to LSP activities
  • an LSP board member induction process and checklist
  • profiles of partner bodies and theme partnerships
  • jargon buster

The content was developed for LSPs in the West Midlands, though much was of relevance to other regions.The thinking behind the pack was that the ability to make a confident contribution in LSPs depends on being familiar with the terrain (what the LSP is about, its context, its strategies and how it works). Successful collaboration depends on partners sharing common goals and gaining mutual advantage through their involvement. Understanding what partners bring to the table, what drives them and what constrains them is an essential platform for joint working.

These materials were designed to be adapted to needs within individual partnerships and as a starting point for further learning about partners and the partnership – a prompt for the best learning: finding out locally from horses’ mouths.

These materials were produced in 2006 for the Leadership and Partnership Development programme in the West Midlands. They should be read in the light of the subsequent policy developments which have inevitably dated the content. However, we continue to make them available as they remain a starting point for induction activity, to be adapted and updated to fit specific local circumstances.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=198

Economic Strategies Routemap

Local Economic Strategies Routemap ( pdf – 78KB) – a tool to support local authorities in their community leadership role, help them sharpen their approach to economic development and regeneration and develop new and more effective ways of working. It maps out some of the key decisions and choices – and critical success factors – in developing local economic strategies. Developed for IDeA in 2002.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=197

Business Support: Beacon Councils

Supporting business: what can we learn from the beacons?( pdf – 215 KB – a good practice guide based on the experience of the six ‘Fostering Business Growth’ Beacon Councils. Published by the Local Government Association (LGA).

The document looks at the roles that the Beacon Councils have performed in support of local business and the added value that they have created, before going on to review factors underlying their success. Whilst each area is very distinctive in terms of its industrial structure and community, there are common themes which help explain the difference they have made. The report finishes with a set of key messages for local authorities, central government and business audiences.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.educe.co.uk/?p=192