Elected Members’ Development Framework 2018 – 2019
Topic
Description/ Update
Contact for Training
IT
Expected to attend: Self‐selection
Basic users will be offered 1‐2‐1s to improve their confidence in using Outlook, Word and Excel.
Intermediate users can book on to the corporately offered IT training courses on Word, Excel and Projects.
Dates and a full description of these courses can be found on the Council’s Eventbrite website which will be
shared with all Elected Members.
Bond Training
Expected to attend: Mandatory for all Councillors
Bond training is mandatory due to the:
•
Bond is new ‐ issue by ACC is first by Scottish Council
•
Implications of bond and credit rating on how Council operates
•
Highlights that breach of market abuse regulations can result in fines/imprisonment
•
All Councillors will be on Permanent Insider List and will have to sign a letter indicating that they
understand the implications of being on insider list – training will provide this understanding
Capital Training
Expected to attend: Strongly Recommended for Group leaders and recommended for all Councillors
Delivered by Senior
Programme Manager
As part of an initiative to enhance the quality of how capital projects are managed and delivered at ACC, the
political group leaders have agreed that all elected members are offered capital project training to support their
understanding of the capital programme and its governance. The objectives of this workshop are to provide:
An overview of the governance mechanisms and processes of the Capital Programme
Understanding of the member and key officer roles
An overview of project and programme methodologies in use at ACC
Guidance on the most appropriate and beneficial channels of communication
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Chairing Skills
Expected to attend: Strongly recommended for Convenors and Vice‐convenors
Committee Clerk
This session has been designed to explore how to effectively chair meetings. The learning outcomes of the
session are:
To reflect on the components of an efficiently chaired meeting.
To refresh knowledge on the role, function and purpose of the Convener in council and committee
meetings and specific knowledge required.
To clarify the role boundaries for Councillors’ differing tasks and supports available.
Application of standing orders
To highlight further input needed to ensure that participants feel confident to carry out the role.
Corporate
Expected to attend: Recommended for all Councillors to attend
Operations
Parenting
The aim of the training is to increase awareness of Corporate Parenting; what our legal responsibilities are and
how we can deliver on these. The training will be provided by Who Cares? Scotland an organisation that
champions for care experienced young people. They have been given funding from the Scottish Government to
deliver Corporate Parenting training. Please note the training will also be opened up to other corporate parents
chief officers/senior managers.
The purpose of Corporate Parenting training is to provide an overview on our Corporate Parenting
responsibilities under Part 9 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. Corporate Parenting refers to
the collective responsibility of the Council, its community partners and other public bodies to provide good
parenting for our care experienced young people.
The Statutory Guidance on Corporate Parenting defines it as: “An organisation’s performance of actions
necessary to uphold the rights and safeguard the wellbeing of a looked after child or care leaver, and through
which physical, emotional, spiritual, social and educational development is promoted.” By ensuring that the
needs of our care experienced young people are being met they are more likely to achieve positive outcomes
irrespective of their care experience.
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Committee
Councillors who sit on specific Committees will require training, the Clerk and Executive Lead are responsible for
Committee Services and
Training
the Committees will at times require copies of Councillor training records to ensure they are appropriately
Executive Lead
trained, if not they will advise the training coordinator what training needs to be arranged and when. It will be
the responsibility of the Executive Lead and Clerks to provide the training coordinator with a blurb for the
training and a key contact should individual 1‐2‐1’s need to be arranged.
Licensing Board
Expected to attend: Councillors appointed to Licensing Board
Legal Services
Training
This session is for all Councillors who have been appointed as members of the Licensing Board. The training will
be led by the Gambling Commission. This will give members the knowledge necessary to deal with gambling and
CPD Launch
Expected to attend: Although not mandatory all Councillors are recommended to attend / participate in CPD
Improvement Service
All Councillors are encouraged to complete a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Profile this year.
Information on the CPD profile will be made available via an A4 brief and at a face‐to‐face session which will
cover:
The background of the CPD Profile
What behaviours are assessed as part of the profile
How it is administered, and
What development materials Elected Members can access once they sign up to the profile
PDP Development
All Elected Members will be offered a 1‐2‐1 to create a PDP following completion of their CPD Profile. This will
Members Support
identify other topics to be delivered.
Media Training
Expected to attend: Strongly recommended for Convenors and Vice‐convenors
Communications
In this practical, hands‐on workshop Councillors will learn how to stay in control of media interviews – even
under hostile questioning – by using the 3Ps: the planning that must be done beforehand; the process of
managing an interview to avoid being driven by the questions; and the promotion of key messages.
In a sentence: you will learn how to say what you want to say in response to journalists’ questions without
sounding slippery.
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ALEO
Expected to attend: Strongly recommended for Councillors appointed to an outside body, recommended for all
Governance Team
Councillors
This training is strongly recommended for all Councillors to ensure they have a clear understanding of the
Council’s relationship with ALEOs and the scrutiny arrangements in place in relation to ALEOs. This session will
also advice of the duties and responsibilities placed on those appointed to an outside body.
Code of Conduct
Expected to attend: Strongly recommended for Councillors
Committee/Legal
Services
Councillors function within a statutory framework that describes the standards required and the parameters for
action and interaction with Officers. Presentations with Q&A on all aspects of the Code of Conduct, including:
the Code of Conduct document
the parameters that govern their role
the parameters for interaction with Officers (including Member Officer Protocol)
Nolan Principles of Public Life
general conduct (including potential litigious comment)
registration of interests
declaration of interests
lobbying
taking decisions on individual applications
Standing Orders of the Council
the Bribery Act 2010
By the end of the session Councillors will understand their statutory responsibilities with particular reference to
the Code of Conduct.
School Placings and
Expected to attend: Strongly recommended for Councillors appointed to the Committee
Committee Services
Exclusions Appeal
Committee
Councillors need to possess the knowledge necessary to participate fully in sittings of the School Placings and
Training
Exclusions Appeal Committee. The session will deal with:
• appeals against school placing process
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• exclusion appeal process
• pertinent legislation and policy
• requirement of ethical standards and objectivity in decision making
By the end of the session Councillors will have the awareness of the process and underpinning legislation, policy
and ethical standards needed to determine outcomes of appeals against school placing and exclusions
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Elected Members’ Development Framework
1. Introduction
As an Elected Member, you operate in a highly complex and political environment with many
different demands being made of you. You are expected to:
Represent the interests of your constituents,
Develop, make and scrutinise council decisions and policy,
Support Aberdeen City Council to improve,
Provide leadership and direction,
Ensure best value is delivered within the council, and
Hold Aberdeen City Council to account.
This report sets out a proposed Elected Members Development Framework designed to ensure
you have the vital skills and knowledge necessary for you to carry out these complex roles.
2. Development Framework Principles
The Aberdeen City Council Development Framework will be based on the following principles:
1. The programme will be tailored to the needs of each Member depending on their level of
skill and experience,
2. The programme will be delivered in partnership between Members and officers – while
officers will commit to the organisation and delivery of the programme there will be an equal
expectation that Members will engage with the opportunities offered,
3. To cater for the different learning styles of Members, and to ensure development is
provided in a time and cost efficient manner, the programme will be delivered using a range
of different approaches.
Principle 1 – A tailored programme
Whether you are a new Elected Member, you have been in the role for a while or you are a
longstanding Councillor, the framework aims to meet your needs. Your length of service will
indicate the level of induction you will receive and the number of recommended training sessions
you should attend. See table below:
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New to the role:
•
Full induction - allowing you to easily navigate the Council
•
Mix of mandatory and highly recommended development opportunities
Been in the role 2+ years:
•
Induction materials available for reference
•
Mandatory committee specific sessions
•
Kept up to date on local and national developments e.g. upcoming bills
•
ACC Hot topic sessions for organisation specific developments
Longstanding members:
• Refresher
skills
sessions
• Committee
specific
training
•
Kept up to date on local and national developments e.g. upcoming bills
•
ACC Hot topic sessions for organisation specific developments
Principle 2 – Partnership working
The role of the Improvement Service
In consultation with Councils and other key stakeholders, the Improvement Service (IS) developed
a National Elected Member Development Strategy specifically for Scottish Local Government.
Through the ‘Supporting Elected Member’ programme IS currently provide:
Induction materials for all newly elected and returning Elected Members,
Induction materials for all newly elected and returning Elected Members on the planning
system in Scotland.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework for Elected Members in Scottish
local government,
Elected Member Briefing Series,
The CPD Framework is a particularly valuable tool which provides Members with professional and
personal development opportunities and generates comprehensive, constructive feedback on how
you perform against fourteen key political skills, which are as follows:
Political Cluster
Political Skill
Promoting change and
1. Promoting and leading change
improvement
2. Providing and improving services
3. Political awareness
Political understanding
4. Representation
5. Personal integrity and values
6. Working with stakeholders
Working collaboratively
7. Effective partnership working
Effective communicator
8. Effective communication
9. Negotiation and diplomacy
Effective decision maker
10. Decision making
11. Analysis and innovative problem solving
12. Corporate focus and direction
Effective leader
13. Providing leadership and direction
14. Personal effectiveness
Personal effectiveness
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The CPD Framework offers the unique option of a confidential, 360 degree feedback tool which
allows you to gain an understanding of how your behaviours are perceived by others. It also
provides access to a range of learning and development materials, including online learning.
The CPD Framework enables Elected Members to:
Access enhanced, more focused and more structured support as you lead local
government through a period of considerable change,
Develop in your existing role, preparing you for greater responsibilities, helping you become
more creative in tackling new challenges and providing you with transferable skills,
Fulfil governance roles more effectively, thereby improving local governance and
accountability of public services to local communities, and
Access the online Development Programme 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the
learning resources being available for ‘just in case, just in time’ occasions.
It is proposed that the Aberdeen City Council Development Framework utilises the comprehensive
and well established support framework created by IS. Specifically the ACC programme
recommends that all Elected Members:
Undertake the CPD profile (either via self-assessment or 360 degree review),
Create a Personal Development Plan (PDP) based on the outcomes of your profile either
individually or in conjunction with Members Support,
Become familiar with the wealth of online resources available through IS designed
specifically for Scottish Councillors such as case studies, eLearning, briefing notes and
reading materials - these are only available to those who sign up to the CPD Profile, and
Engage with the various development opportunities offered, which will be mapped to the
fourteen political skills mentioned above.
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Officer and Member commitment
Officers will commit to arrange and, where appropriate, deliver elements of the programme. In
terms of
arranging events we will ensure that information is given in a timely manner and would
ask that Members commit to responding in an equally timely manner. We will ensure that dates
do not clash with Council, committee or sub-committee meetings. Officers will also endeavour to
vary the start time of sessions.
In terms of
delivery, we will liaise with Services to ensure that clear outcomes and benefits of any
officer led sessions are agreed and communicated to Members upfront so that you can more
easily assess the relevance and value of any sessions.
Officers will email Group Leaders each Monday to advice of the training for the following week to
highlight in Group meetings to remind of attendance.
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Principle 3 – Framework approach
The following provides a logical structure for the proposed Development Framework. It is
assumed that from here on, when we deliver development opportunities, they will be categorised
under one of the following quadrants.
Skills Practice
Information Giving
Objective: To provide opportunities to
Objective: To provide you with
apply
skills gained and means by which
information on a timely and informal
progress can be reviewed
basis that will be of value and interest to
your role. Could be achieved by a variety
of means such as face-to-face sessions,
short podcasts or written briefs
Examples:
Examples:
1-2-1’s to review PDPs
Committee
diary
(Maps to IS Skill:
Self-evaluation/ 360 degree review
Providing and improving services )
Feedback from committees
Key
contacts
(Maps to IS Skill:
Providing and improving services )
(All map to IS Skill: Providing and
Brief on Members Enquiry vs.
improving services. Specifically:
Complaints (Maps to IS Skill:
Encourages and supports honest self-
Providing and improving services )
assessment and learning)
Skills Acquisition
Knowledge Transfer
Objective: To develop and enhance the
Objective: To provide a more formal
skills you need to be effective through,
means to ensure your
knowledge is kept
for example, workshops and coaching
up to date on latest legislation, policies
and initiatives that impact on your role
Examples:
Examples:
Committee specific workshops (Maps to Upcoming
bills
(Maps to IS Skill:
IS Skill: Decision making)
Political awareness)
Skills sessions such as Chairing Skills
Hot topics in the Council (Maps to IS
and Media Training (Maps to IS Skill:
Skill: Providing and improving
Providing and improving services)
services )
Initiatives such as City Deal (Maps to
IS Skill: Representation)
Caseload
management
(Maps to IS
Skill: Representation)
The four quadrants ensure that there is a clear structure to your development and that we provide
a balance in all four areas allowing for varying needs and learning styles. In the past the
development programme may have placed too heavy an emphasis on information giving sessions.
However, we recognise that the acquisition and practice of skills is equally important and therefore
key to delivering a more interactive and engaging programme.
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Principle 4 – Members’ engagement
Members will be asked to engage with officers around their own development and the
development of the programme. The purpose of this will be to:
Evaluate the training opportunities delivered,
Ensure the proposed content for the next quarter is relevant,
Report attendance figures back to group meetings, and
Champion the Development Programme.
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