Total Support for Councillors. The Community Leadership Programme

If you have already registered for a Total Support Programme click here for the online portal.

Introducing Total Support

A new approach to helping councillors make the most of their role and responsibilities for the benefit of their constituents and community.

“It made much of the complex, jargon encrusted, procedural bureaucracy appear more straightforward. It also clearly defined the practical role of a councillor. It is this practical aspect that I have found most interesting and useful”

“The method of study is entirely appropriate given the demands on a councillor’s time, especially those working in full time jobs.”

“The flexibility ensures learning at a pace suitable for each councillor as they determine.”

“As a councillor of 11 years, I found the questions made me read and understand the context of the subject….a good revision exercise”.

What is Total Support all about?

As public sector services change and develop at an ever-increasing rate, today’s councillors face a new range of responsibilities and challenges. Customer expectations are increasing, but individual and group interest in local politics is generally decreasing: so getting the message across about what councillors and councils offer is difficult.

And if being a ward councillor wasn’t difficult and time-consuming enough, it’s just one of the roles a councillor has to play. One of the biggest challenges is working out how to balance ward and electorate responsibilities with council duties, the expectations of political parties and, increasingly, involvement in the governance and provision of other public sector services – housing associations, schools, local strategic partnerships, PCT’s, etc.

SOLACE Enterprises has extensive experience of working with local authorities and with councillors, offering advice on individual and team development, governance, change management and organisational design and so on. We are also experienced in community engagement, looking at ways to improve the relationship between councillors and their community. We understand the issues councillors face, and the skills and experience they need to be able to:

• Understand strategy and budgets
• Handle difficult casework
• Question professionals effectively
• Balance conflicting demands
• Improve council performance
• Understand the full range of services provided
• Keep in touch with latest developments
• Deal with the press

We have brought all this experience together into a Total Support Package. Whether you are a new councillor or have been elected on many previous occasions, this package can help you fulfil your role more effectively and represent your electorate better.

We are confident that Total Support can offer you the opportunity to develop your skills further and improve your experience of being a councillor.

Starting the Total Support Journey

The Total Support package is designed to help all councillors enhance their knowledge and skills. We’d be delighted if you decided to come with us on the whole journey: but if you are confident that you already have the skills and experience in some areas, or that your knowledge of what is required of you is up to date, you can pick and choose which elements of the three stages you wish to undertake.

Foundation: A personal and confidential way to assess your own knowledge and expertise around key issues affecting local councillors

Intermediate: The chance to hear experts on a range of subjects and to work alongside other councillors to develop your skills and understanding

Advanced: A tailored programme of personal support to help you enhance your skills and a series of master classes to allow you to become more expert in specific topics

Foundation Learning – Stage One

Foundation Learning allows councillors to learn about local government and about how to be an effective councillor. It’s a great introduction for new councillors, an excellent refresher for existing councillors, and can help prospective councillors decide whether being a local councillor is for them.

Foundation Learning has been designed by EduCare, a learning specialist. EduCare uses its well-established distance learning method to support learning and development in voluntary sector organisations, council services and professional bodies. We have chosen EduCare as our partners because we believe that their approach to learning is ideally suited to busy councillors who have differing expertise and knowledge.

Foundation Learning contains five Programmes which can all be studied privately, in your own time. Each Programme contains:

• Four learning modules.  Available in a work-book or electronically, each module is an easy to understand briefing about the topic
• Four assessment sheets. Available in paper or electronically, the assessment sheet allows each councillor to record responses to key questions which will allow us to assess your learning
• A certificate to show that you have undertaken the programme successfully and reached the assessment score
• Answers and explanations.

You may already have knowledge and expertise in some areas, so you’re not obliged to study all five Programmes. You can take one Programme only if that’s all you need. And it doesn’t matter how long you take to do each Programme, or all five. What is important is to do things in your own way and at your own pace. Read the work-books on the train or between meetings; test yourself against the questions and then read the work-book again to see if you have covered everything. Talk to other people about the subject, and only submit the answers when you are happy with them. If you prefer to receive learning booklets and submit your responses electronically, you can.

Foundation Learning – Programme Contents

First Certificate in Community Leadership – an introduction to the principles of community leadership, to local government and to being an effective councillor

Council Services 1 – a focus on four areas of responsibility for councillors

• Town and Country Planning
• Environmental Services
• Housing
• Refuse collection and waste

Council Services 2  – a focus on a further four areas of responsibility

• Adult Services
• Children’s Services
• Highways and transportation
• Community safety
  

Community Work – looking at how to manage public meetings, handle complaints, talk to community groups, etc.

• Surgeries and complaint handling
• Public meetings and public speaking
• Community and neighbourhood work
• Hard to reach groups and equalities

Council Work  – uncovering the mysteries of local government finance, the work of the executive and of scrutiny and the all-important area of councillor conduct

• Local Government finance
• Councillor conduct
• Effective scrutiny work
• Effective executive work

Each four module Programme will provide essential information about the subject. And it’s not just for new councillors. Many of those who participated in our pilot (of whom around 40% had significant experience as councillors) emphasised the benefits of being able to learn in their own time and at their convenience.

Intermediate Learning – Stage Two

The First Certificate and other Foundation Learning Certificates provide an excellent base for all the further stages of the Total Support Package. Intermediate Learning builds on the core skills and introductory understanding of services and roles and responsibilities covered Foundation Learning: it turns knowledge and understanding into practical skills and experience. 

You will hear about important local government subjects and skills for councillors from an expert; spend time with other councillors learning from their experiences and hearing about examples of good practice; and practice your new skills and understanding on case studies and in small groups, giving you the confidence to use what you have learned back in your ward or at your next council meeting. You don’t have to take part in the Foundation stage to start the Intermediate stage, but the Intermediate stage assumes a basic understanding of the areas covered.

Each Programme at the Intermediate stage has three elements, which together give councillors the chance to really make a difference to their community, individuals, cases, their council, and public services in their area.

Intermediate Learning – Programme Contents

Intermediate Learning is made up of 9 programmes. You can do all, some or one of these to fit your own development needs and the issues for your community. The 9 programmes include Community Engagement, Effective Casework and Partnerships.

At the end of each Programme you should have improved your understanding of the topic, learnt and had an opportunity to practice skills, understood the benefits of getting it right and explored the barriers to being effective. This should give you more confidence in being an effective councillor and working on behalf of your community.

Advanced Learning – a tailored approach

However experienced and knowledgeable we are, all of us reach a position or a situation which challenges our ability. In some cases we can get by because the event or situation is a ‘one-off’. In other circumstances, the need to develop a new approach may be because of a new role or something which requires us to develop new skills, adopt new thinking, behave in a different way. Councillors who are moving to new roles and new situations, e.g.:

• Being elected as a councillor
• Being chosen to be a member of the executive or to chair a meeting
• Moving from being in opposition to being the administration
• Becoming a representative of the council on another body
• Becoming the group or council leader
• Working with a new chief executive who has a different style
• Leading a high profile campaign or taking on a legal challenge

need the targeted personal development that comes from coaching or mentoring, together with the opportunity to work with small groups of colleagues in action learning sets or master classes.

These events bring you into situations and relationships which are new and may need new techniques and skills to achieve success. Advanced Learning has been designed to provide the right type of support, whatever the issues. Unlike Foundation and Intermediate Learning. Advanced Learning is not topic specific. The content of each programme will be tailored to the needs of the individual or the group.

About SOLACE Enterprises

SOLACE Enterprises provides high quality, customer-focused and practical support to local government and the wider public sector. Operating across the UK, we offer consultancy, development and resourcing services delivered by experienced practitioners with public and private sector experience.

SOLACE Enterprises is unique because it uses all of its surplus income to fund the work of SOLACE, supporting research and policy development and providing capacity to help strengthen the Society's national influencing and thought leadership role. The company is probably also unique among public sector consultancies in operating internationally, providing election expertise and governance support to governments overseas.

Total Support for Councillors. The Community Leadership Programme Factsheet

For more information, please call the Resource Centre on 0845 601 0649, or email dl@solaceenterprises.com

If you have already registered for a Total Support Programme click here for the online portal.