Jacqui Smith

The failure of BCS to open an investigation when first approached (various allegations) illustrates the weakness of aspirations to professionalism without a credible approach for handling the kind of response the Post Office (and/or Fujitsu) would have mounted had they done so. I helped create the BCS disciplinary panel, used to lecture on the code of conduct and served on the panel for several decades. Its weakness are similar to those of all other such bodies. Unless these are flipped through 180 degrees and linked to certificates to practice based on logbooks of performance recording that which professional indemnity insurers want to see, they are worth the paper they are not printed on. That requires membership, updating, certification and insurance fees akin to those paid annually by medical professionals. It also requires processes for handling legal costs which may, or may not, be recovered, whatever the results of any legal action challenging a disciplinary hearing and/or decision. When the BCS register of professional witnesses (which would have applied to Jenkins) was created in the early 1980s the registration fee was set at £550 - to cover the cost of assessing evidence of their knowledge of the legal duties and responsibilities of an expert witness not "just" experience of digital forensics. There was to be an update fee of £250 every other year - to cover an administrative review of client feedback and/or performance in court. Because so few applied, the original register fell by the wayside with a sharply reduced fee for what was little more than a voluntary SIG. I should perhaps add that, as acting V-P professional, I backed the creation of the BCS register because my staff (the Technology Assessment service I had joined the NCC to create was based in London in New Fetter Lane, adjacent to the Inns of Court) were barred from taking expert witness cases because they helped deliver a Saturday morning seminar programme for the judiciary and should not be liable to appear before those they had helped inform about new technology. Much of its early business was from those who had initially contacted us for advice. #bcs

7

1 Comment

Insightful report that clearly articulates the current challenges

11

The Boundary Commission for Wales’ review presents a critical opportunity to reshape our political landscape in a way that genuinely reflects and serves BAME communities. This is more than a technical exercise—it’s about ensuring that every voice in our diverse society has the power to influence policies that affect our economy and well-being. Politicians and media must see this as a chance to promote real equity, where fair representation leads to tangible improvements in the lives of minority communities across Wales. #BAME #RepresentationMatters #EquityInAction #BoundaryReview https://lnkd.in/ek4cm32x

5

WGSA ELECTION PROCESS Nominations for council members will be extended until 23 June 2024 at 12h00. Nominate members here: https://bit.ly/WGSA2024AGM Voting for Election of the 2024/2025 WGSA Council will open at 12h00 on 24 June 2024 and will remain open until 19h00 on 27 June 2024. Existing council members need no nomination but need to confirm that they are members in good standing (fully paid up) and that they are prepared to stand for another cycle. Their standing must be seconded. Full Members may nominate themselves or may be nominated by another Full or Candidate member. If they are nominated by another member, the nominee needs to confirm via email that they accept the nomination. Nominees must be members in good standing (paid up members). See List of FULL WGSA members shared on the WGSA WhatsApp and Telegram groups. If nominated and accepted, please send a short bio (max 500 words), head and shoulders photo, and one paragraph (200 words max) on how you intend to contribute to council, if elected before 23 June 2024, 12h00 Voting members may ask direct questions of any of the nominees via [email protected], and nominees are expected to respond to the best of their ability. Electronic voting will take place via SURVS. Every voting member will get the link and the system will only allow one person to vote per link to ensure that every member only votes once. If two members reside at the same premises and make use of the same computer, the second person will need to contact [email protected].

1

There are so many challenges facing our local councils. We can all play a part in helping them to understand how they can reform and transform how services are delivered. Interesting read from the Accounts Commission.

7

Following a damning report on the regulator's failings, OACP sets out 10 things we believe need to change at CQC: https://conta.cc/3Sodx5q

13

1 Comment

Some great advice from Civil Service World shared by John, below 👇

4

Are you a Tameside organisation or business trading for social good? Are you looking to grow your activities? GMCVO have formed a partnership with the GM Credit Union Consortium, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Access – The Foundation for Social Investment and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to deliver local investment with real impact, this follows the success of the Access to Growth Fund which ended in 2022. Any Tameside organisation or business trading for social good and looking to grow their trading activity which has been trading for at least 6 months can apply. The offer: - Unsecured investments between £20,000 & £100,000. - Blended finance; the investment includes a grant of an average of 20% of your total investment. - An initial interest-only period of up to 6 months may be available. To learn more and apply please visit: https://lnkd.in/eaNbrbqh #tmb #tameside #funding #investment #grants #socialgood #makingadifference #businessgrowth #accessfunds #bettertogether Tameside Council

1

1 Comment

How can your charity take action on environmental issues? Our new guide explains how in 4 steps: including key actions to take, key questions to ask, and how to address common concerns. All alongside inspiring case studies and links to further resources: https://lnkd.in/ehSpY8SW

2

🔹 M4PRIS Peer Mentoring Programme If you need a quick recap, here’s the scoop on our Peer Mentoring Programme for Prison Staff. This initiative aims to develop and test a comprehensive mentoring program for newly recruited prison officers. Key Objectices: ·      Convert best practices and mentor profiles into a practical mentoring program. ·      Use innovative learning tools suitable for digital and green transitions.  ·      Evaluate and refine the mentoring program. ·      Provide empirical evidence on peer mentoring for prison staff. ·      Enhance prison staff’s well-being and reduce job burnout. Follow us for more updates and insights! #m4pris #mentoring #programme #project #erasmusplus #prison #prisonstaff #training

6

2 Comments

Our latest response welcomes the changes to National Outcomes and suggests new indicators to reflect the contributions of volunteers. It also offers recommendations for cohesive policymaking. Read here: https://lnkd.in/eGChFX6v

13

1 Comment

Our latest response welcomes the changes to National Outcomes and suggests new indicators to reflect the contributions of volunteers. It also offers recommendations for cohesive policymaking. Read here: https://lnkd.in/eGChFX6v

3

So important to ensure future skills needs are properly supported and a settled policy landscape is critical in doing that. Lurching between short term initiatives doesn’t help business plan or invest….

12

2 Comments

Here are my latest views on the challenges and strategies for Local Government reform in England

3

In the next few weeks public sector budgets in Wales will start to be set, following the publication of the Welsh Government’s draft budget on 10 December. The headline figures will inevitably be about the NHS and about how much money is allocated to cutting waiting times. That is understandable both politically and for what it means for those who have been waiting a long time for essential treatment. However it will obscure a longer running challenge that Wales has been facing – and largely failing at - for the best part of two decades, namely how we prevent people needing urgent services in the first place. Austerity has led to significant cuts to preventative services in the last few years as priority is given to acute needs and high profile services but often ignoring longer term pressures which are building up bigger problems for further down the line. These choices have partly reflected what must be funded to avoid either chronic service failure or political disaster, but they also reflect two other problems endemic to Welsh policy making; short term thinking (strangely the Future Generations Act isn’t very influential when tough financial decisions need to be made) and the self-interest of budget holders. This self-interest becomes especially pertinent in the distinction between preventative and treatment focused approaches: preventative work (I hesitate to use the word services as it’s often a poor descriptor) is often carried out by organisations in the voluntary and community sectors, in the case of the latter often very cheaply, while treatment focused work is either carried out or directly commissioned by the budget holders. When there are difficult choices to be made only one side is at the table; the other, to adopt a well-honed cliché is on the plate (until things are so desperate that the cheap option is the only one and then they have to deal with all the issues). It is ironic that we have found ourselves in this state in Wales, where of all places, the Government could have focused on long term thinking given its generational electoral strength - but it won’t be happening again this year.   This year however we do have an opportunity to start pulling ourselves out of the cycle of short termism and to start looking further ahead: the budget settlement will be more generous than most in recent years and there is the prospect of multi-year funding settlements (promised by Angela Rayner for England but must surely also apply here). Both those factors provide not just an opportunity but surely also an obligation to think more long term, to have those conversations about longer term thinking and more upstream investment – and they are long overdue and increasingly needed. And if these changes don’t begin now, it’s hard to think when they ever will.

42

2 Comments

This is going to be a brilliant event. Never mind the creeping impostor syndrome for sharing the stage with such giants :) Looking forward to discussing and learning more about the future of data.

22

1 Comment