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Purpose | Principal aims | Regions and nations | Membership

Purpose

The Socitm NRF aims to enjoin local public service organisations to lead the shift from traditional service models to joined-up, place-based approaches to change.

Focused on driving transformation that improves outcomes for people and communities, the forum will explore how Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) can act as powerful vehicles for innovation. Beyond technology, we recognise transformation requires a holistic approach, embedding organisational development (OD), ethical considerations and cultural change to ensure sustainable impact. By leveraging DDaT alongside these critical factors, we aim to create meaningful and lasting improvements across the sector.

Through diverse stakeholder representation on the group and its collaborative efforts, this forum will be instrumental in influencing and advocating the requirements of local government and in facilitating place-shaping and place-making.

Principal aims

  1. Champion place-based digital leadership:
    Act as the national voice for the adoption and use of digital capabilities, technologies, and data to create innovative cultures enabling the delivery of public benefit and improved outcomes for all.
  2. Drive collaborative engagement:
    Strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders to ensure alignment and collaboration, resulting in a consistent and standardised approach across the sector. Represent the sector to positively influence suppliers. Critical relationships will include national and devolved government departments, central government agencies, health and sectoral bodies, local government associations, and professional and standards bodies.
  3. Promote strategic alignment with central and devolved governments:
    Establish and maintain strong links with central and devolved governments to ensure the join up of local and national priorities, and to influence policy-making and securing of resources to support place-based transformation and innovation.
  4. Advance the sharing of data insight and innovation:
    Promote the development and adoption of place-based data sharing, advanced analytics, digital infrastructures, and standards that enable effective and impactful transformation.
  5. Lead policy and strategy development:
    Serve as a conduit for member feedback through the Socitm committees; providing guidance and strategic input into shaping the policies, strategies, and research priorities of Socitm.

Regions and nations

The forum will be the conduit for issues raised by Socitm members through the Socitm committees and will therefore advise and guide policy, strategy and research priorities for Socitm and the Socitm Institute. The regions and nations will be expected to participate and contribute to the work of the group.

Membership

The Socitm NRF will consist of:

  1. Core members
  2. Socitm representation
  3. Special advisors

Core members will include

  • Socitm member representatives from the committees of each of the English regions and devolved nations.
  • Socitm Trustees, both in their capacity as Trustees of Socitm and as Socitm Members.
  • Representatives from other sectors (e.g. health, blue light, third sector), national and devolved government departments, health and other sectoral bodies, and strategic partner organisations (e.g. local government associations, professional and standards bodies, universities, institutes, think-tanks, charities, etc.).

Socitm Representation will include

  • Executive Management Team (EMT)
  • Research Analyst(s)
  • Communications

Special advisors will include

  • Representatives of relevant central government departments
  • Representatives of relevant government departments from Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland
  • Members of partner organisations
  • Local government organisations
    • Local Government Association (LGA)
    • Scottish Local Government Association (COSLA)
    • Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
    • Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA)
  • Specialists in areas relevant to the Socitm NRF’s priorities and ongoing work programme

Responsibilities

Core members and special advisors will be expected to:

  • Contribute knowledge and critical awareness to deliberative issues
  • Share experiences and materials
  • Be the relevant lead on issues of special interest
  • Maintain an open dialogue with their parent organisation and in the case of core members, their Socitm regional group, bringing relevant issues to the attention of the Socitm NRF and reporting back on the outcomes from Socitm NRF meetings.

The Terms of Reference set out the structure and basis on which the Forum meets and works.

For further details please email us at socitmnrf@socitm.net