Keep getting everything you can from your membership
Your events, training and resources
Back on a Friday where we belong. Thanks so much for bearing with us with the Monday newsletter. Sometimes these things happen. Still plenty of good and useful things here for you. Do let me know what you think.
Here’s a top 4 of hopefully interesting things to make you go aahhh:
- Empowering Women and Top Talent training courses are coming to Birmingham next month.
Read your guide to using training points. Log in for the current number of available points. Don’t have enough or you’ve run out?
Log in for the current number of available points. Don’t have enough or you’ve run out? Let us know. - Confirmed yesterday:
- Fri-14-Mar | 13:00 to 14:00 | Leadership heroes – how they inspire us
- Free Microsoft Change Agent training is back in April and June.
Tue-22 and Wed-23-Apr | 09:00 to 16:30 | Change Agent | 0 points
Mon-16 and Tue-17-Jun | 09:00 to 16:30 | Change Agent) | 0 points
- Making use of logic models: practical training for local economic growth
- Making planning easier: a content designer’s perspective
Are you a content designer? Know one? You might be interested in this webinar on Fri-21-Mar An introduction to trauma-centred design
Take care. I hope you can have a great weekend.
Best wishes,
Alex.
In Your Resource Hub
Updated for 2025: Public Sector Digital Trends
Drawing on experiences from across the UK and internationally, the analysis is designed to help you plan your digital journey.
The whole thing: Public Sector Digital Trends: Beyond Borders
Case studies: filter to find relevant case studies for what you’re doing.
You might have missed…
For ease of viewing, the recordings are divided into easy to navigate chapters, with subtitles and transcript available via the video player toolbar.
You will need a user account on socitm.net to access member-only resources. Let us know if need any support.
AI@Socitm
You might also like:
Learn with the Scottish AI Alliance: Living with AI
From the Welsh Government's Data Science Unit: How GenAI can help make online content easier to read
Wed-12-Mar Scottish AI Summit [Inverness]
Thu-13-Mar | 15:00 to 18:00 | Learn to be a Responsible AI Practitioner [London]
Mon-17 to Tue-18-Mar AI UK 2025 [London] Join virtually for £20.
Wed-19-Mar | 11:00 to 12:00 | Algorithms and Allyship: exploring AI’s approach to queer inclusive content
Wed-19-Mar | 16:00 to 17:00 | Data-centric: optimising AI for sensitive industries
Tue-25-Mar | 12:00 to 13:00 | Data Ethics: Consent Management Platforms ( https://theodi.org/news-and-events/events/data-ethics-professional-webinar-3-consent-management-platforms-cmps/ )
Wed-26-Mar Targeting AI to deliver for residents
Fri-28-Mar | 10:00 to 11:00 Embracing the inevitable: How AI is transforming data governance for local government
Cyber security
Cyber@Socitm
Get and stay secure
Case Study: Safe Durham Partnership: Tackling and preventing cyber enabled crime
You might also like:
Watch Anatomy of a DDoS attack
Large scale distributed denial-of-service attacks are becoming ever more sophisticated and ever more common. Who’s doing them and why? And how do we defend ourselves?
Thu-13-Mar Socitm C-TAG Workshop: MTA-STS
Thu-20-Mar What is good Cyber Governance?
Harnessing data
Application areas. Data driven interventions or services
Data analytics and machine learning can generate results that are evidence-based and serve residents with more targeted outcomes.
For instance: predictive analytics for infrastructure maintenance or heatmaps of citizen service usage to prioritise investments
Case study: Stockport Council’s Family Context data tool
Data driven decision making with Place Insight
Place Insight blends data into a single, simple-to-use platform. It’s a comprehensive Social Progress Index using 56 datasets per authority. Giving you a multi-layered view of social progress where you are.
Your members-only offer
Gain cost-effective access to Place Insight as an add-on to your membership.
To find out more contact Head of operations Poppy Brummell.
You might also like:
Wed-12-Mar Harnessing data to improve local public services
Tue-25-Mar Measuring what matters most: understanding national well-being
Accessibility and inclusion
Check your website’s Silktide Accessibility Score
Log in to find your personalised monthly report and advice by clicking the ‘Check your website’s accessibility score’ tile.
Follow Silktide’s YouTube series: What in the World is WCAG?. Their most recent video is 3.1 Readable. #LearnWithCats
Fill out your Digital Accessibility Maturity Assessment
The DAMA is a comprehensive self-assessment. Hassell lnclusion send your score plus a report with next steps for how to improve your current position.
You might also like:
Thu-13-Mar | 12:00 to 13:00 | DIY Accessibility Audits: How to Achieve and Maintain EAA Compliance
Fri-21-Mar | 13:00 to 14:00 | Duolingo's owl scares me: An introduction to trauma-centred design
Thu-27-Mar | 16:00 to 17:00 | How to support the digital needs of neurodivergent people in 2025
Next core skills course
Tue-15-April | 09:30 to 12:30 | Introduction to Emotional Intelligence | 1 point
Can't make the date? Register to join in September or November.
Training
In-person leadership courses
Empowering Women
- Birmingham | Mon-17 to Tue-18-Mar and Tue-11-Jun | 3 points
- Taunton |Tue-1 to Wed-2-Jul and Fri-3-Oct | 3 points
- Huntingdon | Thu-18 to Fri-19-Sep and Thu-20-Oct | 3 points
Place-based Leadership
- London |Thu-27 and Fri-28-Feb | 4 points
- Manchester | Tue-13 to Wed-14-May | 4 points
- Birmingham | Mon-27 and Tue-28-Oct | 4 points
Top Talent
- Birmingham | Thu-27 to Fri-28-Mar and Mon-9 to Tue-10-Jun | 4 points
- Glasgow | Wed-25 to Thu-26-Jun and Thu-28 to Fri-29 Aug | 4 points
- Cardiff |Tues-9 to Wed-10-Sep and Mon-13 to Tue-14-Oct | 4 points
Online core skills courses
- Weds-2 and 23-Apr | 09:30 to 12:30 | Managing And Motivating Hybrid Teams | 1 point
- Tue-15-April | 09:30 to 12:30 | Introduction to Emotional Intelligence | 1 point
- Tues-6 and 20-May | 09:30 to 12:30 | How to be an Effective Coach | 1 point
Free training with Microsoft
- Tue-22 and Wed-23-Apr | 09:00 to 16:30 | Change Agent | 0 points
- Mon-16 and Tue-17-Jun | 09:00 to 16:30 | Change Agent | 0 points
Registering for training
Read your guide to using training points. Log in for the current number of available points. Don’t have enough or you’ve run out? Let us know.
Things happen. If you can’t make the date of your training course let us know ASAP and we’ll get you onto the next suitable one available. And your training points will transfer with you.
Please note: non-attendance without letting us know will mean training points getting deducted from your organisation’s annual total.
How was your course? Tell us about it and be a training champion 🙂.
Better data improves everything
For 2025 only: Use one benchmarking module
Choose from: cost, delivery, performance or user skills.
You’re busy. Benchmarking does take up some of your time. And that can make it the thing you keep meaning to do. This (calendar) year it won’t take up any of your budget. Make 2025 the year you do get round to it.
Other people are benchmarking and so can you:
Dorset Council: Socitm benchmarking survey exposed need for transformation support
Watch Benchmarking: what will you measure in 2025?
Events
Member-only meetings
Meet people for catching-up, problem sharing (and solving) and great networking.
- Thu-13-Mar Meeting for the East on Teams
- Fri-14-Mar Webinar: Leadership heroes – how they inspire us But…..leadership is not always straightforward…
- Tue-18-Mar Meeting for the North West in Manchester
- Wed-2-Apr Meeting for London and the South East in London
- Mon-7-Apr Meeting for the Midlands in Birmingham
Free webinars and meetings hosted by Socitm
1pm webinars are open to the public sector, membership is not necessary.
Your next webinar
Wed-12-Mar Cloud marketplace: a new age of procurement
Hear what’s possible through a cloud marketplace: how it provides a streamlined procurement method, and how you can uncover strategic growth opportunities.
- Wed-19-Mar Mastering IT service delivery challenges with ITIL4 processes
- Fri-21-Mar Duolingo’s Owl Scares Me: An Introduction to Trauma-centred Design
- Wed-26-Mar How councils are eliminating integration headaches and connecting data silos with Citizen Hub
- Fri-28-Mar | 10:00 to 11:00 | Embracing the inevitable: How AI is transforming data governance for local government [please note early start time]
- Wed-02-Apr Harnessing AI for a smarter S/4HANA migration
- Tue-29-Apr| 11:00 to 13:00 | Using intelligent automation to meet the challenges facing local government in Northern Ireland [please note early start time]
Missed one? Recordings of Socitm webinars are available in the Resource hub.
President’s Conference: Beyond Borders
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 June
Fill up your notebook/notes app with ideas, contacts and things to do.
A few highlights from the packed agenda:
- Overcoming barriers stopping progress in your organisation
Tom McCabe CEO of Norfolk County Council - If you were working in a local council in New Zealand what would you be doing? Would it be that different?
Mike Manson CEO of ALGIM - The future of local government by the people running local government
Emma Bennett, Chief executive of Walsall Council
Simon Fletcher, Chief executive of Litchfield District Council
Kath O’Dwyer, Chief executive of St Helens MBC and Solace Board Chair - Insights from the devolved nations on policy approaches, regional priorities, and collaborative opportunities
COSLA, LGA, NILGA and WLGA
This will all be wrapped by Socitm’s members’ community to create the best mix of presentations and people in a collaborative and relaxed atmosphere.
Mostly free webinars and events hosted by partners and others
March
- Tue-11-Mar Make your [inclusion] policies work for you
- Wed-12-Mar Scottish AI Summit [Inverness]
- Wed-12-Mar Harnessing data to improve local public services
Institute director Sam Smith is one of the speakers - Thu-13-Mar Socitm C-TAG Workshop: MTA-STS
- Thu-13-Mar Learn to be a Responsible AI Practitioner [London]
- Mon-17-Mar Mapping your public service with Pobl Group: reviewing and redesigning their repairs service
- Mon-17 to Tue-18-Mar AI UK 2025 [London] Join virtually for £20.
- Tue-18-Mar LocalGov Platforms, Automation and Data: Exploring Standardisation in Local Gov [Newark]
- Wed-19-Mar GovTech Show and Exhibitor 2025 Check your email newsletter for a member-only code to register free of charge.
- Wed-19-Mar
- 11:00 to 12:00 | Algorithms and Allyship: exploring AI’s approach to queer inclusive content
- 12:30 to 13:30 | How can we transform local government for the digital era?
- 16:00 to 17:00 | Data-centric AI webinar #8: optimising AI for sensitive industries
- 16:00 to 16:45 Measuring what matters most: understanding national well-being
- Thu-20-Mar What is good Cyber Governance?
- Tue-25-Mar Measuring what matters most: understanding national well-being
- Wed-26-Mar Targeting AI to deliver for residents
Hear about Basildon’s Resident Digital Transformation Strategy. Shanna Chandiwana, their Assistant Director for Digital, Customer and Transformation, will cover in depth this blueprint for embedding AI, data and digitalisation into core services. - Thu-27-Mar NILGA Local Government Celebration and Awards [Banbridge]
- Mon-31-Mar
- 13:00 to 15:30 Making use of logic models: practical training for local economic growth
- 3:30 to 14:30 Mapping your public service with Wrexham County Borough Council: digital transformation of the council housing application process
GovTech Show and Exhibition 2025
Wednesday 19 March | 09:00 to 17:00 | London W1G 0AE
You’ll walk away with actionable insights on
- harnessing efficient, secure, and sustainable technology
- delivering cost-effective, citizen-centric services
- improving social progress through insights driven by data.
Connect with like-minded colleagues across the public sector and discover what works and what could work to improve outcomes for people, communities, and places.
Check your email newsletter for a member-only code to register free of charge.
Government Technology Magazine
Issue 13.1 is another 2 President’s Team edition 😀
Start with content from Carol Williams and Kurt Frary and then move on:
- How the regional divide is hindering the UK’s growth.
techUK’s latest Local Digital Index highlights the urgent need for targeted action to bridge the digital divide and drive economic growth across the entire country. - Manchester City Council: a human first digital approach
- Norfolk County Council: innovation in the public sector
Kurt Frary (Head of IT and CTO) writes about using bin lorries to map real mobile signal coverage. - Bridging the digital divide in Kirklees with ChromeOS
- The digital landline switchover: what it means and how to prepare
By Elizabeth Andersen, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance - G-Cloud14: the benefits of cloud computing for the UK public sector
- Cyber security underpins everything we want to do. Carol Williams explains….
- How are teachers using AI?
- EV-friendly cities: Dundee City Council’s Fraser Crichton shares his work to transform the council fleet to electric as well as make Dundee one of the UK’s leading EV-friendly cities
Thank you for reading (or scrolling) this far! Just one more thing…
Who are Doomers, Gloomers, Bloomers, and Zoomers? And which one/s are you?
Find out: Understanding AI sentiments and encouraging experimentation