Duolingo's owl scares me: An introduction to trauma-centred design
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Newsletter: We love local gov

Authors and contributors: Alexandra Murphy
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Keep getting everything you can from your membership

Your events, training and resources

Reading this on Friday morning? You still have time to register for this afternoon’ webinar on Strategies for Workplace Resilience. Sit in on a conversation, from 1pm, between Aidan Matthews and Richard Nixon about recognising and preventing workplace burnout.

This year’s Digital Trends report was published last week. Want to skip to the highlights before tackling the whole thing?
Focus for 2025: Reimagining services, cyber security and harnessing data

Here’s a top 4 (in no special order) of hopefully relevant/useful/interesting things:

  1. 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.
  2. Congratulations to all the NILGA 2025 Local Government Awards finalists. Great work everyone and good luck to you all for Thursday 27 March.
  3. From West Berkshire’s Phil Rumens on LinkedIn:
    It only takes a minute: Trialling artificial intelligence to minute public meetings 
    “Whilst AI can be over hyped beyond the reality of its actual potential, it’s looking like Minute will be a practical solution to help deliver automation within the public sector.”
  4. Shared by the Cambridgeshire Digital Partnership, a great little video about the Minimum Digital Living Standard. Join their digital inclusion networking session on Tuesday 25 February.

Take care. I hope you can have a great weekend.

Best wishes,

Alex.

Illustration of a woman reading an oversized book, entitled, 'Local gov's big book of ideas'.

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

Some things to think about: 10 key questions for public sector leaders

How to use the Digital Trends collection
How should I use Digital Trends in my organisation and place? Can I trust Socitm’s Public Sector Digital Trends?

You might have missed…

Watch recent webinars:

For ease of viewing, the recordings are divided into easy to navigate chapters, with subtitles and transcript available via the video player toolbar.

Browse the Resource Hub

You will need a user account on socitm.net to access member-only resources. Let us know if need any support.

Listen to all episodes of Socitm Says Podcast. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

AI@Socitm

It’s easier and quicker to get to what you most need now we’ve reorganised the resources. This isn’t a static collection. New content is added regularly. Bookmark it and keep coming back.

Briefing: Refreshing the UK’s strategic approach to AI

You might also like:
Tue-18-Feb   Ethics Professional: Data & AI Ethics Frameworks
Thu-20-Feb  LocalGov Drupal Community Meetup: Uses of AI
Wed-26-Feb Safeguarding sensitive information with AI
Wed-26-Feb AI in action: 3 examples of AI solving real council challenges
Wed-12-Mar  Scottish AI Summit [Inverness]
Wed-26-Mar Targeting AI to deliver for residents
Use AI@Socitm

Illustration showing a hacker on his laptop in a darkened room while people elsewhere work with data and security

Cyber security

NEW Cyber@Socitm

Get and stay secure
Find practical help, skills and a deeper understanding of cyber security in public services with this live collection of curated resources.

NEW Cyber security guidance for public sector practitioners

Cyber security is a critical concern for all of us. Our growing reliance on digital services means that threats are a daily reality. With those threats themselves constantly evolving.

Mark Brett provides tailored information covering cyber threats and incidents, support and guidance, opportunities and resources.
Jump to the section of most relevance for you: chief executives and chief officers; social care; finance; HR; procurement; electoral registration.

You might also like:
Watch Cyber Incident Response: The last line of defence
Listen MHCLG's CAF for local government
Thu-27-Feb Anatomy of a DDoS Attack
Thu-6-Mar  Cyber NI Conference [Belfast]
Thu-6-Mar  ISfL Annual Conference 2025 [London]
Thu-13-Mar Socitm C-TAG Workshop: MTA-STS
Use Cyber@Socitm

Cyber NI Conference: a highlight of CyberNI Week

The conference will bring together cyber security professionals and senior leaders from the public and private sectors, offering a prime opportunity for networking, further enhancing the local cyber security community.

The event features a number of high calibre expert speakers and promises to be an engaging and informative experience.

See you in Belfast

ISfL Annual Conference 2025: AI, governance and cyber security

Navigating the challenges of AI in the public sectorAs AI continues to transform the public sector, ensuring the security and integrity of these systems has become a critical priority.

This year’s conference explores the challenges and opportunities AI presents to cyber security in local government and the wider public sector.

From defending against AI-driven threats to leveraging AI for enhanced security, experts will share insights on best practices, compliance and governance strategies that safeguard public trust.

It’s open to all public sector WARP members and attendance is free.

See you in London

Procurement in 2025

Are you ready for Monday 24 February?

NEW Briefing: Preparing for the new Procurement Act 2023
This briefing gives you the knowledge and tools you need to comply with the new Act.

You might also like:
Wed-12-Mar | 13:00 to 14:00 | Cloud marketplace: a new age of procurement
Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre's 2025/26 Cohort applications now open

Harnessing data

The 2025 Digital Trends collection identifies 4 main ways in which data can be harnessed in place-based public service delivery.

  • Data can be used to identify the distribution of deep-seated societal problems and their underlying causes.
  • Data can inform how to target resources and interventions more effectively as well as the design of preventative measures.
  • Data supports improved internal productivity and overall efficiency.
  • Data is the foundation for deploying many emerging technologies such as AI
Continue reading

Data driven decision making with Place Insight

Place Insight is a revolutionary tool that combines diverse data sources into a single, simple to use platform.

Designed by Impera Analytics with input from across the public sector, it features a comprehensive Social Progress Index at English local authority level, covering all 294 councils.

Users are given actionable insights about people and places to support compelling storytelling with data and enable effective resource allocation. It will also assist in building community-based research capacity.

Exclusive offer for members
Gain cost-effective access to Place Insight as an add-on to your membership, during renewal or at any time throughout the year.
To find out more contact Head of operations Poppy Brummell.

You might also like:
From UKAuthority: Addresses, streets and local government data standards
From Civiteq: Finding a single view of debt is important, but how do you get started?
Wed-12-Mar Harnessing data to improve local public services
Tue-25-Mar Measuring what matters most: understanding national well-being
Illustration of people standing next to huge, people-sized devices. The smartphone and screen both display simple HTML.

Accessibility and inclusion

Check your website’s Silktide Accessibility Score
If you’re competitive, see where you’re council ranks in the index for January.
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
Hassell lnclusion’s DAMA is a comprehensive self-assessment of your current level of digital accessibility maturity.

Next accessibility-themed webinars
Thu-27-Feb | 16:00 to 17:00 | Debunking Accessibility Myths
Thu-13-Mar | 12:00 to 13:00 | DIY Accessibility Audits: How to Achieve and Maintain EAA Compliance

PAUSE
Creating fair and equitable organisations and services is everybody’s responsibility. Take time to reflect and review on your approach and identify where there may be gaps in the way in which you do things. Pause – reflect – act

Next core skills course
Tue-4-Mar | 09:30 to 12:30 | Equality, Diversity and Inclusion | 1 point
Can't make the date? Register to join in June, October or November.
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Training

Build your confidence and resilience to develop and better apply your skills, ideas, and experience.

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

  • FULLY BOOKED Leeds | Mon-24 to Tue-25-Feb and Wed-21 to Thu-22 May | 4 points
  • 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

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 🙂.

Find your next course
Socitm infographic - benchmarking 2024

Better data improves everything

NEW for your membership (in 2025 ONLY)

Use one benchmarking module. Choose from: cost, delivery, performance or user skills.

You want evidence to support your business cases, and insight into positive changes you can make. Get a concise overview of your service coupled with data to support it.

Never benchmarked before? Know what you’d doing and want to get going? Let benchmarking boss 😉 Matthew Fraser know and he’ll support you as much or as little as you need: benchmarking@socitm.net

Other people are using benchmarking and so can you:

Read more about what you can do and how in the Benchmarking Services Help Centre.

Watch Benchmarking: what will you measure in 2025?
National conference Sheffield 2024

Events

Member-only meetings

Meet people for catching-up, problem sharing (and solving) and great networking.

Free webinars and meetings hosted by Socitm

Webinars are open to anyone in the public sector, membership is not necessary, so please do share them with your network.

Missed one? Recordings of Socitm webinars are available in the Resource hub.

Browse events

President’s Conference: Beyond Borders

Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 June

Never been to President’s Conference before? What’s it like?
As you’d expect, you’ll hear leaders from local, national and international perspectives. But it’s more than that.
This conference is about getting things done. You’ll take away practical actions and contacts to help solve the challenges we’re all facing.
All this will be wrapped within the Socitm community to create a conference that gives you the right mix of presentations and people in a collaborative and relaxed atmosphere.

The beyond borders agenda
Take away ideas and inspiration with sessions covering:

  • Overcoming barriers stopping progress in your organisation
  • How councils are revolutionising service delivery with AI and automation
  • Insights from the devolved nations on what’s working and what’s next
  • Harnessing your data for social progress
  • If you were working in a local council in New Zealand what would you be doing? Would it be that different?
  • The future of local government by the people running local government
Come along to Birmingham

Mostly free webinars and events hosted by partners and others

February

March

Thank you for reading (or scrolling) this far! Just one more thing…

AI headshots on LinkedIn. Yay, nay, or meh?
Is it Ok to use AI-generated images for LinkedIn Profiles?