MPS consultation training

Report: 12
Date: 26 July 2004
By: Clerk

Summary

The MPS has piloted a consultation training course. This report describes the content of the course and the proposed roll out. The pre course material, outlining aims of the training and agenda, are shown at Appendix 1. The accompanying consultation guidelines, used as course material and also a standalone reference manual is shown at Appendix 2.

A. Recommendation

That members endorse the plan of action outlined in the report.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The MPS has piloted a consultation training course aimed at MPS consultation practitioners. The main drivers for the training are:

• · The results from the Measuring Community Consultation Survey (presented as a report to the last Consultation Committee Meeting in May)
• · Research for the MPS Consultation Strategy Statement
• · The Safer Neighbourhoods initiative

Survey results

2. These highlighted that consultation within the MPS is not always carried out systematically. Specifically highlighted a need to improve knowledge on: reasons for carrying out consultation; formal groups/ communities to be consulted; frequency of consulting and differences of methods used.

Research for the MPS Consultation Strategy Statement

3. Meetings with MPS consultation practitioners and heads of MPS units, carried out to ascertain the requirements for an MPS consultation strategy statement, highlighted a need for consultation training to be delivered to consultation practitioners throughout the MPS. Those questioned highlighted a desire for both a training and guideline facility to combat a lack of knowledge of consultation methods and how and when to deploy them.

Safer Neighbourhoods initiative

4. The roll out of Safer Neighbourhoods teams requires the teams to place significant emphasis on community engagement. Liaison with the Safer Neighbourhoods Unit has identified that there is a need to provide specialist training on planning and managing co-ordinated consultation activities for the officers managing these teams

Aims of course

5. To effectively deal with the issues raised by the above a strand of the Strategy Statement (page 3 of Appendix 2 details all 6 strands) has been developed in conjunction with MPA officers based around:

Ensuring Effective Dialogue “Effective planning and implementation of a variety of consultation styles with stakeholders, using methods that make it easy for stakeholders to contribute having regard to the status of stakeholders and other defined criteria.”

6. The first tranche of work to achieve this aim is providing a training course for practitioners, based around a handbook of consultation guidelines that can be used as a reference manual. These guidelines will also be available to MPS consultation practitioners both on the MPS Intranet and in hard copy where requested. It is the intention to make these guidelines available to participants and other interested parties to ensure transparency.

Work carried out to date

7. A pilot training course was developed and run in conjunction with Dialogue by Design in May 2004. Dialogue by Design were chosen to present the course for both their experience in having run similar training for other public bodies and their own experience in planning and managing public engagement activities, as well as cost considerations.

8. Participants for the pilot were recruited from all areas of the MPS (Boroughs, Policy units, and Business Groups) to ensure that they represented policy writers, as well as those carrying out engagement activities as part of the Safer Neighbourhoods initiative. Additionally the head of the MPA community engagement unit attended to ensure MPA officers had an input into the development of the training.

9. The 1 day training focused on:

• understanding the role of consultation within the MPS
• tools to help plan a consultation activity
• using the tools learnt to plan a real consultation that the participant needed to implement on the return to the workplace.

The pre course material, outlining the aims of the day, including the agenda is shown in Appendix 1. The guidelines, used as course material as well as a reference manual are shown in Appendix 2.

10. Feedback from this course showed that the participants found the content either totally or highly relevant to their daily role. The trainers were also rated very highly, delivery was highly credible, and the length of the course appropriate. Participants left the day feeling competent and enthusiastic about the tools learnt and their ability to transfer these to their work environment for use in planning and managing their own consultation activities.

11. Feedback on the guidelines has shown they have been useful both as part of the course and as a reference document. The guidelines are at present considered a work in progress and an updated version will be produced prior to the course roll out to include identified improvements.

Anticipated roll out

12. Further discussions with representatives from both the MPS Policy Clearing House and the MPS Safer Neighbourhoods Unit has clarified that there are potentially 400 staff within the MPS who are required to plan and manage consultation activities as part of either an policy development or safer neighbourhoods posting. It is therefore proposed that the course will be rolled out from September 2004, with courses run on a monthly basis. The course will be run on alternate months for policy and safer neighbourhoods participants to enable the best networking and cross fertilisation of ideas on the day of the course. The course roll out will need approval from the MPS Training Board – if members are so minded their support will add weight to the proposal.

Costings

13. The course will be delivered by Dialogue by Design at the Civil Service Sports Club in Victoria, at a cost of £2,400 per event (cost per person approximately £200). The MPS strategic consultation unit will carry out administration and evaluation. Assuming seven courses will be run between September and March the cost will be £16,800. Costs will be met from existing budgets. Prior to the start of the new financial year, the need for further courses will be assessed and funding sought as appropriate.

C. Race and equality impact

The results of the Community Engagement survey indicated that the MPA hard to reach groups are not consulted systematically throughout the organisation. This report outlines the training course and guidelines that will address this issue and ensure that where possible all MPS employees carrying out consultation are aware of the need to and importance of consulting with hard to reach groups.

D. Financial implications

As laid out in the main body of the report.

E. Background papers

None.

F. Contact details

Report author: Jane Wilkin, Strategic Consultation Officer, Strategic Consultation Unit, MPS Corporate Planning Group.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix 1

Planning and Managing Corporate Consultations – Pre course material

The MPS Strategic Consultation Unit are running a consultation training day delivered by Dialogue by Design, an external training consultancy.

The training is specifically aimed at giving professional training and advice to MPS consultation practitioners who have responsibility for planning and managing MPS consultation activities.

The morning is aimed at reviewing consultation processes in light of the purposes, context and constraints of consultation for MPS. Topics discussed will be; Planning consultation; Stakeholder analysis; Process planning matrix; and the advantages and disadvantages of different consultation methods.

The afternoon will give participants the opportunity to work on their own upcoming consultation processes from planning to implementation.

If you have a specific consultation exercise to plan and manage in the next few months then this training day will give you and opportunity to plan that process using the tools introduced on the day and the with the advice and guidance of the trainers. It will allow you come away from the day with a problem solved and a way forward planned for you to implement on your return to your workplace.

The aim of this is to ensure the MPS has professionally trained consultation practitioners to ensure minimum standards and best practice is adhered to.

Outline of training day

9.00 Arrival, coffee

9.30 Purpose, method and introductions

• Background to the event
• Training agenda

  agenda for day

  introduction to training notes

9.45 Session 1: Overview of consultation processes

(Purpose: to find out where people are and what their experience is)

1. Facilitated plenary discussion

• What is 'consultation'?
• Review of consultation experience

  review of language

  review of context of consultation generally

10.10

2. Small group discussion followed by 20 minutes de-brief

• "What do you see as the key purposes, contexts and constraints of consultation for MPS?"

11.00 Break

11.15 Session 2: Planning consultation

(Purpose: to familiarise participants with using process planning matrix)

Method: using 'London Borough of Booting' scenario, teams of 3-4 discuss in turn:

The process bridge:

1. Tower 1 - Stakeholders and issues
2. Tower 2 - Purposes and products
3. The Span - the process planning matrix and the advantages and disadvantages of different consultation methods.

12.45 Lunch

1.30 Session 3: Consultation process planning in practice

Method: in pairs participants work on real upcoming consultation processes from planning to implementation, using the process planning matrix, identifying:

1. The process they would use and why
2. The dilemmas they face and options for resolving them
3. What could go wrong and what contingency plans they could have

Note: each pair can work on one process plan in detail or two in outline, depending on personal needs.

3.00 Break

3.15 Session 4: Review of plans

4.30 Evaluation of training

4.45 End

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