Empowering Communities & Front Line Workers

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/6/4/4/event_226194852.jpegThe Art of Listening & Policy Formation

Helen Jones MP was unable to attend the last meeting we held on vulnerable families. She was really sorry about that and has offered to meet us on June 5th for a seminar where she discusses with us how we can develop policy more effectively by listening to client groups and citizens in order to assess real need and where we discuss with her some techniques to do this more effectively.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/5/4/0/event_226194592.jpegHelen is the Shadow Minister For Local Government and is hosting this meeting for us. She knows the struggle that local authorities have to deliver services at times of retrenchment and cuts and understands the need to listen to those who are most vulnerable in society.

At this meeting we will look at two tools that help allow citizens, communities and front line workers to provide feedback to decision makers in a way that can help determine policy and the quality of service delivery. It is about using 21st century tools to solve traditional and established problems and issues.

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/4/5/c/event_150845212.jpegHelping us in this will be Vicki Fitzgerald of Gateway Family Services and they have developed a phone ap that allows front line workers to immediately send on feedback when they are with their clients as well as identify common themes, age, gender, location and employment status and also

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/5/a/4/event_226194692.jpegPeter Thomond of Sports Inspired will also join us. They have developed a crowd sourcing tool that allows communities and indeed employees to provide feedback anonymously in a form that managers and decision makers can act upon so that it can be very transparent if that action takes place or not.

In the growing managerial culture of the late twentieth century those most neglected have been communities themselves and front line workers who work with these communities at the sharp end. There are now tools to close this gap and it is important that managers and political decision makers create a culture so that listening becomes an essential part of creating policy and taking action.

This is a seminar and we only have room for twenty people so if you want to attend then please book early and confirm you will be definitely there or you will be taking a place that someone else could have.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/f/0/2/event_213843842.jpegAlthough membership of our site is free we do expect all those who attend our events to pay an annual subscription that covers attendance not just one meeting but also to the vast majority of our meetups and webinars for any one year. It also allows you to bring one guest free to every meeting or webinar.

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