Commitment 4: Access to Accountability: Public Service Delivery Practitioners, Scrutiny & Regulatory Bodies Workshop (May 2020)

Discuss common challenges, barriers, and opportunities to support the people of Scotland access accountability of public services: front line service delivery practitioners and decision makers, scrutiny and regulatory bodies

About this Event

Date And Time: Wed, 6 May 2020, 10:00-12:30 BST
Target Audience: public service delivery bodies (public, third or private sector), public service delivery scrutiny & regulatory bodies

Commitment 4 of Scotland’s second national Open Government Action Plan is focused on improving access to accountability of public services , which will be the focus of this event. At this time of pandemic constraints, many of Scotland’s residents are finding themselves reliant on new public services and, in some circumstances may be faced with losses to service provision as delivery bodies continue to adapt to changes in capacity, priorities and increasing demand levels. It is important that we recognise these challenges and appreciate the on-going efforts of a range of organisations – from local authorities to third sector support to private sector service providers – to respond effectively and continue providing essential services to people living in Scotland. We also believe that this is an opportunity for positive change in accountability processes – for all of us to come together to discuss and learn from the experiences and views of people from across Scotland with the aim of identifying ways we can collaborate in order to strengthen public service accountability frameworks as one part of a longer-term journey of recovery post-Covid-19 and the embedding of open government principles.

Service design agency Snook will host the event and introduce you to citizens’ stories and examples of using public service accountability processes and mechanisms, informed by evidence gathered through national public engagement (late 2019, early 2020). The purpose of the event is to bring together those who represent public service frontline delivery and decision making – alongside regulatory and scrutiny partners – to respond to insights from service users and build a fuller understanding of accountability processes. This includes representatives from charities, public authorities, and support services.

Working together, we will identify and clarify feasibility of practically focused “tests of change” that attempt to address the most significant challenges / barriers to access of effective accountability reflected in the evidence gathered under OGP Commitment 4 to date. Snook will guide practitioners through a deliberative process to achieve this. Outputs of discussions will be considered by the Scottish Government and Open Government Commitment 4 partners to inform next steps in delivery of a more open, transparent and accessible public service accountability landscape in Scotland.

If you currently work in front line public service delivery, are involved in decision making related to service provision; or if you work for a relevant public service scrutiny / regulatory body; and you have experience handling requests from people for better access to e.g. information on service delivery and performance, complaints procedures, decision making processes; your contributions to these discussions is highly sought.

To register, please go to:

Notes:
(1) Due to current circumstances, this event will take place digitally using Zoom. The Zoom link and dial in details will be emailed to those who register for the event, which will include a website link and password, and phone number option. The Zoom will be hosted by Snook who hold a secure account.

(2) Insights and details from the workshop will be collated by Snook only for the purposes of the project and stored securely until June 2020. All contributions will be anonymised before analysis and reference will only be made to the generic type of organisation as relevant.