Solace in the East of England

7 November 2014

Joanna Killian

Chair, Solace Group Board &

CEX Essex CC

What is SOLACE?

The professional body representing senior strategic managers in UK local authorities & other public sector organisations

We focus on promoting excellent public service leaders We seek to influence debate around the future of public services

ensuring policy and legislation is informed by the experience and expertise of our members.

We operate as a ‘profit for purpose’ organisation reinvesting profit from our commercial arm into the professional development of our members

We aim to make Solace membership an essential part of a successful public senior career and be the ‘go to’ organisation for advice, opinion on issues of professional leadership and public service sector improvement

Our Objectives

To manage the Solace Group effectively to ensure it remains

relevant, effective and valuable to its

members and partners

To contribute to and to influence the debate about the future of public

services and to make sure that policy is

informed by the experience and expertise of our

members

To provide excellent opportunities for our

members to learn from the best, to share next

practice and to network with each other and

with leaders from other areas of public life

SOLACE – what we do

Learn, Share & Network

Policy & Influence

Relevant, Effective, Valuable

Policy Brief

MWB

MJ Lite

Annual Summit

Annual Dinner

HoC Reception

Policy Networks

Team working

Media & Press

relationsPolicy-led

Events

Recruitment drives

Master Classes

Leader-ship events

Information management

Membership data

Branch Events

Marketing

Financial management

Policy Spokespeople

Blogs

Business Partner

Relationships

Case Studies & Articles

Good Practice Guides

Stakeholder Relationship

Research & Comment

Governance

Training courses

Shadowing

Mentoring

Networks & communities

Event management

• Strengthening your society: new governance arrangements• Solace Group: created from Society, Foundation & Company• Chair: Joanna Killian, Essex CC• President: Mark Rogers, Birmingham City Council• Solace Group Board and Policy Board• 10 Policy and 10 Deputy Spokespeople• Policy networks to encourage member engagement• New management arrangements & staff structure• Solace in Business, our wholly owned commercial arm

All Change at Solace

Challenges for Solace

• Membership – ensuring you continue to get value for money• Being relevant & focussed on things that matter to you as

public sector leaders• Be a strong voice standing up for and challenging the

profession• Tackling issues that are managerial rather than political• Leadership & professional development – promoting ethical

and value lead standards of leadership• Strengthening the regional activity and engaging more of you

in our work.

Statistics

• 1200 members and growing• 85% of all Chief Executives in Membership• 650 Senior Manager members from all sectors• Summit in Liverpool attended by over 300 delegates• New governance arrangements has trebled the

number of members directly engagement in our work

Policy Networks

• Policy Spokespeople appointed by our members at AGM

• Policy Board to set our policy priorities

• Policy Spokespeople to establish and lead networks of interested members

• Input from Regions on policy board and networks

• Support from Past services and graduate members

• Work in collaboration with other professional bodies

Policy Portfolios

Community Well BeingJo Farrar/Penny Thompson

Digital LeadershipMartin Reeves/Robert Keynon

Children & FamiliesPhil Norrey/Kim Bromley-Derry

Leadership & LearningDeborah Cadman/Becky Shaw

Civil Resilience & Community SafetyJohn Barradell/Stephen Baker

Local Government Finance & CommercialismPaul Martin/Mike Suarez

Elections & Democratic RenewalDave Smith/Jo Miller

Economic Prosperity and HousingMartin Swales/Simon Neilson/Manjeet Gill

Innovation and CommissioningMax Wide/Sandy Hopkins

Evidence Based PolicyAbdool Kara/Steve Atkinson

How can you engage?

• Policy Spokespeople will be introducing themselves and asking for your views on priorities via MWB in the coming weeks

• Asking you to sign up to contribute to the networks

• State of the Nation survey launched to identify local pressures and the issues you want us to focus our policy resources on

• Policy Board meeting in January to set Business Plan Priorities

• Actively seeking input from Regions on policy board and networks

Key priorities 2014/5

• Skills for Leadership: Strengthening our professional development and learning offer across our members career journey

• Driving up standards: Developing a proposition for ethical based leadership and a Solace Standard

• Sector improvement: Working with other professional bodies as a ‘convenor of the professions’

• Strengthening links between the public and private sectors via our business partner programme

• Strong voice: Continue to comment on things that matter most to the profession

• Excellent Events: Providing interesting and timely opportunities for you to network with peers

Your views?

• Keen to get your views on what Solace does well or could do differently in future?

• What more could we do to engage Solace members regionally?

• What are the core areas that Solace should be focussing its resources on?

• Do we keep you well enough informed? What more can we do to ensure you value your society?

Dates for your diary

• 4th December 2014: Whitehall Dialogues & House of Commons Reception

• 26th February 2015: Solace Leadership Forum and Annual Charity Dinner, Globe Theatre, London

• 1 July 2015: Solace at the LGA conference, Harrogate

• 7-9 October 2015 Solace Summit, Bournemouth

Information about all our other regional event information and master classes at www.solace.org.uk

Book at events@solace.org.uk

Graeme McDonald, Solace Group Director

Graeme.Mcdonald@solace.org.uk

Debbie Wood, Solace Group Director

Debbie.Wood@solace.org.uk

Terry McDougall, Group Director Solace in Business

Terry.McDougall@solace.org.uk