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Our Council of the Future (CotF) webpages are set to be refreshed to better reflect the business plan. While the pages are being constructed, you'll find the monthly progress updates on CotF projects listed by workstream here in the employee newsfeed.

Digital Workstream

Analogue to Digital

  • In June, 290 MECS boxes have been installed in client's homes - three times more than last year - which leaves just 808 MECS boxes to be installed. As a result of picking up pace, the original completion date of mid-2020 has been brought forward to end November this year.
  • PID and milestone plan has been developed for the digital Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) and agreed with Farrpoint Digital Office consultant. 
  • Implementation to upgrade to the Chubb Server has been delayed by Chubb, as they are unable to deliver the hardware for July. We are waiting on new dates for delivery.
  • A funding bid has been submitted to Scottish Government for £50K to appoint a Project Manager to implement the migration to the ARC.

Digital Skills

  • Digital Champion workshops have been held and 28 people have volunteered to be champions.
  • A meeting has been arranged for mid-July to discuss the way forward with the Digital Champions' Programme and how to cover business areas where no-one volunteered .
  • The report from the recent survey and action plan are to be presented to CMT by the end of August.

Integrated Resource Management System (IRMS)

  • MyView Externalisation: plans to host MyView externally by the supplier have been delayed due to a supplier business review. The review is due to conclude during July at which point the negotiations should resume to finalise timescales.
  • Barrachd: the system is now live for Social Work Adult Services and training has been provided with one final session to be delivered early in July.

Rock Solid Technology

  • SWIS Replacement: work continues with the data cleansing and preparation to migrate the second round of data.The processes continue to be received and developed across all Service areas.
  • Falkirk Cloud – Education: audit completed of all data and users. The new virtual servers for the Citrix environment have been installed in preparation for the Falkirk Cloud being installed on Education PCs.
  • Office 365: initial set up of Office 365 system for testing via the cloud has been completed. A review of the active directory has been complete.

Digital Transformation of Revenues & Benefits

  • Meeting held with MyFalkirk team to understand the requirements of Application Programming Interface (API) implementation to create links between external website and internal systems.

Digital Transformation of Business Support

  • CM2000: extract report finalised and provided by supplier. Test plan agreed for July and August.
  • Total Mobile: meeting arranged with John Apperson, from Building & Maintenance Division (BMD), early in July to discuss BMD phase 3 Project Initiation Document (PID) and agree the inclusion of timesheet/reconciliation tasks.

Digital Transformation of HR & Payroll

  • Health and Safety Incident Reporting System: the project is to replace a paper-based reporting system with an online reporting system. Procurement tender process will begin July.

Digital Solutions for Design, Roads & Transport

  • Funding has been agreed to implement gritter tracking and to purchase hardware to move to a cloud based Roads Management System along with mobile & flexible working.

Next Generation Contact Centre (NGCC)

  • Email Integration with NGCC has gone live and customer emails are now being successfully handled. An order has been placed with Firmstep to move forward with MyFalkirk integration.

Housing of Tomorrow

  • IHMS Housing System Replacement: current system is nearing end-of-life. A new PID and project plan is being prepared to obtain agreement to procure an entirely new system.

Enabled Communities Workstream

Implementation of the Advice Hub & Spokes – Phase 2

  • Strategic discussion with Chief Executive and Directors held to inform way forward for Central Hub.
  • Work is underway to consider additional option for Centrral Hub, including producing detailed plans and costings.
  • New interim Hub at Callendar Square in place operating effectively, bringing benefits of Hub model to full council area.

Locality Planning

  • Eastern locality: a report of recommendations from Community Links and a service report based on interviews with local officers have now been circulated to Stakeholders. Stakeholders are being encouraged to distribute the Community Links Report through the community and the consultants have asked for comments by the end of July.
  • Western locality: a launch event was held on June 25th and 20 community members have signed up to help co-produce a community action plan. Ten community members have also signed up to co-produce a community food plan linked with Strategic Outcome Local Delivery Plan (SOLD).
  • Central locality: work is ongoing to collate a local issues paper drawing on a range of partner evidence.
  • A Community-led funding bid, has been submitted to the Scottish Government. The bid provides a dignified approach to food insecurity and holistic approach to advice provision and developing community capacity within the three localities.

Closer to Home

  • Foster Care recruitment: fostering and adoption enquiries remain steady at between four to six a day. From current screening and preparation, approximately 10 will be taken through to the assessment process. Website format has been agreed. A bank of fostering recruitment videos is now available.
  • Best Practice in Child Protection (CP) Systems: call handling standards are being finalised to ensure the right questions are being asked by the Contact Centre before calls are forwarded to Children & Families Social Work.
  • Procuring for the Future: the procurement officer assigned to the project will shortly leave the Council, creating a resource gap in relation to driving the commissioning needs of the service forward. Significant progress in respect of supported accommodation for care experienced young people has been made for one location – the formal contract award will be concluded week beginning July 15th and the upgraded properties (nine flats, common areas, offices and provider accommodation) will be handed over in the first week of August. Contract mobilisation phase has commenced and contract start date of September 24th agreed. Work to review, update and implement extensions to joint working agreements for all grant funded family support services is ongoing and is anticipated to be concluded end July.

Closer to Communities

  • Project is in the planning stages. There is a need to develop a multi service/organisation approach that would focus on community development and community empowerment.

Entrepreneurial Services Workstream

Procuring for the Future

  • Change Fund bid agreed, and two graduates in place in August, to support the implementation of electronic invoicing.
  • Progress being made with the implementation of ICE and punch-out to support upload of additional Integra catalogues and access to online supplier.
  • Falkirk Council’s spend data for 2018/19 successfully uploaded to Scottish Government’s Information Observatory.
  • Construction provider event was held on June 19th, this was a key event as part of Development Services requirement to establish a Local Construction Forum during 2019.

Food for Falkirk

  • Met with Marvellous Meals to clarify requirement for 1140 nursery hours to ensure we are ready for the new school year in August.

Commercialisation for Design Roads & Transport

  • Initial scoping for the project, including suggestions from a recent staff suggestion scheme, have identified potential opportunities to progress commercially. 
  • Links made with Waste Services to review changes to operational working week to see whether there is potential for Design, Roads & Transport to implement something similar.

Commercialisation of Environmental Services

  • The new process is now in operation at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) and will be subject to ongoing monitoring. Positive early indication with reduced tonnage coming into HWRC sites for May and June. 
  • It is anticipated that the new process may cause an increase in fly tipping and a positive meeting was held with the Web and Digital Services Team to progress the development of MyFalkirk to allow customers to report fly tipping.
  • Initial scoping meeting has taken place on potential income generation opportunities and will be further developed over the coming months.

Commercialisation of Corporate Finance

  • Internal Audit Services joint working agreement with Clackmannanshire Council has been agreed for a further three-year period to March 31st.
  • Stakeholder consultation is underway to discuss and scope other possible commercial opportunities.

Fees and Charges

  • Initial discussions have started with Services to scope out the project.

Transformational Enablers Workstream

Relationships First

  • Successful communication about the project led to more than 30 notes of interest from Council employees.
  • Those who did not go through to interview have expressed an interest in supporting the project as it moves forward.
  • Twelve staff have now been recruited from across Council services and the Community trust.
  • A programme of engagement with the citizen group has been developed and is underway with eight people who are in or have left care in Falkirk.

Information Working for You

  • The Business Classification Scheme (BCS) is now live for consultation and progress has been made.
  • Progress still needs to be made with the information asset register.
  • BCS’ completion is key to the success of the Office 365 project.

Fit for the Future

  • Anytime Anywhere - Phase 2: Anytime Anywhere key milestones have been developed and initial engagement has taken place with CANs to champion the roll-out of the milestones in August. A number of CANs have volunteered to support the project.
  • Communications: the employee website is working well, helping communicate more effectively with employees who are not on the Council network and allowing them to access key Council information and policies. Feedback from employee groups, such as Catering & Cleaning, Roads & Grounds and Waste, has been very positive. A detailed communications plan has been developed for the Employee Engagement Survey, which will be launched in September. It is essential that managers at all levels and across all Services encourage their teams to complete the survey and allow them time need to fill it in.
  • Organisational Development - Phase 2: a further seven workshops for 5/6th tier managers have been delivered. Rising Stars programme for MECS and Catering completed. A hackathon on Annual Personal Development System (APDS) has been carried out and the findings will be analysed and recommendations produced for the Workforce for the Future Group.
  • Absence: work has progressed on the procurement and Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) process for the nurse reporting arrangement. Nurse reporting arrangement on a pilot basis is scheduled for August and feedback will be reviewed.
  • Recruitment Review: services have been updated on the progress with the new recruitment processes which includes new job profiles, induction, contractual letters and not checking adverts.
  • Workforce of the Future: draft presentations to Directors have been prepared. Next stage is to ensure Trade Unions are engaged in process and new Trade Union reps are up-to-date with discussions.

Smart Working Smart Travel

  • Staff mileage claims are decreasing however further improvements could be made.

Strategic Property Review (SPR)

  • Phase 2 Carronbank: relocation of Adult Social Work from Camelon Social Work Office and Denny Business Centre expected to be completed by August 7th.
  • Closing date for the sale of Stenhousemuir One Stop Shop is July 5th.
  • Work is on going in respect of the SPR “lock in” appraisal and Falkirk Community Trust work.

Council HQ & Arts Centre

  • Desk requirements identified by service managers indicate the 0.6 ratio is currently not feasible. Discussions will take place at DMT to address this.
  • The report from the consultants commissioned on behalf of Falkirk Community Trust on options for the arts centre has now been produced. This will assist in informing the business case and feasibility study prior to Executive decision at the end of August.
  • Culture change is required to support new ways of working.

Corporate Approach to Fleet Hire

  • Email sent to all service managers advising reductions in Service hire budgets effective of July 1st. Monitoring will be undertaken by the hires and fleet teams.
  • An exploratory meeting took place within fleet management to agree the future internal process and this has been the basis for the report developed for CMT approval.

Revitalising Town Centres

  • A report was approved at Executive in June regarding the Town Centre Regeneration Fund award of £1.9m.
  • Broader Town Centres Theme continues to be scoped under Growth Deal business case development with partners and HQ/Arts Centre Project.

Services of the Future Workstream

Housing of Tomorrow

  • Accessible Housing: in partnership with NHS Forth Valley, secondment for a Community Psychiatric Nurse to join the House Needs Service is being progressed. The outcome from Scottish Government on the submitted Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan is expected during July.
  • Supporting Staff: this project is now complete. A piece of work around lessons learnt is to be completed.
  • Optimising Performance - BSI Standards ISO 9001 Accreditation: an ISO audit team was recruited and trained during June. All are now qualified accredited ISO auditors. The aim is to have the housing service fully ISO 9001 accredited by the end on 2020.

Redesign of BMD Services

  • Upgrade of Inchyra: roofing work completed and good progress continues on the internal building work to the stores area, which is currently ahead of schedule.
  • Home to Work: subproject complete with c150 operational employees. Outcomes and operational issues are being evaluated with Trade Unions.
  • Organisational - Better, Smarter Working: draft workforce/business plan prepared. Trade Union consultation is due to take place August/September to address recruitment and retention issues.

Services for the Bereaved

  • Plotbox DPIA has been signed off. Work has started to digitise the Book of Remembrance.

Transformation of HR & Payroll

  • Meetings have taken place between HR and Payroll staff from Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Councils to determine the viability of shared services. These meetings have been positive and constructive but as yet inconclusive in determining the viability of a shared services approach.

Transformation of Environmental Services

  • The project is currently being scoped. The Council is currently engaging with an external provider with the view to improving the efficiency of waste collection routes, including the introduction of improved in-cab technologies.

Transformation of Roads & Grounds Maintenance

  • Kinneil Plant Nursery closed on July 5th following the provision of plants to community groups and the final plant sale.
  • A meeting with the Project Sponsor and the Head of Environmental Services has taken place to discuss work being undertaken in Waste Services  regarding the operational workforce working week and opportunities for commercialisation.

Review of Transport

  • This project is still being scoped.  An initial meeting with the Education Service has taken place and discussions have started around linkage with the Green Travel plan project.

Support & Learning for All

  • Financial and school data is being collected to starting building a picture of spend within the Education division of Children’s Services.
  • Over the next few months further work will be undertaken to assess the best way for staff to support pupils in schools.

Investing for Inclusive Growth

  • Meeting arranged for July 8th to scope project which is envisaged to focus on the Growth Deal.