09.30- 10.25
Better Citizen Service in tough financial times
Introduced by Bruce Robinson, Head of the NI Civil Service, this session will hear from keynote speakers Lord Michael Bichard, Director of the Institute for Government and Sir Patrick Haren, Chairman Viridian Group, on meeting the challenge of better citizen service in tough financial times.

Delivery through Partnership – working with the wider public sector, voluntary and community sector to deliver better citizen service
An opportunity to explore how we can work more closely with the wider public sector, and the voluntary and community sectors to deliver better citizen services. This panel session will include Audrey Murray, the Social Economy Network, Sammy Douglas, East Belfast Partnership, Seamus McAleavey, Chief Executive, The Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, Liam Maskey Executive Director, Intercomm Ireland and Will Haire the DSD Perm Sec will chair of panel.

Delivery through Partnership – working with the private sector to deliver better citizen service
Are there opportunities to serve our citizens better by working more effectively with the private sector? To find out more come along to this panel discussion chaired by David Sterling the DETI Perm Sec, who will be joined by Terence Brannigan, the Chairman of CBI, John Friel, the Regional Chair of The Federation of Small Businesses, Bryan Gregory, the Strategic Adviser at the Strategic Investment Board, as well as a representive from the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce.

Smarter Working – Organisational Change in the Department for Regional Development (DRD)
With new priorities and budgetary pressures, DRD undertook a journey of organisational change which has delivered a more responsive and efficient organisation. This session will explore the lessons learned and the department’s approach to delivering successful change.
Speaker: Barry Jordan, DRD

10.45 -11.30
KEYNOTE ADDRESS, plus A Direct Way is a Better Way – transforming citizen service through NI Direct
NI Direct is transforming the way people can find out more about government services and get in touch. The case study will demonstrate a number of ways in which Departments can improve citizen contact and realise efficiencies through NI Direct. Come along to this session and find out more about how NI Direct is providing a better way for citizens.
Speakers: David Orr, Director of Corporate Services, DFP/Corporate Services Group, Claire Jordan, Deputy Principal, Land and Property Services, Kathryn Semple, Programme Manager,  DFP/Corporate Services Group and Colm Shannon, Director, OFMDFM will be discussing better citizen service in tough financial times

Meeting the Leadership and Skills Challenge
Come and learn how a range of people from different backgrounds have joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service and forged their careers. Hear their personal stories and their views on meeting the leadership and skills challenge within the NICS.
This panel discussion will include Alan Shannon, Permanent Secretary, Department for Employment and Learning, John Darcy, Director of The Open University and Institute of Directors representative, Jim Wilkinson, HR Director, Department for Social Development, Helen Campbell, Deputy Director of Business Consultancy Service, Delivery and Innovation Division, Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP), Helen Campbell, Deputy Director of DFP and will be chaired by Derek Baker, Director of Personnel, Corporate HR, DFP.

The journey to Cost Transformation
Douglas Johnson-Poensgen is VP for Business Development and sits on BT Global Services’ UK Board. Doug has been leading the transformation of the BT Business, a process that over the past 18 months, has reduced operating costs by £1.8 billion, lowered headcount by over 20,000 and restored its loss-making Global Services business to profitability, introducing seismic changes while keeping its employees on board and maintaining service to customers. Doug will deliver a white paper titled “Crisis or Catalyst”. In his presentation, Doug will explore the lessons and describe in some detail how BT applied them to their own business to drive a rapid turnaround.

Effective Community Engagement
This session will explore the challenges and opportunities for departments when engaging with the local community. Case studies will include community engagement on roads, murals and the Crumlin Road Gaol. Attendees will take away practical examples on effectively engaging with local communities and strategies for managing challenges during the process.
Speakers: Leslie McCullough, Project Sponsor (Principal Engineer),DRD Roads Service, Philip Hamilton, DRD Roads Service, Liam Barr, Project Manager, Strategic Investment and Regeneration and Stephen McGowan, Head of Creative Industries & Innovation, DCAL.

Delivering Successful Change – transforming the Pensions Service
The Pensions Transformation programme is an ambitious programme of change which has radically transformed the delivery of benefit services to pensioners. This session will outline the strategic approach, how they invested in their people through training and communication and provide lessons on the delivery of the programme.
Speakers: Paddy Rooney, Senior Operational Manager, DSD.    

12.00 - 12.45
Improving performance and citizen service through Lean
An opportunity to find out how the ‘Lean’ methodology can achieve improved performance, increase efficiency and reduce operating costs. Two very successful evidence-based case studies will be discussed at this session including the NI Wheelchair Service, which saw an 86% reduction in waiting times for basic wheelchairs, and Lean in the Social Security Agency which is taking forward the Continuous Service Improvement Project.
Speakers:Brian Cullen, Continuous Service Improvement Project Manager, DSD, Michael Sweeney, Head of Branch, DHSSPS - Mental Health and Learning Disability Policy Directorate, Jacqueline Magee, Supporting DHSSPS - HSC, Helen Toner, Senior Business Consultant, DFP and Marian Corrigan, Supporting DHSSPS - HSC.

Putting Customers First
In this panel discussion Antoinette McKeown, Consumer Council, Stephen Matthews, Cedar Foundation, Tom Kennedy, NI Direct, Stephen Mathews, Cedar Foundation and Tommy O'Reilly, Social Security Agency will discuss the importance of putting customers first in public services. This session will be chaired by Malcolm McKibbin, Permanent Secretary of Department for Regional Development.

How Public Procurement helps Departments deliver their business objectives
Each year the NI Departments spend £2.4 billions on goods, services and construction.  The majority of the spend goes in contracts to local businesses and therefore has a big impact on the local economy.  This session will outline how public procurement is organised in NI and give examples of how public procurement has helped deliver world-class infrastructure.
Speaker: Des Armstrong, Director of Central Procurement Directorate, Department of Finance and Personnel.

Hitting the headlines - Positive engagement with the media
The power and influence of the media has a huge impact on our everyday lives and particularly so in these tough financial times. How we engage with the media will have a direct impact on our ability to communicate with citizens as we strive to continue to improve public services. This will be a very interactive discussion, Chaired by Stephen Grimason, Director, Executive Information Service, panel members will include - Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive, Public Health Agency, Dan McGinn, Director of Media and Corporate Relations, University of Ulster and Dympna Curley, Head of Corporate Communications, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust.

Working together to defeat organised crime
Serious organised crime and the perception of crime, has a significant impact on the public and the local economy. Find out how The Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) has enabled all of the agencies involved to come together to share their expertise, resources and intelligence to identify and confront organised crime in Northern Ireland.

15.00 - 15.45
Making Innovation Happen
The NICS has undergone unprecedented change in recent years and with the economic downturn there is an even greater challenge for us to make innovation happen.
This panel discussion will hear from Adryan Bell, Director of Consulting, Johnson Controls Global Workplace Solutions and former Head of Work Innovation, DFP, Bill McCluggage, Cabinet Office, Deputy Government CIO & Director of ICT Strategy and Policy, Norman Apsley, NI Science Park Chief Executive and Professor Peter Gregson, President and Vice Chancellor, Queens University Belfast on how we can help create the conditions in which innovation can flourish in the NICS.

Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling - Women in Leadership
With women under-represented in the Senior Civil Service, this panel discussion will consider the specific career challenges for women. The session will be inspiring and motivational and will hear the personal stories, influences and challenges of women as they have risen to the top and led in times of change in a range of organisations.
Speakers include: Aideen McGinley, Chief Executive, Ilex, Edel Doherty, Chair of Women in Business,Judith Gillespie, Deputy Chief Constable, PSNI and Catherine Bell, Deputy Secretary, Department for Employment and Learning. Chairing the session will be Rosalie Flanagan, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Culture Arts and Leisure.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo - there is no denying the phenomenal growth of social media in recent years. But just how do we tap into the potential of social media, how do we reap the benefits and what are the dos and don’ts. This will be a lively and interactive panel discussion with representatives from the Executive Information Service, Belfast Telegraph, UTV, Navajo Talk and iON.
Speakers: Sam McIlveen, Digital Publisher, Belfast Telegraph, Jeremy Biggerstaff, Managing Director, UTV New Media, Tim McKane, Managing Director, Navajo Talk and Gareth Dunlop, Managing Director, iON. Chairing the session will be Colm Shannon of EIS.

Better results for job seekers with Systems Thinking Intervention
With the increased number of jobseekers as a direct result of the economic climate, the Employment Service, supported by Business Consultancy, embarked on an innovative programme of change. Find out in this session how Systems Thinking Intervention is providing an improved service to job seekers with no increase in resource.
Speakers: Patricia McAuley, Director Employment Service, Department for Employment and Learning, Mark Colligan, Principal Consultant, Business Consultancy Service, Delivery and Innovation Division, Department of Finance and Personnel

Getting it Right with Gateway
This session will explore the OGC Gateway Process and how best to ensure that programmes and projects are successful. Hilary McGrady from the National Trust and Barry Lowry, IT Assist, will speak about their experiences of the Gateway process, their apprehensions, preparation, positive experiences, and ultimately how Gateway contributed to the success of their project.
Speakers: Hilary McGrady, Director of the National Trust in Northern Ireland, Barry Lowry, Director IT Services, Enterprise Share Services, Department of Finance and Personnel

North South Co-Operation – Working Together For Mutual Benefit
This panel discussion will look at experience of, and opportunities for, practical mutually beneficial cross border co-operation. Panel members will speak about their experiences of North/South projects and will include Geoff Allister from DRD Roads Service, Peter Sheridan Cooperation Ireland, Reg McCabe IBEC – CBI, and former Secretary General of Department of Transport, ROI, Julie O’Neill.

16.15 - 17.00
Question Time with Permanent Secretaries
This is your opportunity to put your questions to a panel of Permanent Secretaries inculding Bruce Robinson, HOCS, OFMDFM, Stephen Peover, Perm Sec, DFP, Andrew McCormick, Perm Sec,DHSSPS and Leo O'Reilly, Perm Sec, DOE.This panel will be chaired by Stephen Grimason, OFMDFM.

Fit for Your Future
There is growing evidence that health, work, well-being and productivity are closely connected. This panel discussion will hear from Dr Ken Addley, Dir of Occupational Health, NICS Occupational Health Service, Janet Coleman, Health Promotions Manager, NICS Sports Association and Jane McClenaghan, Nutritionist, Vital Nutrition. This session will be chaired by Michael McBride the Chief Medical Officer of DHSSPS.

Customers First - Making Technology Work
The use of technology can transform the way services are delivered to citizens. This session will explore 3 very successful case studies and offer practical solutions on making technology work. Case studies will include:
• The Geographic Information System;
• DARD Direct - a customer focussed network of ‘one stop shops’ delivering farm business services across Northern Ireland whether on-line, by phone or face to face.
• APHIS (Animal & Public Health Information) Online - provides an essential central database of information on farm animals, who keeps them and where they are kept. It underpins public health, traceability and meat product quality assurance.
Speakers at this session include: Dera Watson, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Jonathan McFerran, College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise, and Laura Boyle, Land and Property Services, Department of Finance and Personnel.

Successful Innovation and Change
This session explores 3 very successful case studies of innovation and change across the NICS and the positive impact this has had on citizen service. Case studies will include the Next Generation Broadband Project which has provided access to faster broadband for NI businesses leading to increased  productivity and competitiveness. The Insolvency Service BABS case study will show how this has enhanced decision making, case management and improved customer satisfaction.  This session will also look at the General Register Office digitisation and the improvement this has made to citizen service.
Speakers: Alberta Pauley,DETI, Strategic Policy Division, Michael Bohill and Bill Stevenson, Director & Project Manager, DETI, Business Regulation Division, Annette Gilkeson, Deputy Registrar General, DFP/ Northern Ireland Statistic & Research Agency, General Register Office and  Noel McDonnell, Staff Officer/Digitisation Project Manager, DFP/ Northern Ireland Statistic & Research Agency, General Register Office.

Cost Cutting by Carbon Cutting
The roll-out of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency Environmental Management system has delivered significant savings while reducing environmental impacts. The project has illustrated the value of external third party audit to drive organisational change. Come along to hear more about how this project is acting as an advocacy measure to others in the business and public sector, and also the bigger picture on carbon targets.
Speakers: Noel Bell, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Department of the Environment, Brendan Forde, DOE Environmental Policy and Stephen Aston, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Department of the Environment.

Making a Difference to Local Communities in Education and Rural Transport
Making a difference to citizens at a local level will be the focus of these two case studies from education and rural transport. Attendees will hear about the changes, the challenges and practical lessons.

In the first case study, school Principals will outline how the Full Service School has had a positive impact on the community in North Belfast. It focuses on the needs of the whole child – physical, emotional social and academic – to create the conditions necessary for all children to learn.

The second case study on the Rural Transport Fund will focus on how the project has provided transport to the most socially isolated and vulnerable people who live in rural areas. It will also highlight the inter-agency network of relationships and how those have been developed and maintained.
Speakers:Tony McConnell, Project leader, DRD, Ports & Public Transport Division, Jonny Graham, Principal Belfast Model School for Girls, and Jim Keith, Principal Belfast Boys Model School 

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Last updated 563 days ago by Christina Hunter