Day 1, 5th July

9.45 - 10.45
Opening  plenary.  Setting the scene – will tough times lead to future opportunities?

Since the General Election in May 2010, the Civil Service has embarked on a period of major change.  The Coalition Government has had to make some difficult decisions and all Government Departments have had to make significant savings as we have begun to tackle the deficit.  At the same time, the Government has set out a radical vision for the future of public services which will require us to innovate, develop new partnerships across the public sector and beyond, learn new skills and be more accountable to the communities we serve.  
 
In meeting these tough challenges we need to recognise that change brings opportunity for the future.  We are already beginning to develop new ways of working.  Speakers will briefly outline what they see as key challenges and opportunities for the future and highlight some of the changes already underway before taking questions from the floor and engaging delegates in debate across the full range of issues facing the Civil Service and public service delivery.
 
The panel members for this session are:

• Simon Fraser, Permanent Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• Dame Helen Ghosh, Permanent Secretary, Home Office
• Sir Bob Kerslake, Permanent Secretary Department for Communities and Local Government
• Sir Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary
• Ian Watmore, Permanent Secretary, Efficiency and Reform Group, Cabinet Office

10.15-13.30 
Decentralisation Session

This exciting session will challenge and progress Whitehall's understanding of decentralisation using the experiences of the wider public sector; we will ask how government might further support the radical transfer of power and responsibility to communities and individuals.

Greg Clark, Minister for Decentralisation, will deliver a presentation before our story tellers speak about their experiences of planning or delivering decentralised public services – Free Schools, Neighbourhood Policing, an Urban Parish Council and Social Work Services.  

Delegates will be encouraged to engage with our expert panel, with table discussions providing feedback for the Minister and all four storytellers.

Rt. Hon Greg Clark, MP, Matthew Taylor (RSA), Peter Holbrook (Social Enterprise Coalition), Ben Page (IPSOS Mori), Michael Coughlin (Reading BC)

Savings as a catalyst for sustainability and social inclusion

British breakthroughs in artificial intelligence technology have identified billions of immediately realisable savings for the public sector, with additional savings for suppliers whilst delivering the UK's carbon targets.

This session looks at how to overcome the barriers to change that are blocking the delivery of savings, sustainability and social inclusion.

• The AI technology has been used by the National Audit office to identify £ 500 million of savings in the most competitive area of NHS Spending
• Universities and Colleges are using the ecommerce technology to deliver savings for their sector.
• @UK plc has established the UK as the global market leader for product level carbon footprints, after Richard Benyon, Minister for the Natural
• Environment launched the Green Marketplace last October.
• @UK plc have made a public commitment to invest up to £ 1 million in social inclusion projects and are working with sports to inspire young people to raise their aspirations.

Please come to the session if you can help quickly achieve savings in sustainable manner to deliver on social inclusion.

11.00 – 11.30
Working Together to Maximise Income

Turn2us is a charitable service providing access to welfare benefits, grants and information about managing money in one comprehensive free to use website (www.turn2us.org.uk) and by helpline.

This session provides an overview of how the Turn2us website and helpline can help to support individuals in financial need in an effective and efficient way.

The session will cover:

• The need for income maxmisation services
• Introduction to grant-giving charities
• How to carry out checks to assess individuals’ eligibility for welfare benefits and tax credits, using the Turn2us Benefits Checker.
• How to search for and apply for funds on behalf of individuals in financial need using the Turn2us Grants Search.

A guide to other information and resources available about managing money.

Speaker: Emma Aldridge, Projects Manager, Turn2us

11.00 – 12.00
Why Radical Leadership is the Answer to Every Business Problem - brought to you by Kenexa

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them” Einstein

The world is not changing, it has already changed: change is now the constant.  The traditional approaches to driving high performance don’t work anymore.  It is time for a new, radical approach to leadership that gets the best out of your people, and you.

At Kenexa we have combined our global work trends data, researched by our High Performance Institute, with practical solutions to creating a high performance culture.

Come to this session if:

• You want a practical guide to shifting your leadership style to get the very best out of your people
• You want to cut through complexity to lead effectively for high performance
• You want to be engaged in a fresh way

Don’t come to this session if:

• You want another in-depth theory of leadership; we can recommend some excellent books if you want that, but we are all about giving you something practical that gets results

In a time of uncertainty we believe radical leadership is the answer to every business problem.  We look forward to your company for what will be an interactive and engaging debate.

Speakers: Chris Parry, Managing Director, Kenexa Leadership Solutions, Andrew Jackson, Managing Director, Kenexa Government Solutions, Lt General Andrew Graham, Ministry of Defence.

11:10 – 12:10
The Stabilisation Unit – experiences from the front line

Clare Simpson – Communications Manager
Philippa Brown – former Head of the Counter Narcotics Team (Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team, Afghanistan)

This session will cover an important part of the Department’s work.  Details to follow shortly so keep checking back.

11.10 - 11.50
MyCSP – Pioneering  the mutual joint venture approach.

“1m public employees to be co-owners of the services they provide by 2010” Francis Maude, MP.

MyCSP is:

• Set-up to trade mutual company owned by employees and the government.
• Transferring its people into the business under TUPE.
• Entering into business in the ‘marketplace’ with a joint venture partner from the private sector.

Phil Bartlett, CEO for MyCSP, talks about the future and takes questions.

11.00 - 12.00
Savings as a catalyst for sustainability and social inclusion

British breakthroughs in artificial intelligence technology have identified billions of immediately realisable savings for the public sector, with additional savings for suppliers whilst delivering the UK's carbon targets.

This session looks at how to overcome the barriers to change and the delivery of savings, carbon neutrality and social inclusion.

The AI technology has been used by the National Audit office to identify £ 500 million of savings in the most competitive area of NHS Spending.

Universities and Colleges are using the ecommerce technology to deliver savings for their sector.

And the UK now has leading share of the global market for product level carbon footprints.

@UK plc have made a public commitment to invest up to £ 1 million in social inclusion projects and are working with sports to inspire young people to raise their aspirations.

Please come to the session if you can help quickly achieve savings in sustainable manner.

Speakers: Ronald Duncan Chairman @UK PLC Lord Moynihan Chairman BOA (tbc) Richard Benyon MP

11.10 - 12.10
SME Procurement in Information Technology - brought to you by Microsoft

The government has made clear its intention to boost public procurement from SMEs: speaking at the Conservatives’ spring conference, David Cameron announced that the Budget would include measures to provide smaller businesses with better access to government contracts. “We're throwing open the bidding process to every single business in our country – a massive boost for small businesses,” he said. “We want them to win at least a quarter of these deals.”

However, there are major challenges to overcome in realising this ambition. Although the last government’s rhetoric emphasised the importance of public procurement in providing opportunities for small businesses, in practice these good intentions were often trumped by the desire to secure economies of scale, simplify contract management and minimise risk. And the challenges are particularly great in the field of IT, where many civil servants have attempted to develop capabilities and align departmental systems by hiring big system integrators rather than creating frameworks that favour SME contracting.

This panel discussion will look at how the government can achieve its aim of fostering SME procurement in the IT sector.

11.20 - 12.20
Transforming Justice

Over the next four years, the Ministry of Justice has to make a bold reform agenda a reality. As well as transforming the justice system, it needs to restructure the department and the ways in which it works. It must deliver better services for less money.

In this interactive session Jonathan Slater, Director General for Transforming Justice at the MoJ,  will take you on a journey, beginning at the start of Transforming Justice in 2009 and concluding with how we are making our vision for 2015 a reality.  Joined by  a panel of people with experience and responsibility for Transforming Justice, the session will explore the impact of the reforms on service users, as well as show how staff from across MoJ have actively helped to inform the programme, and are now implementing change across MoJ’s many businesses.    
With Jonathan Slater, Director-General, Ministry of Justice.

11.30 - 12.30
The Reality of Change and its Unexpected Benefits and Challenges! -  The DWP Inbound Mail Opening and Scanning Solution - brought to you by Balfour Beatty WorkPlace and Ired Partnership

This panel discussion brings together leaders from the DWP and two of their key strategic partners to explain how, together, they delivered previously unobtainable cost reductions and service and security improvements by digitising inbound physical correspondence.  The panel will discuss the challenges the DWP faced in re-engineering its processes and share the lessons learned from their experience that might help support other departments and agencies considering a similar journey in pursuit of reducing costs and improving the service to end users.  They will outline how these challenges have been overcome and how they have created a partnership that continues to deliver significant additional value to the DWP.

BBW and iRed (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Mail Group) handle the DWP’s inbound mail. They have successfully delivered significant reductions in cost and transformed service and security levels through the provision of secure, high quality mail opening, scanning, indexing and archiving capabilities, and processing 38 million items a year.

Speakers:

Chair – Tony Byers, MD, Balfour Beatty WorkPlace

Ian Clark, Business Change & Transformation Director, DWP
David Brewer, CIO, iRed Partnership
Ann Gent, Operations Director, BBW

11.50 – 12.20
There is no such thing as time management!

A fast – paced, practical event delivered in a highly engaging manner to enhance your personal management skills – certainly not for the faint hearted who just want to talk about it!  It is for busy hard-working people who have had enough of working long hours and taking work home.  The session will show you how to apply proven personal organisational techniques to get things done.

Diligent participants can expect to take away Clement De Souza’s “Top 10 Personal Organisation tips” postcard.

12.10 – 12.50
Delivering Desktop Printing Rationalisation – the DWP Experience

The DWP have just completed the rollout of a nationwide sustainable print service, replacing 30,000 devices with 8,238 and in the process saving £15m and reducing the Department’s total carbon footprint by 2%.

12.20 - 13.30
The carbon challenge - Hitting targets whilst cutting costs

The round table will discuss what the government’s funding restrictions has meant for the carbon reduction commitment within the public sector.

Delegates are invited to share best practice in the carbon and energy reduction. 

Agenda:

• The challenges within carbon reduction in the public sector
• Case studies – The best practice technologies in place within the civil service
• Procurement guidelines and the need for quality and price balance

12.20 - 13.20
Universal Credit: Delivering innovative 21st century welfare that works

Universal Credit will bring together 30 benefits, currently delivered across 10 departments, into a single streamlined payment.

This session will tell you about the innovative design and delivery approach of Universal Credit,  that will help Government achieve the most far reaching post-war welfare reforms, creating a welfare system fit to take us into the 21st century.

Hear more about how Universal Credit will:

• Simplify the system, making it easier for people to understand and administer
• Improve incentives to work, especially for low earners, by a combination of earnings disregards and a single withdrawal rate to reduce the Credit when earnings exceed the disregard. This means that benefits are withdrawn at a steady rate when someone moves into work or increases the number of hours they work.
• Use cutting edge design techniques to deliver an efficient, user-centred service which is digital by default.

12:30 – 13:30
The Private Sector – Serious about Public Service. with BT

The commercial and third sectors already deliver public service successfully across the spectrum of health, education, works and pensions, local government, and many more.

This workshop will look at some varied examples of where private sector partnerships have generated significant benefits in terms of cost savings, efficiencies and improvement in service. It will also outline the key elements for partnership success, a willingness to embrace joint endeavour, an understanding of what it is to shoulder risk, a recognition of what it means to be trusted ,and a belief in and understanding of the ethos of public service.

In times of challenge when the public services are under threat, other sectors can step in and make a positive difference.

12.30 - 13.30
Analytics for Government - Make better informed decisions with SAS

During this panel session you will understand the ‘art of the possible’ and how analytics is being used to innovate the private and public sector today. Hear directly from government, financial services and academia as to how analytics can help your organization optimise performance by exploiting large amounts of data, turning that data into information and information into knowledge for better informed decisions.

Analytics is used to modernise business information across functions such as; procurement, fraud prevention, finance and operations.

The panel will consist of several speakers including Graham Kemp, Head of Public Sector, SAS UK, (TBC) and representatives from a UK government department, financial services organisation and academic institution.

12.40 - 13.40
How do we grow the UK economy?  - brought to you by Visa

The Prime Minister has said that the Government is doing everything it can to drive growth in the UK economy.  Gus O’Donnell will be joined by leading Government and independent economists to discuss what this involves. Come along for an insight into this key area and an opportunity to put your questions to the experts.

On the panel:  Sir Gus O' Donnell, Tera Allas (Director-General, Economics, Strategy and Better Regulation at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills); Dave Ramsden (Director-General and Chief Economic Adviser, HM Treasury); Stephen Radley (Director of Policy, EEF); Marc O'Brien, Managing Director, Visa

12:40 – 13:10
Enhancing Your Career (and your organisation) through an Executive Masters in Public Administration

This is an opportunity to find out how an Executive Masters in Public Administration could enhance your career and at the same time, contribute to the ongoing development of your organisation. LSBU’s Executive MPA is ranked Number 1 in the UK by the Government Skills Framework, is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute and runs in central London. You will learn about our approach to applying theory to live organisational and policy challenges in order to analyse and understand the issues better.  This in turn leads to improved practice and performance and, invariably, to enhanced career progression.

There will be information too about our International Summer School. Participants hear, and debate with, internationally renowned academics and public service practitioners and network with European colleagues doing comparable jobs and studying for similar MPAs. Next year’s International Summer School will be in Italy.

The session will have scope for Q&As and discussion.

12.50 - 13.50
Leadership and Engagement – how your impact makes a difference

Leadership, engagement and change – why they are all about you

The Civil Service is facing unprecedented challenges to operate with diminishing resources yet still achieve quantity and quality. Your personal leadership and engagement has never been more important to make the difference. Join us to see, hear and share the innovative and sustained approach that one department took and the performance and behaviour results that they achieved at junior through to senior levels.

With Jan Jones, Senior HR Business Partner, Department for Work and Pensions and Jackie Bannister, Department for Work and Pensions

13:30  - 14.00
MyCSP Customer Insight interactive Q&A session  with Andy Parker

Have you got any burning questions you want to ask MyCSP senior management?

To help us understand what services members really want we are giving you a chance to come and talk informally to Andy Parker.

The purpose of Andy’s session is to give participants the opportunity to learn more about how MyCSP is developing its business and to explore the importance of people engagement and customer service to ensure our success as we move towards our new mutual joint venture status. 

Andy will touch on the work being undertaken around future service offerings but he is keen
to keep the session as informal as possible.

There will be no set agenda – instead; it will be an opportunity for you to be open and frank with your questions

Delegates can also submit questions in advance for discussion on the day to:   Angela.Hudson2@DWP.gsi.gov.uk

13.40 - 14.40
Reducing Tax and Welfare Fraud in the Public Sector

Opera Solutions is a world-leader in predictive fraud solutions. At our Round Table discussion, some of Opera’s senior scientists and consultants will be discussing how we can use the methodologies and learning from the Private Sector and apply that to better detection and prevention of Tax and Welfare fraud, as well as how quickly we could get started. Opera has recruited senior scientists that have led the development of most global fraud detection systems currently in use today such as: identity theft, credit card, application, e-commerce, merchant, tax return, mortgage, cheque, worker’s compensation, wire and insurance claims fraud.

We encourage all those senior Civil Servants who are directly responsible for Tax and Welfare Fraud prevention in HMRC and DWP to attend this Round Table discussion.

13.40 - 14.40
The FCO’s political response to the Arab Spring

The Foreign Secretary has described the eruption of democracy movements across the Middle East and North Africa as the most important development of the early 21st century, with potential long term consequences greater than either 9/11 or the global financial crisis in 2008. Join, Dr Christian Turner, Director Middle East & North Africa, for an insight into the leadership challenges that emerged during the FCO’s response to the Arab Spring.

13.50 – 14.50
Resilience in a time of change

A chance to see what one team in a key Government Department has done to embed “being resilient” in their working day and spread their learning across the Department.

Hear what they have discovered, the hints and tips they can share and how to tackle some of the issues head one.

With Dawn Jarvis who delivers Corporate HR, Organisational Development and Change Programmes at DfE with her team of 40.

13.50 - 14.50
It's not about the costs - brought to you Capita Symonds

Civil servants are rightly focusing on cutting costs, which shines the spotlight on staff cuts as the prime means of achieving targets. There are, however, other ways of closing the gap.

Joint Ventures or Partnerships with the private sector will enable Civil Servants to broaden their horizons, by working on non-departmental programmes, possibly across other departments or even with the private sector.

We also look at the large shortfall in revenue collection, which could contribute to targets. In the same way that your TV licence is collected by the private sector, a private sector partner could stem the £billions in lost revenue, through non-collection of rents, licence fees, court fees and other collectable income. The target could be to raise collection rates from 70% in some departments, to over 95%.

14.00 – 15.00
Women in the Public Sector

In this session a panel of inspirational women who share their thoughts on how we can promote gender equality and help women to reach their full potential in the workplace. The session will be of interest to all staff, women and men, who see themselves as advocates of diversity in the civil service.

We will invite speakers to share their personal story and experiences, and focussing on whether being a woman has made a different. Also, sharing career advice for other women.

Speakers include Ruth Owen, Chief Operating Officer of Jobcentre Plus, Lin Homer, Permanent Secretary of Department for Transport, Tina Green, Marketing Director UKIMEA, Worldwide Marketing, HP Enterprise Services and Samantha Heilling, Deputy Programme Director, ICW programme and chair of the Home Office Women’s Network.

14.00 - 15.00
Better, faster, cheaper: delivering next generation public services - brought to you by BAE Systems Detica and Agilisys
 
Delivering fast, efficient, low cost customer services is a significant challenge – especially in a climate where money is tight and customer expectations are growing.
 
As Government redraws the line between what is core and non-core business, there is an opportunity to work with market leaders in technology and business process services to design and deliver better, faster and cheaper public services.
 
This session will stimulate a practical, interactive discussion exploring real life examples of next generation service provision and the outcome based benefits it delivers. It will present and discuss:

• How to establish the right risk-reward measures to ensure your supplier partners are delivering the outcomes you and your customers expect;
• How intelligent analysis can be used to design and transform customer-centric services to all your stakeholders;
• The lessons learnt in keeping momentum going and driving continuous improvement in service delivery.

Speakers: Charles Mindenhall, Chairman and Co-founder, Agilisys and Martin Sutherland, Managing Director, BAE Systems Detica

14:00 – 15:00
The changing relationship between the centre and the local- brought to you by Esri UK.

Under the localism agenda, the centre must let go of many of the controls built up over decades. The regional level of government is being swept away; local authorities are to be freed to set their own priorities and decide how they achieve them; communities are to be given a greater say in how services are delivered; and local people are to have more choice in the services they access, and a stronger role in delivering those services.

What does that mean in practice? This session will examine how localism affects the relationship between central government, councils and local communities, and discuss how the agenda interacts with the government’s ambitions on transparency and greater diversity in service provision.

Speakers: Andrew Hudson, Director General Public Services, HM Treasury and David Prout, Director-General, Localism Group, Department for Communities and Local Government, Dr Richard Waite, Managing Director, Esri UK

14.10 - 15.10
The big green growth quiz

Come along to test your knowledge about the way that green growth is contributing to the UK’s economic recovery.  Our lively and interactive quiz is designed to surprise and amaze with its sharp insights into how value can be added to UK businesses in all sectors through the sustainable use of resources.

14.20 - 14.50
Seven ways to achieve sustainable cost reductions - brought to you by Tresauris

The government intention to do more with less and the ERG’s drive to improve efficiency and focus resources on key priorities are both striving to achieve sustainable cost reductions. The challenge is how to implement and how to measure and reward success. Just delaying expenditure is a short-term tactical measure that is not sustainable in the medium term. A clear strategy is needed that is transparent, accountable and creates a sense of continuous improvement.

The issues are complicated:

• How do you measure the effect of cost reductions?
• What do we mean by ‘sustainable’?
• What is cost efficiency as opposed to cost savings?
• Do you have accurate financial data on which to make decisions?
• Who is accountable for making savings and how are they incentivised?

In this session, find out the seven ways to achieve not just cost savings but sustainable reductions. Learn from professional FTSE 100 treasurers and the private sector about managing budgets, improving the accuracy of forecasts and delivering enhanced financial performance.

Dominic Jaques, Managing Director from Tresauris and a Treasury Director from Tresauris

14:20 – 15:00
The future of electric vehicles and energy infrastructure

Brought to you by the Institution of Engineering and Technology

This workshop will provide an overview of how the IET can assist in the formation of policy that requires the cross departmental co-ordination of energy, transport, built environment and ICT policy. This session will particularly focus on the energy-transport-infrastructure issues related to the introduction of electric vehicles.

15.00 - 16.00
Engaging for Success - enhancing performance through employee engagement

Employee engagement is a popular topic in the corporate world for raising productivity and competitiveness as the UK pulls slowly out of the recession.

David MacLeod and Nita Clarke were commissioned by BIS in 2009 to work out what was best practice in this area for UKplc.   Their resulting work has acquired guru status and international following.   It's now being promulgated through work of a high profile taskforce of business and public sector leaders, which was endorsed and launched by the Prime Minister in March this year.

The Civil Service, meanwhile is arguably heading into its own recession - and most in need of the best ideas in employee engagement practice.

Hear David and Nita's view on what can be achieved for the Civil Service off the back of their report.  Listen to Sue Round, British Gas Director of Learning & Development, Engagement and Talent say how all this feels from a private sector view.  And come and hear Head of the Civil Service, Gus O'Donnell on how he thinks ideas to create better employee engagement will be effected in the Civil Service at this difficult time.

The session will be chaired by Russell Grossman, Communications Director at BIS.

15.00 - 16.00
Leading Change: An Entrepreneurial Approach to the New World of Work - brought to you by MojoLife

MojoLife helps individuals and organisations to find their ‘mojo’, innovate and develop an entrepreneurial approach to leading change in the current economy. We help people seeking employment post redundancy. We help organisations to engage and retain employees, nurture talent, attract more business and inspire people to fulfill their potential.

15.10 - 16.10
The role of ICT in the efficiency and reform agenda - brought to you by BT

There’s no such thing as an IT project.  There are only business projects that have IT involved in them.”  So said Government Chief Operating Officer Ian Watmore to the Public Accounts Committee in May 2011.  Find out how the Government’s ICT Strategy and the Public Services Network fit within the efficiency and reform programme and why they matter.  And hear a perspective from BT’s own recent experience of cost transformation and the changing relationship between government and its suppliers.

15:10 – 15.30
Using the Internet as a research database: Policy, consultation and communication opportunities - brought to you by Onalytica

What if you could consult with the public, optimise your Public Service Communication messages or identify issues to assist in the delivery of government services earlier, more effectively, and on safer grounds? What if you could stay constantly updated about changes in public opinion and frustrations?

Established in 2004 Onalytica helps organisations meet the challenges of a constantly moving world. We use the millions of conversations that happen on the internet as a research database. By using this data and analysing it, we provide insight to people who need to answer the questions above.
In this session we will demonstrate how this new technique can be used to assist the public sector, and how the online world is changing and affecting public service delivery.

With Robin Raven, Account Manager – Onalytica and  Flemming Madsen, Executive Chairman – Onalytica

15:10 – 16:10
The Way Ahead - Different methods of public service delivery.  - brought to you by the Post Office

The session will look at different methods of public service delivery, in particular looking into the shift to online services and how we can make ‘channel shift’ work for the service user, answering questions such as:

• The characteristics that make new model services attractive to the user;
• Planning, commissioning and developing new services;
• How to ensure that new services are accessible to the largest possible user group;
• The use of intermediary organisations to facilitate and widen access;
• Methods of verifying identity that are secure yet straightforward;
• Broadening the channels used to access services, using techniques such as SMS, mobile media and social media;
• Reducing duplication across the civil service, and pooling access points.

Speakers: Terry Moran, Universal Credit, DWP; Ieuan Griffiths, Director of Strategy and Finance, DVLA; Andrew Stott, Advisor, Government Transparency Board; Tiffany Castle, UKBA

15.20 - 16.20
London 2012: opportunities to take part for Whitehall communications professionals

With tickets now on sale and venues up and down the country nearing completion, excitement for the Games is building across the world. The Olympic and Paralympic Games is one of the few global events that has the power to change a nation’s reputation and with up to 40,000 journalists expected in London to cover the Games.

During London 2012, the process for handling Government media and communications operations will be centralised to ensure that all central Government messages about the Games are clear, consistent and coordinated. This will be delivered through the London 2012 Government Communications Directorate which will be staffed by communicators from across Whitehall. This session will provide an overview of how media and communications will be managed during Games-time and the recruitment opportunities available to Communications professionals from across Government.

15.20 - 16.20
Collaborative Innovation - from Newcastle to London

You! Yes you! No-one understands the public sector better than you! Whether you're based in a Newcastle Jobcentre, a Midlands Magistrates Court, or a London Whitehall Department, you can play a role in creating and delivering the open public services of the future.

This hands-on session will enable you to consider how you can think, work, and do differently in your day job… inspire you to want to put your ideas into practice by building networks, championing collaboration, sharing knowledge and creating dialogue across the public sector...  and it'll encourage you to proactively challenge existing thinking, finding new directions and ways to tackle current problems (whether it's processing benefit claims, or going out to consultation).

Our aim is to create the space for us all to innovate, developing people's skills and the public sector's organisational culture to support the scaling up and dissemination of good ideas for adoption or adaptation by others - and this session is where it begins!

With Laura Frascona, BIS; Karen Deadfield, NSG; and Tristan Chapman, NSG.

15.20 - 16.20
Eliminating Public Sector Fraud – brought to you by SAS

Tackling public sector fraud is a huge challenge, with around £21 billion being lost each year. With public services and welfare facing cuts to reduce the deficit this situation can simply no longer be tolerated.

The Cabinet Office Counter Fraud Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt was established in late 2010 to create a high-level, cross-Whitehall group to address the enormous level of unacceptable losses. And, plans to attack fraud losses across government now form one of the cornerstones of the efficiency and reform agenda.

As the secretariat to the Cabinet Office Counter Fraud Taskforce the National Fraud Authority (NFA) are at the forefront of the work being done in his area.  Dr Bernard Herdan CB, CEO of the National Fraud Authority (NFA) will discuss how we must now work together to tackle this problem and reduce fraud losses across the whole public sector.

15.30 – 16.30
An innovative approach to working with the Voluntary Sector to deliver outcomes and tackle the root causes of a problem – using Knife Crime Prevention as a case study

This session will look at the new relationship between the Home Office, local partners and the voluntary sector to work collaboratively on a priority for local communities.

There will be an outline from the Home Office on how practices, relationships and delivery have change due to public sector reform and the modernisation agenda, in a time of reducing resources. The audience will also have the opportunity to discuss these issues with the panel; as well as discuss and learn what has and hasn’t worked on this journey.

As part of this interactive session there will also be a presentation and discussion with Kids Taskforce (KTF) on the work they have done to take forward the recommendations from Brooke Kinsella’s report (‘Tackling knife crime together – a review of local anti-knife crime hotspots’) on work taking place across the country to stop young people carrying and using knives. This session will also include thoughts from KTF and local statutory partners (police, schools and fire service) on how they have found the new approach to working with central Government.

This will provide some interesting perspectives for other civil service colleagues as they build new relationships with local partners.
With Jenny Oklikah (HO), Sharon Doughty (Kids Taskforce),

15.30 -16.10
Will You champion Diversity?

The new approach to equality is about a focus on better outcomes and doing away with the process and bureaucracy of the past. The Equality Strategy and the recently commenced Public Sector Equality Duty demonstrate a real commitment to equality as a means of creating opportunities for all but through a fresh approach that recognises people’s individuality.

The challenge of achieving an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and appreciated is one that we are all facing.  The solutions to the challenge impact upon each of us in different ways.  As employers, the challenges might be around ensuring that the right policies, processes and accountability solutions are in place to ensure that the workforce is truly diverse and that our staff are able to perform at their highest level of capability.

The responsibility for individuals within the organisation is equally as important and this is where ‘diversity champions’ are critical for achieving equality of opportunity and valuing diversity.  By diversity champions (we do not in this instance mean SCS or other senior managers) but those people who have decided to take personal responsibility for their behaviour and who have challenged themselves to demonstrate excellence in their approach to valuing diversity and advancing equality.

Hear from people who have made a real difference in their workplaces and through up-to-date case studies, which will be explored in group discussions, you will have the opportunity to consider how you too can champion diversity.

16:00 – 16:30
Top 10 tips for setting up a public sector mutual

Brought to you by Mitie with John Telling Corporate Affairs Director and Neil Rutledge, Partner, Government & Infrastructure Advisory, Grant Thornton. The full details of this session will be confirmed soon. So keep checking back!

16.30 -17.30
The Civil Service of the Future

With Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service and Rt Hon Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office; Paymaster General