Debbie Turner, Policy Team, Wolverhampton City Council highlights how using eConsultation tools helped the Wolverhampton Strategic partnership to successfully engage with the public through structured interaction.
Q1: The project involved all the members of Wolverhampton Strategic Partnership. How has this project impacted on the partnership and do you think it has given the public a greater understanding of the role the partnership plays?
Prior to Wolverhampton being part of the National Project the Strategic Partnership, the Council and other partners agencies had a strong partnership approach to consultation activities, however this was primarily through the use of traditional ways of working. Based on a city wide strategy backed up by networks, working groups and forums.
A further development for the Wolverhampton Partnership was the Partnership websites. Before being involved in the National Project the Partnership did not have a website and communication with partners and the public took place via traditional methods. The impact of the project on the Partnership and its partners has been dramatic, the public site has allowed the Partnership to raise its profile in the public arena and the partners website has enabled its partner members to communicate via online methods e.g. online communities.
In addition to this the public website has become a portal for city wide consultation information. Members of the public can not only find out what consultation activities are taking place in the city through the consultation and involvement database, they can sign up for traditional activities or take part in online consultations.
On the partners site, there are online working groups, communities and resources available to people working in the partner agencies across the city. For example, consultation practitioners can access online resource packs, sign up for training or have online discussions with colleagues.
Q2: Do you think that a lack of awareness of online methods of working has hampered in the impact of the project and what steps do you think can be taken to address this?
I think that online methods of working are very much in their infancy and it will be a slow process to get everyone involved in all partner organisations. Inevitably some partner organisations will move at a different pace to others. The Partnership is actively encouraging its theme partnership groups to use the website as a communication tool and has built this into their action plan for the coming year. A training programme is also being developed for all partners which will give an overview of e-consultation and concentrate on the Partnership website and the tools available for both communication and online consultation, including the consultation and involvement database. In addition to this, there has been a deliberate move within the Council to ensure that all online consultation activities take place through the partnership website, there has been a corporate decision that this will happen and a guide is being written to compliment this decision.
Q3 How has the project supported improved delivery of council services?
Again, as the project is very much in its infancy it is difficult to gauge the impact on improved service delivery, however, in the short time that the new website has been in operation we have set up an e-panel which has been used to carry out a range of online activities. Prior to the project being developed these would not have taken place. So not only has the use of the e-panel helped widen participation in relation to service improvement activities e.g. scrutiny reviews it has also engaged with an audience who traditionally may not have participated in activates related to public service activities. In the long term the tools on the website will allow public service providers to gauge public opinion on service delivery and improvement, engage with new audiences, provide information about how local people can become more involved in local democracy in addition to providing tools for practitioners of consultation activities within the public agencies in the city to enable them to carry out their roles more effectively. Further to this, the e-panel and the consultation database have added to the range of consultation activities available to the public to help them engage with public service providers.
Q4 What role would you like to see public consultation playing at a local level in five years time?
I would like to see the public being actively engaged in influencing service delivery and improvements through a full range of traditional and innovative consultation and involvement activities, the emphasis being on all communities being involved, not only 'active' citizens but those who do not normally take part in consultation and involvement activities. I would also like to see members of the public being involved from the beginning to the end of the consultation process, in the development of consultation and involvement activities to ensure that they are fit for purpose and involving the right people as well as helping to evaluate activities to help improve effectiveness.
The Wolverhampton Partnership has launched a new website ( www.wton-partnership.org.uk ) to enable including Wolverhampton City Council and the Primary Care Trust to interact more effectively with residents. The website will provide up to date information on partnership work, and a forum where citizens can get involved in, and be consulted on, issues that affect them. This development is part of the National Project for Local e-Democracy.
The software behind the new website is provided by UK based company, iNovem.
iNovem is a leading provider of online community and consultation software to the UK public sector. iNovem was actively involved in the National e-Democracy project and worked closely with Wolverhampton City Council to improve community engagement and partnership working through citizen e-panels, community plan consultations and collaborative extranets for local strategic partners.
For more information see: www.inovem.com/solutions/local