Local Gov 2.0 Strategies: Tackling current issues like the swine flu through collaborative learning

The pandemic….

There has been enough stress surrounding the swine flu pandemic since its outbreak and the impact has caused major panic and distress to governments and citizens everywhere. It’s certainly a critical time for governments to act swiftly and effectively without putting anymore lives in danger.

This is obviously a very alarming situation to deal with no matter how prepared you are and if wrong decisions are made, the repercussions and reaction from the public can be damaging. Therefore it is essential that governments react appropriately and effectively handle the issue with a high level of sensitivity.

I know you might be thinking, this is old news but the fact of the matter is… we’re not really out of the woods yet.  There has been enough stress surrounding the swine flu pandemic since its outbreak and the impact has caused major panic and distress to governments and citizens everywhere. Its certainly a critical time for governments to act swiftly and effectively without putting anymore lives in danger.

This is obviously a very alarming situation to deal with no matter how prepared you are and if wrong decisions are made, the repercussions and reaction from the public can be damaging. Therefore it is essential that governments react appropriately and effectively handle the issue with a high level of sensitivity.

What is happening in local government in relation to swine flu…?

Governments, just like parents, have the duty to protect their children, in this case  – the citizens. But just like parents, sometimes its just not enough to protect their children physically, but it is essential to equip them with the knowledge to protect themselves.  Which is why organizations such as the Local Government Association (LGA) are providing briefings such as this so that local authorities can react to the situation effectively. Many considerations are taking place such as the following:-

LGA briefings example…

1. Where are we today and where we may go next?
2. LGA’s role in national emergencies
3. Management of excess deaths in a disease outbreak
4. Looking after vulnerable people
5. Business continuity planning
6. Lessons learned from a pandemic hotspot and making Birmingham’s schools resilient for the second wave

IDeA provides a checklist for councillors…

www.idea.gov.uk/swineflu

Local authorities play an important supporting role in planning for, and responding to, a pandemic flu outbreak, such as the swine flu (H1N1). It is important that councillors understand this role and contribute to its fulfilment as part of their community leadership role. This guide provides a checklist of what councillors can do to ensure their council is prepared.

Gov 2.0 doesn’t just apply on the forefront of public services…

I think we often forget that in our excitement in delivering Gov 2.0 services to the public, there is also an importance of conveying that same excitement and interest inwards. Council staff need to be just just as ‘2.0’ as their citizens!  And to be able to do that, they need to be able to have a collaborative technology platform that is designed just for them to enhance their capabilities in their jobs and have the opportunity to share and collaborate amongst each other. This video might give you a better idea on why collaborative technologies is important.

Devon County Council helping other councils through Learning Pools Dynamic Learning Environment.

This brings us to an interesting case study on Devon County Council e-learning course for local authority social care workers through Learning Pools DLE. This course was authored by Karrisa Marker (Devon CC) who later on shared this e-learning course with other Learning Pool members in other local authorities for FREE! You can find full details of the case study here on Learning Pools Blog.

The Value of Repurposing: Open source e-learning courses to deliver effective and efficient services…

I love the whole concept of sharing and collaborating across local authorities to save cost and time. Nothing would make better sense because everyone wins! The brilliant thing about this is nobody is pointing fingers at one council saying, you have to develop the the swine flu e-learning course! Its totally based on the need and requirement of each council and for them to develop an e-learning course at their own means.

Then when another council might need the same thing but at a later time, the course could then be shared and repurposed by other authorities without reinventing the wheel! Makes perfect ‘efficiency’ sense doesn’t it? Now you might be thinking… OF COURSE IT IS, now why didn’t I think of that?!? 😉

Watch this video to find out more about what Learning Pool can offer local authorities through their Dynamic Learning Environment (DLE)

Also don’t forget to check out Learning Pools Blog if you are interested in what Learning Pool is up to 🙂

Hope you’ve found this useful!

Liz