LGA - Digital Transformation funded programme, November 2015. Invitation to apply for funding to use digital tools and approaches to transform major local services Purpose The objective of this programme is to fund a number of council-led projects (circ. 6 to 10) to use digital tools and approaches to support their existing work on major programmes of local service transformation. For example, work on Troubled Families, the integration of Health and Social Care or Public Health. The outputs and learning from these projects will need to be reusable and replicable, to enable them to be shared and implemented widely across the sector. Background As councils face the twin challenges of decreasing funding and increasing demand, they have found new ways of using technology to deliver services more effectively and enable their staff work in new ways, increasing productivity and reducing costs. By 2015, central government funding for councils had already been cut by 40 per cent over the previous Parliament. As we await
the Spending Review on 25 November, we anticipate that cuts to councils funding will continue over the current Parliament. As well as councils having to deal with the impact of the economic downturn, they also face the challenges of demographic change, the implementation of major government initiatives including Universal Credit and Troubled Families, new public health responsibilities, the integration of Health and Social Care and fundamental changes to the local government finance system. Councils have been quick to recognise the opportunities offered by digital tools and approaches to target and deliver services better and save money. They have explored different methods of improving local people s access to services including using assistive technologies and tele-heath care, online applications for school places, cashless parking payments and apps to inform or alert service users. At the same time, they have made their workforces more productive by introducing mobile technologies, route planning tools and video-conferencing. Driving sector improvement As highlighted in the LGA report Transforming local public services using technology and digital tools and approaches, and the various projects showcased at the LGA conference s Innovation Zone, councils have for years been implementing a range of different tools and approaches to improve access to services as well as deliver savings. This programme seeks to build on this good work by enabling a group of councils to use digital tools and approaches to support their wider work to transform local public services. Areas of support This funding is specifically aimed at complementing the work you are already doing with your partners, on a major transformation
programme, to tackle a wicked issue including, national programmes of transformation Troubled Families, the integration of Health and Social Care, Welfare Reform or Public Health. As a result, you will have already established better working relationships with the partner organisations involved in serving your shared customers. You will have also redesigned the processes and the ways you work so that they are more effective and efficient. Although you may have already used digital tools and approaches on this programme to date, you are now ready to look at new or additional digital tools and approaches to further transform how you work. Digital tools and approaches could support you further, including by doing one of the following: Enabling staff to work more effectively while out of the office Sharing sensitive information with partner agencies securely and more timely Enabling the partner agencies to collaborate better, for instance by developing a deeper understanding of their shared customers Enabling your customers to self-serve Supporting prevention or early intervention of citizens to maintain independence and wellbeing Helping you to measure the impact and benefits of your work Application process The criteria We are now open for bids for funding (one bid per LA) from English local authorities (funding will only be awarded to English local authorities; however bids involving partner organisations are welcomed). Prospective applicants must demonstrate how their project will meet the following criteria, as appropriate:
Supports their wider work on a major programme of transformation tackling a wicked issue. Supports the different organisations involved to collaborate better. Builds on the work already carried out to redesign processes so that they are more effective and efficient. Will produce approaches or outputs that are replicable and reusable for instance any solutions developed will need to be open source and freely available for other councils to implement. Funding will be awarded before the end of March 2016, (to be spent by end of March 2017), to individual councils (up to 25,000) to support their own project. However, if a group of councils would like to collaborate on a project (up to 40,000), this will also be welcomed. Applicants should set out, on less than four sides of A4, (using minimum font size 11), why they should receive funding, (i.e. addressing the above criteria) using the following questions to structure your replies: 1. What is the project that you wish to support through your bid for funding from the Digital Transformation programme and how does this align with your existing plans? 2. How does the project demonstrate innovation and new ways of working? 3. What are the expected outcomes that will be delivered through your project? 4. What will the funding be used for and how will it contribute to delivering your outcomes? 5. What savings do you anticipate this project will help deliver? 6. What are the timescales for the project and the successful delivery of the outcomes mentioned above? 7. How will the learning from your approach be transferable to other councils and how do you propose to undertake this?
You will also need to demonstrate that you have corporate buyin/support from the relevant lead officer and/or portfolio holder; therefore your application must be signed off by the council s appropriate lead member or officer. The deadline for applications to digitalbids@local.gov.uk is noon on Monday 21 st December 2015. Contact Siobhan Coughlan at siobhan.coughlan@local.gov.uk for more information.