29/04/09: ThePublicOffice @ Barking and Dagenham
Caireen and Ruth have spent three intense days this week taking 130 colleagues from Barking and Dagenham council through ThePublicOffice experience.
ThePublicOffice workshops formed were delivered in support of their One Barking and Dagenham strategy to create more citizen-centred services. We started by creating two new PublicOffice films that used the real stories of two families to highlight the kinds of complex interactions residents of the borough are facing in relation to education and benefits. The workshops were collaborative events that utilised innovative content and process to bring a range of council officers, members, frontline workers and partners together to consider:
- How do we design public services which work for users?
- What system changes are required to improve the experiences of service users?
- What is the role of different stakeholders in bringing about citizen-centred transformation?
The events achieved:
- Increased connections and collaboration across LBBD
- A tangible sense of energy and desire for change to improve things for the customer
- Beginnings of a common language to describe and discuss the needs of the customer and what the future should look like
- A sense of re-engagement in and enhanced motivation for positive change
- Individual commitments to make the values of One B&D a reality in everyday practice
Following the workshops, we are now working with David Woods (Head of Customer Strategy) and his team to develop a number of practical projects to take forward over the coming months.
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