Programme

Registration and refreshments

Chair’s opening remarks

Reviewing your partnership in an economic downturn and managing public spending cuts

• Determining your total spend as a partnership and how the economic downturn has affected it
• Clearly establishing what you want to achieve next for your partnership
• Instituting governance plans to manage your partnership in a climate of reducing resources
• Will the investment in partnership working reduce costs and improve service delivery?
• Managing short term impacts and preparing for long term effects
  

What next for partnerships?

• What is the future policy direction of partnerships?
• How will the impact of Total Place affect partnership working in the future?
• Informal or formal governance structure:  What is the best way forward for your partnerships

Question and answer session

Morning refreshments

Governance and accountability: Integration between local authorities and PCTs

Case Study: Managing the outcome of CAA in your partnership*

This session will provide an example of one high performing local authority and how CAA has impacted their partnerships. What are their plans for the future?  How have CAA results shifted relationships in the partnership? Will these results change their strategic plan and how?

Improving economic cooperation through Multi-Area Agreements (MAAs)

• Using MAAs to address the long term impact of the recession: Establishing your solutions at a local level to drive economic recovery
• Accessing funding to resource your strategic plans
• Reviewing the PUSH/CLG stock take of the Hampshire MAA
• The PUSH experience: Revising the MAA
  

Question and answer session

Lunch

Governance and accountability challenge in local strategic partnerships. This session will:

• Report messages from the Audit Commission national study Working Better Together: Managing local strategic partnerships
• Focus on whole systems performance improvement, multi-level governance and partnership accountability
• Introduce self-assessment questions to improve LSP governance
• Discuss other relevant Audit Commission work in partnership governance
  

Empowering communities through partnership

• The Empowerment White Paper and ‘The duty to involve’: How can you work together to achieve meaningful engagement and empowerment
• Ensuring community empowerment is strategically placed in your LSP
• Clearly linking community empowerment to improved service outcomes
• Who retains accountability for community empowerment?
• Evidencing community empowerment plans and results for the Comprehensive Area Assessment

Question and answer session

Afternoon refreshments

Using overview and scrutiny to support and strengthen your partnerships

• Understanding the legislation that supports scrutiny powers for your partnership
• Determining the impact of scrutiny on partnerships
• Establishing joint governance and scrutiny to ensure desired shared outcomes
• What is the future for scrutiny across partnerships: What will this mean for governance arrangements?

Developing an integrated workforce strategy with your partners

• Addressing your shared workforce issues: What are your priorities?
• Building systems that allow partners to work in alignment
• Overcoming cultural challenges through strong joint management
• Finding funding to resource change and calculating the cost-benefit
• Developing succession planning within your partnerships

Question and answer session

Chair’s closing remarks and conference ends