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Renfrewshire Council Plan 2008 - 2012 Renfrewshire strikes gold at CoSLA Awards
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Renfrewshire Council has scooped three golds and three silvers at this year's CoSLA Awards, the local government equivalent of the Oscars.
The awards recognise excellence among all 32 local authorities in Scotland. Renfrewshire won three out of the seven categories, it's best ever performance.
David Martin, Chief Executive of Renfrewshire Council, said, "This is excellent news. The CoSLA Awards are about recognising public service and public servants. Our aim at Renfrewshire Council is to consistently provide high quality services and it’s gratifying that our efforts are being recognised on the national stage.
"These awards are the results of Renfrewshire's drive to develop innovative and forward looking approaches to tackling the challenges that currently face local government."
The result for the six Renfrewshire finalists in this year's CoSLA Awards are as follows:
Category 2 – Achieving Better Outcomes – GOLD WINNER
Advice in Primary Care
The Advice in Primary Care (AIPC) Service provides debt advice and practical assistance in GP surgeries and health centres. It targets vulnerable groups who may not otherwise access these services due to ill health, lack of transport or lack of knowledge about benefits or welfare rights. This unique and new approach delivers services directly to those most likely to suffer from the effects of the credit crunch and the economic downturn.
Category 5 – Excellence in Adversity – GOLD WINNER
Housing Advice and Homeless Services
A previously derelict building was modernised to serve as a new base for Renfrewshire Council’s 'Housing Advice & Homeless Services' providing focussed help and support to anyone in Renfrewshire who is homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or needed help to keep their home. The new facility provides purpose built interview facilities offering full privacy for clients particularly those with children. It also combined ground floor offices with new, temporary homeless accommodation in the upper floors allowing the council to reduce its use of bed and breakfast accommodation.
Category 6 – Securing a Workforce for the Future – GOLD WINNER
Customer Service Professional
Customers in Renfrewshire are getting a better service and having more issues dealt with at the first point of contact thanks to a new qualification pioneered by the Council. The groundbreaking Customer Service Professional Qualification is transforming customer service and helping to develop a more skilled workforce. The qualification is the only online professional qualification certificated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). It has been developed under Renfrewshire Council and the Improvement Service’s lead, and is already helping to achieve more first-time resolutions of customer enquiries and increase customer satisfaction levels. The qualification is now the SQA’s fastest growing customised award and is helping to transform the public sector.
Category 4 – Promoting Sustainability – SILVER WINNER
Service Re-routing for Improved Recycling
The project saw a high tech approach being adopted to planning the routes used by council vehicles to pick up rubbish and recycling. RouteSmart software allowed collection routes covering Renfrewshire’s 80,000 homes to be streamlined, reducing; costs, the mileage covered by vehicles, the number of vehicles needed and the amount of fuel used. It also lowered the service’s carbon footprint and helped to raise recycling rates to 37.43% in 2009/10 and 48.5% in the first quarter of 2010/11.
Category 5 – Excellence in Adversity – SILVER WINNER
Joint Internet Safety TV Advertising Campaign
The Joint Internet Safety TV Advertising Campaign brought together four local authorities to create a two week public awareness campaign with a reach and power far beyond what was available using local press advertising, but with a comparable cost. The powerful TV campaign warned children and young people about the dangers of posting their personal information on the Internet. The campaign reached 1.46million people and increased the number of visits to the CEOP Thinkuknow website in the West of Scotland, by an average of 850%. The Thinkuknow website contains age appropriate information for parents, children and young people about protecting themselves from identity theft, cyber bullying and online sexual predators.
Category 7 – One to Watch – SILVER WINNER
Renfrewshire Schools Dragons’ Den
The Dragons' Den (TV programme) concept was developed to create a sustainable format which would work in Renfrewshire schools. The programme was designed to link financial education with social enterprise, in a venture which encouraged school pupils to create a business idea, develop a business plan, apply for funding and then run the business. The ideas had to be sustainable which would continue as viable business models in school. Pupils, school staff and the Dragons were involved throughout the planning and delivery process. The involvement of the Dragons centred on an intense evaluation of the proposals and what level of funding was appropriate for each of the finalists.
Last year Renfrewshire Council scooped a double win with Social Work's Family Matters project and the Workforce Plus Public Sector Academy both picking up awards.
The Workforce Plus Public Sector Academy, which helps people back into employment, won gold in the Securing a Workforce for the future category. The Family Matters project, which offers early intervention and intensive support to the most vulnerable families in Renfrewshire, won the overall award for best team.
Press release issued: Friday 11 March 2011
