A Place for Learning

Learning must continue to prepare individuals for employment in whatever form it takes – and support individuals and families as they navigate the multiple career......

03 November, 2016

Bits & Pieces

The first in a series of reports, co-written by a current and a former DCS, looking at significant issues facing DCSs. bits_and_pieces...

27 June, 2013

Bits & Pieces: No.2

The second in a series of short briefing papers looking at the significant issues that are facing DCS’s To download a copy please click on......

01 June, 2013

Bits and Pieces No:3

The third in a suite of occasional reports written by former DCS and Advisor to the Virtual Staff College Patrick Scott. The views expressed in......

11 September, 2014

Bits and Pieces No:4

The fourth in a suite of occasional reports written by VSC Associate Patrick Scott. The views expressed in this publication, although personal, have been informed by......

01 December, 2015

Changing citizen behaviour – A think piece

A think piece from VSC associate Anna Wright looking at what approaches leaders in children’s services can use to change the behaviour of citizens and......

10 October, 2014

Changing Professional Behaviour: What Works

A think piece written by VSC Associate Melani Oliver focusing on the need for public services to change in order to meet the challenges of......

10 October, 2014

Co-production In Children’s Services – A think piece

A think piece written by VSC associate Anna Wright focusing on co-production and its relevance to children’s services and community resilience. It explores co-production as......

10 October, 2014

Community Collaboration. A councillor’s guide

Engaging people in the decisions that affect their lives is an essential feature of local democracy. This goes far beyond town hall meetings and opinion......

03 August, 2017

Connected Localism

Published by the Local Democracy Think Tank LGiU This collection of essays looks at how a localised, yet connected approach to public service innovation can......

20 June, 2013

Developing Community Resilience Toolkit: Co-production and changing professional behaviour

This section aims to assist those in leadership roles in children’s services to focus on the culture change needed in councils that wish to foster......

11 November, 2016

Developing Community Resilience Toolkit: Community engagement and community development

This section introduces key concepts in community development and community engagement, particularly emphasising strength based approaches. It provides a range of tools that senior staff......

11 November, 2016

Developing Community Resilience Toolkit: Designing new solutions with residents

This section provides an introduction to service design thinking and provides senior staff in councils with the tools to enable them to work with residents......

11 November, 2016

Developing Community Resilience Toolkit: Mini ethnographic research

This section explains the rationale behind ethnographic research, giving examples of where it has been used and provides senior staff in councils with the tools......

11 November, 2016

Developing Community Resilience Toolkit: Overview and Introduction

The Staff College commissioned this toolkit to help local authority services to build community resilience. The aim of the pack is to equip those in......

11 November, 2016

Disrupting the prevailing discourse: a ‘fresh effort of thought’ a Think Piece

This think piece written by VSC associate Anna Wright provides examples of the prevailing discourses and considers possible counter-narratives in order to help leaders of......

13 November, 2014

Future Local Part 7: Global participation

In the final part of the Future Local series, Jane Sankarayya looks to a global future for smaller towns and cities – acting in concert with......

06 June, 2017

Managing Complexity and Uncertainties

Governments should make provisions for increasingly unpredictable and disruptive outcomes in the future, argues Lam Chuan Leong, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Governance and......

31 August, 2016

Public Value Governance: Moving Beyond Traditional Public Administration and the New Public Management

A new public administration movement is emerging to move beyond traditional public administration and New Public Management. The new movement is a response to the......

28 September, 2016

Scenario workshop write up Future Directors Programme Cohort 1

The output report from a scenario planning exercise that took place at the End of Programme Seminar for the first Cohort of the Future Directors......

31 August, 2016

The Revolution will be Improvised

Transforming services is hard. Organisations across the public, voluntary and private sectors are coming together to find new solutions to seemingly intractable problems by radically......

30 June, 2015

The six top trends in government innovation

It’s counter-intuitive, but we may actually be living through a golden age of government innovation. The tremendous pressure exerted by huge complex problems like climate......

06 June, 2017

Towards a Learning System: a new approach to raising standards for all in Scottish schools

Making sense of reform: where next for Scottish Education? This think piece continues the debate from Towards A Learning System published by ADES in 2017.......

28 April, 2017

Towards a Social Model for Health

We often hear about the strain on the NHS: rising demand with limited finances. The NHS has a five year plan for change, and one......

03 November, 2016