City Strategy Learning Network

Local partners and DWP have high ambitions for City Strategies – pushing the boundaries of flexibility and devolution to provide more and better opportunities for workless people.
City Strategies are a policy and delivery challenge to both local and national partners and DWP continue to encourage all partners to learn from each other and stimulate new thinking.

What the Learning Network needs to do

• Promote the sharing of ideas, best practice, case studies and provide a learning opportunity 
• Influence national policies to ensure maximum impact on disadvantaged groups in areas with the greatest challenge.
• Facilitate partnership working and assisting in developing strategic leadership capacity.
• Ensure disadvantaged groups are represented.
• Stimulate new thinking.
• Provide a challenge role to national and local partners.
• Help meet communication and information needs between DWP, other government. Departments, local consortia and local and national government.
• Provide time for Pathfinders to network.
• Ensure sessions are also relevant to Scotland and Wales.

Who the Learning Network will be for

Core audience / Client Group:

• City Strategy Pathfinder areas
• Secretary of State and Minister of State
• National and regional government
• Other Departments, Jobcentre Plus, Child Poverty, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Department of Health, HM Treasury.

But also for:

• Private and voluntary providers
• Internal DWP, for example  Skills, Commissioning
• Representatives from disadvantaged groups, for example lone parent  disability, ethnic minority, older workers, ex-offenders, homeless
• Government Offices
• Non-City Strategy areas
• Project board members.

Learning Network news

DWP have appointed ‘Rocket Science’ to run the City Strategy Learning Network after it was decided to extend the City Strategy for two years from April 2009.

In June 2008 we asked the Pathfinders for their comments on the Learning Network and how to take the Learning Network forward. Read their responses in Learning Network Evaluation (27KB)

What we expect the Learning Network to do

• Have regular themed meetings. Quarterly Learning Network meetings, workshops and seminars. These will provide learning opportunities, a chance to share ideas and network and will be rotated throughout the country.
• Engage with client groups to firm up agenda ideas and topics for discussion.
• Arrange regular board meetings with main client groups listed above. These can be rotated throughout the country.
• Provide weekly updates via email, provide on-going feedback.
• Survey areas and stakeholders on what they think they need and on their preferred means of communications.
• Provide regular feedback to DWP and evaluation reports after Learning Network meetings.