Time:  9:30am to 4:30pm
For: Officers from all departments of Council with responsibility or aspirations for developing Council policy positions, and anyone who wants to learn more about the role of policy in Council and the process of developing it.

Course Overview                                          
“It sounds good, but nothing will happen”  or “How do we get from plan to action?”

You may have heard these kinds of statements from your customers or colleagues, or perhaps you’ve even said something similar yourself … But policy done right can make a genuine impact - by solving a problem, managing a risk, or contributing to the achievement of a goal.
 
Councils create and apply policy to guide their day to day decision making, meet their obligations, address conflicts and challenges, and shape the future of their communities. This course is about starting the policy development process with the end result in mind, and using best practice to maximize impact and success.

With a focus on sound process and practical considerations, the session will incorporate examples from Councils’ core business as well as participant experiences and contributions.
 
Upon completing this course, participants should be able to:
- Understand the role of policy in Councils’ work;
- Understand the context of policy making including legislation, governance arrangements, and the public interest;
- Identify possible challenges to creating effective policy and develop strategies to overcome these challenges;
- Clearly establish the purpose and scope of a policy, and a plan for its development;
- Effectively seek information required to produce policy, including relevant input from others;
- Prepare policy documents that are logically structured, clearly written, and appropriate for the user; and
- Create a plan for promoting and supporting implementation of a new policy, and monitoring and reviewing its impact.

Presenter:
Victoria Haupt has been working with local government in strategy and policy development for almost 15 years. Qualified in urban and regional planning and training and assessment, she is the founder of writing and consulting practice Concise www.concise.com.co