Created originally by local government, for local government, the Knowledge Hub digital collaboration platform enables peers in local councils to share good practice and develop innovative ways of working. Over the last two years, Government departments have also embraced the opportunities Knowledge Hub presents to connect with a variety of contacts right across public service. With just less than 20 per cent of Knowledge Hub’s groups now led by members of the Civil Service, all evidence suggests it’s a useful conduit for two-way stakeholder communication.
Sharing best practice and experience
The Tell Us Once Knowledge Hub Community has seen great success in recent months, as Michael Murphy of the Tell Us Once Delivery Partnerships Team at the Department for Work and Pensions reveals.
“The Tell Us Once (TUO) Knowledge Hub Community is expanding and evolving every week and we are pleased to say over 500 members across central and local government now have access to it. Following the recent TUO Employee Authentication Service Master Classes, the training material/handouts have been saved onto the TUO Knowledge Hub Community. TUO sponsors and agents were asked to register to access electronic copies of the training suite. Since the issue of that communication, there has been an increase in membership requests and we have received some positive feedback advising that it’s great to have access to TUO products all in one place. Comments also focussed on our ideas forum ‘Tips and wrinkles’, where members found a useful place to discuss hot topics and share experiences and best practice.”
Engaging stakeholders and working efficiently
The Concessionary Travel (England) group led by the Department for Transport provides a place for local authorities to come together to share problems and issues and work together on a complex policy area. It also enables the department to communicate effectively with its key stakeholders.
Lead facilitator Robert Johnson says, “The Concessionary Travel (England) group helps us to make better use of our resources, spending much less time responding to enquiries from local authorities than we would likely do without it. It’s a good way of reaching a particular group of people to bounce ideas off, and to discuss changes in policy and other big topics. It’s like a ‘soft’ consultation tool.”
Supporting professional development
Simon Patton, Senior Executive Officer at the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Education, explains the decision to use Knowledge Hub.
“After much research NCTL chose the Knowledge Hub to sustain professional online networks in this era of the school led system of CPD and leadership development. The advantages are financial and technological with online communities of practice easy to reach and use without costly facilitation. The interconnectivity of the system, alerts, news feeds and ability to offer public and private access to information are a flexible mix of features enhancing formal and informal learning opportunities.”
Anyone committed to improving public services can join Knowledge Hub for free and enjoy the benefit of online collaboration within their area of interest.
Register today: www.khub.net/register Set up a group: www.khub.net/create-a-group