Sir Chris WormaldPermanent Secretary, Department of Health & Social Care Head of UK Policy Profession
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About me
Civil Service lifer: 15 years Department for Education 2 years Local Government and Regeneration 3 years Cabinet Office 4 years Permanent Secretary Department for
Education 3 years Permanent Secretary Department of Health
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Public service policy over the same period:
Privatisation/contracting out
Agencies
Citizens charter
Choice & quasi-markets
New public Management
Devolution
Deliverology/delivery chains/PSAs
Entitlements
Open public services
Austerity/efficiency
Autonomy and accountability & transparency
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The Policy Profession is …
20,000 civil servants
Inclusive
Focuses on:- How we advise on policy- How we train and develop policy makers
Cooperative effort
Levy funded
Central support from a 10 person Policy Profession Unit
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History of the Policy Profession
2006 - 10 2010 - 12 2012
2013
2013 2014 2015 2016
2017 2018 2019
Professional Skills for Government programmeestablished a Sector Skills Council and National School of Government
Reform = professions
agenda; Chris Wormald starts as
Head of Profession
Executive Masters launched with LSE
Early iteration of the Professional
Standards. Commission for
Masters.
Piloting of the professional standards – development of apprenticeship
Development of Policy apprenticeship – first cohort of 109 started in September
More Apprenticeships; more qualifications; 12 Actions review; Future of the Profession
Coalition government & Civil Service reform
Development of professional standards
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What we do
Events
Qualifications
Standards
Networks
Policy tools
Build partnerships Nationally Internationally
Signposting/Stealing
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“International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE) Index, 2019”
“The policy making scores for all countries in this top 5 table are very close. The UK’s and Canada’s scores are highest out of the top 5 on the quality of policy advice theme, while Finland’s and Denmark’s scores are highest on strategic planning…”
Country RankFinland 1Denmark 2UK 3Canada 4New Zealand 5
Policy making Top 5
“This indicator has 4 themes: the quality of policy advice; the degree of strategic planning; the coordination of policy proposals across government; and the degree of policy monitoring during implementation.”
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“International Civil Service Effectiveness (InCiSE) Index, 2019” UK policy making scores
UK overall results of the 2019 InCiSE Index
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1. Transform the role of Heads of Policy Profession. Each is accountable for raising standards and driving improvement in their department and contributing to Civil Service-wide action to professionalise policy making
2. Enhance policy profession support; a strengthened Policy Profession Board, funded by a levy on departments; build a service-wide policy community
3. Regular communication with policy officials; focus on professional development
4. Each department to adopt policy standards, and quality assurance against those standards
5. Department HoPPs to make improvement systems transparent and subject to HoPP peer review
6. Departmental HoPPs to champion Open Policy Making
7. Overhaul policy induction for new entrants
8. All policy officials to take responsibility for developing their own skills and expertise, linked to appraisals
9. Transform the development of policy Grade 7 - SCS 1; more post graduate qualifications
10. High potential Directors working on policy making to become a Civil Service-wide talent pool
11. Review and improve knowledge management practices
12. Assess the implementation and impact of Twelve Actions to Professionalise Policy Making
“Twelve Actions to Professionalise Policy Making” October 2013
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What has worked / what hasn’t worked
Improvements Made Work in progress
• Governance and collective ownership• A framework for professional
development (collectively developed)• Knowledge sharing programmes across
government (particularly at senior levels and across the UK)
• Accredited learning • 3/4 identify with and are proud of policy
being their profession (more departmentally…)
• Engagement at senior levels • What works networks
• Showing the big picture – communicating across the profession
• Increase policy tools and techniques guidance and usage
• Developing mid career accredited learning
• Building policy careers beyond Whitehall and the civil service
• Building relationships with academics
The Policy Environment
Changing environment – climate change, demography etc
Digital, Data, and Technology (including negative changes)
Policy and operations
Responding to democratic change
Policy making for the whole country
UK’s place in the world
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What is policy?
Policy Excellence
Politics/Democracy
Analysis
Policy delivery
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A profession that is…
OPEN… to new ideas, techniques, voices, ways of working, insights, evidence and expertise• Four Nations: 80 – 100 civil servants at the yearly conference
•International relationships
•Peer review: • collective ownership• Stealing with pride
•Academic partnership:
•Other government professions: e.g. Operational Delivery and Project Delivery professions
•Policy Lab
•Behavioural Insight
•Digital
PROFESSIONAL… by sharing knowledge and experience, effectively building our community of practice through networks and continuous improvementInduction:• Apprenticeship: First cohort in 2018. 109 policy apprentices have started in departments• Fast Stream policy Basecamp: 403 Fast Streamers since pilot in July 2016
Learning:• More than 35,000 civil servants have accessed policy core curriculumproducts• Knowledge Sharing: Over 30 events per year•Policy Excellence Group: 100-200 senior policy officials explore critical issues
Executive Masters in Public Policy:•Four cohorts since 2015•111 candidates
CONSISTENT… through the development of professional standards clearly linked to careers and accredited professional development
Professional Standards:•500 people worked together to develop the Policy Profession Standards•Departments established “Policy Tests” in 2014
Diversity & Inclusion•Diversity of thought•Diversity of representation
Continuous improvements•Level 1 self assessment tool•Level 2 accreditation•Development of new modules (e.g. Behavioural Government masterclass)
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Open…
80–100 civil servants at the yearly conference
Four Nations
International relationships
Policy Lab
Other government professions
Academic partnership
Peer Review
Behavioural Insight
Digital
Events designed to bring people
together and share tools that
work
EMPP: 4 cohorts since 2015. Total 111 candidates Fellowships Joint events
E.g. Operational
Delivery Project
Delivery
Collective ownership Steal with pride
What Works centres
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Consistent…
Approx. 4,500 handed out at the 2018 Civil Service Live
2014 2018
Yes - it's my main profession81%
59%
Yes - it's one of my professions 21%No - I work in policy but don't consider myself part of the profession
15% 13%
No - I am part of another profession 3% 3%
No - I am not part of any profession 1% 1%
Not sure - 2.59%
SURVEYDo you consider yourself part of
the Policy Profession?
Continuous improvements
Departmental Standards / Tests
Diversity & Inclusion
ProfessionalStandards
About 500 people worked together to develop the Policy Profession Standards
Departments established own “Policy Tests” in 2014
Two strategies:- - Diversity of
thoughts- - Diversity of
representation
Level 1 self assessment tool
Level 2 accreditation
Development of new modules (e.g. Behavioural Government masterclass)
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Policy Tests - Education
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The six policy tests
I = ImaginationG = GoalsE = EvidenceA = AudiencesR = RelevanceS = Success
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Policy Tests - Health
Professional …
More than 35,000 civil servants have accessed policy core curriculum products
Knowledge Sharing: Over 30 events per year
Policy Excellence Group: 100-200 senior policy officials explore critical issues
Apprenticeship: First cohort in 2018. 109 policy apprentices have started in departments
Fast Stream policy Basecamp: 403 Fast Streamers since pilot in July 2016
LearningExecutive Masters in
Public Policy
Induction
Four cohorts since 2015
111 candidates since 2015
The professional standards framework
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Futures, Foresight & Horizon Scanning
Futures, Foresight & Horizon Scanning
Policy Making in
Your Policy Area
Statistics & Data Analysis
Science & Technology
Policy Framing
Economics
EVIDENCEEVIDENCE
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Working Internationally & Exiting the
European Union
Advising, Briefing and
DraftingWorking with Parliament
Devolution Finance
Stakeholder Management
POLITICS & DEMOCRACYPOLITICS & DEMOCRACY
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Understanding the Delivery
Context & Effective Implementation
Planning
Communicatingwith Influence
Programme & Project
Management
User Centred Design, Digital &
Behavioural Insights
Commercial
Evaluation
DELIVERYDELIVERY
PP2025: Future policy excellence
CONTEXT CUSTOMERS PEOPLE
POLICY MAKING SYSTEM
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
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The future…
Delivering Policy Profession 2025 (Aligned with wider CS direction)
Stronger relationships with Operational Delivery Profession
Embedding the Policy Profession Standards
Understanding more about the members of the profession
Widening our accredited learning offer
Expanding our knowledge sharing programme
Diversity and Inclusion strategies
More on policy systems
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