Scotland’s railways have a critical role to play in supporting the wider economy, our communities and Scotland’s push for Net Zero. However, the impact of the past two years presented a fundamental challenge to the scope, viability and purpose of rail as passenger numbers plummeted and travel patterns altered. What therefore needs to happen next to ensure rail in Scotland’s long-term sustainability?

This conference will take place online.

The Scottish Government’s Bill to establish a Scottish National Care Service has now been published. However, original discussion and proposals have now grown to cover adult, child, justice, substance misuse and some mental health services – and this new service would be accountable to Ministers. So what do you or your organisation need to understand about what’s in the Bill in order to plan and prepare for what is coming next with the creation of the Scottish National Care Service?

This conference will take place online.

Everyone wants to be able to motivate, focus and present themselves as effectively as possible in any situation, both in person and online. Being able to do so directly affects how we are perceived at work and is also important for personal relationships. Therefore, understanding how to unlock your confidence, positivity and self-belief is an essential tool in setting and reaching professional and personal goals.

This webinar is online.

Access to an affordable home and the ability to live in it without financial anxiety is one of the most basic needs for any individual or family. However, in Scotland we face a dual crisis - insufficient supply and lack of affordability in housing coupled with a spiralling energy cost emergency. The housing crisis is driven by structural failures in supply. The energy cost crisis results from massive price rises, energy company failures and instability in energy markets. The combination of both of these is toxic to the finances and life chances of families and individuals throughout Scotland. How do governments, local authorities and housing and energy suppliers act to fix this?

This conference will take place online.

The Scottish Government wants to partner with Scottish councils and others to deliver 20 minute neighbourhoods in Scotland. Its intent to do so is included in the 2020-21 Programme for Government and many places in Scotland do seem to have the building blocks needed to become 20 minute neighbourhoods. However the same is also true of many other communities globally – and yet few have so far succeeded. So what does it take to move from just proposing 20 minute neighbourhoods to really delivering them on the ground in Scotland?

This conference will take place online.

Every public sector body wants and needs satisfied service users. People happy with the services they receive attach value to both the services and the organisation delivering them. However a negative experience can mean service users have toxically different views from the producer’s perception. Left unaddressed, complaints become grievances which cost time, money and potentially severe reputational damage. So what should organisations do to develop positive relationships with their service users? Is your service protecting itself effectively by valuing service users, fostering person-centred engagement and then intervening fast and well when complaints arise?

Online

Scotland’s care system is in desperate need of overhaul - capacity, funding, staffing and quality of care are all stretched beyond limits. The Scottish Government wants to address these challenges by creating a Scottish National Care Service. The proposals now cover adult, child, justice, substance misuse and some mental health services. And this new service would be accountable to Ministers. Is this the right approach, what exactly is being proposed, what would it mean for the delivery and quality of care services and what are the implications for your organisation?

Online

Achieving Net Zero will require big investment in sustainable infrastructure and services. It will mean new approaches to how communities are planned and function. It also demands very substantial change in consumer behaviour. However, while public concern about climate change is now at its highest level, this has not resulted in large scale changes in citizen and consumer behaviour. There is a wide gap between wanting to do our bit, but not doing enough. How therefore can consumers get from anxious to active? How can companies and organisations better drive - and be driven by - transformational consumer behaviour?

Online

Everyone wants to be able to be able to motivate, focus and present themselves as effectively as possible in any situation, both in person and online. Being able to do so directly affects how we are perceived at work and is also important for personal relationships. However,  most of us have found ourselves wishing we could just ‘get our act together’ at one time or another. The desire to make yourself seen, clearly heard and understood can often be inhibited. Sometimes that can be due to uncertainty about what you want to say. At other times the challenge is not what you want to say but how to convey it. Therefore, understanding how to unlock your confidence, positivity and self-belief is an essential tool in setting and reaching professional and personal goals.

Online

Scottish Government, councils, education departments, schools, teachers and third sector bodies all want to deliver real progress in tackling poverty and attainment. However its scale, nature and shape has worsened during pandemic. Everything that was already difficult is now more complex and more deeply seated. How therefore do we move forward? This conference will set out the strategic picture we now face, discuss the emerging evidence of what has been happening on the ground and give insight into effective interventions.

Online