Submission for EFA Award for best Public Sector Innovation Author: Noel Hatch We have drafted this

s awards submission not only because we want to win, but because we want to share the innovative work our members have done in supporting their peers. Thats why we have involved over 30 of our members just in producing this submission, because this entry is as much a celebration of their success as it is evidence of being an innovative staff group. 1. We challenge ignorance Younger staff often feel there should be greater respect and recognition for the contribution they make whatever their experience. They feel this can be overlooked and even ignored just because they are younger than other staff. We dont take younger staff for granted, we value them as people we couldnt do without. When they decide to get involved and give freely of their time and energy, we recognise and value their efforts. The fun and informality of the group (Becky) is what makes it tick because people know they can make new friends with other younger members of staff (Lauren). We share in whatever success we get with the people involved in our projects. In an authority with an ageing workforce Greenhouse recognises how important the recruitment, retention and professional development of young people is and does a great job of creating an encouraging and empowering support forum for the future managers and leaders of Kent (Alex). Thats why we designed a conference to make the best use of young peoples talents in organising it. They gained skills in event planning and marketing. It was a fantastic event that was better attended than we ever could have imagined with around 120 younger members of staff with the Chief Executive to offer advice. 2. We challenge assumptions Younger staff feel that because other people dont realise what they can offer to the organisation, there are fewer opportunities for them to develop themselves and their career. This feeling can be caused by being stereotyped into particular positions. Thats why we challenged assumptions that only those with higher grades can become future leaders. We successfully persuaded the Council to fund such a programme for younger people that we then developed. At a time when the wider council has limited resources to do so, its innovative approach to personal development had enabled me to work in roles I had previously not thought possible (Charlotte) We know any representative group cannot claim to be successful without actually influencing change. We provide young people with a means to express themselves and maximise the impact that we can have on the organisation in the long term (Ben). We dont just have an influence, we make change happen in younger staffs career prospects. As Colin says it has

We expect to be surprised by our members, theyre the people weve been waiting for. We know the best ideas we develop can be found in surprising places, and thats why there is always a space for people to bring in their new ideas and propose new projects as many have. Being appreciated and recognised as an individual with potential (Emma) is fundamental. Thats why Greenhouse has started a skill sharing project. It was initiated to provide an opportunity to unleash the potential of people in the organisation. It started by encouraging young people to gain experience in a project using creative thinking to design the plan. We then used social media to crowdsource peoples skills. This has now led to developing a project to enable younger people in Kent to match their skills to the new jobs in demand by our organisation. And we push our younger staff to stretch their potential. Another member rallied people to raise money for charity persuading 20 of our members to enter a team for the Sport Relief Mile. It provided an opportunity to raise over 1.5K for a good cause and to give something back to the community it encouraged individuals to participate in charity work who may not have otherwise done so. (Vicky) We also influence the national agenda. The benefits of taking part in the Young Local Authority competition and winning the County Council award were obvious - we as a team had a great experience and came away with our heads spinning full of ideas and a wealth of knowledge. There is little reason for senior managers across KCC not to recognise the great work of Greenhouse now for the project I was involved in, and the undeniable success of the leadership and core group in all other endeavours. (Daniel) Our members value this the core group are very good role models if you're new to the organisation and are unsure of yourself, they're especially good at lobbying for training and personal development (Angela). 3. We challenge isolation The feeling that their lack of experience could be implicitly used against them also hinders their self esteem and sense of belonging to the organisation. They feel it is difficult for them to meet other people in the same boat, especially if they are geographically isolated from other offices or not understood by other colleagues. A lack of self confidence also undermines young peoples ability to voice their problems, which makes them hard to reach.

Thats why for many members its so important to create that safe environment to meet friendly, helpful people (Sarah) so that people feel not alone (Rodney). Thats why our socials provide younger staff members an opportunity to develop new friendships with like minded individuals. These networks can provide a great deal of support and advice inside and outside of work. Not everyone working within KCC has opportunities within their departments or outside of work to form new friendships and for these people socials can provide a friendly environment to meet other young people. The socials have varied from cinema and comedy nights to bowling and clubbing. But Greenhouse doesnt only ask younger staff on what are the issues that matter to them. It empowers them to express these in a confident and powerful way. As Holly echoes We want to make it known that we are the future and should be trained to lead. Anita argues younger people may be younger with little experience behind them, but they come with fresh innovative ideas, enthusiasm and a passion to learn and contribute. Thats why our regular forums that take place across the county are designed to represent younger staff and give members the chance to seek guidance in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. The agendas are developed with the input of members and create opportunities for personal development through skills and knowledge sharing, guest speakers as well as training. It also gives younger people the opportunity to voice their opinions on the organisations policies. They know their feedback will be acted on by us and they can put forward ideas for projects they want to work on with others. Our online communities of practice also provide a way for young people to have a collective voice regardless of where they work. It provides a safe space to discuss issues and has been successful in addressing issues around discrimination and even led to changing corporate policies. The communities are amazing spaces to kick start projects and co-create online toolkits such as the buddying scheme.

We try and understand this in terms of when and how different people can contribute in a way that suits them. Whether thats the support, encouragement, skills based training, and social networking events it provides (David), the chance to share information with like minded people (Catherine) or giving them a place to meet like-minded individuals who have to potential to become valuable contacts for many years down the line (Adam). To enable people to see all the different ways they can get involved and develop their skills across the council, we involved and supported a group of young staff to develop a booklet. This came about because at our forums, we found that younger staff were not fully aware of the opportunities available and of their rights. To address this issue we prepared a booklet to better inform younger staff of the important rights they are entitled to. We crowdsourced hints from our younger staff and senior leaders through their own experiences. We source skills for all our projects within the pool of younger staff whether its designing a flyer, managing a project or organising an event. To conclude Everything we do is focused on supporting young people to lead themselves on making sure their peers get more respect and recognition for their skills, better opportunities to develop themselves and others and build a stronger sense of belonging and self esteem for themselves and their peers. Thanks to the following for helping write this awards submission: Holly Strang, Colin Calvert, Anita Hughes, Adam Webb, Georgina Walton, Victoria Kennedy, Thomas Marsh, Stefan Ford, Emma Brand, Hannah Phillips, Charlotte Hogdson, Rebecca Shailer, Charlotte Ricci, David Firth, Daniel Vokes, Lisa Wibberley, Ben Ackroyd, Alex Ellis, Rachel Hill, Angela Gillen, Catherine Ralph, Adam Pearson, Samantha Pryde and Lauren Douglas.