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<p>In line with the Cabinet Office led work to improve devolution capability across
Whitehall, the DWP devolution team provide a programme of awareness sessions to help
all staff understand the devolution landscape. This includes promoting the tools and
training available as part of the cross-Government <em>Devolution and You</em> programme.</p><p>
</p><p>Since April 2017, the DWP devolution team have delivered some 40 sessions,
attended by over 1200 staff across the department.</p><p> </p><p>Details of the central
training offer that is available to Departments through Civil Service Learning, the
Policy Profession and the UK Governance and Devolution team in the Cabinet Office
are as follows:</p><p> </p><p>All Civil Servants</p><p> </p><p>(a) Civil Service Learning
provide a range of central learning opportunities, including online and face-to-face
training, for all civil servants on Devolution & Intergovernmental Working.</p><p>
</p><p>i) The online Devolution & Intergovernmental Working module is for all
new and existing civil servants, launched in November 2016. Through four online tutorials,
video interviews with senior civil servants, and ‘take back to the office’ activities,
it explains how the different governments operating in the UK work together, covering
devolution settlements, decentralisation, City Deals and intergovernmental relations,
as well as the ‘Devolution Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements’.
646 civil servants have engaged with the online training since it’s release:</p><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Started</p></td><td><p>Completed</p></td><td><p>Total
Engagements</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>67</p></td><td><p>346</p></td><td><p>413</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>53</p></td><td><p>171</p></td><td><p>224</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>7</p></td><td><p>9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>122</p></td><td><p>524</p></td><td><p>646</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>ii) The half day face-to-face Devolution & Intergovernmental Working workshop
is also available to all civil servants. Building on the above online module, delegates
learn from experienced professionals who have worked on a range of devolution matters
about topics such as confidentiality, when to seek legal advice and the boundaries
of devolution, where reserved and devolved powers meet. A total of 28 policy professionals
have undertaken this training through two workshops, since June 2017.</p><p> </p><p>Both
the online and face-to-face workshops are included in the recommended learning for
all civil servants working in a role related to EU exit. The online learning is included
in the new EU Essentials for Policy Professionals programme, for those new to policy
making or the civil service; and the face-to-face workshop is included in the EU Policy
Practitioner Programme for those with more policy experience. These programmes were
launched in April 2018, with a total of 56 policy professionals undertaking the training
programmes so far.</p><p> </p><p>iii) Also available to civil servants are the EU
exit: devolution settlements and intergovernmental working events. Delegates hear
the views of Permanent Secretaries, and other senior civil servants from the devolved
administrations and territorial offices, on intergovernmental relations within the
current political climate.</p><p>Seven of these events have been delivered to 96 attendees
across three Departments, since March 2017.</p><p> </p><p>Fast Stream</p><p> </p><p>(b)
Introduced in 2017 as part of Fast Stream policy learning, delegates take part in
a Devolution workshop, which all brand new entrant centrally managed Fast Streamers
attend as part of their Induction offer. This was delivered in 2017 to over 800 Fast
Streamers. We've also delivered four optional Devolution workshops as part of Fast
Stream Policy Base Camp to 150 year 3/4 centrally managed Fast Streamers over the
last two years. Fast Streamers are also required to complete the online 'Devolution
and Intergovernmental Working' e-learning product as mandatory e-learning within their
first year on the Fast Stream programme.</p><p> </p><p>SCS</p><p> </p><p>(c) Each
nation of the UK leads and hosts an annual SCS conference to learn from each other
and build networks across the Policy Profession. These have been held on 28/29 April
2016 in Cardiff, 20/21 April 2017 in Belfast (this included Irish Government Civil
Servants too) and 26/27 April 2018 in Edinburgh. It will be for England to host in
2019. All of these events each have around 100 participants across the administrations.</p><p>
</p><p>The Devolution and You program</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/devolution-guidance-for-civil-servants/devolution-guidance-for-civil-servants"
target="_blank"><em>Devolution and You</em></a> was established in 2015 following
a Civil Service Board commission and promotes greater understanding of devolution
among civil servants and for better intergovernmental working across the different
administrations in the UK. The program is led by Cabinet Office in partnership with
the Scottish and Welsh Governments. It aims to build devolution awareness and civil
servant networks across the One Civil Service through shared learning and knowledge
exchange throughout the year.</p><p> </p><p>The <em>Devolution and You</em> programme
enables civil servants to strengthen their skill sets and build open and positive
relationships as they engage in complex discussions across the One Civil Service.
In 2017 the program trained over 2000 civil servants from across the UK through a
variety of forums, including Civil Service Learning resources and through bespoke
training;</p><p>• Local inductions for new starters</p><p>• Departmental masterclasses,
including tailored sessions for specialised teams such as communications, private
office, policy and legislation</p><p>• Civil Service Live presentations</p><p>• Civil
Service Local Devolution Masterclasses</p><p>• Resource material available to civil
servants across the One Civil Service</p><p> </p><p>We also work in partnership with
the Scottish and Welsh Governments to run the One Civil Service Interchange program
which supports these objectives by providing a platform on which civil servants can
engage directly with their peers working in other UK administrations, through an immersive
programme of work-shadowing and educational events over the course of a week. The
programme runs three times a year, with the UK, Welsh, and Scottish Governments each
hosting an annual event. Since 2017, the Northern Ireland Civil Service has also participated
in the programme by providing participants to the events.</p><p> </p><p>The most recent
iteration of the UK Government Interchange Week ran 5-9 March 2018 and, with a record
number of applications, it was the largest Interchange Week to date. In total, 83
Civil Servants from the Scottish (43) and Welsh (18) Governments and the Northern
Ireland Executive (22) participated in a series of whole-group sessions and individual
work shadowing across nineteen UK Government departments.</p><p> </p><p>Welsh Government
Interchange week will take place 2-6 July 2018.</p>
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