Engaging stakeholders. The key to stakeholders’ engagement is to demonstrate to them the added value of their support and involvement by addressing their specific interests. Naturally stakeholders need to trust an initiative and credibility often can be offered by the profile of other stakeholders already involved. LCs have to be neutral and inclusive in terms of technology and services promoted to the users. As they are multi-stakeholders partnership, LCs are open to ICT companies which are competitors (e.g. Microsoft and Google), but also to governmental bodies, and both formal and non-formal education providers. The process to engage stakeholders is sometimes difficult without a good story behind, but with the policy context, the interests of the ICT industry and the recognised problems in the educational systems, LCs are likely to attract and actively involve a significant number of players at local / national level.
Engaging stakeholders. 2.1 Engagement of the voluntary and community sectors is central to Bracknell Forest Partnership’s approach to community planning. Community engagement is specifically highlighted both as one of the eight specific priorities within the Sustainable Community Plan, and as the key cross cutting priority. As such, for each of the other seven key priorities there is a statement about how the community is involved in this work. Bracknell Forest Partnership has a shared community engagement strategy and progress of the community engagement objectives is overseen directly by the Service Board.
2.2 The same commitment has been given to developing and delivering Bracknell Forest’s Local Area Agreement. Once again a specific outcome has been agreed under the Local Public Service Agreement solely around community engagement and volunteering. In addition, voluntary and community involvement has been taken as a cross cutting priority, with these sectors involved in developing all the aspects of the Local Area Agreement.
2.3 The voluntary and community sector are already represented on all levels of Bracknell Forest Partnership. The Director of Bracknell Forest Voluntary Action holds one of the eight seats on the Service Board, whilst a number of voluntary and community sector representatives hold seats on the Executive Board and the supporting theme partnerships.
2.4 Additional community and voluntary sector engagement for the Local Area Agreement has been undertaken through the formal arrangements that are being built through the local Change Up programme. This programme is working towards a number of objectives including improving the links between the public sector and the voluntary and community sectors. Two specific projects support this work.
Engaging stakeholders. As part of the process of defining the use cases and deriving the requirements of the projects, is the engagement of the related stakeholders. Among them are psychologists, early adopters, end-users and privacy experts that will allow QBE to shape the use cases and the requirements of the project.
