Dealing with Antisocial Behaviour the View from a Muddy Field
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The magazine for Aberdeenshire Council employees Dealing with antisocial behaviour Letters from the front line The view from a muddy field Landscape Services June 2009 Worksmart | Aberdeenshire to Africa | Medical Guinea Pig Welcome Welcome to the third issue of SQ, the employee magazine for Aberdeenshire Council. In this issue you can learn more about the work of Calum Davidson in Landscape Services, how the council deals with anti-social behavior and find out how Ann Ruxton got on in the ITV Taste the Nation programme. We also have some tips for those of you thinking of heading to a festival this summer, and there’s a caption competition on the back page. If you have an idea you would like to submit for a future issue of SQ simply send a 50 word summary of your idea to your service representative (see below). They will then take the idea to the editorial panel who will decide if it should be included. Here’s the list of service representatives: Chief Executive Graham Hobson 01224 664906 Education, Learning and Leisure Rachael Cowin 01224 664333 Finance Margaret Ross 01224 665409 Housing and Social Work Fiona Westland 01569 767553 Law and Administration Kirsty Doull 01224 664208 Personnel and ICT Don Lamont 01224 665375 Planning and Environmental Services Michael Padilla-Lamb 01467 627510 Transportation and Infrastructure Louise Mackie 01224 664574 SQ is now available electronically on Arcadia. If you’re happy to view a copy online, or to share a copy, then simply let your service representative know. Don’t print a copy off in your own office though as this will be more expensive than the copies we produce. Let us know what you think of SQ We’re always keen to hear what you think of SQ so we can continue making improvements in the future. Simply email us at [email protected] or call us on 01224 665585 to let us know. SQ is printed on Revive recycled paper stock SQ | 1 Contents 3 3 Worksmart 18 5 NEWS 9 Letters from the front line 11 Dealing with antisocial behaviour 17 Worksmart Run Balmoral 09 Could you help? 14 The benefits of some time in the garden 15 Visits to Africa 17 Record breaking year for Run Balmoral 09 9 18 Could you help at a Child 19 Letter from the front line Contact Centre? Momentum - learning about cars 11 19 Momentum - learning 25 about cars 21 Ann Ruxton reaches Taste The Nation final 23 Antisocial behaviour 22 Medical guinea pig Calum Davidson Things to do 23 Insight into Calum 15 Davidson’s job 25 Things to do in Aberdeenshire 27 ACHIEVEMENTS 29 The view from a muddy field 29 Aberdeenshire to Africa The view from a muddy field SQ | 2 Aberdeenshire Council is changing – we’re looking at new ways of working which will make us more Modernising our working lives to efficient and able to provide the best … • Services for our customers provide better services • Ways of working for our staff for our customers. • Future for all Many of us travel long distances Worksmart will have four separate to get to work and many more of profiles which can be tailored to us have to travel long distances represent different employees’ to deliver our services. But are we requirements across the council – being as efficient as we could be? these are Fixed, Flexible, Mobile and Home. The Workstyle Transformation Programme has been renamed as Worksmart. Worksmart gives us all the chance to spend less time travelling to and from places and more time to do the things that matter, like delivering quality services and reducing the additional hours we work. SQ | 3 Presentations are currently being delivered to managers to provide more details on Worksmart and The employee: The employee: help employees get a better • • Works full-time at single place Requires access to corporate understanding of what the project of employment systems to perform their role in involves. Worksmart Manager Mark • Has a desk, PC workstation the office Baker explains: “It’s important to • and telephone extension Requires full access to stress that Worksmart is about so allocated specifically to them corporate systems and much more than home working. • Requires access to corporate business applications to Although some people may home systems to perform their role perform their role in the field work on a full time basis, our • Has no requirement for mobile (e.g. mail, calendar, case work) emphasis is on mobile and flexible • working (from home/out of Has no requirement to have a working across Aberdeenshire. the office) fixed desk in a specific office but is assigned a building as “If I could give just one key message their ‘base location’ to employees about the project at • Is office based for less than this stage, it would be this – we want 50% of their time work to be something that you do, • Has a requirement to work in not a place that you go. The employee: multiple council offices • • Is office based for more than Predominately works remotely, “We are also developing information 50% of their time at home, or out of the office pages on Arcadia so employees can • Requires access to corporate (3 days a week) find out more about Worksmart.” systems to perform their role in the office The next phase is to work with • Requires limited access to services to identify relevant groups corporate systems to perform of employees to survey, to find out their role in the field (e.g. mail, if they would be interested in joining calendar) The employee: Worksmart. This survey will be • Has no requirement to have a • Works full-time at home going out over the coming months fixed desk in a specific office (spends around 90% of time to collect information about current but is assigned a building as at home) working practices and identify areas their ‘base location’ • Provided with the required ICT where immediate improvements can • Has a requirement to work in equipment and support be made. multiple council offices • Requires access to corporate • Occasionally works at home systems to perform role Further information regarding or remotely (1 or 2 days • Has no requirement to work in Worksmart will be made available a week) the field through Core Brief and Arcadia in due course. For further information on the Worksmart project in the meantime please contact [email protected] or call 01224 664055 SQ | 4 NEWS Tributes paid to respected Customer Service Week to archaeology figure Ian be celebrated at reconnaissance in the area, adding conference considerably to the knowledge of archaeology. As a council we focus on our customers every day, but we Over the years, Ian built up a vast can all do more to learn about knowledge of both the how to make our customers’ archaeology and architecture of experience of dealing with the north-east Scotland and became council even better. highly respected by his peers in both disciplines. National Customer Service Week runs from October 5 – 9 and Ian was a driving influence on following the success of last year, many trusts over the years in both Aberdeenshire Council will be Aberdeenshire and Moray – including hosting another programme of events and activities to develop the North East Scotland Preservation employee skills in providing an Trust, Pitsligo Castle Trust, the improved level of customer service. Burghead Trust, and Kinloss Abbey Tributes have been Trust – and was a major contributor The highlight of the week will paid to well-known to the setting up of the Archaeolink again be the Customer Service council archaeologist Prehistory Park at Oyne. Conference. It will involve special guest speakers including the Ian Shepherd, who died He was also heavily involved with the Chairman of the Institute of following a long-term Aberdeenshire Design Awards since Customer Service, Dr Ted Johns, its inception. and a range of activities to assess illness in May. how we deal with our customers. Outwith the council, Ian made Ian was Aberdeenshire Council’s significant contributions to The conference takes place on Friday, October 9, in Woodhill principal archaeologist and team archaeology in the wider field and House and will be particularly leader for specialist services, and gained an international useful for frontline employees followed a local authority career that reputation both through his – for example, those working at spanned almost 35 years. membership of the Bronze Age a reception, community centre, Studies Group and through his library, as a waste operative, in After graduating from Edinburgh publications on architecture. roads or landscape services. University, Ian joined Grampian To register contact Morag Black, Regional Council in 1975, becoming Paying tribute to Ian, Aberdeenshire Customer Service Manager, on the first archaeologist in local Council archaeologist Moira Greig 01224 664358 or by emailing government in Scotland. said: “Archaeology has lost a unique [email protected]. individual who was highly respected uk. Ian, along with close friend and fellow both internationally as well as at home Edinburgh graduate Ian Ralston – in Scotland.” More information about the other who became a lecturer in activities taking place as part of National Customer Service Week archaeology at Aberdeen University – Ian is survived by his wife Lekky, an will be announced through Core were instrumental in starting archaeologist in her own right, and his Brief and Arcadia over the next systematic aerial photography two daughters, Bryony and Sunniva. few months. SQ | 5 Travel planning made easy with new technology A £1.2 million journey stop using the very latest in As well as the 43 upgraded bus planning project which will interactive technology.