Information matters The developing role of the information Professional

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The Developing Role of the Information
Professional Sue Westcott Head, ICT Services
Communities and Local Government Vice Chair,
Government Libraries and Information Group
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Successful societies and economies in future
will depend on how well they enable information
to be appropriately shared while maintaining
essential protection for those on whose behalf
the information is heldStrong leadership,
governance and professionalism in knowledge and
information management will be key both to
seizing opportunities and to meeting the
challenges ahead Sir Gus ODonnell Cabinet
Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service
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• The public sector cannot choose who it does
  business with and those citizens and businesses
  cannot choose to go elsewhere
• Jan 2009 10 citizens were filling in an online
  tax return every second
• The NHS handles 300 million consultations per
  annum
• Every year DWP delivers 121billion of payments
  to over 190 countries

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• Citizens may not want their date held and shared
• Large ICT projects in the public sector have a
  bad reputation (you only hear about the ones that
  go wrong)?
• Data can be lost, misused or used in a way the
  public finds unacceptable
• Use of new technology presents new challenges and
  new opportunities the citizen expects government
  to take advantage of

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• In and out of work project developed by DWP,
  HMRC and Local Authorities sharing information
  to enable people to move in and out of work
  easily through a single point of contact and
  streamlined processes
• Tell us once Allows citizens to report a birth
  of death once to both central and local
  government

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• 99 born electronic
• All pervasive users dont distinguish so
  clearly between internal / external /formal /
  informal
• Like every other sector growing at an alarming
  rate
• User creates documents, emails, instant messages,
  voice files, videos, databases, spreadsheets,
  pictures.

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• Improve the way departments manage information as
  a valuable asset, ensuring it is protected and
  made accessible where appropriate, and used to
  inform decision making
• Build a culture that shares knowledge more
  effectively and builds capability in the handling
  of information
• Deliver this through developing the
  professionalism of knowledge and information

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• Create a strong infrastructure to support and
  lead information management professionals across
  government
• Develop a professionalism programme to support
  knowledge and information management as a key
  corporate function of government

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• Brought together under the Knowledge Council as
  one professional function
• Head of The National Archives is the Head of
  Function
• Development of a competency framework which went
  out to broad consultation within government to
  support cross functional careers
• Programme to map roles, qualifications, training
  courses and accreditation.

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• Library and Information Professionals
• Knowledge Managers
• Records and Archive Managers
• Information Rights teams (FOI, Data Protection)
• Electronic publishing teams?
• ICT professionals?
• Statisticians?
• Analysts?
• Scientists?
• Policy makers?

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• Early days lots of opportunity
• Challenge is happening in every department
• Different professional groups have engaged
  differently
• Library and Information Professionals have turned
  to their professional groups for support, to
  discuss these changes and to make sense of them

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• Many more posts and roles some yet to come
• Need to be flexible and open minded
• Need to understand our similarities and
  differences is there a USP for each group
• Need to be sure what we mean by professional
• Need to learn and share what works

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• GLIG approached Bob McKee as this was an
  opportunity to demonstrate CILIPs value to our
  employers and to our members
• Council trustees felt this was an area where
  CILIP had a role
• CILIP President Peter Griffiths has adopted this
  as a presidential theme
• Information Matters Task and Finish Group has
  been set up under Peters leadership

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• CILIP is required to demonstrate that it acts in
  the public interest CILIP can challenge and
  lobby government on this agenda
• CILIP has many members in government and the
  larger size of the function offers the potential
  for many more
• CILIP can provide services to support this agenda
  eg training courses, provision of expertise, etc
• CILIP can link government into best practice
  elsewhere and share knowledge from this with
  other sectors
• CILIP has had the opportunity (and taken it) to
  take the lead with other professional bodies

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• Conversations between CILIP other professional
  groups will continue who are we missing?
• CILIP will identify its own existing contribution
  and make sure that it can respond quickly to any
  opportunities
• How does CILIPs role as an accreditor fit in and
  how should it respond to employer produced
  frameworks? Where does chartership fit in?
• What are the cross sector implications for the
  profession of this professional approach? Should
  the issues highlighted have an impact on CILIPs
  overalll strategy
• What role does CILIP have in information
  assurance, digital divide, citizen information
  etc?