A New digital way to Speak Out

The Council’s digital strategy aims to increase access to digital tools and applications for staff and customers, improving the efficiency of a variety of services.

Digital tools make it easier for staff to access internal services, enhance their ability to do their job and create a safer working environment.

The Council’s Speak Out platform is one of the staff services that has migrated to an online form using GovService.

Speaking out or 'whistleblowing' has a positive impact on the organisation, protecting the Council's finances and reputation, while keeping colleagues and customers safe. The new and improved reporting system will make it more accessible for staff to report their concerns confidentially.

To find out more about Speaking Out or to confidentially report your concerns, visit the Speak Out hub.

In recent years, the Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on the importance of accessible digital tools in the workplace. Departments relied on Microsoft 365 applications such as Microsoft Forms and PowerAutomate to develop services in a short amount of time. Access to these services proved invaluable when delivering booking systems for food distribution to shielding residents and delivery of PPE to care homes. Via the Council’s Microsoft enterprise licences, staff now have access to a host of training resources enabling staff to advance their digital skills.

Later in the year, Oracle Fusion will launch, replacing the current Oracle system. The new cloud-based platform will give all employees a self-service portal through which to submit various HR requests, a much-improved platform for managers to review and act upon these requests as well as complete many of the tasks that currently require a VOG form, and a greatly improved procurement platform.

Alongside improving services for staff, a key aim of the digital strategy is to improve customer experience and decrease response times by shortening the gap between identification of a problem and finding a solution to that problem.

The Council has invested in digital tools to enable departments to better handle service requests and reports. During the last year, the GovService platform has begun to replace the current Oracle CRM system, enabling departments to set up customer accounts. The new cloud platform enables departments to design effective case management solutions and enables customers to log requests and reports via any device at a time convenient to them.

The launch of a new ‘Participate Vale’ web portal is also underway. The portal will provide people who live and work in the Vale with a safe online space to engage with key local issues through e-petitions and consultations.

Speak Out Hub