Firstly, welcome. You are one of a number of arts officers working with a Council here, and all will have a similar experience to you. Most Councils now have an officer with responsibility for arts development, and some larger ones will have a team, including specialisms, like artform development or creative industries. So, you are not alone, however much it may feel like it!
This guide has been developed to help you understand the area you now work in. You may be new to your region, or – relatively – new to the arts. We hope this guide will help you understand the nature of your region, how the arts helps deliver local authorities’ priorities, and who else is working in the same area. This guide is designed to signpost you towards people and information who can help you deliver your arts programme. It has been funded by the Arts Council, written with the support of people like you, who’ve worked in similar environments, and with the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers, nalgao (of which more later).
A: Working in the East Midlands
A.1 - map of the region
A.2 - County arts officers
A.3 - Other Local Authority Arts Development Officers
A.4 - A guide to regional agencies and their role
A.5 - Regional nalgao
A.6 - Arts Council, East Midlands
A.7 - Links to County data on workshop leaders and creative industry networks
B: Working in Local Government
B.1 - Induction for a new arts officer
B.2 - The responsibilities of local government: County, Distric/Borough and Parish councils
B.3 - How cabinet government works and the role of portfolio holders
B.4 - What elected members do
B.5 - Why the arts are important
B.6 - How the arts delivers Local Strategic Partnerships and Community Plans
B.7 - Cross-cutting agendas and working across departments
B.8 - A guide to Continuous Professional Assessment (CPA) and how it affects the arts
B.9 - The role of statutory and non-statutory services
B.10 - Accountability and budgets - how they are set and monitored
B.11 - External fundraising sources
C: The National Picture
C.1 - Working with the Arts Council - a guide to policies and priorities
C.2 - Regional development agencies and Sub-strategic Partnerships
C.2.1 - RDAs
C.2.2 - Regional Cultural Consortia
C.2.3 - SSPs
C.3 - Statutory requirements
C.3.1 - child protection
C.3.2 - disability discrimination
C.3.3 - risk assessment
C.3.4 - health and safety
C.3.5 - licensing laws
C.3.6 - Race Discrimination
C.4 - nalgao - the benefits of membership
C.5 - Performance indicators in the arts
C.5.1 - basket of local indicators
C.5.2 - CPA performance indicators
D: Acronyms and Jargon - A list of some common initials, and jargon
E: Working with artists
E.1 - Simple guide to contracting
F: Personal Professional development, further information and reading
F.1 - Personal Professional Development
F.2 - Guide to useful publications
F.3 - List of websites for further reference
F.4 - Advocacy documents
Acknowledgements
