A recent survey into training needs of Arts Officers in local authorities indicated that 46% of all officers surveyed had not undergone any form of induction programme on starting their jobs. A full and comprehensive guide to the induction process is available at http://www.nalgao.org/members/info.htm, which contains valuable information for your line manager, so it may be worth going through that guide together.

There are a number of topics that you should expect to cover during the induction process

• Geography of work area, toilets, refreshment areas
• The nature of the post
• Key tasks and areas of responsibility
• The nature of the Authority
• The nature of the arts/cultural sector
• Key contacts (and written contact &telephone list)
• The nature of the section/department
• Policies, Policy statements, strategies and action plans
• Health & Safety issues; emergency evacuation, any special requirements and procedures
• Customer service and equal opportunities procedures and practices
• Lines of communication inside and out of the immediate organisation
• Key people
• Direct service responsibilities, development issues and action programmes
• Geographical orientation and information about catchment area
• Budgets and financial accountability, financial regulations etc.
• Sources of information and support
• Training needs
• Personal/domestic needs, personnel issues (holidays/sickness/grievance/disciplinary procedures etc.)
• Administrative details (ordering procedures, inventories, filing systems, typing and paper related procedures and layouts, etc.)
• Environmental issues (recycling policies, energy efficiency etc.)
• Consultation procedures, CPA, etc.
• Monitoring & evaluation procedures
• Committee processes, timescales of meetings etc, the political framework,
• Marketing and promotion procedures (if appropriate)
• Media and press contact

Don’t expect all this to take place over just one interview on the first day of your new job. It might be better to address this over a long time-scale, which will need monitoring. nalgao recommend the following:

• Pre-induction: reading matter; information packs on service and catchment area. Perhaps a post-interview visit and familiarisation meeting.
• First Day. Ensure a new employee has enough time with the full attention of the manager. Meeting with key people, “the tour” of the work place, emergency procedures, and if possible programme a team meeting.
• First week. Additional documentation (policy, service documents, action programmes, service priorities, departmental procedures) geographical familiarisation, further meetings with key staff, accounts and administrative systems, in-depth briefings from close colleagues.
• First Month. Visits to other sections and associated services/departments. The political framework, experience of a committee and committee reporting (if appropriate). The policy framework. Planned review meeting with manager, identification of training needs and areas of potential development. Establishment of personal plans for next twelve months.
• First year. Regular review meetings with colleagues, line manager and if possible, mentor, and give full support throughout this period. And remember to programme time for this.

B.2 The responsibilities of local government: County,
Unitary, District/Borough and Parish councils.

Most council services are the primary responsibility of one tier of government; Districts and Boroughs do refuse collection, while Counties do education and roads, for example. Unitaries, by definition, do it all.

Cultural programmes do not operate so simply…..

The arts will normally operate at 3 levels: regionally, where the Arts Council regional office is the main focus, at the County where an arts team will take a view on County-wide arts programmes (for example, in creative industry development or in touring schemes) or for a Unitary Council, urban regeneration issues. At District level, the arts will deliver local priorities; many participatory arts projects are organised within the geographic boundaries of a Borough or District. Even small parishes may have a role to play in this spiders’ web of partnerships – parish councils are often rural arts promoters, for example.

Bolsover Festival. Image : Alan Fletcher

B.3 How Cabinet Government works and the role of the
Portfolio holder

A cabinet is the decision-making group of senior elected members; each will take responsibility for different “portfolios”.  You should find out who your Portfolio holder is, with responsibility for the arts. You may find it useful to invite them to events, and to keep them involved, but do work through your line manager who will deal with the Portfolio holder on a regular basis. The Portfolio holder is the champion of your service, but remember that a portfolio holder will have responsibility for a host of broad strands, of which the arts is just one.

A Cabinet usually consists of 7 or 8 members, and portfolio titles will vary in different authorities. At County level, there will be one for Adult Social Services, Children’s Services (combining education & children’s social services), Libraries, Environment/Highways, Culture/Leisure or Community (often the home to the arts portfolio), IT/Finance and Community Safety. At District or Borough there will be a Planning, Housing, Finance, Communications, Leisure and other portfolios. Your work as an Arts Officer may be primarily accountable to the Leisure or Culture portfolio, but your work may be in partnership with other officers, and therefore impact on other portfolios.

A Portfolio holder will act as champion in the annual budget round, and for bids that may come forward from senior officers, so their role is crucial to yours. Funding for budgets are often considered in terms of how the programme (such as the arts programme) meets the principal priorities of the Council, such as youth engagement; you should research what these are. Having some other investment into your programme also counts well in persuading your Council to invest, and may help the Portfolio holder argue the case.

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