CC2i

CC2i

Dojo from CC2i

Briefly describe the initiative/ project/service; please include your aims and objectives

GMCA is nominating CC2i for the iNetwork Partner Excellence Award for their collaborative approach and success in driving cyber and information governance awareness and learning across Greater Manchester (GM) via the Dojo series. Cyber security and the Data Protection Act 2018 – GDPR specifically – have changed our working landscape irrevocably over the last 18 months. Public sector organisations are priority targets for cyber criminals due to the amount of personal data we hold, and millions of pounds are spent every year across GM to defend systems against hacks and breaches. However ultimately our staff need to be the last line of defence, so training is essential. Added to the increasing and evolving cyber threats, GDPR and efficient data sharing underpins GMCA’s information sharing framework and our drive to improve and embed effective partnership working.A lot of employees find data protection and cyber awareness training dull and difficult to access and organisations struggle to invest in this critical piece of defense. As such GMCA saw both clear and accessible GDPR and cyber training as critical to progress the development of public services across Greater Manchester.

What are the key achievements?

The cost of a data breach can be hundreds of thousands of pounds. The cost of a cyber attack can run into millions and can paralyse organisations not just for an hour, but for days and weeks afterwards. In addition, the reputational damage is something that can take years to rebuild. By being one of eight organisations co-funding and co-designing the Dojo: InfoGov series meant we were able to not only deliver high quality training to all staff at GMCA and Oldham Council, but do so for an eighth of the price. On top of this we benefited from the collective knowledge of subject matter experts from the production company, educational experts, as well as the other seven councils involved.CC2i’s co-funding and co-design approach means GMCA and Oldham will save over £14,000 over three years in training subscription fees and the results are effective, engaging and accessible training (and InfoGov – let’s face it – can be quite a dry subject!). The project has meant we were able not only to steer and deliver in-depth information governance training for just shy of 5,000 employees, but negotiate a deal for all of GM public sector for cyber awareness training; over 20,000 public sector staff across GM have benefited from this to date.

What are the key learning points?

Collaboration is a word we hear across the sector time and time again. Whether on a GM level, from MHCLG, in terms of working with health and care partners etc. But collaboration we all know is hard to achieve. Working with CC2i helped GMCA and others collaborate in a way we could not have managed alone. The model allowed us to access funding from across the sector, share our expertise and benefit from expertise outside of our locality. We knew we were not alone in facing Data Protection training challenges, but finding others to collaborate with would have taken weeks and even then if successful, having the legal and procurement framework to get a project of this size and quality off the ground, would have been challenging. In just 8 months from the initial co-design workshop, GMCA & Oldham Council rolled out public sector specific InfoGov training from award winning film-makers.Our learning to share with others is that if there is a challenge you are facing within your organisation that you imagine others across your sector are facing; they probably are! In addition to that there are effective ways of collaborating to make positive things happen. Taking a risk is not always risky, as this partnership with CC2i proved.

Additional Comments:

Whilst Dojo: InfoGov underpins the GMCA’s information sharing approach, it’s creation and use more widely across public sector (already 100k public sector staff just four months from delivery) means that the approach sets a standard across the sector. In times of austerity for the public sector the ability to collaborate and co-fund projects like this, that provides accessible and high quality training and awareness is vitally important.

Dojo: Cyber – used by over 350,000 public sector staff nationwide – will soon undergo a refresh, which due to CC2i’s collaborative approach will be delivered at no additional cost to GMCA or other GM authorities; it’s the power of the collaborative approach.By partnering with CC2i, GMCA and GM partners are able to get involved in projects that are difficult to tackle, for which we might not have the budget or around which we lack a depth of expertise. Since the InfoGov project we have spoken about a number of innovative collaborations and ideas including Councillor specific cyber training, the future of collective procurement and the challenges of adult social care.