Suffolk staff get social networking system

The council has made the move as part of its stakeholder engagement programme, following the example of a similar initiative by Stockport Council. Chris Pyburn, Suffolk's communications manager for adult and community services, told GC News that the forum works on a password protected intranet that includes a range of video clips, blogs, articles and discussion threads. It was put together with the support of social media specialist Pavilion Interactive, part of OLM Group. The council has set it up to promote the growth of online communities of public service staff, but Pyburn said it could also provide other benefits, such as reducing the need for travel to induction courses and staff meetings. He said access to the intranet is now being provided to the council's adult and community services staff, numbering "a few hundred", and will be extended to others. It has also been made available to more than 50 people from voluntary organisations, and the council wants to extend it to healthcare agencies in the county. "Potentially it can grow and grow," he said. "There is the potential for it to have a few thousand users, and there are lots of applications that other organisations can use." Mel Cassedy, Suffolk's strategic business manager, adult and community services, said: "Providing highly engaging content, we hope that our entire workforce will become actively involved in the project. For example, new staff can access induction videos and employees can comment on videos and presentations of road shows and events that they may be unable to attend due to office commitments. "Furthermore, we are keen to upload contributions from our partners such as Age Concern Suffolk, to provide a community wide approach."