There is widespread acknowledgement that there is a need to improve organisational financial literacy and to foster a collective ownership of financial issues if authorities are to continue to improve local services.

However, despite the increasing recognition of the importance of the role of service managers in the effective management of resources, the appropriate finance training is often under developed and under resourced across many local authorities.

The Forum for training service managers has been renamed to the CIPFA Service Managers’ Training Forum continues with the aim of enhance the financial management skills and competencies of the non-finance professional – heads of service, service managers and their operational staff but has been restructured. CIPFA’s Improving Financial Literacy in Public Service Organisations – A Good Practice Resource Pack published towards the end of 2008 underpins the new programme. The Forum is designed to add value to the existing financial management arrangements within authorities, and to be an essential tool to assist with the development of financial management competencies of service managers. The ultimate benefit will be the strengthening of the organisation’s financial management capacity.

For further details about the CIPFA Service Managers’ Training Forum please select ‘About SMTF’