Appendix A

Strategy and engagement work plan

The Communications and engagement team currently works to an annual work program of communications and marketing campaigns that link directly to the council's business objectives and help protect and improve the council’s reputation.

Four integrated campaign plans will be developed and aligned to each of the four priority outcomes by mixed teams of marketing and communications specialists working closely with the services and the new community of practice. This will help to ensure a whole Council approach to developing communications activity whilst also ensuring the council’s strategic aims and services objectives are reflected in all communications activity.

There will be a clear line of sight of all work coming into the team that can be prioritised by managers on an ongoing basis and resources are used as flexibly as possible to deliver the priorities and projects emerging.

 Our equalities duties and our commitments to carbon neutrality will run throughout all communications activity. This will apply to how we develop and share messaging, the channels and networks we use, and how we listen to feedback.

To manage resource effectively, the broad scope of the team's work will be as follows:

• Priority 1 campaigns are those that will have the biggest impact on Council reputation and are vital to the delivery of one of our agreed priority outcomes (to be agreed by outcome delivery boards).
• Priority 2 campaigns will be closely aligned to priorities but have a lesser impact on the reputation of the organisation (to be agreed at Directorate level with Strategic Directors).
• Priority 3 activity will include smaller campaigns - either aimed at smaller audiences or supporting time-limited activities or events (to be agreed with Service Directors)

This is an outline of the four Priority 1 campaigns:

A brilliant place to be a child and grow up – key strands:

• Giving young people a strong voice for Cornwall through the work of the Youth Council and the annual conversation, working with them to develop peer to peer communications, develop awareness of the democratic process and greater understanding of the work the council does to help and support young people, develop our listening and engagement with young people, expand the Y7 young journalists’ program.
• Telling the story of how local family hubs are levelling up the life chances of all young people in Cornwall and how they support children, young people, parents and carers to thrive with healthcare, parenting advice, mental physical wellness and access to charity and volunteer services.
• Telling the story of how the safety of children is our number one priority, through raising awareness of SEND provision and the new protected characteristic for children and young people in care – and how Cornwall takes a multi-agency approach to safeguarding our most vulnerable residents, and how measures we introduce around school locations such as 20mph speed limits reduce accidents and improve school safety.
• Showing how Cornwall’s schools develop life skills and attainment and offer a rich curriculum which reflects Cornwall’s unique heritage, Cornish language and culture through Curriculum Kerwenek, our commitment to “net zero”
• Encouraging take up of fostering and adoption in Cornwall to improve the life chances of the most vulnerable, aimed at a wide range of audiences.
• Highlighting adult education services and the wide range of practical skills and training, work-based training and placements on offer to raise aspirations and improve life chances.

Vibrant safe supportive communities where people help each other to live well – key strands:

• Telling the story of how the Council is improving adult social care provision supporting more people to live well and independently at home, investing £45m into providing care and support in community means that less people are waiting for a care assessment and less people are waiting for a social care package after a spell in hospital. We will focus on the delivery of 750 extra care places and innovation and technology being used to support people to stay in their homes.
• To support this work, we will continue to target a wide range of residents of diverse backgrounds, ages and stages of life to consider a career in the care sector, to fill the 1,400 vacancies. Our “Proud to Care” recruitment campaign talks about the tremendous rewards of a career in the care sector, the flexibility and diversity of the roles through real life stories of people returning to the care sector or joining for the first time.
• We will raise awareness of the help and support available in Cornwall to enable people to lead safer and healthier lives, by communicating key developments in the following areas: 10 year approach to physical activity, the work to tackle health inequalities and help with the cost of living, the work of the Cornwall’s fire and rescue service and tri-service officers keeping people safe, the local delivery of the national drug strategy, the serious violence prevention program, keeping vulnerable people safe through a review of the multi-agency safeguard hub, a strategy for the gypsy and traveler community, and reducing suicides in Cornwall.
• We will highlight Cornwall’s unique culture and heritage and continue to raise national awareness of the Cornish language and the growing number of residents who identify as Cornish, by communicating the outputs of the Cornish Minority Working Group and the considerable investment to support cultural initiatives through the shared prosperity fund, Town Deals and other grants. We will highlight specific projects in Cornwall’s communities to show how investment in culture builds community cohesion, raises awareness of the uniqueness of Cornwall and supports the local economy through jobs and services.
• We will promote inclusivity and diversity through the promotion religious celebrations and holidays festivals and “themed weeks” of different faiths cultures ethnic groups and those with protected characteristics and we will communicate the work the council and community groups do to promote welcoming communities for visitors.
• We will demonstrate how the services we deliver make Cornwall safer, cleaner and greener for residents, highlighting the work of our business regulatory services in upholding standards and protecting the public. We will work with the waste service to develop a fully integrated and multi-channel campaign designed to raise awareness and help residents get ready for the changes to the waste services, through 5 pilot areas, increase recycling and communicate information about the household waste and recycling centres. We will run digital campaigns designed to highlight the personal responsibility of residents when it comes to respecting, protecting and enjoying Cornwall’s spaces, clamping down on littering, fly tipping and dog fouling.
• We will engage with town and parish councils through our fortnightly town and parish council bulletin and encourage them to share information about the work of the Council through their community links and local networks.

Thriving and sustainable secure home decent income and a great environment, key strands:

• We will work with the Council’s inward investment team to develop a multi-channel overarching campaign to be delivered with partners highlighting Cornwall as a great place to “live’ work and do business”, showcasing our thriving space and technology, Agritech, mining, food, digital, creative and sustainable energy sectors to attract inward investment, underpin better standards of living and higher wages and help Cornwall’s economy to thrive.
• Tell the “whole story” of the housing crisis in Cornwall, and raise awareness of the significant work of the Council and partners Cornwall Housing and Treveth at every stage to tackle the housing crisis, reduce homelessness, improve the quality of housing in the rented sector, increasing the provision of affordable housing, provide extra care and enable the support and specialist housing for vulnerable residents, provide much better quality temporary housing , reducing fuel poverty and resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers.
• We will explain and promote the work the council and partners are doing to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero to both residents and business and develop campaigns which demonstrate tangible and practical examples of how these audiences can help by reducing their own carbon intake.
• We will demonstrate how the investment shared prosperity fund is delivering positive benefits for residents in a wide range of Cornwall’s communities, through jobs, new skills, improving local spaces, carbon reduction, new business start-ups, better community spaces etc.
• We will communicate the considerable work that is done by the Council and partners to improve journeys in Cornwall and make them safer and more dependable for residents and business, through transport investment including the Mid Cornwall Metro, the roll-out of 20mile and hour speed limits, fixing potholes, preparing our roads for winter journeys and speedy repairs.
• We will raise awareness of the significant investment in greener travel, delivering benefits for residents including infrastructure for electric vehicles, e-bikes, walking cycling infrastructure, how residents can use them and make the change to greener travel.

An enterprising and empowering council which provides great value for money and consistently excellent customer experience key strands:

• Delivering an enterprising and empowering organisation starts with communicating, not simply what the organization delivers for residents, but how we deliver it: a culture where we are ambitious, outward facing, continuously improving, strong values, visible leadership across the Council, which in turn drives better staff engagement because we Listen to our workforce and take action when needed as a result. Working closely with HR, EDI, change team and DF leads, internal communications will develop a communications campaign which drives better staff engagement through the workforce feeling listened to, valued and well informed.
• We will communicate the democratic process of decision making in Cornwall to residents and stakeholders through reporting of Cabinet, Ful Council meetings and the communication of the annual budget setting and business planning process, so that residents, members and businesses have clarity about the council’s finances and reassurance that decisions are based on best use of resources and best value for money. We will ensure the annual budget consultation is robust, wide-ranging and demonstrates that we are a listening Council.
• We will work closely with customer services to communicate all improvements in customer experience, through our work on single view of the customer, developing a customer portal, and our internal customer experience portals, and refresh the customer personas to help us better understand our target audiences as Cornwall changes.
• We will communicate changes to our estate to our workforce, members and residents as a key driver of efficiency, value for money and an opportunity to help provide options for affordable housing.