Research & publications

CfGS is committed to developing and promoting leading policy and practice in governance and scrutiny.

Latest Publications

10 questions to ask if you are scrutinising services for looked after children

Scrutinising issues affecting children in the care of the local authority. Produced in partnership with the LGA. The ten question …

Walk a mile in my shoes – Scrutiny of dignity and respect for individuals in health and social care services

Assisting overview and scrutiny committees in reflecting issues relating to dignity in care, and respect for those being cared for, …

Scrutinising the Transformation of Adult Social Care: Practice Guide

Discussing key elements in the adult social care transformation programme which wil help overview and scrutiny committees assess the extent …

10 Questions to ask if you are scrutinising end of life care of adults

This guide is one of a series designed to help Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs) carry out their scrutiny …

Featured Publications

Governance risk and resilience framework: summary

Posted on 08/03/2021 by Ed Hammond

A summary of the CfGS governance risk and resilience framework. You can find full details on the framework at www.cfgs.org.uk/governancerisk …

10 Questions on Cyber Security

Posted on 02/03/2023 by Megan Ingle

This guide is for councillors sitting on scrutiny committees, and the officers who support them. It is designed to support …

Our research takes different forms:

Publications exploring the governance and scrutiny challenges which form part of new developments such as devolution, sustainability and transformation plans in health or new delivery vehicles. These are free to access, and some are funded by our partners including the Local Government Association.

Thought-leadership and policy development work which seeks to learn from our delivery experience or provide insight into new and potential challenges facing leaders and the governance community. This often takes the form of roundtables, blogs and think pieces.

Organising idea exchanges, best practice and support events including conferences, regional seminars and gatherings for specific groups of practitioners. These are promoted via our newsletter and you can sign-up here.

Running campaigns when we think something needs highlighting or changing. Often this involves advocating the benefits of transparency and accountability – an example is changes we promoted to local government scrutiny to coincide with the Communities and Local Government Select Committee Inquiry. You can read about our submission to the inquiry here.

Research is an area where CfGS is looking to increase activity. The aim is to have a good balance between work we fund from income generation and projects funded via grants and other research funding mechanisms.