Walsall Compact on Communication

 

This page gives the text of the Walsall Compact on Communication, which has been developed between Walsall's voluntary and statutory sector organisations. The full compact is to be ratified by Walsall Borough Strategic Partnership.

 

Compact Policy Statement 5 - Communications and Information

 

As partners in Walsall Local Compact we believe that if we want to communicate well we need to listen just as much as we need to talk.  We must learn from feedback, and give people the credit for what they tell us.

 

Communication is the key to working together.

 

We have three key ideas in our communications — knowing why we want to HEAR and to be HEARD, being CLEAR, and taking PRIDE in each other.

 

There are five reasons why we want to HEAR and be HEARD

 

·         Helping things run smoothly, for example with good minutes and agendas

·         Exchanging information – giving it and receiving it freely

·         Announcing changes and opportunities

·         Reasoning with each other and the wider world

·         Defending each other’s reputation and building confidence

 

We will work to make sure that all of our communication — written and spoken — is CLEAR

 

·         Clear – easy to understand and with a clear purpose

·         Listening – monitored and open to response

·         Early – early enough to be useful

·         Appropriate – the right information in the right form for the right audience

·         Reliable — trustworthy, up to date and based on facts

 

We will also take PRIDE in our communications

·         Pride in the Borough

·         Respect for each other

·         Integrity and transparency

·         Diversity and accessibility

·         Excellence in all that we do

 

In order to achieve this we, as partners in Walsall Local Compact, will ensure:

 

·         that we welcome the richness of cultural differences and work to make our communication inclusive

 

·         that up to date information is available to partners early enough to be useful

 

·         that we publish leaflets with information that is most often requested

 

·         that we make the most of electronic communications, such as the internet, e-mail and kiosks

 

·         that all information is written in plain English, dated, and with contact details for further information or response

 

·         that information can be made available in other formats (e.g. large print, Braille, audio tape) and in languages other than English