Courses take place in:

London, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast

The role and functions of the Freedom of Information Officer are wide-ranging, from understanding decision notices to logging and fulfilling new requests, from devising plans to train relevant staff members to liaising with senior management on compliance issues, and from collating and publishing statistics to dealing with investigations from the FOI regulator.

This course, which applies to all parts of the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - analyses the role and duties of the Freedom of Information Officer in a practical context and provides delegates with the information that they need to become more effective and efficient. Topics include:

• the FOI Officer’s functions – job description, professional ethics, and relationship with Data Protection Officers
• how to read and understand decisions of the Commissioners and Tribunals
• copyright and re-use – the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 and FOI, dataset rules, licensing use of disclosed information
• collating statistics – what should be counted, reporting and publication
• embedding FOI – resources, policies and procedures, transparency by design
• working with colleagues – management support, internal networks, handling lack of co-operation, raising awareness and training
• processing requests – IT systems, triage, searching for information, collating information, redaction, record-keeping
• communicating with applicants – acknowledging requests, advice and assistance, what to include in responses, requests from the media
• internal reviews – procedures, who should conduct them, what to review, handling complaints from the Commissioner

The session includes instruction, practical exercises and case studies designed to enhance delegates’ perception of their role and equip them with the tools to effectively manage their authority’s compliance with FOI laws.

It is recommended that delegates attending this course have a solid knowledge of the fundamentals of FOI law and practice. Those with limited existing knowledge should attend FOI – Level 1 and FOI – Level 2 before attending this course.