Better Public Services: Events

Check back here for information on upcoming events.

This conference focussed on Building a Workforce and Organisation of the Future, which is a central theme of the Better Public Services strategy. The ambition of that strategy is to create a Public Service workforce that is diverse, agile and inclusive, that is skilled for the future and that is an employer of choice for current and future employees.

The event, which saw approximately 400 Public Service leaders and HR professionals attend either in-person or online, was MCed by Sineád Burke – CEO of Tilting the Lens. The day featured sessions on key trends for HR and the People Profession in 2024, tackling inequality and work in society, approaches to integrating Irish language into Public Service workplaces, the new Public Service Apprenticeship Plan and navigating the landscape of future skills needed to deliver better public services.

Further Better Public Services events, focussed on achieving Digital and Innovation at Scale and Evidence-informed Policy and Services, are planned this year and will be promoted across the Public Service soon.

This event welcomed leaders, innovators and change-makers from across the Public Service to explore how Government can deliver on its ambition of tackling big societal issues and driving change through digital and innovation under the Better Public Services transformation strategy.

The conference featured an inspiring line-up of speakers exploring issues such as digital inclusion, the potential for emerging technologies like AI in the Public Service, design-led approaches to developing services and delivering seamless user experiences for the public via the ‘Life Events’ digital government programme.

This conference brought together Public Servants from organisations across the country, along with international experts and thinkers, to explore how the Public Service can deliver more effective human-centred policies and services designed with evidence and insights from data and research.

The event was an opportunity to discuss progress on and facilitate further collaboration under the Better Public Services transformation strategy and was centred around three key themes:

• harnessing data to strengthen policy development and service delivery
• using innovative approaches to drive transformation in policy and service delivery
• achieving impact and building trust and legitimacy

The conference was the third in a series of flagship events organised as part of Government's efforts to advance the Better Public Services strategy.

Public Service Transformation Week 2023 saw Public Service organisations across the country host over 30 individual events for their staff and wider Public Service audiences. The programme featured webinars, workshops and in-person sessions focussed on Public Service innovation, creative problem solving, service design for and with the public, advancing the use of data and AI, citizen-inclusive research and much more.

The Public Service Transformation Conference on Monday 23 October saw over 350 Public Service leaders and innovators gather in the Dublin Royal Convention Centre to share ideas and examples of best practice and identify opportunities to work together on scaled-up solutions to challenges.

The conference was opened by Minister Donohoe who said he said he was pleased to see “all the work underway to transform how we deliver our public services and the huge impact technology is having on how we design and deliver services to citizens’.

The theme of Public Service Transformation Week 2024 was ‘Transformation in Action’. There was a particular focus on initiatives that are centred on scalability; underpinned in the Action Plan for Designing Better Public Services; promoting cross-collaboration; holistic and human centred in nature and using data to inform transformation.

Over 40 events took place, 77% of which were online and which reached an audience of 2,000 across all networks. The highest attended webinars were on the topic of Artificial Intelligence, Public Services Record Management and Design.

Public Service Transformation Week was the fourth flagship event organised by the Department in 2024 directed on delivery of the Better Public Services strategy. It follows events focused on the strategy’s themes of Digital and Innovation at Scale; Workforce and Organisation of the Future; and Evidence-Informed Policies and Services designed for and with our Public.

Recordings of a selection of events which took place during Transformation Week are available at this YouTube playlist.

The theme of Public Service Transformation Week 2025 was 'Transformation at Scale'. Over 60+ events hosted by organisations across the country highlighted the incredible work happening across the public service to deliver better outcomes for citizens.

Content from a selection of these events is available below:

• Developing and implementing a content governance framework for plain language - The Arts Council
  
• Creative Boardroom: Collaborate4Climate - Creative Futures Academy
  
• Slaintecare: HSE Health App: Where are we now? - HSE
  
• National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People launch video - Department of Children, Disability and Equality
  
• Using cloud services to deliver a client relationship management system for the EU Council Presidency Hubspot video
  
• Department of Children, Disability and Equality, The Digital PAF (or D-PAF) system DPAF video and the Barnahus Ireland Galway video Barnahus Ireland Galway video on Vimeo
  
• Department of Education and Youth
  - Apply to School – Common Application System
  https://youtu.be/hDRWzpF0ePs
  - Introducing Youth Night https://youtu.be/TEODcvTrWUQ
  - Sci Fest https://youtu.be/DfiIZEvdx04
  - Solar Panel Rollout to School Buildings https://youtu.be/KNLf9JPxHSg
  - Young Scientist of the Year https://youtu.be/1coWmsZwZIA
  - AI Guidance for Schools https://youtu.be/dnHz-2Vi7aw
  
• National Archives webinar is available to view Video on Records Management from the National Archives
  
• Courts Service and Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration - HACKATHON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDvEfP98tTA

• HSE Spark Innovation Programme (www.hse.ie/spark) during Public Service Transformation Week 2025 - Please see a short video in the QR code below

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