Welcome to our newsletter, bringing you all the latest from the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government. In this newsletter, we bring you a detailed update on what has been happening throughout the last month and details of upcoming activities.
If you have any queries regarding any of the content within this newsletter, please get in touch.
Celebrating 9 Years of the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government.
This month marks a significant milestone - 9 years since the Digital Office was established to drive digital transformation across Scotland’s Local Authorities.
We would like to thank all of our partners and colleagues for their continued support. Together, we've achieved incredible milestones, and we're excited to continue to work collectively to adopt a 'Once for Scotland' approach to digital transformation.
Head to our website to read reflections from our Chief Digital Officer, Martyn Wallace, and Chief Technology Officer, Colin Birchenall, as they share their thoughts on the journey so far and what lies ahead.
Refreshing Scotland's Digital Strategy Blog Update: What is this all about?
Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate, COSLA and the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government are working together to refresh our joint Digital Strategy for Scotland.
Check out the fifth blog in our series, where our Chief Digital Officer, Martyn Wallace explains what this refresh means for public services in Scotland in practical, everyday terms.
The Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, in collaboration with FarrPoint, has released a report on the benefits of telecare. While telecare’s value has long been recognised, this report provides the first clear evidence that quantifies and demonstrates its impact.
Key Highlights:
Improved Service Outcomes: Telecare is enhancing the quality and responsiveness of care services across Scotland.
Financial Savings: The report identifies measurable, bankable savings for health and social care providers.
System-Wide Efficiencies: Telecare is contributing to streamlined processes and better resource allocation within Scotland’s health and care sector.
This report strengthens the case for continued investment and innovation in telecare solutions, supporting our shared goal of delivering sustainable, person-centred care.
Microsoft has launched the “Get Tech Certified” campaign, a three-month initiative offering free training and certification to UK public sector staff, running from October to December 2025. This programme is designed to enhance digital capabilities across the UK public sector, encouraging individuals to learn something new and earn a certification. This Includes:
Free training and certifications across Cloud Platforms & Technologies, FinOps, Software Engineering, Machine Learning Engineering & A.I, Quantum Computing, Cyber Security, and Data.
Self-study plans, video on demand and virtual instructor led courses. Those demonstrating exam readiness by submitting a completed practice assessment with a score of 80% or more can also claim a free Microsoft exam voucher.
For those wanting to learn something new outside of certification, Microsoft also offer a range of skills-based training on Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat, Agents and much more.
Please note: Some resources are linked to the Microsoft ESI initiative. Microsoft now manages ESI access on an individual council basis. If you run into any access issues, please contact your Microsoft Account Manager directly.
Digital Leaders Meeting Follow Up: Discovery sessions for separate Education Tenancy.
Following this month’s Digital Leaders meeting, several councils have requested a session to share practical experience on creating a separate tenancy for Education and moving pupil devices to Intune.
In response, we’ll be setting up two short sessions for councils to discuss lessons learned and agree on next steps. Formal invites will follow shortly.
If you have case studies or example documents you’re happy to share and are interested in joining these sessions, please get in touch with Euan Miller or Monika Franko.
Explore this month's new additions to the
Resource Centre!
Take a moment to explore the brand new resources we have added to the Resource Centre this month! Not signed up yet? Register now to unlock full access and stay up to date with the latest resources.
Please note: you must be logged in to the Resource Centre for the below links to work and take you directly to the resources.
Table-Top Cyber Exercising Pack to Strengthen Cyber Resilience in Scottish Local Authorities.
The Digital Office, in conjunction with Scottish Government SC3, provide table-top cyber security exercises designed to enhance cyber resilience in local authorities. These exercises help teams identify gaps in their preparations and emphasise the collective responsibility of the entire council for cyber security and incident response.
We have now added a Table-top Cyber Exercising Pack to our Resource Centre for councils that may want to run their own exercise.
This pack includes:
Cyber Exercising Proposal Template
Instruction Manual
Facilitator Notes Template
De-brief Documentation Template
Example Slides for a Strategic Ransom & Data Theft Scenario
After Action Report Template
For advice or to request a facilitated session, please contact our Chief Information Security Officer, Dave Ritchie.
Scottish AI Alliance's "Living with AI" course is now available on the Resource Centre.
The Digital Office, in partnership with the Scottish AI Alliance, is excited to announce the launch of the “Living with AI” course on the Digital Office Resource Centre.
This online course, created by the Scottish AI Alliance, is designed to introduce the general public of Scotland to the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In a world full of AI disinformation and misunderstanding, the Living with AI course aims to provide a clear understanding of the current impact of AI on our society and work, the challenges that we face with AI, and what the future of AI may hold.
The course has been tailored to the needs of adult learners in Scotland, making the content highly relevant and accessible. It focuses on the real-world and societal impacts of AI, rather than technical development.
Upon completion, learners will be able to:
Recognise common AI applications in everyday life and their potential impact on society.
Explain basic AI concepts and terminology in simple, non-technical language.
Identify potential ethical issues related to AI use in various contexts.
Critically evaluate news and media reports about AI developments.
Make informed decisions about AI in both personal and professional contexts.
Castlehill Housing Association has successfully upgraded and decommissioned telecare systems across its sheltered housing schemes, embracing digital solutions to improve tenant safety and compliance.
Through careful planning, collaboration, and tenant engagement, the project delivered modernised fire panels, lifts, and door entry systems, earning Castlehill the Scottish Digital Office 5-star award and setting a benchmark for efficiency and innovation in the sector.
We have been working with Castlehill Housing Association to document this journey from analogue to digital telecare, and the case study and blog are now available on the Playbook.
Coming Soon: Second Release of M365 Information Governance Guidance Documents.
Last month, we launched the new M365 Information Governance Hub on the Digital Office Resource Centre. Developed in partnership with our Core Subject Matter Expert Group, the Hub offers practical guidance to help staff use Microsoft 365 in line with council policies, data protection legislation, and information governance standards.
This month, we’ve been preparing the next set of resources, focusing on Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) and information sharing. These will be sent to Information Governance leads in all councils next week for review and comments to help make them more practical and useful for everyone.
In parallel, the final five documents are with our Core Subject Matter Experts. Once that review is complete, we will share those with all councils for wider feedback in the next couple of weeks. We aim to publish the second set towards the end of November.
Renfrewshire’s DigiRen Network is gearing up for DigiKnowVember — a month-long celebration of digital inclusion, skills development, and community collaboration.
Throughout November, over 150 events will take place across Renfrewshire and beyond. This ranges from digital skills drop-ins and employability sessions to AI panels, online safety workshops, and wellbeing showcases.
There’s something for everyone, and it’s all about helping people build confidence, skills, and connections in our digital world.
Have a look at the online and offline programme of events below and get involved.
Think Data & AI Month: Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) professional learning for the Scottish public and third sectors.
We're delighted to continue our collaborations with The Scottish Digital Academy and to welcome you to this series of events as part of Think Data and AI month in November. These sessions reflect our shared commitment to building digital capability across Scotland’s public sector, with a particular focus on data literacy, artificial intelligence, and service design.
The programme of events is designed to support local authorities and public sector organisations in navigating the evolving digital landscape, enhancing decision-making, and embedding innovation into everyday practice.
We are especially pleased to include contributions from several suppliers with whom we have active projects underway. Their involvement ensures that the sessions are relatable and aligned with the tools and platforms currently being adopted across councils.
From data literacy and data stewardship and AI maturity audits, to service design and process mapping, these sessions will showcase practical insights and collaborative solutions.
Whether you are joining us to deepen your understanding of digital strategy, explore new technologies, or contribute to shaping Scotland’s digital future, we look forward to your participation and the shared learning that will emerge from these events. Use the button below to explore the events and register.
National Training Platform Discovery Session: 10th November 2025.
In partnership, with COSLA and SPDS, we’re assessing options for a National Training Platform (LMS) to support workforce development across Scotland’s councils including NES’s Turas platform and Cornerstone’s platform.
We're hosting an information and co-development session where we will explore:
Progress Updates:
Turas: Engagement with NES on platform refresh and suitability for cross-sector use.
Cornerstone: Discovery sessions held; proposal and opportunity review
Stakeholder Engagement: Input from COSLA, SPDS, NHS, and local authorities.
Next Steps:
Invite councils to help shape requirements and co-create content.
Co-develop the business case and include any existing platforms/models to be considered
Gather input from those with LMS experience or reviewing training platforms.
If you are involved in the procurement, maintenance and development of you Learning Management System (LMS) platform and content creation, we would value your participation and insights.
Artificial Intelligence Community: Co-Development Session. 11th November 2025.
Our Artificial Intelligence community co-led by City of Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross and Renfrewshire Councils, brings together diverse stakeholders: council leaders, technologists, policymakers, and community representation, to collaborate and address shared challenges and opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Further to the previous call to action, we are excited to announce our next AI Community session on Tuesday 11th November at 1:45pm – 3:15pm, on Microsoft Teams. Together we will explore:
Welcome and Introductions
Quick round of intros and overview of today’s focus.
AI Governance and Policy Consolidation
Update on draft Policies shared.
Local Governance Boards and Forums to support AI Adoption.
Common themes/core fundamentals with consolidation using Co-Pilot.
Discussion on how this work informs the Scottish AI Strategy and supports a “Once for Scotland” approach.
Security and Data Privacy
Information security challenges in deploying AI across councils.
Data Privacy - UK GDPR and DPA 2018 compliance.
Legal considerations.
Risk Management and Ethical Use
Overview of risk-based approaches and governance models.
Addressing fairness, transparency, and accountability in council contexts.
Collaboration and Co-Design
Opportunities to contribute to shared tools, templates, and lifecycle guidance.
Next steps
Agreed priorities and approaches to AI
Defined problems/pain points we are trying to solve.
Mapping and aligning existing guidance (ICO, LGA, EHRC, NHS frameworks).
Future Technologies, Data and AI in the public sector: 18th November 2025.
We're delighted to share that we have collaborated with The Scottish Digital Academy to secure spaces at this event for councils. Numbers are limited due to this being an in person event, therefore this will be on a first come basis.
The Scottish Digital Academy, along with the Danish Government are hosting this one day event to explore the use of future technologies, Data and AI in the public sector showcasing how both nations are currently leveraging innovation and AI, whilst also exploring future strategies and opportunities.
Why attend this one day event?
Discover how both countries are using Data, AI and emerging technologies today.
Explore future plans and opportunities for collaboration.
Engage in facilitated discussions and knowledge exchange.
Learn from best practices and innovative public sector programmes.
Join us for this unique opportunity to connect, learn and lead innovation within the public sector.
Use the buttons below to read the agenda and book your place.
Date: Tuesday 11th November
Time: 9:30 am – 4:15pm Location: John McIntyre Conference Centre,
Edinburgh University,18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh EH16 5AY
