The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is the professional body for those involved in the management and development of people. There are 127,000 individual members. The CIPD's mission is:

• to lead in the development and promotion of good practice in the field of the management and development of people, for application both by professional members and by their organisational colleagues.
• to serve the professional interests of members.
• to uphold the highest ideals in the management and development of people.

Government

The links below provide access to a wide range of government publications coving subjects such as Programme and Project Management in Government, Comprehensive Performance Assessment in Local Government and Professional Skills for Government.

The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit - Publications

The Strategy Unit was formed in 2002 to:

• improve the Government's capacity to address long term and/or cross- cutting strategic issues
• promote innovation in policy development and the delivery of the Government's objectives

The Unit is based in the Cabinet Office but reports to the Prime Minister who takes final decisions about the Unit's work. The Unit publishes a range of documents, including reports, discussion papers, analytical papers and consultation documents.

 The Office of Government Commerce - Programme and Project Management

OGC offers guidance to improve the way the public sector manages programmes and projects. Making them more successful will enhance the quality of new initiatives and make UK government organisations more effective and efficient.

Follow the links to the Resource Toolkit and/or Document Library.

Audit Commission - CPA in the Fire and Rescue Services

The Audit Commission is an independent public body responsible for ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently, and effectively in the areas of local government, housing, health, criminal justice and fire and rescue services. The Commission assesses the performance of councils and the services that they provide for local people. Those assessments help councils to focus on improvement.

Follow the link to see how the Audit commission is working with county, combined, metropolitan and London fire authorities across England.

Civil Service - Professional Skills for Government

Professional Skills for Government (PSG) is a key part of the Government's Delivery and Reform agenda. It is a major, long-term change programme designed to ensure that civil servants, wherever they work, have the right mix of skills and expertise to enable their Departments or agencies to deliver effective services. PSG will also provide clarity about the skills individuals need to develop and progress in the civil service and access to more consistent opportunities to develop those skills.

Follow the link for more information about PSG.