Improved transparency with two-thirds of FOI practitioners more confident in helping the public

Practitioners rate our FOI upstream resources as ‘extremely useful’. They help the public access the information they’re entitled to.  

We’ve been sharing training for FOI professionals via newsletters, workshops, webinars and self-serve resources. We’ve also increased transparency on case studies, practice recommendations and enforcement notices to help showcase best practice.  

We surveyed FOI practitioners, and 89% said they found our resources clear and easy to use. Most (70%) reported feeling more confident in dealing with FOI-related issues, and a third of respondents have already made changes to their processes.  

Meanwhile, over half the respondents said they’ve made – or plan to make – changes to their processes and procedures after reviewing our resources. These changes – or planned changes – include: 

• updates to internal procedures, templates and publication schemes; 
• better performance reporting; 
• enhanced website content; and 
• staff training. 

This suggests the public is more likely to receive timely, accurate and well-handled responses when they make a request. 

Our Upstream team continues to engage with public authorities to identify trends in FOI and EIR cases and complaints. We also highlight good practice and share insights to help practitioners grow in confidence and improve their understanding.