Transform Gov - the digital government podcast

Fear of saying the wrong thing.
Fear of making things worse.
Fear of even starting the conversation.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Ailish O’Neill from the HSE’s National Suicide Prevention Office about “Let’s Talk About Suicide” — the winner of the 2025 Ireland eGovernment Education Award.

This is a digital learning programme designed to help ordinary people recognise signs of suicidal distress and feel confident enough to step in and help.
But this conversation goes far beyond technology.

It explores:
• Why lived experience completely changed the design of the programme
• How language and tone can determine whether people engage or switch off
• Why online learning was the right solution for a deeply sensitive subject
• How digital tools can build confidence — not just awareness
• What public sector teams can learn about communication, trust, and behaviour change

One insight stands out:
Many people taking the training were already worried about someone in their lives.
That changes everything.
Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:30 Why the programme was created during COVID
04:10 Why suicide prevention training is different
07:20 Designing learning that builds confidence
10:15 The power of lived experience
15:05 “We get it now” — the turning point for developers
18:40 Fear of saying the wrong thing
22:10 Real-world stories and impact
25:00 What other public sector teams can learn
28:00 What happens next
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What actually happens when a country decides to digitise itself?

Not the theory. Not the strategy decks. The real story.

Over 23 years, Ireland’s public sector has gone from:
• Paper forms, post and phone calls
• To online transactions people trust
• To fully integrated, citizen-first services
• And now… cautiously stepping into AI

This episode is a rare step back — a straight, honest look at what changed, what worked, and what didn’t.

You’ll hear:
• Why early “digital” projects were little more than brochure websites
• The moment citizens finally trusted online government services
• The internal battles — fiefdoms, silos and systems that wouldn’t talk to each other
• How collaboration became the biggest shift of all
• Why “citizen-first” wasn’t always the mindset — and how that changed
• The truth about AI in government — less hype, more caution

And crucially — what all of that means for what comes next.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two years and nine months.

That’s how long people were waiting in the system — until everything had to change.

What happens when a public service built for 3,000 applications a year suddenly faces over 18,000?

That was the reality facing Ireland’s International Protection Office — a system under intense pressure, with growing backlogs, long delays, and real human consequences.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks to Emer Mullins and Daniel Drennan, the team behind a transformation programme that didn’t just improve a service — it fundamentally redesigned it.

From paper files that could stretch the length of a room…to fully digital workflows, online interviews, and real-time data dashboards…
this is a story of what it actually takes to deliver change inside the public service — at scale, under pressure, and in real time.

You’ll hear:
What the system looked like before — and why it wasn’t sustainable
How they rebuilt processes before introducing technology
What changed for staff — and for applicants
How decisions increased dramatically without simply adding more people
What other public sector teams can learn from this
This is not theory.
This is real delivery.

🎧 Listen now — and if it resonates, share it with someone working on transformation.

Chapters
00:00 — Welcome to Transform Gov
01:20 — What the International Protection Office actually does
02:30 — The surge: from 3,000 to 18,000 applications
04:44 — The “before”: paper, delays and pressure
06:44 — Waiting times: up to 2 years and 9 months
08:21 — The complexity: multiple agencies involved
10:07 — The tipping point — why change was unavoidable
11:25 — Where the transformation started
13:45 — Scaling up: staff, infrastructure and process
15:27 — From paper to digital — the reality on the ground
20:40 — Digitising 35,000+ case files
22:20 — Online interviews — what changed
25:49 — Time saved, faster decisions, real outcomes
27:30 — Preparing for new EU migration rules
29:39 — A fully digital applicant journey
32:38 — Data, dashboards and decision-making
34:59 — Lessons for other public sector teams
39:21 — What comes next
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An insider's guide to a brilliant entry for the Ireland eGovernment Awards

Most teams think awards are about technology, scale, or budget.

They’re not.

On this episode of Transform Gov, we sit down with Declan Tuite, Head Judge of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, and Maeve Kneafsey, to break down what really separates winning entries from the rest.

Why strong projects fall short.
What judges are actually looking for.
And how to turn your work into a clear, compelling entry.

Because here’s the truth:

The difference between winning and losing is often not the project —
it’s how it’s explained.

If you’re planning to enter the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2026, start here.
Ready to enter? You can find step-by-step guides to entry on our website https://digitalgovawards.com/enter/resources/

Chapters
00:00 – Why this episode matters: helping you win
00:30 – Entries now open: key dates and deadlines
01:10 – Meet the head judge: Declan Tuite
02:00 – The #1 mistake applicants make
02:40 – It’s not the tech — it’s the story
03:20 – What judges actually look for
04:00 – Before and after: showing real impact
04:40 – Proof, not promises: using stats and evidence
05:30 – Who is the user? Why it matters
06:10 – Avoid this: jargon and over-explaining
06:50 – Innovation vs real-world results
07:30 – Picking the right category (and why it matters)
08:20 – Start early: why timing improves your entry
09:00 – Using supporting documents and visuals
09:40 – Writing clearly: answering the actual questions
10:20 – What makes an entry stand out
11:10 – Small projects can win (and do)
12:00 – Step-by-step: how to enter online
13:10 – Register, save, refine: how the system works
14:00 – Entering multiple categories
14:50 – What happens after you submit
16:00 – Final advice from the head judge
17:00 – Deadline reminder and key dates
18:00 – Why you should enter (even if unsure)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part 2 of this Transform Gov conversation, Marie Wallace (Accenture) moves beyond the concept of digital identity — and explains what it actually means in practice for service delivery, cost, and efficiency.

The headline figure? Up to €8 billion in economic impact for Ireland.

But the real story is where that value comes from:
removing manual verification from services
eliminating repeated onboarding across organisations
reducing friction across life events
and integrating identity directly into business processes

From passports to healthcare to supply chains, this is a look at how identity sits at the centre of service transformation.

And why fixing it could change everything.

Get the full report The Identity Economy https://forms.office.com/r/fqCBsvQRv3

Chapters
00:00 Bringing digital identity into real-world impact
01:18 €8bn — where the number comes from
01:56 Manual verification — the hidden problem
02:46 Repeating data across services
03:06 Life events — why services don’t connect
04:53 Personalised services explained
05:47 Data control and AI at the edge
08:46 Fraud, deepfakes and verification
12:01 Where the biggest gains are (health, pensions, services)
13:38 Ireland’s opportunity and readiness
15:48 What governments must do next
18:04 What could derail progress
21:28 What changes over the next 3–5 years
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.