Appendix 2 - Sample of Project Overviews - April 2026
Perth and Kinross Council · 22 April 2026
Back to Finance and Resources Committee — 22 April 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL Transformation and Change – reshaping our organisation Sample of Project Overviews – April 2026
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL Contents Page Projects 1. Additional Support Needs (ASN) 2. AI and Automation 3. Business Systems Management Efficiency & Rationalisation Project (BSMER) 4. Customer Services Transformation 5. Fairer Communities for All Model 6. Improving Health & Wellbeing and Attendance in the Education Workforce 7. Whole Family Wellbeing (WFWB) programme 8. Zero Waste & Operations
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL Business Systems Rationalisation Business Systems Management • Efficiency • Rationalisation The Team Project Manager Dave Turner Business Analyst Damilola Ojie Dev Business Analyst/Project Support Ashleigh Mazur Procurement Support – Elaine Brett Background Council operates a decentralisedmodel for business systems, causing fragmented data and inefficiencies. T&C programme commissioned a review to create a one council view of the application landscape. Project Timeline Phase 1: Discovery (May–Dec 2023) Phase 2: Initiation (Jan–May 2024) – Single view of systems, new operating model, business case. Phase 3: Implementation (June 2024 onwards) –Operating model embedded, prioritisedchanges delivered Project extended to 31 Mar 2026 (December 2024)Description Programme aims to implement a One Council approach for governance, security, and efficiency and embed a cost-benefit model, rationalise systems. Outcomes One Council culture, single view of Council business systems, improved customer outcomes, fit-for-future operating model, reduced technical debt, improved security posture and compliance. Critical Success Factors Strong sponsorship, holistic governance, funding for early phases, strengthened Digital Board leadership. Contact for more information: Dave Turner (IT Team Leader) | dturner@pkc.gov.ukor CDSBSRProjectTeam@pkc.gov.uk A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Key Challenges • Lack of transparency on costs • Siloeddecision-making • Resourceconstraints • Resistanceto changelack of prioritisation. • Application data proved to be incomplete or none existent Key Learning Points The presumption that comprehensive application information would exist was optimistic Lack of understanding about what the project could achieve and the value of what has been achieved Benefits Realisation Improved value, compliance improvements, development streamlined processes, improved resilience.Next Steps • Embed operating model. • Implement decommission programme. • Expand governance and supplier engagement best practices.
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL Fairer Futures: Tackling Child Poverty, including the root causes and impacts for children, with their families and the communities in which they live. Paul Smith and Jade Doig Background Project Timeline • Nationally, Fairer Futures Partnerships are part of the Scottish Government mission to eradicate child poverty. The focus is on innovative practice, through a placed-based, data driven and collaborative approach. • In Perth and Kinross, we recognise that no child is responsible for the circumstances in which they are born and raised. The economic and social landscape is trapping families in poverty. • We are committed to finding solutions to reduce child poverty. No child deserves to have their future, health or wellbeing determined by poverty. January: Strategy and plan sign off. Data profiles & dashboards assessable for 6 areas. January - March: engagement including focus groups, individual interviews, targeted placed-based activity including funding decisions. March–May: data analysis and dissemination. Design workshop with services for child poverty action plan. January–February: exploring and discovering workshops. Base line data gathering for KPI’s. March–September: designing solutions, thematic workshops. Sharing good practise across places. Mid point review. October–December: implementation and creating longevity workshops. Year review report. Description New Fairer Futures place-based, MDT partnerships are being established to gain local knowledge, and plan and undertake the actions needed to address the drivers of poverty, including: insufficient income from employment, insufficient income from social security and cost of living. This means working with people experiencing poverty to design effective action on income maximisation, reducing the cost of living and addressing the barriers to employment. Outcomes We will: 1. Reduce child poverty 2. Increase participation, trust and capacity building with our communities. 3. Improve policy and practise, including shifting to a more preventative approach Critical Success Factors 1. Robust understanding of need through data analysis on health, wellbeing and the economy. 2. Effective and sustaining teams gaining understanding of need, designing and implementing solutions. 3. Effective strategic collaboration to drive innovation and ambitious action. 4. Sufficient resource and buy-in across services, teams and organisations. 5. Problem solving and designing solutions with people who are living in poverty. 6. Strong value based and good understanding of systemic factors which drive poverty Contact for more information jadedoig@pkc.gov.uk A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Key Challenges Recruitment delays in establishing staff team to drive project forward Communication and broader understanding of project Broad remit which is reliant on a range of participant contributions Complex and stubborn problem, impacted by global, national and local factors. Stigma and discrimination towards people living in poverty People with lived experience not being heard Key Learning Points Project creep, defining purpose and ambition of project while understanding intersecting and interdependent areas of work. SDP in development. Buy-in and wider understanding of project required improvement. New messaging and comms plan in development. Changed from locality working to placed based. Planning for Highland as an intermediate zone was not successful due to composition of area, so planning over several smaller places. Benefits Realisation / Achievements Fairer Future’s staff Team established, along with key collaborators identified MDT workshop participants identified, and activities scheduled across 2025-26 Data profiles designed, and work underway with IT to create dashboards Established governance structure including steering group functioning with newly defined purpose Engagement activates planned and scheduled for Jan- March 2026 Next Steps Establish additional MDT’s, co-ordinate increased activity of all MDT’s Understand lived experience and needs, and support participation in design process Undertake thematic workshops to design solutions Establish KPI’s to measure impact Reference Materials Fairer Futures Partnerships Evaluation Strategy
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL Improving Health and Wellbeing and Attendance - Education Workforce Morag Charity, Project Officer ; Susie Turner, Principal Educational Psychologist Background Project Timeline Description Our Education workforce is a keyasset in meeting our statutory obligations. Education is integral to delivering our corporate priorities relating to children and young people. This project is about the importance of getting it right for the education workforce –supporting them in their role in getting it right for our children and young people. Outcomes Critical Success Factors So how will we know? • Reduction in overall reported absence levels within the education workforce. • Reduction in reported work-related illness absences in education settings. • Reduction in supply costs linked to ill health absences. • Improvement in key wellbeing measures in future employee surveys. • Improved retention & recruitment. • Improved effectiveness of the PKC Health and Wellbeing Framework in education settings. Contact for more information STurner@pkc.gov.uk MACharity@pkc.gov.uk A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Key Challenges Key Learning Points unexpected insights! • Significance of infection and gastric illness. • Importance of streamlining communications – making this coherent and predictable. • New opportunities to build coalition around meaningful and achievable change. Benefits Realisation / Achievements • Cross-service collaboration leading to shared benefits • Engagement with Professional Organisations Next Steps Collaboration & Co-Creation • Action Research • Working Groups • Education Staff Voice September 2025 November 2026 Data Competing demands Response to data analysis: • Education staff feedback in the Employee Survey • Attendance rates • Retention & Recruitment challenges By: • Refining and supporting the Corporate Offer to meet the needs of the Education Workforce. Adding: • Evidence based supports for targeted groups of staff. • A Programme of Career Long Professional Learning that supports health and wellbeing for education. • Enhanced communication approaches for our education context. The Project aims to strengthen our commitment to enabling our children & young people to meet their full potential through developing a Health and Wellbeing Strategy for the Education Workforce.
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL Whole Family Wellbeing Programme Dr Carol McAuley – WFWF Programme Manager Background Project Timeline The Whole Family Wellbeing Fund is a Scottish Government (SG) initiative aimed at increasing the delivering holistic family support when, where and for as long as it is needed, with a focus on early intervention and prevention. The WFWF Programme also aligns with other key Scottish Government policies affecting the wellbeing of children, young people and families, including The Promise, UNCRC, GIRFEC, Child Poverty Delivery Plan (Best Start Bright Futures), Mental Health Strategy, Raising Attainment Strategy etc. Funding for the WFWF programme is available for the period April 2022 to March 2027. Description The projects supports improvement work across 4 core components and includes: • Engaging with families and professionals to establish local need. • Improving awareness of and access to low-threshold support. • Creating infrastructure to identify gaps in holistic family support provision, develop and deliver new services. • Building links with key stakeholders to support capacity building and partnership working. Outcomes A series of short-, medium- and long-term outcomes have been developed by Scottish Government for each of the 4 core components above. Local outcomes include: • Increased provision of universally accessible early support • Better collective awareness of available support and how to access it, for both families and professionals. • Support experienced as "joined up“ by families • Families are provided with choice about support and are involved in decisions that affect them. • Increased engagement with children, young people and families • Key principles of holistic family support and early intervention and prevention are embedded within structures and systems. • Increased collaboration between services and organisations that support families (including adult services and third sector). • Clear and shared understanding of the needs of families across the whole system. • Staff are encouraged and empowered to develop innovative family support solutions along with families • Improved capacity within the workforce to respond to the needs of families in a holistic way, both signposting and support. Critical Success Factors • Increase capacity of existing services to deliver holistic family support (additional 300 families across P&K). New FACCS service to provide direct support for around 250 families. • Increased number of families and practitioners have access to information about services. Directory – quarterly usage >200 hits. • Online FORT referral system increasingly used by services. Aim to have over 30 organisations using FORT by Jan 25. • Increased engagement with children, young people and families. Gather feedback from service users and more widely • Development of networks to support better partnership working between professionals. • Development of a performance framework to evaluate whole family support. • Decrease in number of families requiring crisis support Contact for more information cmcauley@pkc.gov.uk A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Key Challenges Breaking down silos: Despite some improvements in partnership working, maintaining communication and collaborative working across a broad range of services is challenging, especially across children’s and adult services. Sustained engagement with families: we have struggled to establish consistent models of engagement with children, young people and families. Many of the families we would wish to hear from are least likely to contribute. Long-term sustainability: WFWF uses fixed-term funding from SG which is due to finish in 2026/27. The intention from SG is that reduction in crisis demands should enable reinvestment of savings in early intervention services. However, the current funding climate, increased demands for mental health services, complex ASN, and the cost-of-living crisis means that, so far, there has been little opportunity for funds to be diverted. Key Learning Points • Importance of key vision across stakeholders, and buy-in from leadership • Effective communication and shared language – regularly updated • Time needed to develop partnerships and relationships • Impact on families is often longer-term and can be difficult to attribute to specific WFWF activity, making evaluation difficult. Benefits Realisation / Achievements • Development of Whole Family Support Directory • Development of the FORT online referral system, and Support and Connect Training. Over 70 organisations making and/or receiving referrals. • Scaling up of existing services (Parenting and Family Learning, Families Empowering Communities, COPE), and commissioning of a new universal family support service (FACCS). • In 2024/25, 380 families provided with direct support at a range of levels, with a further 1000 families receiving indirect support. • Establishment of Family Support Practitioner Network, over 130 individuals from over 50 service areas and organisations • Alignment with Fairer Futures project to support locality-working model. Next Steps • Evaluation of activity in 2025/26 with report to SG • Preventative spend/social value research • Development of ongoing engagement framework • Development of workforce development and training tools • Integration of WFWF work into new Integrated Children’s Services Plan Reference Materials Whole Family Wellbeing Funding - Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) - gov.scot Whole family support - Directory of services - Perth & Kinross Council Support and Connect (FORT)
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Appendix 2 PKC - GENERAL Zero Waste and Operations Transformation Programme Project Manager: Pete Leonard Background Project Timeline The waste and recycling industry is facing a period of significant policy, legislative and technical change over the next five years. The transformation programme provides an overview of policy development activities together with the impact that these may have on the services that we provide to PKC citizens. It will inform how our operational teams respond to the challenges and opportunities that may arise. The project started in 2025 and is scheduled to run until the end of Q4 2025-26. At this point it is envisaged that the programme will transition into a number of business improvement projects, although some activities will remain engaged with wider transformation work, for example business insights and customer service. Description The programme consists of 7 separate, but related projects: 1. Circular economy strategy and service design 2. Commercialisation review 3. Operations resourcing review 4. Operational asset review 5. Fleet transformation 6. Schools recycling project 7. Business insights and customer service Outcomes • Inform future service design to comply with new policy and legislation • Provide clarity on future resource requirements and workforce development • Identify future need for operational depots and ensure that investment requirements are included in the corporate capital asset planning • Ensure that our vehicle fleet is efficient and meets climate change aspirations and legislative requirements • Improve recycling in our schools, saving money and reducing carbon emissions, whilst engaging pupils in learning for sustainability and STEM related curricular activities • Improve operational efficiency, business insights and customer service outcomes by development of IT, automation and AI technologies Critical Success Factors • Understanding and agreement on resource model and associated budget • Reduction in CO2 emissions • Increased income from recycling • Increased commercial income • Circular economy agreed by Council committee with good engagement from stakeholders • Investment plan for operational buildings pleonard@pkc.gov.uk Contact for more information A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Key Challenges • Significant level of change across a range of issues and teams – capacity and complexity – even with buy in • Change happening over a period of 5 years – hard to prepare when policies and legislation are not yet determined at a national level Key Learning Points • Some items are really business improvement rather than truly transformational – however taken together they will have a transformational impact on our services • Be ambitious but realistic – prioritise work to reflect available resource and take account of ‘business as usual’ activities getting in the way • We don’t have the knowledge and skills that we need in some areas – particularly in the digital world – so linking with other transformation projects is helpful, as is bringing in external expertise Benefits Realisation / Achievements • CE strategy going to CC&S Committee 18 Feb • New skip hire services launched and doing well • Benchmarking of services almost complete. • Reductions in agency and overtime costs • Recommendations from operational asset review going to Corporate Asset Group in February/March • Heavy fleet transitioned to using hydro-treated vegetable oil fuel reducing CO2 emissions and improving air quality • Recycling improvements made to some schools Next Steps What’s next – transition from transformation programme to business improvement implementation Reference Materials Add Web links . . .