Agenda Document Pack - Perth and Kinross Council - 30/10/2024
Perth and Kinross Council · 30 October 2024
Back to Perth and Kinross Council — 30 October 2024 and its agenda
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Securing the future… • Improving services • Enhancing quality of life • Making the best use of public resources Council Building 2 High Street Perth PH1 5PH 23/10/2024 A hybrid meeting of Perth and Kinross Council will be held in the Council Chamber on Wednesday, 30 October 2024 at 10:30. If you have any queries please contact Committee Services on (01738) 475000 or email Committee@pkc.gov.uk. THOMAS GLEN Chief Executive Those attending the meeting are requested to ensure that all notifications are silent on their device and other devices are in silent mode. Please note that the meeting will be broadcast online and recorded. The recording will be publicly available on the Council’s website following the meeting. Members: Provost X McDade Depute Provost A Parrott All Bailies All Councillors Page 1 of 366
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Perth and Kinross Council Wednesday, 30 October 2024 AGENDA MEMBERS ARE REMINDED OF THEIR OBLIGATION TO DECLARE ANY FINANCIAL OR NON-FINANCIAL INTEREST WHICH THEY MAY HAVE IN ANY ITEM ON THIS AGENDA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE COUNCILLORS’ CODE OF CONDUCT. 1 WELCOME AND APOLOGIES 2 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 3 MINUTE OF MEETING OF PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL OF 4 SEPTEMBER 2024 FOR APPROVAL (copy herewith) 7 - 16 4 NOTICE OF MOTIONS 4(i) MOTION ON THE UK GOVERNMENT'S PLANS TO ADD VAT TO SCHOOL FEES (copy herewith) 17 - 18 4(ii) MOTION ON WINTER FUEL PAYMENT REFORM (copy herewith) 19 - 20 5 OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (copy herewith 24/298) 21 - 22 6 PROVISION OF FEEDBACK FOR ANTI-POVERTY TASK FORCE'S TACKLING POVERTY STRATEGY 2024-2030 Report by Strategic Lead - Strategic Planning, People and Performance (copy herewith 24/299) 23 - 56 7 6TH LOCAL CHILD POVERTY ACTION REPORT Report by Strategic Lead - Strategic Planning, People and Performance (copy herewith 24/300) 57 - 136 8 PERTH AND KINROSS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2023-24 Report by Strategic Lead - Strategic Planning, People and Performance (copy herewith 24/301) 137 - 238 9 INTEGRATION JOINT BOARD ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2023/24 239 - 306 Page 3 of 366
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Report by Chief Officer of the Integration Joint Board (copy herewith 24/255) 10 ARMED FORCES COVENANT PROGRESS REPORT Report by Strategic Lead - Housing and Communities (copy herewith 24/302) 307 - 316 11 COMMITTEE TIMETABLE 2025 (copy herewith) 317 - 318 12 UPDATE OF GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS 12(i) UPDATES TO SCHEME OF ADMINISTRATION Council is asked to agree the following updates to the Scheme of Administration: Section 28 - Learning and Families Committee Delete part 4 of Section 28.1. Insert the following wording at the end of Section 28.1 : In addition to the above membership, the Convener of the Committee shall undertake to engage with members of the Perth and Kinross Youth Forum and shall report back at regular intervals to meetings of the committee. Sections 37,38 and 39 - Delegation to Officials Remove references to Directors and update all sections to refer to Chief Executive, Depute Chief Executive and Director - Integrated Health and Social Care/Chief Officer. Section 40 - Strategic Lead - Legal and Governance Insert additional bullet point in section 40.4 as follows: To provide or where the Strategic Lead - Legal and Governance deems necessary, to procure legal advice and advocacy services. Section 48 - Strategic Lead - Environment and Infrastructure Section 48.5, 2nd bullet point to be amended as follows: The Strategic Lead shall have the power to propose and promote and, where fewer than six objections are received, confirm roads orders in terms of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and any subsequent legislation regulating the use of the Perth and Kinross Council roads network. Where roads orders cover locations in different streets or contains no other proposals located within 100 metres in the same street, the order can be made by the Strategic Lead for those streets within the order for which fewer than six objections have been received. If six or more objections are received, or any objections is received from a statutory consultee, the order will be submitted to the Economy and Infrastructure Committee for consideration. Page 4 of 366
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Section 49 - Director - Integrated Health and Social Care/Chief Officer In relation to sections 49.1 and 49.2, amend to confirm that the Head of Integrated Health and Care - Older People and Head of Integrated Health and Care - Adults are authorised to exercise the functions of the Council, as they relate to adults, as part of their respective portfolios and in relation to the legislation and relevant subordinate legislation set out in section 49.2. 12(ii) FINANCIAL REGULATIONS Report by Strategic Lead - Finance and Business Support (copy herewith 24/303) 319 - 366 13 APPOINTMENTS TO COMMITTEES/OUTSIDE BODIES Council is asked to appoint members to the following vacancies: Planning and Placemaking Committee (2 vacancies) Licensing Committee Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee Learning and Families Committee Employees Joint Consultative Committee (2 vacancies) Affordable Housing MOWG Live Active Leisure Board Perth and Kinross Sports Council Crieff and Strathearn Museum Group Friends of Bydgoszcz - Management Committee Council is asked to agree that Councillor C Mair replace Councillor I Massie as Older People's Champion 14 ELECTED MEMBERS BRIEFING NOTES Council is asked to note the following Elected Members Briefing Notes that have been issued to elected Members since the previous Council meeting: 21 August 2024 Employee Engagement Survey 2024 29 August 2024 Update on Double Dykes chalet replacement project 28 August 2024 Road gully cleaning 29 August 2024 SQA National Qualifications 2024 30 August 2024 Engagement and conclusions on ice provision 20 August 2024 Perth city centre car park utilisation 2 September 2024 PH2O Swimming pool usage mix 5/6 September 2024 Evacuation of Crieff Primary School update 6 September 2024 Restructuring of Council Executive and Strategic Leadership 6 September 2024 Evacuation of Crieff Primary School update 11 September 2024 Further update on Double Dykes chalet replacement project 13 September 2024 Crieff Primary School update 19 September 2024 Sale of Strathcona, Spoutwells Road, Scone 22 September 2024 Blairgowrie High School water pipe Page 5 of 366
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23 September 2024 Blairgowrie High School re-opening 26 September 2024 Update on Affordable Housing Supply Programme 2024/25 01 October 2024 Annual homelessness statistics 15 VALEDICTORY Page 6 of 366
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Minute of hybrid meeting of Perth and Kinross Council held in the Council Chamber, 2 High Street, Perth on Wednesday 4 September 2024 at 9.30am. Present: Provost X McDade, Depute Provost A Parrott, Bailies C Ahern, A Bailey, R Brock, C McLaren and M Williamson, Councillors K Allan, H Anderson L Barrett, P Barrett, B Brawn, S Carr, A Chan, D Cuthbert, S Donaldson, E Drysdale, J Duff, A Forbes, M Frampton, N Freshwater, K Harvey, D Illingworth, I James, N Khogali, G Laing, I MacPherson, I Massie, S McCole, T McEwan, J Rebbeck, W Robertson, C Shiers, F Smith, C Stewart, G Stewart, R Watters and J Welch. In Attendance: T Glen, Chief Executive; C Mailer, Director – Strategy, People and Resources; L Simpson, Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance; D Littlejohn Strategic Lead – Economy, Development and Planning; S Crawford Strategic Lead – Property Services; S Walker Strategic Lead – Finance and Business Support; E Ritchie, Strategic Lead – Housing and Communities; J Pepper, Chief Officer, Health and Social Care Partnership; A Farnington, S MacDonald, K Fleming, N Moran, J Fyfe, S Hendry, G Fogg, S Morkis, L Potter, A Brown and M Pasternak (all Strategy, People and Resources). Also in Attendance: W Purdie (The Urbanists) (up to Item 6), P Cromwell (Live Active Leisure), N Scott (Integratis Consulting) Provost X McDade, Presiding. 1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES Provost McDade welcomed all those present to the meeting. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST In terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, Councillors Brawn and Carr and Bailie McLaren declared a connection in relation to Item 6 on the agenda. 3. DEPUTATIONS The Council resolved to hear deputations in relation to part 2 of Item 6 on the agenda. 4. MINUTE OF MEETING OF PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL OF 26 JUNE 2024 FOR APPROVAL The minute of meeting of Perth and Kinross Council of 26 June 2024 was submitted and approved as a correct record. 3 Page 7 of 366
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5. MOTION ON UK SUCCESS AT 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS Motion by Councillors B Brawn and K Allan To Congratulate Team GB on its success at the Paris Olympics That this Council recognises the success of the British Olympic Team - Team GB - and sends our wholehearted congratulations on their fantastic achievement at gaining a tally of sixty-five medals. Their dedication and commitment to compete and strive to win will inevitably inspire many more to become the next generation of athletes looking to compete themselves at world class level. Resolved: In accordance with the Motion 6. PERTH CITY CENTRE DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN FRAMEWORK CONSULTATION DRAFT There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Economy, Development and Planning (24/241) seeking Council approval to commence public consultation over the autumn on a range of development proposals and design principles that will help drive forward the vision for Perth as one of Europe’s great small cities. This vision is articulated in Perth 2040: Our agenda for Change produced by the former Perth City Development Board and endorsed by the Council in December 2019 (report 19/360 refers). Resolved: (i) The draft City Centre Development & Design Framework (Appendix 1) be approved for consultation and engagement with the public and stakeholders including the business community. (ii) The findings of a study commissioned to inform the Framework by assessing customer and occupier demand in Perth city centre (Appendix 2) be noted. (iii) Officers be remitted to design and implement a consultation and engagement programme over the autumn. (iv) The Strategic Lead – Economy, Development & Planning to bring back a revised version of the framework incorporating suggested changes for further consideration along with a delivery programme. THERE FOLLOWED A SHORT BREAK AND THE MEETING RECONVENED AT 10.48AM. Page 8 of 366
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7. PERTH CITY INTEGRATED INVESTMENT PROPOSAL There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Property Services (24/242): (1) Implementing the instructions of Council in relation to : • the future use of Pullar House in anticipation of the Public Finance Initiative (PFI) Project Agreement coming to an end in September 2025 (Report 23/268 refers). • a revised scope for PH2O with options for ice provision (Report 24/19 refers). • proposals for the future use of Bell’s Sports Centre to be used as the basis of community engagement (Report 24/151 refers). (2) Highlighting opportunities that emerge from considering these projects together which can help to answer some of the challenges set out in the Perth City Plan (Perth 2040: Our Agenda for Change) (Report 19/360 refers). (3) Setting out a series of proposals to leverage those opportunities to create additional public value for residents, visitors and businesses. Note: The Provost had confirmed that consideration of the report would be done in two parts. Firstly, recommendations 1 and 2 in the report would be considered and determined prior to a recess. Recommendations 3, 4, 5 and 6 would then be considered and determined following the recess. Part 1 – There was a slide-based presentation by C Mailer and S Crawford in relation to recommendations 1 and 2 of the report followed by questions from members. Motion by Councillors G Laing and E Drysdale Pullar House and Kinnoull Street Multi-Storey Car Park Council: Approves recommendations 1 and 2 as set out in the report, subject to amendment 2(b) (i) to insert ‘through Car Park Trading Account’ between ‘to purchase’ and ‘Kinnoull Street Multi-Storey Car Park’. Resolved: • The content of Appendix A and the associated benefits, risks and opportunities be noted. • Council commits to the creation of a Public Service Hub within Pullar House. Page 9 of 366
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• Officers be authorised: (i) to exercise the Council’s right under the terms of the PFI Project Agreement to purchase Pullar House at market value upon termination of the lease agreement; (ii) to negotiate “market value” with the landlord based on the valuations obtained by the parties, failing which to accept the market valuation as determined by an independent arbiter in accordance with the Dispute Resolution provisions within the PFI Project Agreement; and to proceed to purchase at that price; • Officers be instructed to negotiate and agree lease terms with partners for accommodation within Pullar House on an open- book, cost sharing basis. • Capital funding of £10m for the Pullar House workstream as set out in Appendix A be approved. • The content of Appendix B and the associated benefits, risks and opportunities be noted. • Officers be authorised: (i) to exercise the Council’s right under the terms of the PFI Project Agreement to purchase through the Car Park Trading Account Kinnoull Street Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCP) at market value upon termination of the lease agreement; (ii) to negotiate “market value” with the landlord based on the valuations obtained by the parties, failing which to accept the market valuation as determined by an independent arbiter in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions within the PFI Project Agreement; and to proceed to purchase at that price. THERE FOLLOWED A RECESS FOR LUNCH AND THE MEETING RECONVENED AT 1.05PM. Mr David Hay, Mr Arran Thomson, Ms Laura Watt and Mr Alan Hannah addressed Council and answered Members’ questions. Part 2 – S Crawford continued with his slide-based presentation in relation to recommendations 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the report followed by questions from members. Page 10 of 366
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Following a question and request from Councillor Laing, T Glen, Chief Executive confirmed the following: • If the decision is taken to proceed with the Thimblerow development, elected members will have early sight on the changes to parking utilisation as a result of the development, and officers will commit to monitoring the usage of all Perth city centre car parks including repeating the counting process every six months during the build and when Pullar House is being filled so that there is a moving understanding of what the car parking requirements are going to be. If at any time there is a break-even situation or demand looks like it is going to exceed the overall availability of car parking spaces in the city centre, officers will bring proposals back to elected members for identifying additional options for car parking. THERE FOLLOWED A SHORT BREAK AND THE MEETING RECONVENED AT 4.00PM. Motion by Councillors G Laing and I MacPherson PH20, PLP/Dewars, Housing and Bell’s Sports Centre. Council: Approves recommendations 3-6 as set out in the report, subject to the deletion of recommendations 4(b) and 5(b) and replacement with: 4(b) Agree that 150 new social and/or affordable homes should be developed on the existing Perth Leisure Pool (PLP) site, upon completion of the PH2O facility. 5(b) Approves Option K as the preferred option for Dewars Centre and the delivery of ice facilities in Perth city and instructs officers to undertake further engagement with local and national curling bodies and other interested community groups to explore interest in leasing the building on a full repairing and insuring basis for a user-led ice sports facility upon completion of PH2O. Council further: 3(c) Instructs officers, as part of the next stage of design work, to explore options and costs of adding leisure water to the PH2O base case within the available footprint at Thimblerow. Page 11 of 366
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First Amendment by Bailie A Bailey and Councillor J Duff Council agrees the recommendations 3-6 (inclusive) of the report with the following exceptions: Replace text at 3(b) with: (i) Reaffirms the Councils desire to include a leisure pool and ice facility as part of the new PH2O build. Requests officers to provide detailed revenue and capital costs for the adjusted base case facilities mix at Glover Street/Glasgow Road to a future Council meeting. (ii)(a) Replace the swimming pool specification in the base case facilities mix to include – o Leisure Pool (with a guide specification of two flumes, wave machine, lazy river); o 25m 6 Lane Flexi Pool (Moveable Floor); o 12.5m x 8.5m Teaching Pool (Movable Floor); with the revised base case to be delivered within the existing £90m allocation set aside within the capital budget for the PH2O project. (b) Requests officers provide costings for the inclusion of low-level diving boards in the Flexi Pool: • 1m & 3m Springboards • 3m + 5m Dive Platforms (iii) Requests officers to provide costings for the inclusion of four squash courts at the new PH2O facility to replace those formerly provided at Bells Sports Centre. (iv)Remits Council Officers to work with ice sports community representatives on revenue and capital costs for the following additional ice options: (a) a new multi-sport ice pad (that can flexibly be used for curling, skating or ice hockey) with arena seating included within the PH2O design (benefitting from the heat exchanger with swimming pool) and owned by Perth & Kinross Council; (b) a Community Asset Transfer of the Dewars Centre site to the ice sports community on long-term lease or full ownership next to the new PH2O facility (benefitting from the heat exchanger with PH2O swimming pool) to provide a third-party ice facility. (v)Remits Council Officers/Live Active Leisure to explore sponsorship opportunities/grant funding support for the new PH2O facility or parts of the building such as the ice arena. Page 12 of 366
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(vi)Requests detailed advice from officers regarding: 1. options to build the new PH2O facility on part of the car park at the Glover Street whilst maintaining operations at Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre and if this is not possible then provide options for alternative provision of displaced services e.g. ice. 2. the possibility of a design that would give the building a sixty plus year lifespan which can be refurbished rather than replaced in the future to reduce long term costs and whether it is possible to design a layout that will allow a phased refurbishment of the building in the future without closure of all facilities at the same time e.g. separate pool halls for Leisure Pool and Flexi Pool to maintain partial service during any future refurbishment or repairs; 3. the additional capital costs and revenue savings of building the new PH2O to Passivhaus standards and the merits/demerits of a Passivhaus build; 4. any relevant lessons that have been learned from the issues experienced by other new build swimming pool/ice complex/construction projects that have experienced major issues. Delete 4 b) and replace with “The future use of the Thimblerow site will be consulted upon in line with the City Centre Design and Development Framework” Delete 5 b) Second Amendment by Councillors P Barrett and L Barrett Council approves recommendations 3-6 in all parts except to delete 4(b) and replace as follows: 4(b) Agrees that that the existing Perth Leisure Pool (PLP) site is developed for circa 150 social and/or affordable homes upon completion of the PH2O facility. Council further 4(c) Approves exploration of the alternative option for Ice with Perth, Scottish and or World Curling as set out in para 7.2 including realistic timescales and milestones for their interest to achieve fruition during the construction phase of PH20. and 4(d) Agrees the next steps as set out in Appendix C in relation to leisure water facilities and in addition instructs officers to explore with LAL what additional leisure water facilities can be incorporated within the current proposed building footprint which achieve Passiv standards and are Page 13 of 366
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sustainable in respect of both capital and revenue costs. Note: The mover and seconder of the motion agreed to incorporate the second amendment into the motion. The first amendment therefore became the substantive amendment. In terms of Standing Order 21.5, a roll call vote was taken. 20 members voted for the Motion as follows: Depute Provost A Parrott, Bailies C McLaren and M Williamson, L Barrett, P Barrett, S Carr, S Donaldson, E Drysdale, M Frampton, K Harvey, G Laing, I MacPherson, I Massie, McCole, McEwan, Rebbeck, Robertson, G Stewart, R Watters and J Welch. 18 Members voted for the Amendment as follows: Provost X McDade, Bailies C Ahern, A Bailey and R Brock, Councillors K Allan, H Anderson, B Brawn, A Chan, D Cuthbert, J Duff, A Forbes, N Freshwater, D Illingworth, I James, N Khogali, C Shiers, F Smith and C Stewart. Resolved: • The content of Appendix C and the associated benefits, risks and opportunities be noted. • Thimblerow be approved as the site for the construction of the new PH2O facility for the approved base case facilities mix. • The content of Appendix D and the associated benefits, risks and opportunities associated with integrated investment proposal be noted. • It be agreed that the existing Perth Leisure Pool (PLP) site is developed for circa 150 social and/or affordable homes upon completion of the PH2O facility. • The next steps as set out in Appendix C in relation to leisure water facilities be agreed. In addition, officers be instructed as part of the next stage of the design work to explore with LAL what additional leisure water facilities can be incorporated within the current proposed building footprint which achieve Passiv standards and are sustainable in respect of both capital and revenue costs. • The content of Appendix E and the associated benefits, risks and opportunities be noted. Page 14 of 366
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• Option K be approved as the preferred option for Dewars Centre and the delivery of ice facilities in Perth city, and officers be instructed to undertake further engagement with local, national and/or world curling bodies and other interested community groups to explore interest in leasing the building on a full repairing and insuring basis for a user-led ice sports facility upon completion of PH2O, including realistic timescales and milestones for their interest to achieve fruition during the construction phase. • The content of Appendix F and the associated benefits, risks and opportunities be noted. • Council to seek the views of the community in relation to the repurposing of Bell’s Sports Centre for future use as an unheated multi- use sports pitches/ events space. 8. APPOINTMENTS TO COMMITTEES/OUTSIDE BODIES • Bailie M Williamson to replace Councillor J Welch on the Tayside Valuation Joint Board. • Councillor G Stewart to replace Councillor E Drysdale as a proxy member for the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board. 9. ELECTED MEMBERS BRIEFING NOTES Resolved: The Elected Members Briefing Notes, issued since the previous Council meeting and as set out on the agenda, be noted. Page 15 of 366
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Motion by Councillors A Forbes and D Illingworth Motion on The UK Government's plans to add VAT to school fees This Council recognises the benefits of having a number of private sector schools within our area, not only do these schools relieve pressure from the state education system, but they stimulate the local economy by providing well paid jobs for teachers, school staff, grounds staff and other support staff, not to mention the contribution by using local trades people for a variety of services. The UK Government's plans to add VAT to school fees is counterproductive, we have already witnessed one school close citing this decision as a contributing factor and we would anticipate more to follow. Families who can and are willing to pay for their children’s education should be supported and not punished. Council instructs the Leader of the Council to write to the Prime Minister asking him not to proceed with this policy. 4(i) Page 17 of 366
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Motion by Councillors J Duff and I Massie WINTER FUEL PAYMENT REFORM Council firmly believes that all pensioners, irrespective of their income, should be supported during the winter months to ensure they can adequately heat their homes and maintain a decent standard of living. The Winter Fuel Payment has historically been a vital lifeline for many elderly individuals in our community, helping to mitigate the risks of cold-related health issues and ensuring their wellbeing during harsh winter conditions. This Council opposes and condemns the UK Government’s cuts to the Winter Fuel payment passed by the House of Commons on 10th September 2024 in withdrawing this assistance from approximately 860,000 Scottish pensioners, including over 32,000 pensioners in Perth and Kinross. This Council believes that the Winter Fuel Payment should remain a universal benefit to those of pension age. This Council agrees that the Leader of the Council, the leaders of all of the Council’s political groups and Bailie Bailey, write jointly to The Chancellor of the Exchequer as a matter of urgency, expressing this Council’s strong opposition to the means-testing of the Winter Fuel Payment and encouraging the Government to reverse this decision. The letter should also be signed by the Council’s Older Peoples Champion. Furthermore, in the likely event that this Council’s appeal is not successful, this Council welcomes the dissemination of targeted literature towards the pension-age population of Perth and Kinross encouraging the maximum uptake of Pension Credit and offering assistance and guidance on how to apply for it. This Council hopes that this action will go some way to mitigate the harshness of these welfare cuts this winter. 4(ii) Page 19 of 366
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (OBS) (Report No. 24/298) Please note that this statement sets out outstanding decisions of Council / this committee / sub-committee along with an update and estimated completion date. Actions which are overdue are shaded for ease of reference. Where an update reflects that an action is complete then agreement will be sought to its removal from the OBS. No Date / Minute Reference / Report Number Subject Title Outstanding Action Update Lead Officer /Service Action Due/ completed Action Expected 20. 4 September 2024. Item 5. Perth City Centre Development and Design Framework Consultation Draft. Elected Member Briefing Note to be circulated on vacant and eyesore properties working group. COMPLETED Strategic Lead – Economy, Development and Planning. 30 October 2024 30 October 2024 5 Page 21 of 366
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL 30 October 2024 PROVISION OF FEEDBACK FOR ANTI-POVERTY TASK FORCE’S TACKLING POVERTY STRATEGY 2024 to 2030 Strategic Lead - Strategic Planning, People and Performance (Report No. 24/299) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 To provide final comment and endorsement to the Anti-Poverty Task Force on their draft Tackling Poverty Strategy prior to approval by the Anti-Poverty Task Force on 14 November 2024. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that Council provide feedback and comments to the Anti- Poverty Task Force on their draft Tackling Poverty Strategy prior to approval by the Anti-Poverty Task Force on 14 November 2024. 2.2 Endorse adoption by the Anti-Poverty Task Force of the social contract developed by the Poverty Strategy Commission1 which states: • No one should be in deep poverty: Society should provide a financial safety net for those out of work or on low incomes, covering basic needs and supporting social and cultural participation. • Those unable to work should not be in poverty: People who can’t work due to health issues, disabilities, or caregiving responsibilities should have a decent standard of living. • People should try to increase their earnings: Those who can work but are unemployed or underemployed should be supported to access opportunities to find work and increase their income. • Low earners should not be in poverty: Workers with low earnings should have their incomes supplemented by benefits to ensure a reasonable standard of living for them and their families. And endorse the additional clause added by the Anti-Poverty Task Force noted below: • The Anti-Poverty Task Force members should invest in partnership co-ordination to streamline service provision by adopting the “no wrong door” approach enabling greater collaboration to the benefit of those in need. Ensuring efficiency, and effective use and deployment of collective resources which can be deployed for poverty alleviation and building sustainable livelihoods 1 Poverty Strategy Commission which is independent and non-partisan and is concerned with helping policy makers and the public understand and take action to tackle poverty. The Commission is hosted by the Centre for Policy Studies and is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundations and Jon Moulton and Stuart Roden. 6 Page 23 of 366
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2.3 Renew the Council’s commitment to the Anti-Poverty Task Force as a convening body and a vehicle for collaboration with the public and private sectors, the third sector and communities around early intervention and prevention and undertaking a “no wrong door” approach by: - • Helping to secure extra resources and support for those in deep poverty. • Providing an integrated approach to the use of resources to support those unable to work due to health, disability, or caregiving, to help them achieve a reasonable standard of living. • Supporting job seekers and those wanting to work more hours by helping them gain necessary skills, knowledge and employment • Assisting low-income individuals facing financial difficulties to achieve a reasonable standard of living. • Encouraging businesses to offer fair work and good jobs. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Summary Information • Section 6: Conclusion • Appendix: Tackling Poverty Strategy 2024-2030 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 Following a recent review of the Community Planning Partnership’s Local Outcomes Improvement Plan 2022- 2032 their priorities were refined and a place-based approach was agreed. The priorities are:- • Poverty • Mental wellbeing • Skills, learning and employability 4.2 This links with the 7 priorities set out with the Council’s Corporate Plan. All 7 priorities have key links to mitigating and addressing poverty whether this is through enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential; developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy or supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing to name but a few. In relation to tackling poverty the plan outlines key overarching actions: - • Prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children living in Perth and Kinross • Mitigate cost of living pressures for households experiencing or at risk of poverty • Maximise income from benefit entitlement and concessions for households • Promote and encourage local employers to follow the principles of the Scottish Government Fair Work Action Plan, including the real Living Wage and Scottish Business Pledge Page 24 of 366
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4.3 In addition to the local context the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 requires Perth & Kinross Council and NHS Tayside to publish a Local Child Poverty Action Report (LCPAR) and this is reported to the Scottish Government each year. The Council and NHS has deepened and broadened its interventions to mitigate poverty affecting our communities and families over the last 5 years. There has been a commitment to tackling poverty and these are outlined within the latest Local Child Poverty Action Report. 4.4 The Anti-Poverty Task Force was established in 2022 in response to the cost- of-living crisis and to address the levels of poverty across Perth and Kinross. It draws members from Perth and Kinross Council, NHS Tayside, Perth City Leadership Forum, Perth Citizens Advice Bureau, Perth & Kinross Association of Voluntary Service (PKAVS), Giraffe, Growbiz and Letham4all. The Anti-Poverty Task Force commissioned the development of a Tackling Poverty Strategy to be informed by broad consultation across the key stakeholders and communities of Perth and Kinross. Over the past four years, our member organisations have focused on providing strong crisis support during the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of- living crisis. This strategy aims to further bring partners together from various sectors to tackle poverty and help people move from crisis support to sustainable livelihoods 4.5 The Community Planning Partnership will provide overall governance with responsibility for delivering on the strategic priorities sitting with the following: - • Poverty – Anti-Poverty Task Force • Health and Wellbeing - group under development Employment – Local Employability Partnership 4.6 Perth & Kinross Council and NHS Tayside retain the joint statutory obligation to take action to reduce child poverty and to report on what measures were taken or are planned each year to address or mitigate child poverty. The Council and NHS Tayside agreed a Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026 which is currently being implemented. The Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022- 2026 aligns with the Anti-Poverty Task Force’s proposed Tackling Poverty Strategy. The Tackling Poverty Strategy has a broader remit covering all sections of the population irrespective of age. 5. SUMMARY INFORMATION 5.1 Despite being a relatively affluent area, Perth and Kinross has around 30,000 people who live below the poverty line and of these some 27,200 are in deep or very deep poverty. 5.2 The strategy has been developed through significant consultation and engagement with a range of partners, elected members, community groups, people with lived experience and the public. Page 25 of 366
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A series of consultation events and feedback sessions were held which included an Anti-Poverty Task Force Planning Day, sessions with the locality planning groups in Highland Perthshire, Coupar Angus and Letham, sessions with community anchor organisations and other interested parties. There was a public consultation which resulted in 89 responses. Elected members had the opportunity to take part in the consultation with the Elected Members Feedback Session in and the Anti-Poverty Task Force Development Day. The consultation and engagement identified key main issues, and these are detailed within the report. In summary these are: • Employment – There are insufficient jobs to go round (100 people for every 82 job vacancies), a concentration of employment in low paid sectors (social care, retail and hospitality) and seasonal employment which provides unstable incomes. • Childcare - Accessing affordable childcare which meets the needs of working parents has been reported as a major barrier to employment. • Transport – Accessing affordable transport which enables people to get to and from work and appointments with healthcare and other service providers was a problem outside of Perth city. • Emergency food and cash-first approaches – People reported that it was important to have a choice of access points for income maximisation, debt and benefits advice; that cash first approaches were in the main preferred, but not always. • Children and families – We heard that people find it hard to access the range of services and support they need, and they would prefer a one door approach. • Housing – There is a lack of access to affordable housing, especially in rural areas – and for families who want to live near each other or near their workplace. • Rural challenges – the high cost of living in a rural area was mentioned by many who cited higher food, fuel, transport and housing costs. • Health and wellbeing – the link between poor mental health and poverty was made very strongly in the consultation, and a wider offer of health and wellbeing services which was joined up with income maximisation and employability services was identified as key to the success of the strategy. 5.3 The strategy acknowledges the significant anti-poverty mitigation actions that have taken place as well as the ongoing work and encourages all organisations in Perth and Kinross to do what they can to: • Address the rising cost of living and developing cash first approaches and food security • Increase income from employment by improving access to childcare and transport as well as skills development and training • Maximise income from Social Security and other benefits • Reduce stigma and promoting available support. • Address the housing and rural challenges being faced by communities • Support the health and wellbeing of communities to enable communities to live life well. Page 26 of 366
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5.4 Key areas for specific action to address what we heard through the consultation and engagement process include: • Establishing a group involving people with lived experience to build trust and to become actively involved in the review of the customer journeys to services and support. • Delivering joined-up services that work together effectively to deliver a no wrong door approach with joint planning and working with partners and communities at a locality level. • Creating robust referral pathways into and between services. • Reviewing our spending with a view to integrating and devolving budgets to enable local decision making where appropriate. • Further developing our place-based approach through our multi- disciplinary working using an evidence-based approach to tackle poverty and inequality issues at a local level. 5.5 Enabling people to secure fair employment remains the most effective means of lifting people out of poverty and a key thrust of the Tackling Poverty Strategy will be to support people who can work, to gain access to employment and to the skills which enable them to sustain and progress in employment 5.6 Following approval of the strategy a refreshed co-ordinated action plan will be developed in which all Anti-Poverty Task Force member organisations will be invited to share the detail of actions they will take, the focus areas for their interventions and the outcomes that they seek to deliver and how these will be measured. 6. CONCLUSION 6.1 This is an opportunity for committee members to provide some final comment on the strategy and provide an endorsement prior to its submission to the Anti-Poverty Task Force. 6.2 The governance arrangements to oversee the delivery of the strategy will be the responsibility of the Anti-Poverty Task Force who will then report to the Community Planning Partnership. 6.3 Internally the Council’s contributions to the delivery of the strategy will be reported to the Poverty Theme Board and reported through the Council’s Annual Performance Report as well as the Local Child Poverty Action Report. Page 27 of 366
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Author Name Designation Contact Details Margaret Lynch Child Poverty Project Officer 01738 475000 ComCommitteeReports@pkc.gov.uk Approved Name Designation Date Greg Boland Strategic Lead – Strategic Planning, People and Performance 21 October 2024 APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Poverty Strategy Page 28 of 366
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial None Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment None Strategic Environmental Assessment None Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) None Legal and Governance None Risk Yes Consultation Internal Yes External Yes Communication Communications Plan None 1. Strategic Implications Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement 1.1 Mitigating Child Poverty will address the outcomes identified in the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan by the Community Planning Partnership Levels of poverty in Perth and Kinross. Corporate Plan 1.2 Mitigating Child Poverty will: • address the following priorities in Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan • Tackling Poverty • Children and young people grow up safe, respected, well-educated and ▪ confident in their ability to realise their full potential • People and businesses are increasingly able to prosper in a local economy which supports low carbon ambitions and offers opportunities for all. 2. Resource Implications 2.1 There are no resource implications arising directly from this report. Page 29 of 366
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3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment 3.1 Proposals that have been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) are assessed as not relevant for EqIA. Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.2 Proposals have been considered under the Act, and no further action is required as it does not qualify as a PPS as defined by the Act and is therefore exempt. Sustainability 3.3 Not applicable. Legal and Governance 3.4 Not applicable. Risk 3.5 Tackling Poverty is an organisational priority and as such mitigating actions are also monitored through the Council’s risk profile. 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 All relevant officers have been involved in the development of this Poverty Strategy. External 4.2 Significant consultation was undertaken to develop the strategy as detailed in the appendix of this report. 5. Communication 5.1 None. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 None. Page 30 of 366
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1 Appendix 1 Tackling Poverty Strategy 2024 - 2030 A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality 6 Page 31 of 366
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2 3. Introduction 4. Our story so far 7. Governance 8. What do we mean by poverty? 9. Poverty in context 11. What have we learned? 13. A Social Contract for Perth and Kinross 14. Our Approach 17. Measuring Success 20. Appendices: - • Appendix 1 - Links with other plans and strategies • Appendix 2 - Poverty Estimates • Appendix 3 - Gathering Views • • Appendix 4 - Target Groups Contents Page 32 of 366
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3 Who we are The Perth & Kinross Anti-Poverty Taskforce is here to mitigate the impact of poverty in Perth & Kinross through a commitment to collaboration, coordination, and inclusivity. By fostering partnerships across sectors, we aim to coordinate effective strategies that drive tangible change and create a more equitable future for all in Perth & Kinross. This Taskforce brings together representatives from the public, private and third sectors and includes many third sector organisations who are providing on-the-ground support to people facing poverty in Perth & Kinross. Anti-Poverty Task Force Membership PKAVS Broke Not Broken Perth Citizens Advice Bureau Giraffe and Checkin Works Glasgow Caledonian University Growbiz Joseph Rowntree Foundation Letham4All Mindspace NHS Tayside Perth Citizens Advice Bureau Perth & Kinross Council – Chief Executive Depute Chief executive Strategic Lead for Strategic Planning, People and Performance Councillors – Grant Laing, Caroline Shiers, Dave Cuthbert Peter Barrett, Tom McEwan Introduction Page 33 of 366
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2 Despite being a relatively affluent area, Perth and Kinross has about 30,000 people living below the poverty line, with 27,200 in deep or very deep poverty. Poverty affects health, life expectancy, education, employment prospects, and overall opportunities. Over the past four years, our member organisations have focused on providing strong crisis support during the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Our new strategy aims to help people move from crisis support to sustainable livelihoods. The Community Plan 2022-2032, set out an ambition for our area to be the best place in Scotland for everyone to live life well, free from poverty and inequality and this vision is shared a with Anti-Poverty Task Force. This strategy aims to further bring partners together from various sectors to tackle poverty. It has been shaped and developed through extensive consultation with local individuals and organisations, supported by expert advice from the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, and informed by those with lived experience of poverty. Our strategy, endorses the Social Contract developed by the UK Poverty Strategy Commission1 • No one should be in deep poverty. • Those not expected to work should not be in poverty. • People should try to increase their earnings • Those earning as expected should not be in poverty. • Businesses should meet their obligations to adopt fair working practices and pay the living wage To this we have added a further clause:- The Anti-Poverty Task Force members should invest in partnership co-ordination to streamline service provision by adopting the “no wrong door” approach enabling greater collaboration to the benefit of those in need. Ensuring efficiency, and effective use and deployment of collective resources which can be deployed for poverty alleviation and building sustainable livelihoods. This approach will serve to strengthen the lines of accountability and will enable us to measure our progress more effectively. 1 The Poverty Strategy Commission is an independent and non-partisan group and is concerned with helping policy makers and the public understand and take action to tackle poverty. The Commission is hosted by the Centre for Policy Studies and is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundations and Jon Moulton and Stuart Roden. An estimated 27,200 people in Perth & Kinross are in deep or very deep poverty Page 34 of 366
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3 Everyone should have the chance to participate in community life, but this is impossible if basic needs like food and warmth are unmet. Following the passing of the Child Poverty Act (Scotland) 2017, and the adoption of targets for reducing child poverty, Perth and Kinross Council invested significantly in actions to reduce child poverty. They aligned their strategies for tackling child poverty behind “Every child, every chance” and “Best start, bright futures” the two child poverty delivery plans developed by the Scottish Government. The approach taken was to build a broad coalition of organisations from across Perth and Kinross and enlist their support in developing and implementing actions which could target priority family groups at greatest risk and mitigate child poverty by: - • Increasing income from employment • Reducing the essential cost of living • Increasing income from social security and other benefits in kind. During the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of people volunteered in their communities, to help and support their neighbours. The way that our services changed, showing more flexibility and cooperation across services. Though not perfect, this response reached more people in need of assistance, more quickly. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis saw communities and services again coming together to provide emergency help. A network of cosy spaces was set up, offering food and fellowship for those in need. Efforts to tackle poverty intensified, with additional funds released and the Anti-Poverty Task Force was established. The outcomes from the report on “Lived experience of child poverty in Perth and Kinross” by the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit and the Poverty Alliance galvanised Perth and Kinross Council to make tackling poverty a key priority. Partner organisations have also made tackling poverty a key priority, and this has fed into organisational strategies and plans of the member organisations of the Anti-Poverty Task Force. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that while overall poverty in Scotland has decreased in Scotland in the last 25 years, very deep poverty (below 40% of median income) has increased by 50%. This rise in deep poverty limits life expectancy, opportunities, and quality of life, calling for urgent action. Our story so far Contents Page 35 of 366
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4 In 2024 Perth and Kinross attracted £1.3 million of funding for a Supporting People – Addressing Need programme which seeks to help individuals and families experiencing ongoing or sporadic financial crises move into sustainable livelihoods. In the Programme of Government published in September 2024, the Scottish Government announced that Perth and Kinross Council was selected as a partner to deliver effective whole family support through place-based, “fairer futures” local partnerships. The Community Planning Partnership identified poverty as one its key strategic priorities in the Perth and Kinross Local Outcome Improvement Plan. The emerging Cost of Living Crisis drove the need for greater focus and action in the immediate and short-term to address rising costs of fuel, food and energy. A greater awareness of the need to integrate service provision and provide joined up action led to the establishment of an Anti-Poverty Task Force. The Anti-Poverty Task Force is leveraging expertise from across Perth and Kinross (and beyond) to engage and inspire collective ownership and commitment to mitigating the worst effects of the cost-of-living crisis and poverty generally. The Anti-Poverty Task Force brings together Community Planning Partners, local businesses, third sector organisations, and communities. Its goal is to coordinate efforts to reduce poverty, breaking down traditional barriers and creating lasting change. As work on child poverty deepened, there was an understanding that child poverty cannot be addressed in isolation from poverty in the family and in the community. A decision was taken to broaden our work on poverty to include everyone affected by it, regardless of age or family structure. The Anti-Poverty Task Force and its members do not have control all the levers of change required to lift people out of poverty. Some areas of policy and practice are beyond our control. The Anti-Poverty Task Force can be a powerful advocate for change, both locally across Perth and Kinross and nationally with the UK and Scottish Governments. The Anti-Poverty Task Force is committed to engaging with local communities and stakeholders to ensure that people facing financial challenges have a voice and that their experiences shape agendas for change. The Task Force are developing their own advocacy agenda and will take information and evidence to other organisations it seeks to influence. Page 36 of 366
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5 What we did to tackle poverty in 2023/24 W ork Dignified Living Survive and Thrive Page 37 of 366
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6 The Anti-Poverty Task Force will act as a champion for the strategy and a community connector across the public, private, third and community sectors. The Task Force provide the calls to action which will influence the strategies and targets set out in the Community Planning Partnership Local Outcomes Improvement Plan, Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan and NHS Tayside’s Strategic Development Framework. It will act as a powerful advocate for change, persuading other organisations, including the Scottish Government to focus policies and practice to maximise the ability of people to move beyond crisis support to sustainable livelihoods and will report progress to the Community Planning Partnership. “Reducing Poverty”, “Health and Wellbeing” and “Skills, Learning & Employability” are strategic priorities of the Community Planning Partnership as illustrated above. This connects with Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan Priorities on Tackling Poverty. Links to other Perth and Kinross Council strategies and policies are shown in Appendix 1. NHS Tayside has pledged to tackle health inequality and improve the lives of people in the communities they serve. It adopted the NHS Tayside Anchor Strategy in October 2023 which sets out how the health board plans to deploy resources behind this objective. The Tackling Poverty Unit comprising of key advisors from across the membership of the Anti-Poverty Task Force will provide specialist advice and support the implementation and delivery of the strategy. Each partner will have their own internal governance arrangements to support the delivery of the strategy and assigned actions.-Poverty Ta Poverty Board and Lived -Experience Group. The Unit will support the implementation of the Tackling Poverty Strategy at a corporate level. It will provide co-ordination of reports to the Anti-Poverty Board Community Planning Partnership • Poverty • Health & Wellbeing • Skills, Learning & Employability Anti- Poverty Task Force • Poverty Strategy • Local Child Poverty Action Plan Anti- Poverty Unit • Delivery of Poverty Strategy & Local Child Poverty Action Plan Governance Page 38 of 366
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7 Poverty affects people in different ways. Millions of people in the UK live in poverty, with some experiencing more extreme levels than others. Poverty can mean struggling to heat your home, pay rent, or buy essentials for your children. It can also mean being unable to handle unexpected costs or participate in society like others do. Some people face destitution, while others just get by without being able to plan for the future. Poverty has many causes that often reinforce each other. We know that some families have a far greater risk of poverty – including minority-ethnic, lone parent, and those which include a disabled adult or child. Living in remote areas can also play a part. These factors can push people further into financial insecurity and keep them trapped in poverty. Some people also end up becoming impoverished through debt payments which reduce the income they have left to pay for essentials. What we know About 3 in 10 people living in very deep poverty in Scotland are in families where someone works full-time, reflecting the rise in in- work poverty. Many low-income families are working but still can’t meet their financial needs due to low pay or too few hours. Single people without children and people that live in a family where someone is disabled are increasingly in very deep poverty. Over one-third of ethnic minorities are in deep or very deep poverty, three times the rate for the general population in Scotland Tackling barriers and improving opportunities for people will help to deliver on the Scottish Government’s ambition to break the generational cycle of poverty. “Across the lowest income households, we see that many families are in work but that is not meeting their financial needs. This can be due to too few hours and inadequate pay” (Deepening poverty in Scotland – no one left behind? April 2023). What do we mean by poverty? Page 39 of 366
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8 Perth and Kinross appears wealthy on the surface, but there are hidden areas of severe poverty. Perth and Kinross has the outward appearance of an affluent area. We have only 3 data zones in the bottom decile of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) – Blairgowrie East (Rattray); Hillyland, Tulloch and Inveralmond; and Muirton. However, a deeper dive into the data coupled with lived experience research and the experiences of our frontline services paints a different picture, exposing severe poverty and deprivation that we need to tackle. Hearing from people who have experienced poverty first hand has shown us that intense poverty exists in Perth and Kinross, limiting the opportunities for those affected. The real extent of poverty in our area is masked by 3 things: - • poverty is stigmatised and it is difficult for people to be open about the fact that this is a challenge that they face • the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, used as a proxy for measuring poverty, identifies deprived areas, not people. It is not good at identifying poverty where it is dispersed such as in rural areas like Perth and Kinross. • our reliance on income-based measures which do not take account of the higher cost of living in rural areas. The Scottish Government’s report “Poverty in rural Scotland: Evidence Review” found that many rural households were at risk of poverty due to their high expenditure on travel, food, and fuel. **insert key facts **** The UK Minimum Income Standards (MIS) for the UK Report 2022 provides an income calculator that can be used to identify the income level that different family types need to secure an acceptable standard of living. The figures provided for increased costs given in the “Poverty in rural Scotland: Evidence Review” report was then used to uprate the income and expenditure figures to give an approximation of where the poverty line rested for different family types in rural Perthshire. Further information on figures for remote rural mainland communities are provided in Appendix 2. Poverty in context 36% of households in Perth and Kinross are financially stretched 1 in 10 employees across Perth & Kinross are paid less than the Real Living Wage £3,943,921 is lost each year in missed claims for pension credits in Perth and Kinross Page 40 of 366
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9 Over the last few years Perth and Kinross has benefitted from the lived experience research with families affected by poverty and research conducted by others to gain a better understanding of the causes of poverty in our communities. Local figures for Perth and Kinross for deep poverty and very deep poverty do not exist, however the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has produced the following estimates which are based on extrapolations: - Deep but not very deep poverty Under 18s 2,600 Working Age Adults 8,000 Pensioners 3,000 Very deep poverty Under 18s 2,600 Working Age Adults 8,000 Pensioners 3,0002 In summary, the findings show: - • Intense poverty exists in Perth and Kinross • Of the 30,000 people estimated to be living in poverty in Perth and Kinross, it is likely that 27,200 will be experiencing deep or very deep poverty. • Single people without children, families where someone has a disability and ethnic minority people are at greatest risk of very deep poverty • The distribution of significant Scottish Government funding based on SIMD estimates disadvantages Perth and Kinross where poverty is dispersed • The rural poverty premium means that many more people are experiencing poverty in Perth and Kinross than income-based measures suggest 2 The estimates provided are based on extrapolations from Scotland wide data and are indicative. Page 41 of 366
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10 This strategy aims to address the most important issues identified by those experiencing poverty in our communities. This Strategy was informed by a series of consultation events and feedback sessions. We have gathered the views of many local groups and organisations as detailed in Appendix 3. This Word Cloud analysis of consultation events and meetings highlighted the most common words: work and services; followed by childcare, school, and employers. Other important words included communities, training, welfare, and rural issues. Key Findings: • Main Factors: Services, employers, and community involvement are crucial for tackling poverty. • Prominent Issues: Work and wages were more frequently mentioned than welfare and benefits, indicating that in-work poverty is a bigger issue than unemployment- related poverty. There is a belief that work is the key to escaping poverty. • Approaches: Words like awareness, understanding, flexibility, teams, and partnership suggest the preferred methods for addressing poverty. What have we learned? Page 42 of 366
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11 Main issues Identified • Employment – There are insufficient jobs to go round (100 people for every 82 job vacancies), a concentration of employment in low paid sectors (social care, retail and hospitality) and seasonal employment which provides unstable incomes. • Childcare - Accessing affordable childcare which meets the needs of working parents has been reported as a major barrier to employment. • Transport – Accessing affordable transport which enables people to get to and from work and appointments with healthcare and other service providers was a problem outside of Perth city. • Emergency food and cash-first approaches – People reported that it was important to have a choice of access points for income maximisation, debt and benefits advice; that cash first approaches were in the main preferred, but not always. • Children and families – We heard that people find it hard to access the range of services and support they need, and they would prefer a one door approach. • Housing – There is a lack of access to affordable housing, especially in rural areas – and for families who want to live near each other or near their workplace. • Rural challenges – the high cost of living in a rural area was mentioned by many who cited higher food, fuel, transport and housing costs. • Health and wellbeing – the link between poor mental health and poverty was made very strongly in the consultation, and a wider offer of health and wellbeing services which was joined up with income maximisation and employability services was identified as key to the success of the strategy. . Page 43 of 366
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12 Feedback from our consultation made us realise we need to be realistic about what we can achieve. Instead of promising to eliminate poverty, we have created a Social Contract based on the UK Poverty Strategy Commission’s social contract and the consensus from the consultation that: 1. No one should be in deep poverty: Society should provide a financial safety net for those out of work or on low incomes, covering basic needs and supporting social and cultural participation. 2. Those unable to work should not be in poverty: People who can’t work due to health issues, disabilities, or caregiving responsibilities should have a decent standard of living. 3. People should try to increase their earnings: Those who can work but are unemployed or underemployed should have opportunities to find work and increase their income. 4. Low earners should not be in poverty: Workers with low earnings should have their incomes supplemented by benefits to ensure a reasonable standard of living for them and their families. 5. Businesses should meet their obligations: Companies should fulfil their legal responsibilities regarding pay, pensions, and taxes. 6. The Anti-Poverty Task Force members should invest in partnership co- ordination to streamline service provision by adopting the “no wrong door” approach enabling greater collaboration to the benefit of those in need. Ensuring efficiency, and effective use and deployment of collective resources which can be deployed for poverty alleviation and building sustainable livelihoods. We will collaborate with public, third sector, and community partners to: • Help to secure extra resources and support for those in deep poverty. • Provide resources or support to those unable to work due to health, disability, or caregiving, to help them achieve a reasonable standard of living. • Support job seekers and those wanting to work more hours by helping them gain necessary skills and knowledge. • Assist low-income individuals facing financial difficulties to achieve a reasonable standard of living. A Social Contract for Perth and Kinross Page 44 of 366
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13 • Work together to address the issues identified through the consultation process as outlined in page 12. • Encourage businesses to offer fair work and good jobs. Our approach will contribute towards: • Addressing the rising cost of living and developing cash first approaches and food security • Increasing income from employment by improving access to childcare and transport as well as skills development and training • Maximising income from Social Security and other benefits • Reducing stigma and promoting available support. • Addressing the housing and rural challenges being faced by communities • Supporting the health and wellbeing of communities to enable communities to live life well Page 45 of 366
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14 • We will listen to people with lived experience and involve them in creating and designing the delivery of services and support. • We will encourage our member organisations to redesign services and support to ensure people receive the right help at the right time. • We will encourage our member organisations to give more power to people and communities with experience of poverty. Area for Action A Group will be established, involving people with lived experience of poverty and will use similar approaches to the Poverty Truth Commissions, but will move beyond building mutual trust, sharing experiences and learning to becoming actively involved in the review of customer journeys, services and support. We know that children and families benefit when they can access the support they need when and where they need it, not directed to several disparate services, each in a different location, and with their own distinct contacts and services. Therefore: - • We will encourage the delivery of joined-up services that work together effectively to deliver no wrong door approaches in our localities. • We will provide a forum for partnership with other public, private, third sector and community organisations to help local people and communities to become more resilient and inclusive. • We will clearly identify which issues can be addressed by directly by local services provided by our member organisations, and which issues need to be addressed by influencing or lobbying the Government or other bodies. Area for Action A Tackling Poverty Unit will be established to provide specialist advice and support to the Anti-Poverty Task Force. The Unit will support the implementation of the Tackling Poverty Strategy and will provide co-ordination of reports to the Anti-Poverty Board. To meet the Scottish Government’s aspiration to ensure services are available when and where they are needed will require more pooling and flexibility of spend locally, as Our approach Page 46 of 366
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15 well as a clear and accessible way to access them. In recognising this, multi- disciplinary working will facilitate the delivery the following outcomes: - • Joint planning and working with partners and communities at a locality level • Proactive engagement with the community to raise awareness of the depth and extent of poverty in their local area and the issues faced by affected families • Upward influencing of service planning based on community input • Identify and support individuals and families • Ensure all frontline workers understand the available support for those affected by poverty • Create robust referral pathways into, within and between services • Deliver services flexibly to meet the changing needs of families to mitigate and prevent poverty • Budgets and decision-making will be devolved and where possible consolidated to make best use of resources There is an expectation that the actions undertaken through multi-disciplinary working will include: - • Community engagement and empowerment • Improving crisis intervention • Move families beyond crisis to prevention resulting in sustainable livelihoods • Locality service redesign to meet community needs We need to build learning and reflection into the heart of local action. We need to reach a deeper shared understanding of the challenges faced by people experiencing hardship in our communities. Our member organisation’s frontline workers need to be supported to build referral pathways which connect people to the help and support they need. Area for Action We will review our spending with a view to integrating and devolving budgets for local decision making where possible and appropriate. Alongside the place-based approach adopted via multi-disciplinary working, we will adopt a people-based approach by engaging with those third sector and community groups who represent and support communities of interest and target groups who are vulnerable to poverty and inequality (see Appendix 4). Area for Action We will encourage our teams to build in time for shared learning and networking across professional and organisational boundaries. Page 47 of 366
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16 We need to move beyond providing emergency support for individuals and families experiencing financial crisis to enabling them to take up a broader offer which is aimed at supporting their transition to sustainable livelihoods. Area for Action We will encourage our member organisations to empower frontline workers to enable them to connect families and individuals to a spectrum of support capable of taking people from crisis support to sustainable livelihoods. Page 48 of 366
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17 We will produce an Annual Action Plan which provides an overview of the outcome and impact of the agreed actions to address the priority areas identified: - • Addressing the rising cost of living and developing cash first approaches and food security • Increasing income from employment by improving access to childcare and transport as well as skills development and training • Maximising income from Social Security and other benefits • Reducing stigma and promoting available support. • Addressing the housing and rural challenges being faced by communities • Supporting the health and wellbeing of communities to enable communities to live life well Measuring success Page 49 of 366
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18 Social Contract – Aims of the Tackling Poverty Strategy 1. No one should be in deep poverty: Society should provide a financial safety net for those out of work or on low incomes, covering basic needs and supporting social and cultural participation. 2. Those unable to work should not be in poverty: People who can’t work due to health issues, disabilities, or caregiving responsibilities should have a decent standard of living. 3. People should try to increase their earnings: Those who can work but are unemployed or underemployed should strive to find work and increase their income. 4. Low earners should not be in poverty: Workers with low earnings should have their incomes supplemented by benefits to ensure a reasonable standard of living for them and their families. 5. Businesses should meet their obligations: Companies should fulfil their legal responsibilities regarding pay, pensions, and taxes. Objectives Focus/ Action/Output Areas Outcomes Impact Indicators Addressing the rising cost of living Housing Rurality People can meet their basic needs and live comfortably • Reduction in food bank usage • Number of positive outcomes for people with public debt • Reduction in rent/council tax arrears and other public debt • Reduction in homelessness • Increase in the amount of affordable homes • Fewer households in fuel poverty • Credit Union membership increases • Reduction in indebted households Increasing income from Employment Employment Childcare Transport People are supported towards good quality, sustainable employment • Number of people who progress to positive destinations following employability advice • Increase in average household incomes and wages • More people in meaningful employment • Increase in employees paid the real Living Wage • Fewer people in receipt of out of work benefits Page 50 of 366
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19 Objectives Focus/ Action/Output Areas Outcomes Impact Indicators Maximising income from Social Security and other benefits One -door approach for children and families Emergency Food and Cash People receive all benefits they are entitled to • Number of people with income maximised through entitlement to social security benefits and total value of financial gain • Number of referrals to Cash First Partnership via referral system Reducing stigma and promoting available support Health and Wellbeing One-door approach for children and families Emergency Food and Cash Stakeholders work together to share information and best practice to tackle poverty and reduce stigma • Number of people supported with debt advice and total value of debt successfully managed • More people seeking advice and information Approach • A lived experience group will be established to help improve service delivery across and between APTF members • A Tackling Poverty Unit will be established to support the Anti-Poverty Task Group, Poverty Board and Lived Experience Group • Integrated service delivery within, across and between organisations will deliver better, more joined up and holistic support to families whose wellbeing is affected by the financial challenges they face • We will devolve decision-making to local communities as far as possible. • We will empower frontline workers to enable them to connect families and individuals to a spectrum of support to move them from crisis intervention to sustainable livelihoods. • We will encourage sharing and learning across professional and organisational boundaries Page 51 of 366
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20 Appendix 1 - Links with other plans and strategies Page 52 of 366
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21 Appendix 2 - Poverty Estimates Page 53 of 366
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22 Poverty estimates - the data challenge There are different estimates for the numbers of children in poverty in Perth and Kinross. These result from different approaches taken by the UK and Scottish Governments. The UK Government official statistics use the Children in Low Income Families data – which records children in families with less than 60% of median income before housing costs – this provides a figure in 2021/22 of 5151. These statistics are also available at ward level. However, these figures report on a “before housing costs” (BHC) basis and therefore do not provide a complete picture of how disposable income of households with children varies geographically and underestimate poverty rates in areas like Perth and Kinross where housing costs can be high. They have produced a different estimate of child poverty based on the HBAI figures and alternative data sets which estimate the varying housing costs on child poverty in local areas, and this has produced a 2022/2023 figure for Perth and Kinross of 5750 children living in poverty. This figure is used by the Scottish Government and reflects the estimates for children in relative poverty, after housing costs (AHC) Measurement Uncertainty. The poverty estimates in the Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland Report are based on the Family Resources Survey. This is a sample survey and therefore there is some degree of uncertainty around the estimated produced. e.g., when it is reported that 21% of individuals are living in relative poverty after housing costs, then this should be understood not as an exact figure but as a best estimate within a range. 3 Both sets of statistics come with a health warning: - • The report on a two-year average (normally a 3-year average – but this was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and so the 2020 figures are not included). • The data provided is for the year end to March 2022 and therefore does not cover the period during which the cost-of-living crisis really took hold. The data has yet to reflect the full impact of the Scottish Child Payment and it includes the 6-month extension to the £20 a week rise in the standard allowance of Universal Credit (UC) provided by the Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This uplift, amounting to £1000 additional income per year for households in receipt of UC was removed in October 2021. This measure is likely to have pushed down poverty rates for families during this period. • Data for working-age adults and pensioners in poverty is not provided at local authority level, and therefore we can only report on the basis of extrapolated figures. This will slightly inflate the figures for Perth and Kinross as there are higher concentrations of poverty in Glasgow and the Central Belt, and typically Perth and Kinross has a slightly lower poverty rate than the rest of Scotland. 3 Measurement uncertainty (data.gov.scot) Page 54 of 366
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23 Appendix 3 - Gathering Views A series of consultation events and feedback sessions have been held, which included:- • Anti-Poverty Task Force Planning Day Locality Planning Groups • 2 Highland Locality Steering Group Workshops • Coupar Angus Action Plan • Coupar Angus Planning Workshop • Lovel Letham Report • Letham Locality Planning workshop Other meetings, workshops and focus groups have/are taken place • Child Poverty Working Group Meetings • Employability, Early Learning and Childcare Workshop • Cost of Living Crisis Group • Cash First Partnership Meetings • Perth Foodbank • Community Anchor Organisations Reflection Day • Good Food Workshop • 2 Focus Groups with Customer Services Team • Whole Family Wellbeing Partnership Development Day • Employability Network • Elected Members Feedback Session External • Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, Local Practice in Tackling Poverty Directory project • Remote Rural and Island Child Poverty Peer Support Group, Improvement Service • Child Poverty Peer Support Group, Improvement Service • PKAVS Survey of Member organisations • Consultation with the public through the Consultation Hub Page 55 of 366
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24 Appendix 4 - Target Groups • People experiencing Persistent Hardship – people on low incomes claiming universal credit or other benefits or those on low incomes who have not claimed their entitlements. • People experiencing deep or very deep poverty including single people with no children, ethnic minority people and households where someone has a disability. • People who are on or just below the poverty level. • Just About Managing - People who are getting by on their own means but who frequently have little, or no money left at the end of the month. • Asset Rich-Cash Poor – People who own their own home, with limited savings and their financial assets are not easily accessible and who are experiencing hardship. Within the target groups above, there will be a greater prevalence of 4:- • Adults under 25 are more likely to be in poverty than older adult • Minority ethnic households (including migrants and gypsy travellers) are more likely to be in poverty compared to white British households • Muslim adults are more likely to be in poverty compared to adults of Christian and other faiths and those with no religion • Single adults, especially those who are divorced or separated are more likely to be in poverty than those who are married or cohabiting and widowed adults. • People living in households with disabled household members are more likely to be in poverty than those with no disabled household members. • Refugees and asylum seekers are subject to restrictions which limit their access to work and public services. For some this means living in a state of near or actual destitution when they fall out of the asylum system. • Carers - the rate of poverty amongst unpaid carers is 56% higher than those who do not provide unpaid care in Scotland. 8% of unpaid carers in Scotland live in deep poverty; 50% below the poverty line. As many as 100,000 unpaid carers in Scotland are living in poverty. 4 Poverty levels broadly stable - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) Page 56 of 366
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Council Meeting 30 October 2024 6th LOCAL CHILD POVERTY ACTION REPORT Report by Strategic Lead - Strategic Planning, People and Performance (Report No.24/300) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 requires Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside to publish a Local Child Poverty Action Report (LCPAR) each year. This is the 6th report, and it presents an update on actions taken during 2023/24; the new Child Poverty Action Plan for 2024/25 and an update on progress with the Child Poverty Delivery Plan for 2022 - 2026. 1.2 The LCPAR was circulated to and approved by the Community Planning Partnership on 16 September 2024 and was considered and endorsed by NHS Tayside on 1 October 2024. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that Council: (i) Note the report. (ii) Confirm their continued commitment to the strategic aims set out in the child poverty strategy: a. To raise awareness about the causes and consequences of child poverty b. To foster social cohesion and reduce stigma surrounding poverty for children and families c. To reduce the negative effects of living in poverty for children and families d. To enable children and families to prepare themselves for a life free from poverty (iii) Re-affirm their commitment to the objectives of the Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022 – 2026 to work with NHS Tayside and the Community Planning Partners to: • Provide opportunities and support to enter, sustain and progress in work (employability and skills, housing and economic opportunity, connectivity and childcare) • Maximise the support available to families to lead dignified lives and meet their basic needs (person-centered support, social security and income maximisation) • Supporting the next generation to survive and thrive • Deliver a one council, whole family, whole community approach to connecting children and families to the help and support they need to mitigate and move beyond poverty 7 Page 57 of 366
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2. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 1.2 This report is structured over the following sections: • Background/Main Issues • Proposal • Conclusion • Appendices – LCPAR & Children’s Scorecard 3. BACKGROUND / MAIN ISSUES 3.1 The most recent estimates for child poverty in Perth and Kinross assess that 5750 children (21.7%) are living in relative poverty (down from 5914 (21.9%) the previous year). Whilst this is indeed a good news story the underlying trend shows a flatter trend with relative child poverty rates remaining stable since 2017 – this mirrors the situation for Scotland as a whole. The differential child poverty rates between Scotland and England/Wales (Child Poverty is 31% and 30% respectively) suggest that measures taken by the Scottish Government, Local Government and other key influencers have had a protective effect for children in Scotland as a whole and in Perth and Kinross. 3.2 Whilst no single service or agency has the levers to end child poverty there is much we can do to make the lives and life chances of the 5750 children living in poverty, here in Perth and Kinross brighter and better. We have considerable influence as a local authority and individual and collective responsibility to use our influence to make a real and lasting difference. 3.3 The structure and content of the LCPAR follows the Guidance issued by Scottish Government. The guidance notes requested that the LCPAR’s should have a clear strategic focus and should be evidence based. There was a strong steer towards reporting on innovation, learning, improvement and change. The need for better co-ordination of efforts across housing, transport, childcare, physical and mental health and development was also identified as being of importance. 3.4 The Guidance also called for the use of case studies which highlighted the effectiveness of actions taken, and for linkages with Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) and Whole Family Wellbeing, the Promise and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). 3.5 The LCPAR underpins the wider anti-poverty strategy which was developed through extensive consultation with community groups, those with lived experience and our partners. 3.6 Perth and Kinross Council has an established Child Poverty Working Group (CPWG) involving officers from Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside. The CPWG oversees the progress and delivery of actions within the LCPAR. Page 58 of 366
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3.7 The establishment of the Anti-Poverty Task Force and the links with Community Planning Partners has strengthened collaborative working with key partners and provides independent oversight of the work of the CPWG. The recent establishment of a Poverty Board to consider wider poverty issues and oversee the CPWG will further strengthen governance moving forward. 3.8 The Children’s Scorecard has been held up as good practice and the latest iteration referenced in the report measures our progress in tackling issues relating to child poverty and our delivery on those areas which mattered to parents and families affected by poverty. 3.9 The Corporate Plan highlights tackling poverty as a strategic priority of the Council. This contributes to delivering strategic outcomes: • Children and young people grow up safe, respected, well-educated, and confident in their ability to realise their full potential • People and businesses are increasingly able to prosper in a local economy which supports low carbon ambitions and offers opportunities for all 3.10 These strategic outcomes will be achieved by: • reducing the number of children living in poverty in Perth and Kinross • reducing the cost-of-living pressures for households in and at risk of poverty • maximising income from benefit entitlement and concessions for households • Increasing income from employment 3.11 The LCPAR reports on successes and areas of improvement:- Where we are doing well (from the statistics) • Increasing income from employment - The number and percentage of employees earning below the Real Living Wage has reduced significantly – from 13,000 (16.5%) in 2021 to 7,000 (10.4%) in 2023 • Getting people into work - The employment rate is at or slightly above pre-pandemic levels (81.7% from 80%) • Increasing income from benefits - £3.2m has been achieved as a result of 6565 applications for Best Start grants since 2019/2020. • Scottish Welfare Fund payments have provided emergency cash to 4135 households who gained a total of £566,001 • Providing affordable housing - Local authority average rentals for a 2 bedroom house at £67.91 are more than 50% cheaper than the broad rental market area figure of £148 per week. • Closing the attainment gap – the gap for proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF level 6 (higher) has reduced from 44% to 29%; at Level 5 (National 5s) has reduced from 27% to 17% and for 5age of pupils age 16-19 in education training and employment has reduced from 13% to 9.5% Page 59 of 366
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Where we could do better • The Gender Pay Gap rose to 15.6% (from 13% in 2019/20). Where we are doing well (service response to parental feedback) • There has been a significant increase in activities to support improved mental health for children and young people – and the publication of the Whole Family Support - Directory of Services was a key milestone in delivering what parents had asked for from Perth and Kinross Council (PKC). • Actions taken to support reducing stigma associated with poverty and respecting human dignity have been more evident. • A Child Learning Hub has been provided by PKC learning in conjunction with Public Health Scotland and to date 70 employees have completed child poverty learning modules. • Cash First approaches have been ramped up and over £1.3m secured for a Supporting People - Addressing Need programme which is being delivered by multiple partners across Perth and Kinross. • Streamlining of benefits has resulted in one application being needed only for free school meals and school clothing grants. • There is a significant range of provision for families experiencing financial crisis and food insecurity, a range of access points to secure emergency cash, help and assistance. What we could do better • There is work to be done to shift resources and actions upstream to provide earlier interventions which prevent families from experiencing financial crisis and enabling them to achieve sustainable livelihoods. 3.12 The LCPAR reports on the many positive actions been taken in the last year to tackle child poverty and the cost-of-living crisis they include: • £8.5m committed to supporting struggling families through the cost- of- living crisis an increase of over £2.2m on previous year • £250,000 allocated to support the opening of warm spaces within the community, distribution of warm home packs, and other measures. • 292 people supported into employment, 55 parents supported into flexible employment and 7 into self-employment • 2,556 applications received for the council’s financial insecurity fund • The Community Planning Partnership continues to work on the Town Centre Action Plan for Coupar Angus with residents. The Plan has a strong focus on tackling poverty, removing the barriers to employment and supporting mental health and wellbeing • 94% of pupil equity funding spent within planned timescales • 2,662 children accessed support or services funded by the Community Mental Health Plan • 173 new and affordable homes, including new build and buy backs Page 60 of 366
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3.12 The report spotlights examples of innovation providing information and case studies including: • The Supporting People – Addressing Need Programme which has leveraged £1.3m of funding for 6 interconnected projects with partners • Infant food insecurity pathway • Futures for Families • Area based needs analysis • Aberlour – Tayside Hardship project • NHS Anchor Strategy • The Big Hoose • Letham Hub • CAB and Cash First 3.13 There has been recognition of innovative approaches taken by Perth and Kinross Council and the following initiatives feature in the Tackling Poverty – Local Initiatives - Best Practice Directory funded by the Scottish Government and developed by the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit:- • Anti-Poverty Task Force - a co-ordinated multi agency response (Perth and Kinross Council) • Children's Scorecard - measuring Council service responses to lived experience feedback (Perth and Kinross Council) • Financial Insecurity Fund - financial assistance with debt for those with no recourse to public funds (Perth and Kinross Council) 4. PROPOSALS 4.1 This report details work undertaken in 2023/24 in fulfilment of the 2023/24 Local Child Poverty Action Plan and sets out the Action Plan for 2024/25. 4.2 The Local Child Poverty Action Plan for 2024/25 comprises workplans for three key areas: Work - Providing opportunities and support needed to enter, sustain, and progress in work (employability and skills, housing, connectivity and childcare, economic opportunity) Dignified Living - Maximising the support available to families to lead dignified lives and meet their basic needs (person-centred support, social security, and income maximisation) Survive and Thrive - Supporting the next generation to survive and thrive (next generation). Page 61 of 366
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4.3 This work will be subject to independent scrutiny by the Anti-Poverty Task Force who will provide additional expertise from across Perth and Kinross which will inform the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Child Poverty Delivery Plan and the development of future annual Local Child Poverty Action Plans. 5. CONCLUSION 5.1 We know that 5,750 children across Perth and Kinross are living in poverty. The negative impacts of poverty cannot be underestimated, both in the short and the longer term. This report sets out the Councils continued commitment to tackling child poverty in the area. It demonstrates our understanding of child poverty in Perth and Kinross, the key areas of focus and the actions that we will continue to progress with our partners to ensure that child poverty is minimised and that all our children are supported to live well. 5.2 The LCPAR has been presented to NHS Tayside for their approval. The Child Poverty Working Group will continue to oversee and monitor progress towards delivery on commitments in the Child Poverty Action Plan 2024/2025 and will report on the same to Perth and Kinross Council in the next LCPAR report later in 2025. 5.3 The Poverty Themed board will provide scrutiny of the implementation of the Local Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022- 2026 and each annual Child Poverty Action Plan. This will then feed into the reporting on progress being made on the delivery of the Partnership’s Poverty Strategic Plan with ultimate reporting to the Community Planning Partnership. Page 62 of 366
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Author Name Designation Contact Details Margaret Lynch Child Poverty Project Officer 01738 475000 ComCommitteeReports@pkc.gov.uk Approved Name Designation Date Greg Boland Strategic Lead – Strategy, People and Resources 21 October 2024. APPENDICES • Appendix 1 - 6th Local Child Poverty Action Report 23/24 • Appendix 2 – 3rd Children’s Scorecard Page 63 of 366
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial None Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment None Strategic Environmental Assessment None Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) None Legal and Governance None Risk Yes Consultation Internal Yes External Yes Communication Communications Plan None 1. Strategic Implications Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement 1.1 Mitigating Child Poverty will address the following outcomes identified in the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan by the Community Planning Partnership of premises will offer free period products across Perth and Kinross. Corporate Plan 1.2 Mitigating Child Poverty will: • address the following priorities in Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan • Tackling Poverty • Children and young people grow up safe, respected, well-educated and confident in their ability to realise their full potential • People and businesses are increasingly able to prosper in a local economy which supports low carbon ambitions and offers opportunities for all. Page 64 of 366
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2. Resource Implications 2.1 There are no resource implications arising directly from this report. 3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment 3.1 Proposals that have been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) are assessed as not relevant for EqIA. Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.2 Proposals have been considered under the Act, and no further action is required as it does not qualify as a PPS as defined by the Act and is therefore exempt. Sustainability 3.3 Not applicable. Legal and Governance 3.4 Not applicable. Risk 3.5 Tackling Poverty is an organisational priority and as such mitigating actions are also monitored through the Council’s risk profile. 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 All relevant officers have been involved in the development of this report. External 4.2 Priority Families were involved via the research project undertaken by the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit. NHS Tayside and the Community Planning Partnership were involved in the development and approval of this report. 5. Communication 5.1 None. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 None. Page 65 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 1 Appendix 1 Local Child Poverty Action Report 2023/24 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2024/25 6th Edition 7 Page 67 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 2 Contents Contents .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Context ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Where we are doing well .................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 What we are doing well .................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 What we could do better .................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Spotlight on Innovation and Good Practice .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Supporting People – Addressing Need Programme (SPAN) .......................................................................................................................... 13 Infant Food Insecurity Pathway ...................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Futures for Families ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Area based Needs Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Health and Work ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Aberlour - Tayside Hardship Project ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 NHS Tayside Anchor Strategy ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19 The Big Hoose ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Money Maximisation and Health Services ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 Letham Hub ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Multi-Disciplinary Locality Working ................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Appendix 1 – Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026 ........................................................................................................................................ 29 Strategic Aims ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 29 Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Our Approach ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 30 Page 68 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 3 Executive Summary Since the introduction of the Child Poverty Targets in 2017 significant resources and energy have been devoted to tackling child poverty in Perth and Kinross. Child poverty rates and numbers have remained relatively stable with 5,750 children living in poverty (21.7% 2022/23) compared to 5,914 (21.9% 2021/22). Perth and Kinross reflects the national trend with poverty rates similar despite resources being devoted to tackling child poverty. As in 2017, in 2024 22% of children are living in poverty. The differential child poverty rates between Scotland and England/Wales (Child Poverty is 31% and 30% respectively) suggest that measures taken by the Scottish Government, Local Government and other actors have had a protective effect for children in Scotland as a whole and in Perth and Kinross in particular. However, it is a matter of concern that few now have a serious expectation that the poverty targets set by the Scottish Government will be achieved by 2030. It is not just that we need to redouble our efforts, we also need to re-examine our approach to tackling poverty and invest in those areas where greater outcomes could be made. We are currently collaborating with the Fraser of Allander Institute and the Improvement Service to evaluate our efforts more rigorously and to generate a body of evidence to determine actions which would have the greater impact to alleviate poverty. We have secured just over £1.3 million to invest in the Supporting People – Addressing Needs Programme (SPAN) which provides a platform for the integration of services across income maximisation, employability and wellbeing. It will deliver a tailored offer to each family affected by poverty. This will be assessed to measure the impact of moving families from crisis and emergency to sustainable livelihoods. Poverty is one of the biggest equality issues in Scotland today with 1 in 5 of our children having their opportunities and life chances limited by the financial circumstances into which they were born. Thomas Glen Chief Executive, Perth and Kinross Council Nicky Connor Chief Executive, NHS Tayside Page 69 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 4 Introduction This report has been jointly produced by Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside and reflects the wider collaboration with our Community Planning Partners and deepening engagement with our stakeholder groups. It is our sixth Child Poverty Action Report and includes actions taken to implement our Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026. The Child Poverty Delivery Plan aligns with Best Start, Bright Futures: tackling child poverty delivery plan of the Scottish Government which covers the same period. It connects to and will deliver a rights-based approach as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child with reference to those articles which particularly relate to child poverty: • Article 3 (best interests of the child) • Article 6 (life, survival and development) • Article 12 (respect for the views of the child) • Article 26 (social security) • Article 27 (adequate standard of living). It is underpinned by GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of children and young people by offering the right help at the right time. It supports children and their parents to work in partnership with the services that can help them. It also aligns with the Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind approach to employability support. In particular, the growing emphasis on supporting parents into work, and to increase their earnings in work. It will contribute to the delivery of Scotland's Promise to care experienced children and young people that they will grow up loved, safe and respected and relates to the delivery of Plan 21-24 which requires organisations to demonstrate how they are ensuring that they play a part in mitigating the impacts of poverty. It flows from the Perth and Kinross Corporate Plan 2022/23 - 2027/28 which has Tackling Poverty as a corporate priority and the Perth and Kinross Community Plan 2022-2032 adopted by our Community Planning Partners which sets Reducing Poverty as a strategic priority. Page 70 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 5 Page 71 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 7 Context Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside agreed a Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022 – 2026 and this report measures the progress made in terms of actions, and outcomes against the objectives set out in the delivery plan. The Children’s Scorecard measures the extent and impact of poverty on children and families in Perth and Kinross, it monitors feedback from parents with lived experience of poverty and measures how well our services are responding to the feedback provided. Perth and Kinross Council have agreed 26 indicators to measure the extent and impact of child poverty across Perth and Kinross. These indicators are: • General context information • income from employment • the essential cost of living • social security and benefits in kind and • breaking the cycle of poverty Post-Covid-19 several of the statistics previously used to measure progress in these areas have been discontinued. The Perth and Kinross Children’s Scorecard and Measuring Child Poverty project have been updated accordingly to align with the Scottish Government Child Poverty Dashboard, the available data around income from employment and benefits and cost of living and PKCs performance data. Page 73 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 8 Insights – from the Statistics This year the percentage and number of children living in poverty reduced from 5,914 to 5,750 children living in poverty (21.7%). Relative Child poverty rates have remained stable since 2017 – this mirrors the situation for Scotland as a whole. The differential child poverty rates between Scotland and England/Wales (Child Poverty is 31% and 30% respectively) suggest that measures taken by the Scottish Government, Local Government and other key influencers have had a significant protective effect for children in Scotland. The number of children living in absolute poverty has increased during since 2020. This is in line with the findings of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that levels of deep and very deep poverty are increasing. Whilst many people in Perth and Kinross manage well, over a third of households are financially stretched and face considerable economic challenges. There is income inequality both between and within settlement areas across Perth and Kinross. (Insert link to Children’s Scorecard once approved at full council) Median income by settlement shows that the richest settlement (Murthly) has a median income of more than twice that of the poorest settlement (Bridgend). The lower quartile income by settlement for Murthly is £35,000 – and the median is £58,200. For Bridgend, the poorest settlement, it is £15,700 and £27,000 respectively. Where we are doing well Increasing income from employment - The number and percentage of employees earning below the Real Living Wage has reduced significantly – from 13,000 (16.5%) in 2020/21 to 7,000 (10.4%) in 2023. Getting people into work - The employment rate is at or slightly above pre-pandemic levels (81.7% to 80%) Increasing income from benefits - £3.2m has been achieved as a result of 6565 applications for Best Start grants since 2019/2020. Scottish Welfare Fund payments have provided emergency cash to 4135 households who gained a total of £566,001. Providing affordable housing - Local authority average rentals for a 2 bedroom house at £67.91 are more than 50% cheaper than the broad rental market area figure of £148 per week. Page 74 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 9 Closing the attainment gap – the gap for proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF level 6 (higher) has reduced from 44% to 29%; at Level 5 (National 5s) has reduced from 27% to 17% and for 5age of pupils age 16-19 in education training and employment has reduced rom 13% to 9.5%. Where we could do better The Gender Pay Gap rose to 15.6% (from 13% in 2019/20). Insights From our Services Response There has been a significant increase in activities to support improved mental health for children and young people – and the publication of the Whole Family Support - Directory of Services was a key milestone in delivering what parents had asked for from PKC. Actions taken to support reducing stigma associated with poverty and respecting human dignity have been more evident. A Child Learning Hub has been provided by PKC learning in conjunction with Public Health Scotland and to date 70 employees have completed child poverty learning modules. Cash First approaches have been ramped up and over £1.3m secured for a Supporting People -Addressing Need programme which is being delivered by multiple partners across Perth and Kinross. Streamlining of benefits has resulted in one application being needed only for free school meals and school clothing grants. What we are doing well There is a significant range of provision for families experiencing financial crisis and food insecurity, a range of access points to secure emergency cash, help and assistance. What we could do better There is work to be done to shift resources and actions upstream to provide earlier interventions which prevent families from experiencing financial crisis and enabling them to achieve sustainable livelihoods. Survey of Parents of Children in Early Years Education The Early Learning and Childcare bi-annual survey which included for the first time a section on parents from Priority Groups and social needs screening (a set of questions to help frontline workers Page 75 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 10 identify signs of poverty in a household). There were 480 responses indicating: • 44% of parents belonged to a Priority Family group • 10% were lone parents • 2% were from a minority ethnic group • 1% were mothers under 25 • 3% had a disabled family member • 20% had more than 2 children • 6% had a child under 1. The Social Needs Screening questions reinforced the findings from the research undertaken by the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Unit in “Lived experience of child poverty in Perth and Kinross” that “ Intense poverty exists. There is evidence of abject poverty in Perth and Kinross. Sometimes, such poverty has a passing intensity, which may be triggered by unforeseen circumstance (e.g., breakdown of a household appliance; loss of employment; change in family arrangements).” • 44% of parents with children in early years education belong to a Priority Family Group. 1 480 parents with children in early learning centres responded to this social needs survey • 43% of parents with children in early years education sometimes or always have difficulty making ends meet in the days/week before payday. • Someone went hungry in 9% of households with children in early years education in the last year because there was not enough money for food • 12% of households with children in early years education lack access to the internet/devices to support learning from home for all of their children • 25% of parents with children in early years education struggle to heat their homes • 5% of parents with children in early years education consider themselves at some risk of becoming homeless • 11% of parents with children in early years education have missed a medical or other appointment, work or getting things for daily living because they lack access to transport.1 Page 76 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 11 Work - childcare, transport, employability Survive and Thrive - education and whole family wellbeing Dignified Living - shelter, food, warmth, money and help 3413 childcare places provided across public and third sector 300 Funded strong start 2 places funded 292 People supported into employment 181 New families engaged in the Future for Families project 25 Rural jobs for young people created using employment incentives 42 Moved into jobs after completing HGV/LGV skills academy 53 Families issued with digital hardware devices 72% of under 22s now have free bus passes bus service 55 Parents supported into flexible employment and 7 into self- employment 173 Affordable homes were delivered 566 Tenants in financial crisis supported through Tenancy 10% Lower rent than neighbouring local authorities £250,000 Was provided to 94 community organisations for warm spaces, food and warm home packs £270,813 Was provided for summer food and activities (fuelled for fun) £8.5 million Generated in verified benefit gains by the Welfare Rights Team. 2,556 Applications received for the Council’s Financial Insecurity fund of £664,000 4135 Successful applications made for Scottish Welfare fund crisis grants £807,000 Was provided in community care grants to 1042 applicants 2205 Households benefitted from energy advice and measures to reduce bills Dignified Living 13 Schools joined phase 4 of the Nurturing Relationships whole school programme 100% Of PKCs schools are engaged with the Mental Health Ambassadors Programme 94% Of pupil equity funding spent within planned timescales 2662 Children accessed support or services funded via Community Mental Health Plan Closing the Gap tool was used to help 17,254 pupils overcome barriers to attainment. Anti-Poverty Task Force commissioned Perth and Kinross Tacking Poverty Strategy and third sectors 2 Projects were funded to provide Gypsy Travellers with cost-of-living support over the last 2 winters £521,076 Funding to support positive mental wellbeing in children and young people W ork Dignified Living Survive and Thrive What we did to tackle child poverty in 2023/24 Page 77 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 12 Work - providing o pportunities and support needed to enter, sustain and progress in work Dignified Living – support to families to lead dignified lives and meet their basic needs Work • Identify and promote best practice on delivering the real Living Wage, championing the benefits to local employers. • NHS Tayside will use its strategic influence to tackle poverty and health inequalities • Ensure the new Economic Action Plan contains actions to tackle child poverty • Extend childcare to support parental employment through wraparound care, community childminding and strong start2 • Work with the Local Employability Partnership to improve access to employment and representation in the NHS workforce amongst priority groups • Support parents who want to become self-employed childcare providers to gain qualifications • Support parental employment through the Futures for Families project to support parents into skills and employment outcomes that will increase their earning potential • Meaningfully engage with business community under the Futures for All Recruitment Incentive project to create new, flexible and sustainable jobs for priority parents and people with employment barriers. • Accelerate delivery of 1050 affordable homes over 5 years • Buy back 40 former council houses • Provide support to community-led housing initiatives • Invest £4 million to upgrade Gypsy Traveller site with new energy efficient accommodation • Analyse data relating to the uptake of Council concessions and plot unmet need to local school catchment areas • Target income maximisation, employability offers and social prescribing to schools with the greatest levels of unmet need • Develop locality based, multi-disciplinary teams to support and connect parents and families to services • NHS Tayside will promote the Warmth Matters app and website to enable frontline workers to signpost people to a range of services and support • Work in partnership with Perth and Glenochil Prisons to provide an accelerated welfare rights service to people on release from prison • • Develop a joined-up approach to crisis intervention which is underpinned by Cash First including a new referral management system • NHS Tayside will increase the number of health-placed income maximisation referrals to welfare/energy advice services. This will include new work where children are severely disabled or have complex needs • NHS Tayside will identify performance indicators that can s how effected responses are implemented, monitored and reported through existing systems. • Work will be progressed through the Tayside Child Poverty network, Addressing Inequalities in Maternity Services and will identify areas where approaches will reach priority families • Work with partner organisations to put in place robust referral pathways around health and wellbeing support for parents and their children • Work to maximise the impact of Pupil equity funding on children experiencing educational disadvantage because of poverty • Ensure there is continued promotion of evidence-based interventions to target aspects of literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing • Embed the use of the Closing the Gap tool to create a holistic planning and impact measurement tool • Report regularly, analysing progress, to the Raising Attainment Board • Develop and implement a refreshed Raising Attainment Strategy for 2023 - 2026 • Work in partnership with local community organisations to deliver Fuelled for Fun programmes to provide activities and food to school age children during school holidays • Work with Tayside Contracts to increase the uptake of free school meals • Work with Gypsy Traveller families to support their child’s development, expanding on the provision of starter sacks. • Implement the Perth and Kinross Corporate Parenting Plan 21-24 Work Dignified Living Survive and Thrive What are we going to do to tackle child poverty in 2024/25? Page 78 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 13 Spotlight on Innovation and Good Practice Supporting People – Addressing Need Programme (SPAN) Supporting People – Addressing Needs Programme (SPAN) provides a platform for the integration of services across income maximisation, employability and wellbeing. It will deliver a tailored offer to each family affected by poverty. This will be assessed to measure the impact of moving families from crisis and emergency to sustainable livelihoods. The Programme partners and elements are:- • Perth Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB) – Money Talk Service (enables clients to manage and improve their financial circumstances) and Cash First Partnership • Perth and Kinross Council – Social Needs Screening Tool (to identify unmet need), Support and Connect (to empower frontline workers to connect families to help and support) and Building Resilient Families (to empower priority parents) • Children’s Services Planning Partnership – Universal Whole Family Support Service. The programme elements were determined following feedback from parents from Priority family groups. The parents expressed • A strong preference for cash-first approaches, • A strong preference for a one-stop access point to a range of services and support for families experiencing financial challenge Parents made • A clear link between poverty, stress and mental health and wellbeing challenges for both parents and children and • Identified access to affordable childcare and transport as barriers to employment. The SPAN programme has leveraged £1.3m for poverty mitigation measures which integrate income maximisation, employability and wellbeing. Page 79 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 14 Infant Food Insecurity Pathway In response to tackling food insecurity in families with infants under 12 months, NHS Tayside’s Public Health Team undertook engagement with health colleagues, social work, community food providers and advice providers across Tayside to identify current issues and scale of the problem of infant food insecurity. Scoping work found that there was a lack of robust data measurements that could show the extent of the problem but there were anecdotal reports of families reducing formula intake, diluting formula to extend the tin or using opened or out of date first stage formula, adding thickener agents or moving onto a follow-on formula that is not nutritionally suitable for the age of the infant. Public health staff participated in a short life working group that was led and facilitated by the Scottish Government to produce a toolkit that will aid services and staff, across sectors. The toolkit is being used to develop a local Tayside Infant Food Insecurity Pathway that was put out for consultation and feedback in May 2024. Training for frontline staff will support the pathway and a project brief is being considered by Dundee University Medical School and Duncan and Jordanstone College of Art and Design to develop a resource that will increase training capacity across the third sector and community organisations who work with families. Training outcomes will be increased awareness of pathway of support, increased knowledge on safe formula feeding, increased knowledge (and application) of the ‘Code’ around promotion and marketing of first formula feed and for consistent approaches to be taken across community food providers when supporting families with infants facing food or financial insecurity. Training will complement the offering already in place to health visiting, Family Nurse Partnership staff and midwives to increase knowledge and confidence on raising the issue of money worries and the money maximisation pathways already embedded across these services. A monitoring or feedback form is also being developed with the pathway to help measure implementation of the pathway and provide some baseline data. Page 80 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 15 Futures for Families Futures for Families is a coordinated and multi-agency approach to tackling child poverty through employability and skills, supporting parents in the 6 priority groups. Our aim is to provide holistic, client-centred support, ensuring the barriers parents face are addressed and navigated with the use of mixed provision and flexible funding. The programme is financially supported by Scottish Government (£305k) and Perth and Kinross Council (£335k) to ensure flexibility of options when supporting our clients. Our experienced Key Workers create actions plans to design pathways with clients, to ensure they receive appropriate support at the right time for them and their family. Our offers include: • Support for childcare costs for parents entering employment/self-employment (3 months) • Grants for those entering else employment to fund transitionary period • Elev8 Training and Equipment Grants up to £4,500 • Funding for digital hardware and connectivity, providing internet contracts, laptops and iPads to clients in need • Funding for incentivised employment, creating new jobs in local small businesses • Funded travel to and from employment and skills interventions We deliver this service in conjunction with partners, including with Business Gateway to engage with parents in their self-employment journeys. The service is delivered with other family-centred and community learning provision in targeted areas of need. Here is how our programme supported one of our single parent clients Barry, 48, engaged with the team in April after being made homeless with his 8-month-old little girl. With our support we were able to supply him with an iPad and pay for a Project Management qualification, which he completed by June Along with his Key Worker Barry developed a business case for self-employment, and secured our Self-Employment Grant, which enabled him to launch his business and start generating income again. He has since moved off UC benefit. “Financially, I’m pleased to say that the business is going well, and the grants have allowed me to travel and take meetings throughout Scotland. It has grown to a point where I will be able to stop claiming UC in October. This has been a major milestone for me, and I couldn’t have reached it without the assistance and kind support from you. Mentally, I feel in a better place now and I feel much more optimistic about the future. Your support has been invaluable in helping me get to this point.” Page 81 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 16 Area based Needs Analysis A series of data maps have been developed which use public data (Children in Low Income Families), household income data with council data which was then mapped to the catchment areas of local primary schools to identify those areas where people were experiencing significant financial challenges and map that to the uptake of council concessions. The data will be contextualised at a meeting with Primary Headteachers and from this a targeted list of primary schools will be identified for action by the emerging locality based multi- disciplinary teams. The information generated will enable Perth and Kinross Council to target areas where there is significant financial hardship and lower than anticipated uptake of council concessions for take-up campaigns. Page 82 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 17 Health and Work The Health and Work programme has broadened its offering to local businesses which led to enhanced partnership working, building capacity through fair work practices and promoting work as a route to good health and reduced financial hardship. Address the key reasons for absence from work such as Mental Health and Musculoskeletal disorders Fair Work Supporting partners and employers to promote and deliver Fair Work actions on employment; payment of Real Living Wage and progression for low paid workers, flexible working, inclusive workplaces, healthy workplace policy and practice. Access to and retention in work Focusing support and interventions towards key groups and sectors experiencing greatest health inequalities to improve access to and retention in work. Support the NHS as an Anchor Contributing to a wellbeing economy including development and delivery of parental employment, supported employment and individual placement services. Support Fair Work conditionality in the local community Building the evidence base - Support gathering, recording and dissemination of evidence on health and work The engagement with workplaces identified the current economic pressures, effects on wages, staffing levels, morale, workload and the cost-of-living crisis are all contributing to increased levels of stress and anxiety across workplaces. Other issues causing concern are the effects of in-work poverty, menopause and menstrual health, physical health conditions, Musculoskeletal health issues and bereavement. Building strong collaborative working relationships to tackle these challenges has led to working on shared priorities with organisations such as Working Health Services, Business Gateway, Enable Works as well as the Local Employability Partnerships. Over the year, a total of 27 training courses and workshops to 341 individuals were delivered, almost double that of the previous financial year. Post course evaluations indicate the value of the training for participants, with many stating that they have increased confidence, knowledge, and skills to address the topic in their area of work. They are also more likely to raise relevant health and wellbeing issues and to have supportive conversations with employees, initiate relevant workplace adjustments, and have greater awareness of existing tools and sources of support. Page 83 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 18 Aberlour - Tayside Hardship Project Perth and Kinross Welfare Rights Team established a partnership with Aberlour and our Tayside counterparts to provide a comprehensive and enhanced welfare rights service to vulnerable families with dependent children. Last year, through our formal referral agreement with Aberlour 11 families with children on the "edge of care" were referred to us for comprehensive benefits advice and assistance. We made payments to the value of £3k from the Financial Insecurity Fund to these families and they benefited from almost £3k in additional income with an average household benefit gain of £272. In addition, we are now delivering a programme of training sessions around Reducing Council Tax Liability in partnership with our colleagues in Aberlour to frontline agencies across Perth and Kinross. We kicked the programme off in March 2024 and these will continue throughout 2024/25. Testimonial from Aberlour "PKC Welfare Rights have demonstrated exceptional expertise and passion in raising awareness of financial strategies aimed at alleviating the burden of debt and financial hardship on the families we support. Their commitment to empowering individuals and families with practical knowledge on maximizing income and accessing available resources has been instrumental in our shared mission of providing holistic support. PKC Welfare Rights collaborative approach, coupled with their deep understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable families, has undoubtedly made a significant impact on the lives of those we serve." Page 84 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 19 NHS Tayside Anchor Strategy NHS Scotland’s Annual Delivery Plan Guidance for 2023/24 asked Health Boards to set out an approach to developing an Anchors strategic plan by October 2023. To develop the local Anchor strategy this involved widespread stakeholder engagement and consultation across key NHS services and local community planning partners. The strategy was published in October 2023 and has since provided a positive platform for engagement with key partners around shared priorities. The Anchor Strategy has been presented to Dundee Partnership’s Inclusive Economic Growth SLG and to all 3 Local Employability Partnership Leads. This has directly led to Dundee LEP providing NHS Tayside with a part-time funded post for 2024/25 to accelerate and facilitate progress on aligned priorities (see appendix/attached) particularly around employability opportunities to those furthest away from the labour market. • Delivery of NHS Tayside’s Community Benefit Gateway, enabling potential suppliers to match community benefit contributions to local need. This has included coordination of a Tayside wide steering and triage group. 12 needs on the gateway, 5 delivered. • Support businesses to enhance their Fair Work credentials to improve their prospects of securing public sector contracts • Increase referrals to employability services from NHS Tayside • increase opportunities for employment to priority groups within NHS Tayside. • Agreement of tailored set of indicators to quantify, understand and measure progress of the anchor strategy working across the pillars. • Engagement with national Anchors strategic groups and networks to influence the national agenda, share learning and connect with others on shared priorities. Actions and examples of good practice have been reported within the Anchors Strategy NHS Tayside Anchor Strategy 2023 Page 85 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 20 The Big Hoose The Big Hoose was founded in 2021 by the Cottage Family Centre and Amazon UK to distribute surplus everyday household essential products from Amazon and around 30 other local and multi- national businesses to families who need them most. The project originated in Fife but has, with financial support and premises from Perth and Kinross Council expanded to create a hub service Perth and Kinross. The project is hosted by PKAVS Carers. So far, 52,067 items have been distributed to families with 2,662 children. The next steps are to make the project available across rural Perthshire by creating local access points in 5 or more locations. The group wants to increase the number of referring partners and to continue building good relationships with local businesses who donate goods to the Big Hoose inventory. Page 86 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 21 Money Maximisation and Health Services NHS Tayside will continue to offer money maximisation support through the embedded pathways within health visiting, family nurse partnership and maternity services. Steps have been taken to introduce similar pathways for money maximisation and parental employability support within paediatrics. Targeted areas such as neonatal, CAHMs and complex needs centres and the NHS Care Experienced and Young Peoples Service will increase reach to priority families most vulnerable to the effects of poverty. Training and new resources delivered to support the implementation of new or existing pathways. 25 midwives attended a public health training day which included training around health behaviour change approaches, financial inclusion and mental health. The Advice Centre provides signposting and referrals to services that will support on a range of socio-economic issues including benefit entitlements, carers support, housing, food insecurity, fuel poverty and debt. Inpatients referred through the financial inclusion pathway included in secondary care nursing documentation is triaged by the Advice Centre. Whilst the number of people requesting information and advice through this service has steadily increased throughout the year since reopening in December 2022, there are still low referrals from wards with the majority of clients self-referring. Service improvement work to be offered to acute services to increase the referral of patients experiencing money worries to NHS Tayside’s Advice Centre or partner advice providers such as CAB who will be offering onsite support from May 2024. Learning from a recent Making Every Contact Count (MECC) pilot with vaccination teams, will inform service improvement work to overcome the barriers to raising the issue of money worries with inpatients and improve reach to those most likely facing health inequalities. Page 87 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 22 Advice Centre MECC Vaccination pilot Average weekly brief advice, signposting and provision of information – 50 contacts, 92% of which are self- referrals. 448 very brief interventions on alcohol, smoking and money worries offered within vaccination centre and home visits over 5 weeks. 268 agreed to answer question around money worries. 70 referrals to CABs across Tayside with further referrals made to other services over the year including welfare rights, carers, housing services, food larders, mental wellbeing services, Age Scotland and more. 13.8% of citizens accepted signposting to cost of living support Training co-delivered with Social Security Scotland offered to ward staff – low uptake. Offer bespoke ward training to increase reach across patient groups and confidence of staff to raise the issue Training offered to small cohort of vaccinators. Roll out to health care assistants and staff across GP practices. Page 88 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 23 Letham Hub The Letham Hub is the result of a unique and productive collaboration between the local community and Perth and Kinross Council. Working together over the last 6 years this partnership has resulted in a community facility, which has been returned to community ownership. The drive for this project came from the local community to address local inequalities and improve health and wellbeing. Now opened, The Hub is run and owned for the community by Letham4All, and it offers a wealth of opportunities for partner agencies to deliver range of services in the locality, by offering the use of hotdesking and confidential meeting spaces with the benefit of enabling engagement with local people who attend the many community-based activities delivered by Letham4All staff, volunteers and partners. The building offers many free and very low-cost activities for local people. The Hub is open 7 days a week, offering access to the Community Fridge and Community Café making good food accessible with choice and dignity and at a very low cost. The affordable Community Gym is complemented by a Fitness Activity Co-ordinator to deliver a range sessions which are usually beyond the budgets of many people in the community. There is a diary of local activity groups from Keep Fit, Sewing classes, Youth Work, Cycling Projects and Digital Skills, as well as local access to employability support, financial wellbeing services and much needed community space for local groups to access, including the sports hall. All this activity enables a sense of anonymity when people enter the building to see more confidential services for guidance and support. Letham4All now employs a team of 20 full and part time staff, providing valuable local employment and they are a Real Living Wage employer. Letham4All are looking forward to co-designing and producing new services with partners and the community, exploring new ways of working and delivering locally. Page 89 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 24 Multi-Disciplinary Locality Working Our Multi-Disciplinary Locality Working programme is a place- based approach to overcome organisational and sectoral boundaries by enabling greater collaboration with a range of partners including local communities. We are building on work currently underway to deliver an inclusive community model which takes forward the principles of the “no wrong door” approach and focuses on early intervention and prevention. By working together with partners and communities we aim to achieve greater outcomes and tackle and mitigate the impact of poverty and improve outcomes and the quality of life for people living in Perth and Kinross. This approach has been endorsed by the Scottish Government and we have recently received investment as one of their “fairer future partnerships” to expand and embed our place-based approach. Some examples of the work so far: - Letham – Love Letham is a project bringing together children, young people, families, residents and representative from Perth & Kinross Council to co-create plans to make Letham the best place for children to grow up. Love Letham is a collaboration between the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and the Council rooted in the belief that children and young people should have a greater voice in policymaking. Phase 1 of the project is complete with several actions being taken forward by communities and partners and multi-disciplinary teams are now working from the Letham Hub enabling greater local access to a range of council and partner services. Phase 2 – Is in progress and involves getting the voice of infants and this is being undertaken through partnership with the Wellbeing Alliance, Early Years Scotland, Northern Star and Starcatchers. Wellbeing Alliance are also planning to facilitate workshops to develop a methodology for a “shadow budget” for tackling child poverty and influence policy change. Highland Perthshire – The work in Highland arose through the Columba 1400 and recognised the distinctive needs of an extensive rural area and built on the learnings from the work in Letham. Initial work involved bringing Council Teams together e.g. schools, housing, community learning & development, Page 90 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 25 welfare rights, children’s services community safety etc. This work has been supported by the Improvement Service who are collating the outcomes achieved so far. Most recently engagement with key local include community groups has commenced recognising the value of co-production. Coupar Angus – Using the information for the Locality Profiles (PKInsights) Community Planning Partners commissioned an external consultant to undertake a research and consultation exercise. An action plan was developed informed by feedback from the local community, local businesses and public sector partners. This saw the creation of three subgroups (Community Development, Place and Poverty, Wellbeing & Employment). This is taking a multi-disciplinary approach formed by a range of council services and partners. A report of activities and outcomes for Year 1 across the 3 groups is currently available at (add link) We are taking an evidence-based approach to this work and are in the early stages of planning for Perth City and South Crieff. Page 91 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 26 Perth Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB) - Pathways to Advice and Cash/Cash First Partnership Last year Perth CAB achieved a client financial gain of £5,049,000 – of this they estimate over £2M went into the pockets of 1800 families with children. 7113 people were supported by Perth Cab in 2023/24. Led by Perth CAB, the project secured funding from the Trussell Trust, the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund and more to ensure that support is getting to priority families and children in need. Lived experience data gathered identified that people find it difficult to know where to go to when in times of need. The project offers access to holistic support to improve outcomes for individuals and families through a shared referral system, which will incorporate partners working in local authority and third sector settings across Perth & Kinross. The system will allow for easy access and a ‘no-wrong-door' entry to advice, support (including cash first approaches) and information for individuals/families in need, utilising local organisations who have established relationships with clients. Current partners include Letham4All, P&K Central Arrears Housing Team, P&K Access Team, The Heat Project, PKAVS Carers, Buttons and Bows Baby bank, Broke Not Broken, Turning Point and more. The web-based tool includes directory pages for partners and links to the Whole Family Wellbeing directory and TSI Service Navigator for practitioner info. Page 92 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 27 The project will continue to grow the system with partners in targeted areas of employability support, criminal justice, youth services, wellbeing and more. The project hopes to extend the project by creating a shared Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database so that we are able to track client progress in a more in-depth way. Page 93 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 28 The partnership aims to capture the expertise and vast knowledge of organisations to help families and children in hardship as we recognise that we cannot tackle poverty alone. The Pathways to Advice and Cash project aligns closely with other strands that CAB is already running or plan to develop in 2025 – including the support provided through Money Talk Plus; education and peer support through Building Resilient Families and Communities; and in-depth support provided to priority parents and families through No-one Left Behind identified through the incoming FORT referrals to the service. Families with complex needs will also be triaged through the Universal Whole Family Support service with whom we will be working closely. Page 94 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 29 Appendix 1 – Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-2026 Strategic Aims • To raise awareness about the causes and consequences of child poverty. • To foster social cohesion and reduce stigma surrounding poverty for children and families. • To reduce the negative effects of living in poverty for children and families. • To enable children and families to prepare themselves for a life free from poverty. Objectives Work - Provide opportunities and support needed to enter, sustain and progress in work (Employability and skills, housing and economic opportunity, connectivity and childcare) Sharpening Focus - Supporting parents into work that pays the Real Living Wage or more. • Taking action to close the gender employment and pay gaps. • Addressing the challenges presented by rurality. Dignified Living - Maximise the support available to families to lead dignified lives and meet their basic needs. (Person-centred support, social security and income maximisation) Sharpening Focus • Addressing the rural poverty premium. • Addressing the needs of the Gypsy Traveller community and other minority ethnic communities. • Addressing stigma which prevents parents and families from seeking help and support. Survive and Thrive - Supporting the next generation to survive and thrive. (Education and Children’s Services, Health and Social Care) Sharpening Focus • Closing the poverty-related attainment gap. • Addressing the challenges faced by disabled young people entering further and higher education and the jobs market. • Addressing mental health and wellbeing issues for parents and children affected by poverty. Page 95 of 366
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Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 and Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2023/24 | 30 Our Approach Deliver a whole system, whole-family, whole-community approach to connecting children and families to the help and support they need to mitigate and move beyond poverty. Sharpening Focus • Changing the way we work to use data-driven approaches to identify and connect with families affected by poverty. • Offer no wrong door approaches to connecting families to the help and support they need and want. • Developing multidisciplinary, cross-organisational working in teams at locality level to build inclusive communities which strengthen the web of support on offer to families and children affected by poverty. Page 96 of 366
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Appendix 2 Children’s Scorecard 2024 3rd Edition 7 Page 99 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 2 Background ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Section 1 - Indicators ...................................................................................................... 6 General Indicators ..................................................................................................... 6 Indicators based on income ....................................................................................... 9 Indicators based on essential cost of living .............................................................. 15 Income from Social Security and benefits in-kind .................................................... 16 Indicators – survive and thrive ................................................................................. 19 Priority families ........................................................................................................ 22 Section 2 – Feedback from parents.............................................................................. 24 Social needs screening results - Early Years parents’ survey ................................. 24 Family Experience of Poverty .................................................................................. 26 Parental Experience of PKC Services...................................................................... 27 Section 3 – How our services responded .................................................................... 29 Wellbeing ................................................................................................................ 29 Stigma and Dignity .................................................................................................. 30 Crisis support .......................................................................................................... 31 Housing ................................................................................................................... 32 Education ................................................................................................................ 33 Childcare ................................................................................................................. 34 Transport ................................................................................................................. 35 Page 101 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Introduction The Scottish Government set 4 ambitious interim and long-term targets to address the challenge of reducing child poverty. The Scottish Government asked local authorities to consider how they can help achieve the child poverty targets by acting to: • Increase income from employment by supporting parents to enter, sustain and progress in work • Promote dignified living by maximising the support available to families to lead dignified lives • ensure the next generation survives and thrives – and finds a way out of poverty. In response to this request, Perth and Kinross Council decided to go directly to parents and families affected by poverty to ask what help and support they needed to increase family income and reduce essential costs. PKC commissioned research on the lived experience of families affected by poverty in Perth and Kinross. The research was conducted by the Poverty Alliance and the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit at Glasgow Caledonian University. The research was conducted between May and June 2021 and the report published in November 2021. Parents identified areas where Perth and Kinross Council was doing well to meet their needs - and areas where they would like to see us doing something better or differently. We used this information to develop the first iteration of the Perth and Kinross Offer for children and families affected by poverty. The Children's Scorecard identifies areas of accomplishment and areas of challenge. It will help us to evaluate our approaches to child poverty – and our delivery of the Perth and Kinross Offer for children and families affected by poverty. This third year of the Children's Scorecard reports against the baseline established in 2020/2021. It sets out clearly those areas where progress has been achieved - and those areas where challenges remain. The research with parents continued in 2024 when we inserted questions into the Early Learning and Childcare Bi-annual Consultation which provides a clearer picture of the extent of unmet social need in our communities. Page 102 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition In 2019/2020 Perth and Kinross Council agreed 26 indicators to measure the extent and impact of child poverty across Perth and Kinross. These indicators were • general context data • income from employment • the essential cost of living • social security and benefits in kind • breaking the cycle of poverty Post-covid several of the statistics previously used to measure progress in these areas have been discontinued and the Scottish Government have developed their own dashboard of stats to measure progress towards attainment of the child poverty targets. Perth and Kinross Council have also revamped their own performance indicators. The Children’s Scorecard and Measuring Child Poverty project have been updated accordingly to align with the Scottish Government dashboard, the available data around income from employment and benefits and cost of living and PKCs performance. Page 103 of 366
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0 A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Insights From the Statistics Relative Child poverty rates have remained stable since 2017 – this mirrors the situation for Scotland as a whole. The differential child poverty rates between Scotland and England/Wales (Child Poverty is 31% and 30% respectively) suggest that measures taken by the Scottish Government, Local Government and other influencers have had a protective effect for children in Scotland. The number of children living in absolute poverty has increased during the last 3 years since 2020. This is in line with the findings of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation that levels of deep and very deep poverty are increasing. Whilst many people in Perth and Kinross manage well, over a third of households are financially stretched and face considerable economic challenges. There is income inequality both between and within settlement areas across Perth and Kinross. Median income by settlement shows that the richest settlement (Murthly) has a median income of more than twice that of the poorest settlement (Bridgend). The lower quartile income by settlement for Murthly is £35,000 – and the median is £58,200. For Bridgend it is £15,700 and £27,000 respectively. Where we are doing well Increasing income from employment - The number and percentage of employees earning below the Real Living Wage has reduced significantly – from 13,000 (16.5%) in 2020/21 to 7,000 (10.4%) in 2023. Getting people into work - The employment rate is at or slightly above pre-pandemic levels (81.7% to 80%) Increasing income from benefits - £3.2M has been achieved as a result of 6565 applications for Best Start grants since 2019/2020. Scottish Welfare Fund payments have provided emergency cash to 4135 households who gained a total of £566,001. Providing affordable housing - Local authority average rentals for a 2-bedroom house at £67.91 are more than 50% cheaper than the broad rental market area figure of £148 per week. Closing the attainment gap – the gap for proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF level 6 (higher) has reduced from 44% to 29%; at Level 5 (National 5s) has reduced from 27% to 17% and for 5age of pupils age 16-19 in education training and employment has reduced from 13% to 9.5%. Where we could do better The Gender Pay Gap rose to 15.6% (from 13% in 2019/20). Page 104 of 366
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From Feedback from Parents Parents were not comfortable about identifying their income bracket in an anonymous survey – but were comfortable responding to the Social Needs Screening questions for the tool which is currently being developed to identify unmet need. 44% of parents with children in early years education belong to a Priority Family Group. 43% if parents with children in early years education sometimes or always have difficulty making ends meet in the days/week before payday. Someone went hungry in 9% of households with children in early years education in the last year because there was not enough money for food 12% of households with children in early years education lack access to the internet/devices to support learning from home for all of their children 25% of parents with children in early years education struggle to heat their homes 5% of parents with children in early years education consider themselves at some risk of becoming homeless 11% of parents with children in early years education have missed a medical or other appointment, work or getting things for daily living because they lack access to transport. From our services response There has been a significant increase in activities to support improved mental health for children and young people – and the publication of the Whole Family Support - Directory of Services was a key milestone in delivering what parents had asked for from PKC. Actions taken to support reducing stigma associated with poverty and respecting human dignity have been more evident. A Child Learning Hub has been provided by PKC learning in conjunction with Public Health Scotland and to date 70 employees have completed child poverty learning modules. Cash First approaches have been ramped up and over £1.3M secured for a Supporting People -Addressing Need programme which is being delivered by multiple partners across Perth and Kinross. Streamlining of benefits has resulted in one application being needed only for free school meals and school clothing grants. What we are doing well There is a significant range of provision for families experiencing financial crisis and food insecurity, a range of access points to secure emergency cash, help and assistance. What we could do better There is work to be done to shift resources and actions upstream to provide earlier interventions which prevent families from experiencing financial crisis and enabling them to achieve sustainable livelihoods. Page 105 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Section 1 - Indicators General Indicators Number of children living in relative poverty - before housing costs Number of children living in relative poverty - after housing costs Page 106 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Number of children living in relative poverty - before housing costs by Ward 2023 132 217 292 239 264 267 250 286 392 363 497 664 168 256 354 278 316 334 348 379 479 522 797 851 191 234 281 289 300 356 362 389 515 516 788 840 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 Carse of Gowrie Strathallan Kinross-shire Highland Almond and Earn Strathearn Strathtay Blairgowrie and Glens Perth City South Strathmore Perth City North Perth City Centre 2022/23 2021/22 2020/21 Page 107 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition ACORN DATA - household types ACORN data is used to understand life and living conditions, lifestyles, behaviours and attitudes and can therefore help inform the public service needs of neighbourhoods and households. The table below shows the distribution of households in Perth and Kinross across ACORN categories in 2021 and 2023. This information shows that whilst many people in Perth and Kinross manage well, over a third of households (36%) are financially stretched or facing considerable economic challenges. There has been little change in the distribution since 2021. The chart below shows the distribution of households in Perth and Kinross across the ACORN categories when compared to Scotland. In general, Perth and Kinross has a considerably higher proportion of households who would generally be considered to live comfortably and a lower proportion of households facing more concerning financial challenges (35% in Perth and Kinross, 51% in Scotland). Page 108 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Indicators based on income Median income by settlement - Perth and Kinross Source: CACI Paycheck Data 2023: Median income is the level at which half the population is above, and half is below. £27,000 £29,800 £31,200 £34,900 £35,000 £35,200 £35,900 £36,400 £37,000 £38,200 £38,800 £39,000 £39,800 £39,900 £40,100 £40,800 £41,000 £41,300 £41,500 £41,700 £41,700 £43,100 £44,200 £44,700 £45,100 £45,300 £45,500 £48,300 £48,600 £48,700 £49,900 £51,300 £51,800 £58,200 £0 £10,000 £20,000 £30,000 £40,000 £50,000 £60,000 £70,000 Bridgend Coupar Angus Alyth Perth Methven Aberfeldy Stanley Crieff Blairgowrie Dunkeld and Birnam Pitlochry Comrie (Perth and Kinross) Bridge of Earn Dunning Muthill Almondbank Letham Bankfoot Errol Burrelton Scone Milnathort Kinross Luncarty Blackford Auchterarder Aberuthven Forgandenny Glenfarg Abernethy St Madoes and Glencarse Crook of Devon Inchture Murthly Page 109 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Mode income by settlement - Perth and Kinross Source CACI Paycheck Data 2023: The mode income is the most likely income to be found within a population. E.g. Bridgend has a median income of £15,700 – but within that community the most commonly found income level would be £12,500. £12,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £17,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £22,500 £27,500 £42,500 £0 £5,000 £10,000 £15,000 £20,000 £25,000 £30,000 £35,000 £40,000 £45,000 Bridgend Aberfeldy Alyth Blairgowrie Coupar Angus Crieff Perth Stanley Abernethy Aberuthven Almondbank Auchterarder Bankfoot Blackford Bridge of Earn Burrelton Comrie (Perth and Kinross) Dunkeld and Birnam Dunning Errol Forgandenny Glenfarg Inchture Kinross Letham Luncarty Methven Milnathort Muthill Pitlochry Scone St Madoes and Glencarse Crook of Devon Murthly Page 110 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Lower quartile income by settlement - Perth and Kinross Source: CACI Paycheck Data 2023: The lower quartile income reports on what people who are the bottom 25% are receiving in income and can expose income inequalities within areas often demonstrating that poverty is co-existing with affluence. £0 £5,000 £10,000 £15,000 £20,000 £25,000 £30,000 £35,000 £40,000 Bridgend Coupar Angus Alyth Perth Aberfeldy Stanley Crieff Methven Blairgowrie Dunkeld and Birnam Pitlochry Comrie (Perth and Kinross) Bridge of Earn Dunning Muthill Almondbank Letham Errol Bankfoot Scone Burrelton Milnathort Kinross Luncarty Auchterarder Blackford Aberuthven Abernethy Forgandenny Glenfarg St Madoes and Glencarse Crook of Devon Inchture Murthly Page 111 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Number and percentage of employees earning below the Real Living wage Perth and Kinross median weekly earning by place of residence 2008-2003 (£) Source: ONS Local statistics for Perth and Kinross 2023- Table 7 Gross median weekly pay by place of residence. £353 £376 £365 £376 £386 £372 £398 £421 £420 £425 £434 £467 £478 £492 £531 £605 £0 £100 £200 £300 £400 £500 £600 £700 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Page 112 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Number and percentage of people in employment aged 16-64 Source: ONS L101: Local labour market indicators by unitary and local authorities Great Britain. Employment rate – Perth and Kinross % Source: ONS Local statistics Table 3: Employment rate. 80.1 80.9 86.3 79.2 81.8 80.1 81.7 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 74.0 76.0 78.0 80.0 82.0 84.0 86.0 88.0 Page 113 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Job density Source: ONS L101: Local labour market indicators by unitary and local authorities. Gender pay gap Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2023 – Gender Pay Table 7.12.viiviii Page 114 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Indicators based on essential cost of living Median monthly rents – private sector and Local Authority based on 2 bed houses Broad Rental Market Area 2010 2022 2023 2010 to 2023 change 2022 to 2023 change Cumulativ e CPI - 2010 to 2023 (45.7%) CPI - 2022 to 2023 (9.0%) Perth and Kinross £506 £626 £644 27.1% 2.8% 45.7% 9.0% Perth and Kinross - average Local Authority rent (per week) Source: Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Statistics, Scottish Local Authority Housing Income and Expenditure 1997-98 to 2023 (near actuals) 2023/24 (estimates), October 2021. Table 8. Fuel poverty stats - no update since 2019 – awaiting 2023 results The 2022 Scottish House Condition Survey key findings were reported in February 2024 – but did not include local authority level figures for fuel poverty or energy efficiency. The most recent figures available date from the Scottish House Condition Survey of 2019 which indicate that 25% of households (17,000 hhs) in Perth and Kinross were in fuel poverty and 3000 (4%) hhs had an energy efficiency rating of F or G. Page 115 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Income from Social Security and benefits in-kind Workless households - Perth and Kinross 2019-2023 Claimant count - Perth and Kinross 2019-2023 4000 6000 4400 7000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 1850 2815 2470 2159 2019/20 202/21 2021/22 2022/23 Page 116 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Number and % of pupils taking free school meals in Perth and Kinross Primary Schools - 2020-2023 Primary School annual total free school meals and % of entitlement Secondary School annual total free school meals and % of entitlement 5007 4796 4485 48% 68% 64% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 4200 4300 4400 4500 4600 4700 4800 4900 5000 5100 2020/2021 2021/2022 2022/2023 Page 117 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Best Start Grants Source: Social Security Scotland, Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods High Level Statistics tables 5 and 11. Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grant applications approved Source: Scottish Welfare Fund statistics: Annual Update 2022 – 2023 Table 24. Page 118 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Indicators – survive and thrive % of children with a development concern by stage of review 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 13 – 15 months – 12.9% of children reviewed had at least one developmental concern recorded 27 – 30 months –13.5% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded 4–5-year review – 14.7% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded 13 – 15 months – 15.2% of children reviewed had at least one developmental concern recorded 27 – 30 months –17.3% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded 4–5-year review – 17.2% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded 13 – 15 months - 14.6% of children reviewed had at least one developmental concern recorded 27 – 30 months – 17.4% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded 4–5-year review – 14.2% of children had at least one developmental concern recorded Number and % in workforce with no qualifications Source: Nomis web: Local Authority Profile: Perth and Kinross. Page 119 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition 2023 school leavers SIMD Quintile 1 2 3 4 5 Total Average Tariff Points 633 715 857 997 1112 Source: Total tariff scores for school leavers by SIMD. The gap between SIMD Q1 and SIMD Q5 for the proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 6 (Higher) has reduced from 44% in 2016/17 to 29% in the most recent stats (2023 leavers). The gap between SIMD Q1 and SIMD Q5 for the proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 5 (National 5) has reduced from 27% in 2016/17 to 17% in the most recent stats (2023 leavers). The SIMD Q1 – Q5 gap for the % of 16-19 year-olds participating in education, employment or training has also reduced from 13% in 2016/17 to 9.5% in 2022/23. Proportion of S4 pupils staying on by SIMD Page 120 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Looked after school leavers with SCQF at Level 4 Young people (16-19) in education, training or employment Page 121 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Priority families % single parent households % first-time mothers under 25 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Perth and Kinross 21% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% Perth and Kinross Page 122 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition % adults reporting a limiting long-term physical or mental health problem – households with children Minority ethnic HHs There were no local statistics for minority ethnic households as a %age of the population for Perth and Kinross. % large family households Households where there is a child under the age of 1. There was no local data available on households with a child under 1 year of age. 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Perth and Kinross East Ayrshire Scotland 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Perth and Kinross East Ayrshire Scotland Page 123 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Social needs screening results - Early Years parents’ survey Perth and Kinross Council sought the views of parents and carers with babies, under-fives and school-age children regarding care and early education provision in the local area. The Early Learning and Childcare Bi-annual Survey Included for the first time a section on Priority Parents and Social Needs Screening which gained 460 responses. • 44% of parents belonged to a Priority Family group • 10% were lone parents • 2% were from a minority ethnic group • 1% were mothers under 25 • 3% had a disabled family member • 20% had more than 2 children • 6% had a child under 1 57% of parents with children in early years education did not belong to a priority family group. The question on threshold income (to identify how many were living below the poverty line) was not answered by 91% of respondents and therefore the results are not being reported. The Social Needs Screening questions attracted a higher level of respondents than the Priority Parents question (n = 484). Do you have difficulty making ends meet in the week/days before payday? Yes – 21% Sometimes – 22% No – 54% Not answered 3% In the past year was there any day when you or someone in your house went hungry because you did not have enough food? Yes – 6% Sometimes – 3% No – 88% Not answered – 3% Does your home have enough internet access/devices to enable all your school age children to learn from home? Yes – 84% No – 7% Sometimes – 5% Do you struggle to pay energy bills (gas/electricity or fuel to heat your home)? Yes – 11% Sometimes – 14% No- 71% Not answered – 3% Do you think you are at risk of becoming homeless? Yes – 1% No 92% Sometimes – 4% Not answered – 4% In the last 12 months has lack of transportation kept you from medical or other appointments, work or getting things for daily living? Yes – 7% Sometimes – 4% No - 85% Not answered 3% Section 2 – Feedback from parents Page 124 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Learning Social Needs Screening questions are more likely to be answered than questions on family income. • 44% of parents with children in early years education belong to a Priority Family Group. • 43% if parents with children in early years education sometimes or always have difficulty making ends meet in the days/week before payday. • Someone went hungry in 9% of households with children in early years education in the last year because there was not enough money for food • 12% of households with children in early years education lack access to the internet/devices to support learning from home for all their children • 25% of parents with children in early years education struggle to heat their homes • 5% of parents with children in early years education consider themselves at some risk of becoming homeless • 11% of parents with children in early years education have missed a medical or other appointment, work or getting things for daily living because they lack access to transport. Page 125 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Family Experience of Poverty Intense poverty exists. There is evidence of abject poverty in Perth and Kinross. Sometimes, such poverty has is a passing intensity, which may be triggered by unforeseen circumstance (e.g., breakdown of a household appliance; loss of employment; change in family arrangements). Intense poverty may subside, rather than disappear, becoming an enduring challenge of seasonal pinch points, e.g., increased living costs during summer when children are not in school for part of the week, or in winter when energy bills are higher, and Christmas brings additional expense. Family support. For those with access to it (which does not apply to all families experiencing poverty), the support provided by families – at critical stress points and in everyday life – is acknowledged and highly valued. Families are a key source of childcare support, and a resource that is drawn on in times of crisis. Time pressure. Time pressures are reported by many families experiencing poverty. The challenges of managing children’s lives and the challenges of combining work and family life are the primary sources of this stress. Cost of living. Housing, transport, and food expenditure is reported to place strain on family budgets, particularly in rural areas. Cumulative impacts. Many of the challenges faced by families experiencing poverty are encountered by other families. However, the difficulties in facing these challenges on a low income – without the ability to drawn on a safety net of financial resource – exacerbate these problems. Similarly, the cumulative impact and interaction of these problems impacts on family life. Stigma. Many of the families described issues related to stigma, with narratives indicating stigmatisation was even experienced when accessing support. Living in Perth and Kinross Good place to live. On the whole, Perth and Kinross as a region, and the localities within, are viewed positively by families experiencing poverty. Opportunity for ready access to leisure, formal and informal, is widely appreciated. Luck. Families experiencing poverty in Perth and Kinross often used the descriptor ‘luck’ to rationalise positive experiences. This conveys a sense of gratitude for what they have, and an acknowledgement that others may not be as fortunate as themselves. It also suggests that a sense of rights and entitlement does not prevail. A Perthshire trade-off. Many families experiencing poverty accept or understand poor provision – for example in housing, or rural transport – as part of the price to be paid for where they live. Page 126 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Parental Experience of PKC Services Referrals work. There is much evidence of effective cross referral and integration of support pathways. Where this works, it is not received as being ‘passed on,’ but rather as being directed to the right source. Successful referrals were reported within services, and across services. Positive impacts of this included being connected to support in a timely manner which was critical for prevention of intensification of problems. Key individuals. Many parents experiencing poverty made reference to a key individual who provided them with critical support and/or who ‘made things happen’. These interventions were often understood as someone going ‘above and beyond’ duty, rather than delivering routine service. These sources of key support were found across a range of service areas. Individuals, Departments, and the Council. Although people experiencing poverty did not always praise individuals or specific departments/services, overall, there was much more evidence of positive than negative appraisal of service rendered. In contrast, “the Council” tended to be viewed more negatively. How services are delivered. The way in which services are delivered is important. There were several examples of people experiencing poverty reporting that staff had shown a lack of empathy toward them or had failed to appreciate the situation in which they found themselves. Poor communication was noted for some, and public information was found to be lacking. Utilising local sources of information. It was striking how many parents, turned to local sources for information about what was available to them. These local sources were not Council-led but were often informal groups that had emerged utilising platforms, such as Facebook or WhatsApp. Housing. It was acknowledged that there was a housing shortage and that there was a long waiting list for Council housing. The lack of availability was leading people to accept whatever was offered, which was not always ideally suited to their needs, for example, some were living further away from family support, or living in accommodation without sufficient bedrooms. Childcare. Childcare was a particular challenge for those in-work. Although all were aware of entitlement, availability did not always dovetail with need, and available provision often required additional cost to either access the provision, or to pay for additional hours beyond universal entitlement. Childcare was constraining opportunities to access paid employment. Education. Schools were viewed positively and were often acknowledged as a source of wider information beyond education. School meals were not viewed to be meeting all children’s needs. Leisure. Children were widely reported to be actively engaged in leisure and sporting activities outside of school. Families also reported utilising the local environment for seasonal ‘incidental’ leisure. Page 127 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Transport. Transport services were viewed positively in the city of Perth. In contrast, the availability and cost of transport in rural areas was often criticised. There was understanding of the difficulty in delivering rural transport. Many families in rural areas reported the necessity of having access to a car. Poor provision generates costs. Providing a service does not always lead to needs being met. Notably, with regards to housing, childcare and school meals, perceived inadequacies in provision led to family spend, e.g., paying extra for heating, paying for packed lunches where school meals do not meet children’s needs. Poor provision generates work. Service inadequacies create work for others. There is a need for systems thinking to reduce the overall workload, which would also be less time-consuming and stressful for services users. This does not only imply a shift of workload between organisations, but also leads to a shift of workload within organisations (for example, Welfare Support offering routine advice on availability/entitlement, as this information cannot be accessed independently with ease). Page 128 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Wellbeing Parents asked for • Help for families with issues around mental health or wellbeing • Timely support for mental health for children and young people experiencing stress/distress. • Whole Family Support - Directory of Services was published in 2023 in response to parents’ requests for information. • By the end of March 2023, the waiting time for people accessing statutory Mental Health Services had increased by 10% compared to the same period last year. However, at the same time there has been a 27% reduction on waiting lists, suggesting non-statutory community-based services, such as the third sector and peer support networks, are intervening earlier and limiting the need for intervention via statutory services. • 89% of people felt their health and social care support was easily accessible and well communicated. • 2808 pupils took part in active schools and sports to improve mental health and wellbeing (22/23 – latest data available). • There were 223,276, 000 attendances at indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities and programmes during the reporting period (Oct – Dec 2023). • 91% of adults felt satisfied with parks and open spaces • 58% of residents were satisfied with local leisure facilities. • PKC’s Welfare Rights team received 177 referrals from Health Visitors and the Family Nurse Partnership which resulted in benefit gains averaging £1638 per family. Section 3 – how our services responded Page 129 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Stigma and Dignity Parents asked • To be treated with empathy and understanding • That service providers understand it can be difficult for parents to admit they are struggling to make ends meet and ask for help. A Child Poverty Learning Hub has been set up on Perth and Kinross Council’s learning platform – Protecting People. 70 employees have completed the course on Poverty and Stigma. Cash First approaches have been adopted by Perth and Kinross Council, Perth CAB is leading a Cash-First Partnership involving Perth and Kinross Council and key third sector and community partners. Over £1 million in funding has been secured to deliver the Supporting People -Addressing Need programme which is geared at delivering a one-door, cash first approach to ensuring people experiencing poverty access all the services and support they need. Within this the Support and Connect project will provide all locality-based frontline workers with access to poverty-related training. Streamlining of benefits has resulted in one application being needed only for free school meals and school clothing grants. Page 130 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Crisis support Parents asked for • Accessible information on sources of help and support for parents in crisis - money, welfare benefits, in-kind support • Help accessing support in times of crisis when they are experiencing stress • Key worker approaches - where one person helps source support across a range of organisations • Help with form filling and navigating the welfare benefits system • Cash First Approaches Welfare Benefits Checks/Money Advice offered to Council employees • Support for Foodbanks and Community Groups offering in-kind or crisis support. Our Welfare Rights Team • Responded to 8022 referrals for advice on welfare rights, advice and assistance was provided to 1734 families with dependent children with an average household gain of £1440 • secured £8.5Million in benefit income gains of which £681,000 was secured following representation at 80 benefit appeals with a success rate of 89%. • 1056 households benefitted from an average client financial gain of £1060 – a further 2762 households are either awaiting decisions on their benefit claim or are out of contact with the service. • submitted 4135 successful applications for Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grants which resulted in payments totalling £566,001.i • 686 households receiving a Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grant went onto receive a comprehensive benefits entitlement check, additional benefit entitlements were secured for 99 households resulting in a client financial gain of £651,136. • Maintained and updated 80 web pages providing access to information about welfare benefits • There was a 29% reduction in referrals from the Welfare Rights Team to the main foodbanks in the area suggesting that Cash First approaches are being successful in reducing demand for food parcels. At the same time there was an overall 4% reduction in demand for food parcels to the main foodbanks in Perth and Kinross. • Advice provision has been made available to the Gypsy Traveller community via outreach sessions at the Double Dykes facility, and to employees of the 2 Sisters Chicken Factory in Coupar Angus. • 104 community groups received community investment funding to support community led projects and initiatives to help improve equalities across Perth and Kinross. • Food insecurity during the holiday period was addressed by provision of£171,376 for the Fuelled for Fun programme which reached 479 children. Page 131 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Housing Parents asked for • Increased supply of affordable housing • Ensure houses are let in a good state of repair • Improved Communications. • 173 new homes were completed in rural Perthshire following a £4.4M investment by Perth and Kinross Council and the Scottish Government. (Jan – March 2024 – no data for 2022/23). • PKC is supporting 5 Community Development Trusts to explore community-led affordable housing initiatives • 737 households presented as homeless to March 2023; this was an increase of 21% on the previous year but was due to demand associated with post-pandemic conditions, cost of living pressures and a reduction in the housing supply with less new-build completions and a significantly reduced turnover of existing stock. • 2,205 households were provided with energy efficiency and/or low carbon heating advice – an increase of 149% compared to the previous year. Funding for the HEAT project was increased as part of our Cost-of-Living Crisis response. Page 132 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Education Parents asked for • Information about help available to struggling families • Information on how to access help around school costs with assurance that these will be handled discretely and sensitively Improvements in the quality of school meals • Affordable after-school provision to support parental employment. • A Child Tax Credit take up campaign resulted in an additional 210 families and 265 children receiving Tx Credits – an estimated client financial gain of £970,000. • 60 additional registered childcare places before school and 16 additional childcare places during school holiday periods were provided at Letham Early Learning and Childcare and Inch View Early Learning Centre and Wraparound Care Centres. • An additional 137 registered childcare places were provided, and families can now use tax-free childcare, universal credit or childcare vouchers to help with costs. • There are 1615 children registered to use Kids Clubs and Wraparound Care which enables parents and carers to work or take-up training opportunities. • All schools have been provided with Cost of the School Day resources and training materials provided by the Child Poverty Action Group. Page 133 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Childcare Parents asked for • Increased access to accessible and affordable childcare • Flexible childcare options to support parental employment • Accessible information on available childcare options, places, and costs. • 269 2-year-olds benefitted from Strong Start placements in early years education. 2020 3 – 5 year lds accessed funded hours of early learning in local authority settings; • 300 2-yearolds benefited from Strong Start placements. This enables children who are most at risk experience high quality learning experiences and nurturing care and support from a younger age. Parents reported that Strong Start 2 placements enable them to return to previous employment, reduce childcare costs and have more time to focus on their own wellbeing. • 1106 3-5 year-olds benefitted from in funded provider Nurseries and Playgroups. • Child minders provided funded places for 1 2-year- old and 17 3–5 year-olds. • XX% of parents were satisfied that ELC funded childcare provided affordability, flexibility, accessibility and quality childcare. • Parents can access information PKC website and use of Find My Nearest • Early learning and childcare - Perth and Kinross Council (pkc.gov.uk) • https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/21887/Find-my- nearest-childcare-providers • Community-led childcare provision has been established in Craigie, Perth. They were provided with management support and a start-up grant and are now able to provide 20 before school places to allow parents to get to work. An additional 20 before school places have been provided to villages in the Carse of Gowrie. Page 134 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition Transport Parents asked for • Improved transport links in rural areas to support parental employment patterns • Affordable local transport options. • 72% of the Under 22s registered for a free bus pass • Free bus travel is provided on every Saturday in December across the whole of Perth and Kinross Council Area • Council committed to purchasing four x 8 seat vehicles to provide to 3 rural community transport groups and one rurally based commercial operator, to deliver additional public transport trips at an affordable cost to the passenger. The groups are based in Kirkmichael, Muthill and Aberfeldy. The commercial operator will cover the rural area between Blairgowrie and Dunkeld. • Council secured SCSP funding for a pilot to increase the days of operation of Service 91 and also provided a new route on Saturdays between Aberfeldy and Kinloch Rannoch. • Council entered a Public Social Partnership with Glenfarg Community Transport Group and financially contributed to supporting a six day a week regular, affordable bus service for residents in the Glenfarg/Milnathort and Kinross area. • Council increased local bus budget for FY 24/25 to take account of RPI and full year impact of new contract costs, which ensured that no subsidised local bus services in operation in 23/24 would be subject to termination in 24/25 Page 135 of 366
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Children’s Scorecard 2024 | 3rd Edition 1 Confidence Intervals - Confidence intervals for child poverty (relative - after housing cost) figures were between 18% and 30% for 2020 – 2023 and 19% and 30% for relative poverty- before housing costs. The poverty estimates in the Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland report are based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This is a sample survey, and therefore there is some degree of uncertainty around the estimates produced. For example, when it is reported that 21% of individuals are living in relative poverty after housing costs, then this should be understood not as an exact figure but as a best estimate within a range. 1 End Child Poverty (cpag.org.uk) 1 The statistics on local child poverty rates after housing costs presented in this report are calibrated to regional two-year average rates from Households Below Average Income (HBAI). Due to sampling issues during 2021/22 related to the Covid-19 pandemic, additional caution may be required in interpreting these statistics. More information on the technical issues with HBAI is available here. DWP advise that while the data for FYE 2021 and FYE 2022 has undergone extensive quality assurance prior to publication, users exercise additional caution when using the data for FYE 2021 and FYE 2022, particularly when making comparisons with previous years and for local areas across countries. We further recommend particular caution in interpreting year-on-year changes in local areas, and advise focussing on longer-term trends when looking at change over time. 1 Children in Low Income Families in Relative Poverty Before Housing Costs – StsXplore/DWP 1 General Indicators used in previous reports but not in this years report are %age of families not managing financially and %age of families with no savings. These come from the Scottish Household Survey and the sample size for Perth and Kinross was not significant. 1 Jobs densities are calculated as the number of jobs per resident aged 16 to 64 for 2022. 1 The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between average hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of men and women as a proportion of men’s average hourly earnings (excluding overtime). It is a measure across all jobs in the UK, not of the difference in pay between men and women for doing the same job. The Annual Survey for Hours and Earnings (ASHE) is based on employer responses for a 1% sample of employee jobs, using HM Revenue and Customs Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records to identify individuals’ current employer. 1 Method of calculating gender pay gap in years 2019 – 2022 was gross weekly rate this changed and is now gross hourly rate and this may account for the shift in outturn figures. 1 %age children with no development concerns at 13 – 15 months, 27-30 months and 4 – 5years was previously measured, this is the new measurement applied by Public Health Scotland. 1 Data for Priority Families was sourced via the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Dashboard and the comparator local authority was East Ayrshire. Local child poverty dashboard - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) 1 Source: Scottish Welfare Fund statistics: Annual Update 2022 – 2023 Table 24 If you or someone you know would like a copy of this document in another language or format, (on occasion, only a summary of the document will be provided in translation), this can be arranged by contacting the Customer Service Centre on 01738 475000. You can also send us a text message on 07824 498145. All Council Services can offer a telephone translation facility. BSL users can contact us via Contact Scotland BSL, the online British Sign Language video relay interpreting service. Find out more on the Contact Scotland BSL website https://contactscotland-bsl.org Page 136 of 366
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Scrutiny and Performance Committee 18 September 2024 Perth and Kinross Council 30 October 2024 PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2023/24 Report by Strategic Lead – Strategic Planning, People and Performance (Report No. 24/301) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 The Annual Performance Report (APR) is part of the Council’s strategic planning and performance framework, supporting delivery of the Council vision and achievement of outcomes. It provides an overview of how we have performed against our priorities, actions and associated key performance indicators in the period from April 2023 to March 2024, as set out within our Corporate Plan 2022-2027. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that Scrutiny and Performance Committee • scrutinises the Annual Performance Report for 2023/24 and provides feedback to be incorporated into the report for Council • identify any area of performance for further scrutiny at future committees It is recommended that the Council: • approves the Annual Performance Report for 2023/24 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background • Section 5: Summary Information • Appendix 1: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 Executive Summary • Appendix 2: Perth and Kinross Council Annual Performance Report 2023/24 • Appendix 3: Corporate Delivery Improvement Plan 2024/25 Update 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 Perth and Kinross Council’s Annual Performance Report (APR) is a statement of the progress made towards achieving its strategic priorities during the financial year 2023/24. 8 Page 137 of 366
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It provides elected members, officers and the public with an understanding of the performance achieved through qualitative narrative as well as details on indicators and areas for improvement. In addition, we have provided an Executive Summary which was well received last year that provides a quick overview of Key Performance Measures (KPI) trends for each strategic priority and a short narrative. This shorter version will help support the Council’s public performance reporting activity on the website and via social media. 4.2 To support the APR as with previous years supplementary information is online on the website PK Performs. This includes a progress report on how we are meeting our statutory duty to deliver best value including an update on our Best Value Assurance Report (BVAR) improvement actions. We also provide case studies providing illustrative examples of progress on our work towards a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities. And finally, charts on financial information are also included. 4.3 This is a transitional year for several reasons. The Council has undertaken phase 1 of the leadership review, operating models across the Council are still being implemented. Alongside this, we will be reviewing our Strategic Planning and Performance Management Framework. In May 2024, the Corporate Development and Improvement Plan (CDIP) was approved, and we are reviewing how the Corporate Plan and the CDIP can be better integrated and streamlined as part of the strategic planning and performance management framework. We have provided an appendix to this report with the CDIP actions and progress updates against them. 4.4 We have started the implementation of the strategy module within PK Performs and this has been used to collate the PI information this year. In future years, PK Performs will also be used to collect the narrative and CDIP actions. This will also be reflected in the revised framework. 5. SUMMARY INFORMATION 5.1 The Council’s APR for 2023/24 is a high-level summary of the impact that Council services collectively had in the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. It provides a summary of trends in data against each of the indicators, however, these should be considered in the context of the current operating environment, challenges and whether we control, influence or are informed by the data. 5.2 Within the APR we have reported our performance against the Council’s seven key priorities and associated actions. These are aligned to each of the priorities and actions identified within the Corporate Plan and provide more detail and data on KPIs, performance and improvement. 5.3 Throughout the report, there are many examples of how services have continued to have a positive impact on outcomes for individuals, businesses and communities. The Executive Summary provides an overview of how this has been achieved. Page 138 of 366
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5.4 Despite these achievements we are not complacent and recognise the many challenges we faced within 2023/24, and those that lie ahead. The report recognises some of these challenges and the work that we are doing to make positive change. 5.5 The finalised CDIP for 2024/25 was presented to Council in May 2024. An update against these actions has been provided as an appendix to this report. As we review our Strategic Planning and Performance Management Framework, we will review the CDIP approach and how this ties in with our Corporate Plan, and Annual Performance Reporting arrangements. We are proposing that this is developed into a 3-year rolling programme as often long-term improvements are not seen or realistically achievable in a 12- month period. Authors Name Designation Contact Details Carole Hendry Service Manager Performance and Business Support cchendry@pkc.gov.uk Approved Name Designation Date Greg Boland Strategic Lead – Strategic Planning, People and Performance 9 September 2024 Page 139 of 366
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan None Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial None Workforce None Asset Management (land, property, IST) None Assessments Equality Impact Assessment None Strategic Environmental Assessment None Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) None Legal and Governance None Risk None Consultation Internal Yes External None Communication Communications Plan None 1. Strategic Implications Community Plan / Corporate Plan 1.1 This report demonstrates the achievements and challenges associated with delivery of the Council Corporate Plan 2022-27. 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report. Workforce 2.2 There are no workforce implications arising from this report. Asset Management (land, property, IT) 2.3 There are no asset management implications arising from this report. Page 140 of 366
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3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment 3.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Council is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for plans and policies allows the Council to demonstrate that it is meeting these duties. 3.2 This report has been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) with the following outcome: (i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.3 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals. no further action is required as it does not qualify as a PPS as defined by the Act and is therefore exempt. Sustainability 3.4 Under the provisions of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 the Council has to discharge its duties in a way which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. Under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 the Council also has a duty relating to climate change and, in exercising its functions must act: • in the way best calculated to delivery of the Act’s emissions reduction targets; • in the way best calculated to deliver any statutory adaptation programmes; and • in a way that it considers most sustainable. 3.5 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. Legal and Governance 3.6 Not applicable. Risk 3.7 Not applicable. Page 141 of 366
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4. Consultation Internal 4.1 The Executive Leadership Team, Service Senior Management Teams and the Performance, Planning and Risk Group were consulted during the preparation of this report. External 4.2 Not applicable. 5. Communication 5.1 Not applicable. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 None. 3. APPENDIX 3.1 Annual Performance Report 2023/24 Executive Summary 3.2 Perth and Kinross Council Annual Performance Report 2023/24 3.3 Corporate Delivery Improvement Plan 2024/25 Update Page 142 of 366
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Executive Summary Annual Performance Report 2023/24 A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities Appendix 1 8 Page 143 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 1 Executive summary This Executive Summary uses trend information from the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the Corporate Plan to give an overview of where we are performing well compared to the previous year’s data, or where there has been a decline in performance. This is intended to offer an ‘at a glance’ summary of our performance. However, to fully understand the context and the wider activity being undertaken to support our key priorities it is important to read the full Annual Performance Report. Overview of KPI trends The graphs within this document provide an overview of trends within the KPI data between 2022/23 and 2023/24, or the most recent year available. Trends are shown over one year only due to the impact of Covid-19 on service delivery/demand. Following the inclusion of one new indicator agreed in 2023, there are now 54 indicators included within the Corporate Plan. Of these, 59% are trending in a favourable direction, 26% in an unfavourable direction, 11% remain static and 4% are either not available or not it’s not appropriate to make a comparison. When comparing this with last year, there has been no change in the percentage of indicators trending in a favourable direction. However, there has been a slight increase in the percentage of indicators trending in an unfavourable direction (3% change) as well as an increase in the percentage of indicators remaining static (8% change) and a decrease of the percentage which had no available data (11% change). Caution should be applied when interpreting this data, as trends will only be indicative of performance. Trends should be considered in the context of the current operating environment, challenges and whether we control, influence or are informed by the data. Page 144 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 2 Overview of challenges and highlights Tackling poverty Prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children living in Perth and Kinross: The efforts to address child poverty in Perth and Kinross have been substantial, focusing on priority family groups. Key initiatives include the Future for Families project, which supported 181 families with digital devices, training grants, childcare payments, and essential workwear. The Supporting People – Addressing Needs Programme (SPAN) secured over £1.3 million to take forward 6 projects with a focus on social needs screening, building resilient families, and providing integrated support. Despite progress, challenges remain, such as the ongoing housing supply and demand pressures, highlighted by the Scottish Government’s ‘Housing Emergency’ declaration. Performance data shows a decline in temporary accommodation placements for children, and 610 interventions were delivered to address poverty- related gaps in literacy, numeracy, and wellbeing. Mitigate cost of living pressures for households experiencing or at risk of poverty: Efforts to mitigate cost of living pressures included providing £215k assistance to 566 tenants through the Tenancy Sustainment Fund and delivering outreach sessions to Gypsy/Traveller sites, resulting in £5k in Financial Insecurity Fund payments. The Strategic Housing Investment Plan delivered 18 new affordable homes in the lowest quintile areas. Performance data indicates a significant increase in households receiving energy efficiency advice. Whilst the number of new affordable homes delivered fell short of the target, this should be considered in context of the overall 5-year plan. Maximise income from benefit entitlement and concessions for households experiencing or at risk of poverty: The council generated £8.5m in additional income for residents through the benefits system, a 31% increase from the previous year. The Financial Insecurity Fund processed 2,556 applications with a 62% award rate, providing £664k in payments. Partnerships with organisations like Aberlour enhanced welfare rights services for vulnerable families. Despite these successes, challenges include managing the increasing demand for crisis grants and ensuring comprehensive benefits advice reaches all eligible families. Performance data shows a rise in benefit gains and crisis grant applications, reflecting the ongoing cost of living crisis. Promote and encourage local employers to follow the principles of the Scottish Government Fair Work Action Plan, including the real Living Wage and Scottish Business Pledge: The Rural Employment Incentive created 25 new rural jobs for young people, with plans to fund up to 70 new jobs in the next year. The council approved the Real Living Wage for apprentices and trainees, aligning with Fair Work principles. Flexible working Page 145 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 3 practices were incorporated into a new framework, supporting work- life balance from day one of employment. Performance data indicates an increase in Living Wage employers and a significant reduction in employees earning less than the Real Living Wage. Key areas for improvement: A co-ordinated and collaborative approach with partners and communities to mitigate the impact of poverty across Perth and Kinross. Encourage and maximise the uptake of all supports targeted for children and young people to reduce costs and the impact such costs have on the outgoings on families in poverty. Working with the Anti-Poverty Task Force and stakeholders to develop the wider Poverty Strategy and take forward resultant actions Page 146 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 4 Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Support the prioritisation of sustainable, cleaner and greener transport in line with the National and Regional Transport Strategies: The Council has made significant progress in promoting sustainable transport, including trialling Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in refuse collection vehicles with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions by up to 90%. The Broxden Low Carbon Transport Hub, which opened in January 2024, offers 15 EV chargers and 2 E-Bike chargers. Despite challenges such as proposed service cuts by Stagecoach East Scotland, the Council successfully negotiated to minimise these reductions. Future plans include expanding the Council pool car fleet and developing local public transport solutions with a £300k budget over three years. Improve the energy efficiency of our Council housing stock and public buildings and encourage our partners and private householders to consider where they can make improvements: In 2023, the Council completed a £3m development of 18 new flats with high energy efficiency standards. Efforts are ongoing to ensure all housing stock meets a minimum EPC Band D by 2025, with 1,300 properties upgraded to Scottish Housing Quality Standards in 2023/24. The Council also secured funding to replace chalets at the Double Dykes Gypsy-Traveller Site, with construction set to begin in November 2024. The Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy and Delivery Plan aim to guide the Council towards Net Zero by 2045. Riverside Primary School won the ‘Innovation in Delivering a Sustainable Learning Place’ at The Learning Places Scotland Awards (November 2023). To conserve and enhance the biodiversity of our natural environment: The Council received £353k for nature restoration projects in 2023/24, leading to the approval of 16 projects aimed at enhancing biodiversity. Efforts included planting 2,512 trees and supporting 118 volunteer groups. The Council’s environmental action was recognised with an ‘A’ rating from the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2023, a significant improvement from a D-grade in 2019. We were shortlisted for an award for a Tayside Biodiversity Partnership Project. Future plans involve expanding grassland management trials and continued work on rewilding Denmarkfield. To adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change on the way we operate: The Council completed several flood studies and progressed flood schemes to improve community resilience. The introduction of a fourth bin for recycling and moving general waste to an Energy from Waste contract has significantly reduced methane emissions. The LED Replacement Programme has also been successful, reducing energy consumption by 52% and carbon emissions by 80% to date. Page 147 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 5 Key areas of improvement: Ensure we have a cleaner and greener Council fleet. Develop local public transport solutions which set the needs of residents and the environment as top priority. Improved energy efficiency and reduction in carbon emissions in the Council estate. Increase provision of biodiversity sites. Page 148 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 6 Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy Support and promote business growth, business and place innovation and investment in both our urban and rural areas: The council supported 231 business start-ups through Business Gateway, a slight decrease from the previous year but consistent with other Tayside local authorities. Funding was also provided to Growbiz for micro-enterprises and social enterprises in rural areas. The Roads Maintenance Partnership facilitated external dining in city centres, and efforts to improve internet connectivity were supported by deploying Digital Engagement Officers and national broadband initiatives. The number of registered businesses in creative industries has decreased, prompting a focus on tailored business support. Invest in innovative green power and smart technology solutions to reduce opportunities for business growth and regeneration reliance on electricity from the national grid and create: Significant investment was added to the Council budget towards decarbonisation and the Climate Change Strategy Action Plan is being developed further to support this. The council supported the creation of a £100m Energy from Waste Plant and attracted £100k for heat network development. The Cross Tay Link Road project progressed well, with local economic benefits and job creation, and has been included as a case study within civil engineering guidance demonstrating embedding decarbonisation into procurement. Performance data shows progress in decarbonisation efforts, but there is a need for further investment in renewable energy projects. Promote what our city and towns have to offer to businesses, investors and tourists by capitalising on built and natural heritage and assets such as the new Perth Museum and the benefits to the whole area of Perth’s status as UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art: The council invested £50m in cultural infrastructure over the past decade, including the new Perth Museum, which opened in March 2024 and was awarded 5* status from VisitScotland. Major events like the UCI Enduro Gran Fondo and Christmas Lights Switch On attracted significant visitors, boosting local economic activity. A refreshed marketing plan and new website were launched to promote the area, and international tourism saw a notable increase. Overall footfall to Culture Perth & Kinross venues is up from last year. Page 149 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 7 Support individuals into work and to progress into better paid work, encouraging businesses to access initiatives to create new opportunities for those furthest from the employment market and those currently in low wage jobs: The Futures for Families project assisted parents into self-employment, and the Rural Employment Incentive created 25 new rural jobs. The Skills Passport project supported 40 clients, with a number of individuals gaining employment. Additionally, we supported 901 adult learners to achieve a qualification, reflecting an increase from the previous year. Performance data indicates positive trends in employability support. Key areas for improvement: Unlock new investment in employment and housing land to support business growth in new growth sectors. Make Perth and Kinross a more competitive inward investment destination and encourage investment for growth from existing businesses in key growth sectors. Increased number of businesses in the creative and digital industries. Unlock private investment and expertise to support public and private energy projects. More people choose Perth and Kinross as a destination for holidays and day trips. Further enhance our employability outreach capacity, supporting individuals in community settings. Page 150 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 8 Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning: Perth High School’s Reflect, Restore and Re- engage Provision has significantly reduced pupil exclusions, fostering a positive learning environment. Educational attainment across all sectors in Perth and Kinross shows a steady upward trend, with notable improvements in literacy and numeracy. Participation in education, employment, or training among 16-19- year-olds has increased, surpassing national averages. However, whilst above national and comparator averages, inspection outcomes in secondary schools have not met local expectations of good or better and areas of focus for improvement activity has been identified. Performance data trends are primarily positive, and work is being undertaken across Early Learning and Childcare settings to mitigate developmental concerns highlighted in young children. Reduce the poverty-related attainment gap: Efforts to close the poverty-related attainment gap have shown positive results across all sectors and are reflected within our performance indicators. The effective use of Scottish Attainment Challenge funding has helped reduce this gap, particularly in senior phase attainment. Despite these gains, secondary school attendance remains challenging and an area of particular focus. Ensure that Looked After Children and children and young people with additional support needs achieve health, wellbeing and education outcomes comparable with their peers: Outcomes for care-experienced children and young people are improving, with Increased levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy and a higher percentage entering positive destinations after school. However, their outcomes still behind their peers. The Corporate Parenting Plan 21-24 supports Looked After Children in achieving their full potential, with progress monitored by the Corporate Parenting sub-group. The establishment of a Promise Improvement Lead post focuses on raising attainment for care- experienced children and young people. Fairview School won an award for its work to help pupils locally with Additional Support Needs to feel included, supported and celebrated. The balance of care remains stable; however, we continue to monitor the emotional distress and risk-taking behaviour amongst young people due to the impacts of Covid-19. Page 151 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 9 Key areas for improvement: Attainment at key milestones is raised for all children and young people. Attendance rates improve, particularly in the secondary sector. Increase the number of young people going into positive destinations such as work experience, further education, volunteering and employment. Improved understanding of causes of attainment gap so that effective interventions can be identified and implemented. Improve support to children and young people with additional support needs to realise their full potential. Provide Kinship Carers with a range of supports to enable them to meet the needs of children in their care. Page 152 of 366
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Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people Ensure we quickly identify children, young people and adults at risk of harm and abuse and take the necessary actions to keep them safe: The Council has increased the number of qualified Council Officers from 40 in January 2021 to 61 in January 2024, demonstrating a commitment to fulfilling statutory responsibilities and workforce planning. Police Vulnerable Reports continue to dominate adult protection concerns, with mental health issues frequently featuring. There was a high screening rate for adult protection concerns (98.5% within 24 hours). Significant evaluation and improvement work has been undertaken to tackle issues identified and in response successes have been observed. This includes redesign of the Access Team and thematic review of Large-Scale Investigations, both of which focus on targeted, early intervention and prevention. Referrals to the Child Protection Duty Team are increasing by around 15% annually, with immediate triage and responses for significant concerns. The Scottish Child Interview Model was implemented in Tayside in May 2024 to reduce court appearances for children and be trauma informed. The Multi Agency Screening Hub, established in June 2022, meets bi-weekly to triage non-urgent referrals, improving early support and information sharing among 35 different teams. Ensure that people get the right care, accommodation and support where and when they need it: We have continued to support over 450 people from Ukraine and around 110 asylum seekers, expanding ESOL provision and recruiting host families. Despite a national recruitment crisis, the Council has reduced the number of children placed with independent fostering agencies and is working to reduce residential accommodation placements. The Care at Home transformation programme has reduced unmet needs by 20%, aiming to improve care availability and personal contact time. Locality Integrated Working has progressed, with new roles improving efficiencies and coordinated support. Through our Early Discharge Project (EDP), we supported 213 people, with 92 regaining full independence and 56 returning home when they would otherwise have been delayed. Key performance data shows the percentage of affordable homes built to wheelchair and adaptable standards met target, however, we continue to monitor indicators relating to care service ratings. Prepare for the establishment of the National Care Service and continue to strive for excellent health and social care outcomes for the people of Perth and Kinross: We will continue to monitor national developments and consider activity as required. Work with partners to reduce re-offending and support effective interventions for people in the justice system: The multi-disciplinary approach has addressed around 3,000 ‘person of concern’ cases since April 2021, with nearly 90% related to substance use. Hillcrest Futures supported residents through Page 153 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 1 various activities, including 440 one-to-one sessions and 3,495 peer-led sessions, aimed at recovery and reducing substance use. The Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan was launched in June 2023. Bail supervision has provided tailored support to 40 individuals as an alternative to remand. The Voluntary Throughcare Co-ordination & Sustainable Tenancy Tests of Change project has enhanced support for people released from short-term prison sentences. Key areas for improvement: Take a partnership approach to the assessment of risk of significant harm to a child and minimising and reducing risk through early support and assessment. Enhance our housing support offer by implementing an Intensive Housing Support Service for people with complex needs. Where children cannot remain living at home, every effort is made to keep them within their kin network. Maintain significant relationships for care experienced children to deliver on the principles of The Promise. Page 154 of 366
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Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing Work with partners to provide localised health and social care provision in areas of greatest need and in those most geographically distant from services: Working with third sector partners, we promoted and developed peer to peer support networks and there are now 15 groups. We worked with partners to set up carer cafés in Crieff, Aberfeldy and Blairgowrie as well as supporting PKAVS. Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by increasing overall participation in sport and physical activity and promoting the wellbeing benefits of time spent in our natural surroundings: In partnership with others, various initiatives were undertaken in the past year. These included supporting mental health through fitness programs for carers, organising events like “Gie it Laldy” for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, establishing kit banks in primary schools and delivering the Bikeability programme. We invested over £1.1m in walking and cycling infrastructure, opened a new outdoor Early Learning Childcare project, alongside improving parks and play areas. In addition, we worked with partners to promote active travel, cycling, and road safety by creating a virtual unit to coordinate activities, resulting in successful partnerships, a cycle hub at Balhousie Primary School, and popular initiatives like women’s cycle confidence classes and the Canny Cycle event. Performance data shows that participation in Active Schools/School Sports in Perth and Kinross has increased from 29% to 42% post-COVID, with notable improvements in targeted groups such as secondary girls, young carers, and care-experienced children. Despite some indoor facility closures due to flooding, overall attendances at sports and leisure facilities have risen, driven by increased outdoor activities and free grass pitch use for residents. Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it: We look to improve health and wellbeing through ensuring accessible support through various measures. Key activity included developing a Health Hub at Murray Royal Hospital to offer physical health and wellbeing advice, utilising social prescribers to connect individuals with community-based activities, and providing mental health triage assessments via Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nurses. Performance data shows that the waiting times for mental health services have increased and remain higher than we would like, however there has been a 27% improvement in the number of people waiting, with initial assessments now being completed within 10 working days. The Primary Care Mental Health Transformation Programme was launched in March 2024 to support a sustainable longer-term approach to population mental health. Page 155 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 1 Key areas for improvement: Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by increasing overall participation in sport and physical activity and promoting the wellbeing benefits of time spent in our natural surroundings. Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it Page 156 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 2 Working in partnership with communities Establish locality multidisciplinary teams working with our community planning partners and residents to identify and address local solutions to local needs: Pilot locality working projects are progressing in Highland Perthshire, Letham, and Coupar Angus, with plans to expand to Perth City and Crieff and wider roll out across the area taking an evidence based approach. In Highland Perthshire, supported by the improvement service, a multidisciplinary team and steering group are active within the community. The new Letham Hub operated by Letham4All has allowed a multi-disciplinary operating model to be developed between council services and partners, integrating feedback from Love-Letham project to enhance community outcomes through a collaborative approach. Coupar Angus is addressing issues identified in its community action plan. Partnerships with Glenfarg Community Transport Group and other local transport groups have secured funding and resources to support community-led transport solutions across various areas. Increase the supply and availability of rural housing: The Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 aims to deliver 1,050 affordable homes with a 53% urban and 47% rural split. In 2023/24, 173 new affordable homes were completed, with a higher proportion in rural areas (64%). Key highlights include the completion of new homes and the support for community development trusts. Performance data reflects a positive trend in rural housing completions. Develop and expand our approach to working with communities to identify local actions and priorities and deliver on these together: In the past year, 104 groups received Community Investment Funding, an increase of 24 from the previous year and 258 groups were supported to enhance their capacity for community projects. Strathmore Hub staff were trained in funding applications, and community groups were aided in managing public assets. Digital skills courses at Pitlochry Library benefited 58 participants and 118 volunteer groups contributed around 40,000 hours to greenspace management, supported by training and financial assistance. Significant projects included a £300k all-abilities play area in Auchterarder and new changing facilities for Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Football Club. A dedicated Safer Communities Warden was also introduced in Perth City North through partnership working. Performance indicators trended positively in most areas, and where they didn’t, in relation to community groups supported to increase capacity, this was due to smarter reporting mechanisms leading to better accuracy. Deliver our internal cultural change programme ensuring all staff contribute to our commitment to engage with and be accessible and responsive to our residents and communities: During 2023/24, the internal cultural change programme focused on the Employee Experience, with 85% of staff attending sessions to ensure consistency in values and behaviours. A staff recognition Page 157 of 366
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Executive Summary: Annual Performance Report 2023/24 3 programme was introduced, and the Leadership for All Programme launched, delivering over 60 sessions to more than 600 staff. Additionally, a new Performance and Development Discussion Framework was implemented, and a 12-month Senior Leadership Development Programme was procured. The Insights Team Discovery Model also saw significant participation, enhancing communication and decision-making across the organisation. Key areas for improvement: Deliver a clear, consistent, and joined up approach to supporting communities and households with the help and support they need to mitigate and move beyond poverty. Provide more affordable homes to support liveable and sustainable communities. Support community groups to manage local assets. Increased engagement and applications from communities to the Community Investment Fund grants programme. An empowered and skilled workforce who are confident in engaging with resident and communities and demonstrate the organisational values and expected behaviours at all times Page 158 of 366
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PKC Annual Performance Report 2023/24 A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities. Appendix 2 8 Page 159 of 366
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Annual Performance Report 2023/24 1 Contents INTRODUCTION 2 PERFORMANCE SUMMARY 4 Priority: Tackling poverty 5 Priority: Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places 14 Priority: Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy 21 Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential 28 Priority: Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people 35 Priority: Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing 43 Priority: Working in partnership with communities 50 KEY CONTACT 56 Page 160 of 366
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Annual Performance Report 2023/24 2 Introduction Welcome to our Annual Performance Report for 2023/24. The Annual Performance Report provides a summary of the work that has been undertaken over the past year for the residents of Perth and Kinross to deliver on the Council’s seven priorities which underpin our vision for: a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities. In setting this vision and our priorities we knew that there were challenges ahead. Tackling poverty and climate change are big issues with causes and solutions that we cannot overcome alone. However, we do have a very important part to play in addressing these. In 2023/24 we invested £1.5M in projects to support our residents who were most in need, including £600,000 to help those worst affected by the Cost of Living crisis. However, local authority budgets are coming under increasing pressure while demand increases. In order to deliver a balanced budget in 2023/24 we set tough energy efficiency targets as part of a range of measures to meet the financial challenges we face. As budgets tighten in future years, the need for greater efficiencies and savings will become even more pressing. In reporting on our performance, we have also reflected on where things have not gone as expected, to create a balanced picture of what has been achieved this year. More detailed information about improvement activity is available in our Corporate Delivery and Improvement Plan (CDIP) which is attached as an appendix to this report with progress updates. Similar to last year, to improve our public performance reporting we have created an accompanying executive summary version of this report to provide an at-a-glance guide to our performance. We have also published on our website additional contextual information, including case studies, financial details and how we deliver on the national Best Value themes. Links to these can be found at the relevant points in this report. We are grateful to all residents, businesses, partner organisations and everyone in our teams who have contributed to the work we are reporting on here. We hope that you find this report useful in providing an oversight of how we have performed as an organisation in 2023/24. Councillor Grant Laing Thomas Glen Council Leader Chief Executive Page 161 of 366
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4 Performance summary Performance against priorities and actions The following pages highlight just some of the work we have undertaken with our communities and partners across the private, public and third sectors throughout the year. This is listed by priority area as outlined within our Corporate Plan 2022/23-2027/28. Case Studies Each priority area contains links to relevant case studies. These can be viewed on PK Performs website. Key Performance Indicators Each priority area also includes Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data with an indication of trend over the last year and accompanying commentary. Caution should be applied when interpreting KPI data, as trends will only be indicative of performance. Trends should be considered in the context of the current operating environment, challenges and whether we control, influence or are informed by the data. Targets Targets for each KPI are also presented where relevant and highlighted by a traffic light system as to whether the 2023/24 data has met the target. KPI Overview KPI trends (1 year comparison) Data trending in a favourable direction Data trending in an unfavourable direction Data trend remains static No data available to make comparison in trend N/A 32 14 6 2 KPI performance against 23/24 target Met or exceeded target ✔ Target not met Target not set 23/24 Target set but data not yet available Not appropriate to set target 15 15 4 12 8 Supporting information Best Value themes In addition to reporting on performance against the actions and indicators set out within our Corporate Plan and in line with the statutory performance information direction, we have created a supplementary report on our performance aligned to the Best Value themes. Read the Best Value Themes Performance Report 2023/24 on our PK Performs website. Financial information We have also included financial information online which details where we get our money from and how we spend the budget. Read the supporting financial information on our PK Performs website. Page 163 of 366
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5 Priority: Tackling poverty Action: Prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children living in Perth and Kinross Our work on child poverty has been significant this year with particular focus on the priority family groups as defined by Scottish Government. Some of the ways we have and are continuing to do this include: Our sixth Child Poverty Action Report 2023/24 has been jointly produced by Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside and reflects the wider collaboration with our Community Planning Partners and a deepening engagement with our key stakeholder Groups. There has been a small decrease in the numbers of children in Poverty in Perth and Kinross which is encouraging to see although we know much remains to be done. The impact of external factors such as the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis should not be underestimated and to achieve this at such a difficult time is testimony to the work of our teams and partners. More detail on the impacts of our actions can be found in the children's scorecard due to be published later this year. This is a set of 26 indicators across employability, cost of living, income from social security and benefits and breaking the cycle of poverty. We developed this to evidence that our actions and interventions are having an effect, and it has been recognised as best practice by the Scottish Poverty and inequality Research Unit (SPIRU) who have included it in their best practice directory. This report includes actions taken to implement our Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26. • We supported parents into work removing barriers to employment for example through the Future for Families project, support included: o Engagement with 181 families for support. o 53 of these families were issued/approved for digital devices. o £178k of Elev8 Training Grants to support clients into new/better employment. o £11k worth of payments to private childcare providers on behalf of clients. 48 payments for client travel, spending £8k to support our clients; and o 36 clothing vouchers to clients for essential workwear and interview attire. • Funding is also available through the Future for Families to support parents into self-employment, 7 clients took up this offer between launch in September 2023 and March 2024. Support comes in the form of a ‘safety net’ in terms of income for the first three months of self-employment whilst establishing their new business. • The proportion of children who have been placed in temporary accommodation has been generally falling since 2008, while the national and comparator trend has been upwards in recent years. The Scottish Government declared a ‘Housing Emergency’ in May 2024, recognising the extreme housing supply and demand pressures. We are experiencing these pressures in Perth and Kinross but are prioritising minimising the number of families requiring temporary accommodation through our ‘Home First’ response to homelessness. • Progress is being made across the authority in closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Evidence gathered on the ‘Closing the Gap’ tool indicates that 610 interventions were delivered to 17,309 children and young people targeted at addressing poverty-related gaps in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Many of these interventions were funded by Pupil Equity Funding. Page 164 of 366
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6 CASE STUDY Key elements within the Supporting People - Addressing Needs Programme (SPAN) were identified following feedback from parents from Priority Family Groups. Working with partners, the programme will deliver support tailored to families affected by poverty including money talk service, tackling poverty unit and universal whole family support service. • During 2023/24, 3,413 funded childcare places were provided by local authority, funded provider and childminder settings. Of these, 300 were funded Strong Start places for eligible two-year olds, an increase from 216 places in 2022/23. Additionally, arranged home to school transport for around 4,100 school pupils in Perth and Kinross. • The Big Hoose was founded in 2021 by the Cottage Family Centre and Amazon UK to distribute surplus everyday household essential products from Amazon and around 30 other local and multi-national businesses to families who need them most. The project originated in Fife but has, with financial support and premises from the Council expanded to create a hub service in Perth and Kinross. The project is hosted by PKAVS Carers. So far, 19,500 items have been distributed to 922 families with 1,635 children. The next steps are to make the project available across rural Perthshire by creating local access points in 5 or more locations. Action: Mitigate cost of living pressures for households experiencing or at risk of poverty • Our staff provide advice and support to tenants to assist them to maximise their income, supporting their ability to pay their rent. We supported 566 tenants with £215k assistance from our Tenancy Sustainment Fund (TSF) to either clear arrears balances or match their arrears payments to reduce financial hardship and sustain their tenancy. • Recognising that most gypsy/travellers are living rurally with no fixed-abode, and this too can bring barriers to access to support we delivered three outreach sessions, specifically targeting Gypsy/Traveller sites. As a result, we were able to assist with almost £5k in Financial Insecurity Fund payments paid between 13 households to assist with rural hardship, solid fuel, clothing for children and adults and data packages for mobile phone use to help the community stay connected with extended family in other parts of the country. Additionally, we identified credits on Council Tax accounts for 16 of the households totalling £3,398 and arranged for refund of these credits to each of these households. • Through the Strategic Housing Investment Plan in 2023/24, 18 new build affordable homes were delivered in SIMD lowest quintile (lowest 20%), 37 new affordable homes were suitable for larger families, and 11 suitable for households with disabilities, both household types have been identified as two of the six recognised priority groups at greatest risk of poverty. • We have developed a programme of six interconnected projects that together have attracted over £1m of funding from the Scottish Government and external funders. These are being taken forward in partnership with Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), and various council teams and comprise of: Social Needs Screening, Support and Connect, Building resilient families and communities, Cash First Partnership, Money Talk plus and the Universal Whole Family Wellbeing service. Page 165 of 366
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7 CASE STUDY Perth and Kinross Council granted a budget of £250,000 for the Warm Welcome Fund Initiative. The aim of the funding was to support community and organisations in their delivery of the provision of warm spaces and home packs over the winter months; funding was provided to 94 community organisations. Action: Maximise income from benefit entitlement and concessions for households experiencing or at risk of poverty • We generated £8.5m in additional income for Perth and Kinross residents through the benefits system; this is a 31% increase on last financial year when we generated £6.5m in benefit gains. We received 8,022 referrals, an increase of 7% compared to the previous year. Clients are surveyed on an ongoing basis, 95% people surveyed had no problems accessing the service and 96% felt the service was delivered in a way that suited their needs. • During 2023/24 we received 2,556 Financial Insecurity Fund (FIF) applications with an award rate of 62% and average award of £419; the total spend was £664k, with 3,347 payments being made to households. Payments included one-off rural hardship payments; assistance with priority debt (energy, Council Tax, rent); clothing for children over the winter period, school dinner and assistance with Infant Formula. This will have assisted in reducing the pressure on households and the impact of debt on their health and wellbeing and thereby reducing stress for families. The scheme has been recognised by the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit (SPIRU) at Glasgow Caledonian University in their Tackling Poverty Locally Online Directory. • We established a partnership with Aberlour and our Tayside counterparts to provide a comprehensive and enhanced welfare rights service to vulnerable families with dependent children. During 2023/24 through our formal referral agreement with Aberlour, 11 families with children on the "edge of care" were referred to the Welfare Rights service for comprehensive benefits advice and assistance. • More information on Welfare Rights activity during this year can be found in the Welfare Rights Team Annual Performance Report 2023/24 • CASE STUDY Perth CAB – Pathways to Advice Cash/Cash First Partnership project secured funding from Trussell Trust and Whole Family Wellbeing Fund. Working closely with partners the aim of the project is to ensure easy access to ‘holistic’ support is provided to priority families and children in need. Page 166 of 366
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8 Action: Promote and encourage local employers to follow the principles of the Scottish Government Fair Work Action Plan, including the real Living Wage and Scottish Business Pledge • To support employers and promote the Real Living Wage our Rural Employment Incentive helped to create 25 new rural jobs for rural young people in 2023/24. These roles create vital new positions in smaller communities and enhance the chances of sustained jobs remaining after the funding period. A re-design and securing of further funding has led to an enhanced offer to businesses in 2024/25 with funding for up to 70 newly created jobs for clients with employment barriers. • We already paid the Real Living Wage to 16 and 17-year-olds who are not in apprenticeship or trainee positions. It was approved at Committee in November 2023 to implement the payment of the Real Living Wage of £12 per hour, announced on 24 October 2023, to Apprentices and Trainees with effect from 1 April 2024. This meets with our obligations as a Fair Work employer. • Work is ongoing to further develop the availability of flexible working practices from day one of employment in line with changes in legislation. We already offer flexible working practices and policies from day one of employment, for example flexi time and hybrid working (where these are appropriate to the role). These provisions were incorporated within a new Flexible Working Framework, approved at Finance and Resources Committee in January 2024. Key Areas for Improvement • A co-ordinated and collaborative approach with partners and communities to mitigate the impact of poverty across Perth and Kinross • Encourage and maximise the uptake of all supports targeted for children and young people to reduce costs and the impact such costs have on the outgoings on families in poverty • Working with the Anti-Poverty Task Force and stakeholders to develop the wider Poverty Strategy and take forward resultant actions Links to other Performance Information ➢ Child poverty action in Perth and Kinross - Perth & Kinross Council (pkc.gov.uk) Page 167 of 366
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9 Key Performance Indicators related to this Priority: Trends will be indicative of performance and should be considered in the context of the current operating environment and level of influence. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children Percentage of children living in poverty after housing costs in P&K Inform 18.7% 21.9% 21.7% N/A 18% by 2023 (National Target) 2023/24 information will not be published until January 2025; trend and commentary are based upon on most recent data published. All figures are based on estimates using Scottish Government (SG) data. Child poverty rates and numbers have remained relatively stable with 5,750 children living in poverty (21.7% 2022/23) compared to 5,914 (21.9% 2021/22). Although the figure for children in poverty shows a small but welcome reduction, a note of caution in that the margin of uncertainty in these figures from SG is greater than the reported decrease. SG poverty figures are assessed as being 95% accurate but within a bandwidth of 18-35% and the Scottish Health Equalities Research Unit published a report expressing concern at the robustness of these figures, which is why we developed our own children's scorecard. Given this and the difficulty in consistent reporting in previous years as methodology was changed during the pandemic, the only conclusion that can be reasonably drawn both locally and nationally is that figures have remained fairly and stubbornly static over the past few years. Note: Child Poverty rates and numbers are developed through the Scottish Household Survey and may not be the best representative measure due to small number of households. Figures for 2020/21 are not regarded as reliable due to problems with data collection during the pandemic and also include a period when the Universal Credit uplift of £20 a week was still in place, which had the effect of reducing the numbers of children in poverty. Page 168 of 366
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10 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Mitigate cost of living pressures for households experiencing and at risk of poverty Number of P&K households provided with energy efficiency and/or low carbon heating advice (PKC funded) Influence 545 256 884 2,205 500 ✔ 2,205 households were provided with advice compared to 884 in 2022/23, an increase of 149%. In 2023/24, emergency funding was put in place to fund the Heat Project. PKC Climate Change funding to SCARF continued throughout 2023/24 and has been extended to April and May 2024 until a decision on future funding has been made. Number of new affordable homes, including new build and buy backs Control 124 (100 new build, 24 buy backs) 308 (276 new build, 32 buy backs) 203 (167 new build, 36 buy backs) 173 (105 new build, 48 buy backs, 20 empty homes) 210 The adoption of the new LHS 2024-29 in March 2023 increased the target for the delivery of affordable homes from 150 new homes to 210 new homes per year over the five-year period with an overall target of 1050 new homes. In 2023/24, PKC and our affordable home partners delivered 173 affordable homes (105 new build, 48 buy backs, 20 empty homes). Last financial year, there were several factors that resulted in a slowing down of the house building sector including: • market volatility being experienced in the construction sector, impacting on private sector delivery timescales • increased energy prices and high material prices labour and material shortages. • economic uncertainty and inflation While recognising these challenges, PKC Housing Strategy have made efforts to address these issues, such as increasing Page 169 of 366
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11 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met the number of PKC buy backs from 20 to 40 homes. Regarding the shortfall of 2023/24, the intention is to exceed the yearly target of 210 new homes to ensure that the overall target of 1,050 new homes are delivered during the 5-year period (approximately 220 new homes per year). For the 1st Quarter in 2024/25 a total of 75 affordable homes were delivered in form of 28 buybacks and 47 new builds for social rent. There are a further 118 affordable homes onsite currently and due for completion. Our Affordable Housing Programme estimates that 221 new affordable homes will be delivered by PKC and our affordable housing partners in 2024/25, in the form of 163 new build homes, 40 buyback properties and 18 empty homes, exceeding the LHS target of 210 homes per year. Page 170 of 366
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12 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Maximise income from benefits and concessions Number of Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grant applications Influence 6,336 5,498 6,539 7,421 N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A There has been an increase in applications due to the combined effect of Universal Credit deductions and the current Cost of Living Crisis. Almost 100% of the total Scottish Government allocation for Scottish Welfare Fund was spent in respect of Crisis Grants. Including money allocated by ourselves to support this fund, the total spend in this area was £1.4m. 4,805 households were awarded crisis grants, equating to a 65% award rate. Total amount of benefit income gained as a direct result of involvement from the Welfare Rights Team Influence £5.5m £5.3m £6.5m £8.5m N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A 31% increase in verified benefit gains by the Welfare Rights Team via advice, assistance and representation. A 31% increase on last financial year. Promote and encourage principles of the Scottish Government Number of employers signed up as Living Wage employers in Perth & Kinross Influence N/A New Indicator 91 97 100 100 ✔ The number of employers officially accredited as Living Wage employers has increased slightly. Employers do have to pay a fee to become accredited. A better indication of those being paid the Living Wage is available via the indicator below. Page 171 of 366
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13 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Fair Work Action Plan Percentage of people earning less than the real Living Wage Influence 25.3% 16.5% 12% 10.4% 16% ✔ We have seen a significant reduction in the number of employees earning less than the real Living Wage over the last year. Page 172 of 366
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14 Priority: Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places We continue to deliver the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Perth and Kinross, which sets out our plans and actions to reduce carbon emissions and build resilience, meet our regulatory requirements and protect our environment for current and future generations. Action: Support the prioritisation of sustainable, cleaner and greener transport in line with the National and Regional Transport Strategies In February 2024, a report on ‘Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy’ was presented at the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee . Highlights included: • We trialled the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) aimed at reducing the amount of Co2 emitted by up to 90%. It is anticipated that the entire RCV fleet will be switched to using HVO permanently. The aim is to save c700 tonnes of Co2 for the Council each financial year. • To further decarbonise staff vehicle journeys we are seeking approval to expand the Council pool car fleet by 20 vehicles. Over the course of the last year, we have seen an increase in the total number of bookings during 2023/24 sitting at 7,233. The total distance covered is 292,721 miles, which is an equivalent saving of £131,724 by not having to pay for mileage claims on personal vehicles. The vehicles would be located around the council area to expand the availability of pool vehicles; these vehicles would likely be powered by a mix of petrol and electric depending on a consideration of the availability of charging points and the range of mileage required. • The Broxden – Low Carbon Transport Hub (opened in January 2024) provides a sustainable EV charging hub to support the reduction of carbon emissions. The Hub provides access to 15 EV chargers (1 Disabled/Mobility impaired) and 2 E-Bike chargers, additionally a new SSE substation, Car Port Solar Canopy and Public Transport Information Display have been installed. • We secured £90k of external funding to pilot an increased local public transport service in the Loch Tay area and a new service between Kinloch Rannoch and Aberfeldy on Saturdays. • There were significant challenges towards the end of 2023/24 when Stagecoach East Scotland advised their intention to make significant commercial service cuts across Perth and Kinross as from May 2024. However, due to close working between the Public Transport Unit and Stagecoach East Scotland during March 2024 a better outcome was negotiated and resulted in fewer service reductions than originally proposed. We recognise that similar challenges may occur in future years therefore a £300k budget has been committed over three years to explore alternative ways of delivering public transport solutions. Action: Improve the energy efficiency of our Council housing stock and public buildings, and encourage our partners and private householders to consider where they can make improvements • In 2023, a £3m development of 18 new flats available for affordable social rent was completed on the site of the former Fairfield Community Centre in Perth. All are linked to solar panels and are insulated to the highest standard, which allows tenants to keep energy bills low, whilst also reducing the overall carbon footprint of the development. Page 173 of 366
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15 • Our housing stock has been categorised based on the data from the Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s). This has allowed us to prioritise the properties in lower EPC Bands E & F to ensure that they are brought up to the minimum of EPC Band D by 2025. • A total of 1,300 properties were brought up to Scottish Housing Quality Standards (SHQS) during 2023/24. Over the last year, there has been investment in Capital funded upgrades, which aimed to improve the housing stock for tenants as well as ensuring that we maintain a high SHQS pass rate in the future. • Following a successful bid to the Scottish Government for funding to replace the 20 chalets at the Double Dykes Gypsy Traveller Site, this project has been progressing through the design development phase. There has been ongoing engagement with the residents on the site in relation to the proposed layouts for the replacement chalets and the works are proposed to start onsite in November 2024. • Perth and Kinross Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy 2024-2045 (LHEES) and Delivery Plan and Perth and Kinross Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) were developed and approved. Both provide the direction of travel towards Net Zero by 2045, further details on climate change activity can be accessed via Perth and Kinross Climate Action. The LHEES Strategy was reviewed by Scottish Government in December 2023. The assessment concluded that the strategy provides an excellent overview of the challenges associated with the current building stock and the scale of change required to meet national targets. That the Council's strategic priorities are clear and there is comprehensive recommendations and discussion about how these might be progressed towards delivery. CASE STUDY Riverside Primary School, a £16.5 million project, is one of the first primary schools in Scotland built to Passivhaus standards, where quality of construction and energy saving measures are integral to the construction of the building. The school won the ‘Innovation in Delivering a Sustainable Learning Place’ at The Learning Places Scotland Awards (November 2023). Action: To conserve and enhance the biodiversity of our natural environment • In 2023/24 the Council received £353k for nature restoration projects from the Scottish Governments nature restoration fund to address the drivers of biodiversity loss. A total of 16 projects (4 council and 12 community projects) across the area were approved. These projects will enhance biodiversity across by providing essential habitat restoration and connectivity for wildlife. • We received an ‘A’ rating for environmental action in 2023, from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which recognises the significant efforts taken by Perth & Kinross Council to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies. In 2019, Perth and Kinross received a D-grade from the CDP, but this improved to a B in 2022. To achieve an ‘A’ rating, cities and local authorities must disclose publicly through CDP-ICLEI Track, have an area- wide emissions inventory, and have published a climate action plan. • We planted 2,512 trees on Council owned or managed open spaces, this is an increase of 1,842 compared to last year and supported 118 volunteer groups to undertake over 40,000 hours actively managing, developing and maintaining community greenspaces. Page 174 of 366
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16 • Our Tayside Biodiversity Partnership project, ‘Perth & Kinross Ponds for Puddocks’ helped to make six ponds across the area better places for wildlife. The project was shortlisted for the Nature of Scotland Community Initiative award in 2023. CASE STUDY Rewilding Denmarkfield is a major rewilding project and a great example of Perth and Kinross Council’s commitment to providing additional value to local communities as part of the Cross Tay Link Road project. Action: To adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change on the way we operate • We completed a number of flood studies in local communities to understand the risk of flooding, engage the community to disseminate the study findings, and raise awareness of other actions such as community flood resilience. We continue to inspect key watercourses and carry out clearance and repair works where this would substantially reduce flood risk to local communities. We continue to progress the development of flood schemes (at Comrie, South Kinross, and Milnathort) to improve the resilience of flood sensitive communities. At the Climate Change Sustainability Committee in November 2023 Elected Members agreed to adopt the recommended proposals of the £15.3m flood prevention scheme for South Kinross as the preferred scheme and to seek statutory approval by publishing the scheme under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act. The project aims to protect approximately 194 homes and businesses in the area. The construction contract for Comrie Flood Protection Scheme is due to be signed imminently with an anticipated construction start date of September 2024 and a construction end date of September 2026. • Following the £2.72m capital investment from the Recycling Improvement Fund and then rolled out the fourth bin in compliance with the new Scottish Charter for Household Recycling. This meant that 73,000 households now have a more equitable service, material is better quality and less contaminated and households can dispose of additional waste at the kerbside. Prior to the grey bin, contamination rates for the blue bin were 18.7%. Following the interdiction of the grey bin, this reduced to 2.5% for the blue bin and 10.6% for the grey bin. In addition, the non-recyclable waste also reduced by 7.5% in Jan-Mar 2024 compared to the same time period in 2023. The twin stream roll out was successful in securing a Scottish Award. • From the end of 2025, regulations by the Scottish Government will impose a ban on bio-degradable waste being sent to landfill. In August 2023, our general waste moved from a landfill to an Energy from Waste contract. This has reduced the amount of methane (a greenhouse gas 20 times more impactful than carbon dioxide) being emitted from landfill. • Working closely with Third Sector organisations, we have been able to support and develop activities around reuse, and the sale or repurpose of goods. We have a total of 4 reuse cabins at our Recycling Centres which diverted 137 tonnes from landfill in 2023/24. In addition, 41 tonnes of bicycles which are either repaired and sold or stripped for reuse. • The introduction of a new motorhome waste disposal point located at Broxden Park and Ride, was provided to meet demands in the surge of mobile holiday makers since the pandemic. It is hoped this will deter motorhome users from dumping their waste in the natural environment. The facility is the first of its kind for Perth and Kinross Council and is open 24 hours a day from Easter until the end of October each year. • We continued works on the LED Replacement Programme. We have 25,000 streeting lighting lanterns, and as of 2023/24 19,000 street lights have been replaced with LED lanterns. The programme has had a positive impact on carbon reduction and energy consumption. To date, the programme has reduced the energy consumption by 52% which represents an annual Page 175 of 366
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17 reduction of 5,500,000 kWh of electricity. Carbon emissions have reduced by 80%, which represents an annual reduction of 4,540 tonnes of Co2. Additionally, the introduction of LED light technology has further improved reliability and extended the operational life of the lamps. Since 2013/14 there were 6,000 street lighting faults, this reduced to 2,000 faults in 2023/24. This delivers further cost savings by reducing the revenue maintenance budget by 50%. The cost savings for the Council associated with this LED replacement scheme are estimated to provide a £20m cost saving over the 20 year life of the lanterns. CASE STUDY Perth and Kinross Council Youth Climate Conference brings together pupils from S1 to S6 from both local authority and independent schools across the region. The conference is designed to inspire and empower young people to talk about, and take action on, climate change in all facets of their lives. Key Areas of Improvement • Ensure we have a cleaner and greener Council fleet • Develop local public transport solutions which set the needs of residents and the environment as top priority • Improved energy efficiency and reduction in carbon emissions in the Council estate • Increase provision of biodiversity sites Links to other Performance Information ➢ Statutory Biodiversity Duty: Report on Delivery January 2021 to December 2023 ➢ Waste Management Plan 2010-2025 - Progress Report Page 176 of 366
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18 Key Performance Indicators related to this priority: Trends will be indicative of performance and should be considered in the context of the current operating environment and level of influence. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Support the prioritisation of sustainable, cleaner, and greener transport Number of publicly available charging devices per 100,000 population Influence 69.8 84.9 125.5 209 469 The number of publicly available charge points has increased year-on-year. Since 2021/22 there has been no funding from Transport Scotland for EV chargers. To date PKC has installed a total of 31 new chargers at various locations across the Perth & Kinross area. These have been funded via The Tay Cities Deal/ERDF, internal Council Revenue Funds and ORCS. For noting - all PKC and most of the Private Charge points are Dual Outlet. Percentage of Council fleet vehicles that are electric or other zero direct carbon fuel technologies Control 5.3% 5.3% 3.8% 3.6% 3.85% There has been a reduction in this indicator due to 1 EV being written off following an accident & the total number of PKC vehicles increasing. We are committed to transitioning our fleet to low emission vehicles to ensure that we have a cleaner and greener fleet, as well as meeting Government targets. Page 177 of 366
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19 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, and encourage our partners and private householders to consider improvements Percentage of Council housing meeting the Energy Efficient Standard 2 for social housing (minimum EPC B) Control 5.1% 6.2% 6.6% 7.1% 7.0% ✔ Of the total housing stock (8,053 properties as of 31st March 2024) there has been an increase of 25 properties meeting the Energy Efficient Standard 2 which has been achieved by the completion of newbuild properties and capital works to existing properties. Scope 1 and 2 Emissions from Council Non- Domestic Estate (tonnes CO2e) Control 10,111 10,761 9,226 9,080 N/A (awaiti ng decarb onisatio n plan) N/A Conversion factors went up for oil and electricity that had an impact on reductions. Additional sites being added to portfolio also resulted in decrease of emissions. To conserve and enhance the biodiversity of our natural environment Area grassland managed by PKC for biodiversity improvement objectives (ha) Control 21.8ha 21.8ha 40.4ha 40.4ha N/A (future years will have targets) N/A Following on from the overall success of the grassland management trials undertaken in previous years on 42 sites, the trials are being extended over the next 3 years. This will allow the development of a long-term action plan to support the long grass approach on more sites across Perth and Kinross, potentially covering 1,700 of the 1,900 sites the Council currently maintain. Page 178 of 366
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20 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met To adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate changes on the way we operate Total household waste recycled/comp osted as % of all household waste Influence 49.4% 50.1% 48.5% 50.6% 60% The recycling rate increased by 2.1% since last year. This can be attributed to the success of the Twin Stream rollout which has reduced the contamination rates of our kerbside recycling. Additionally, changes to our residual waste contract has allowed a proportion of our general waste to be recycled. Previously, all general waste was landfilled. Climate Change Assessment Tool (CCAT) overall score Control 51% 61% 69% 71% 74% There has been an increase of 2% on our overall score since the previous year. Two of the five sub-topics showed progress. Climate Governance showing the biggest improvement from 89% to 93%. This increase is attributed to the inclusion of Climate Change as a strategic priority in the new Corporate Plan, increased organisational accountability and the implementation of the Impact and Value Assessment Tool which was introduced in 2023. Progress was also identified in the Adaptation sub-topic that covers questions related to climate risks and opportunities as a result of climate hazards – utilising the results of the Climate Risk and Opportunity Assessment for Perth and Kinross that was finalised in Spring 2023. Procurement has remained the lowest scoring sub-topic at 38%, The need to improve climate considerations in procurement is an identified aim of the ongoing procurement transformation programme. Page 179 of 366
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21 Priority: Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy Action: Support and promote business growth, business and place innovation and investment in both our urban and rural areas • 231 Business start-ups were supported by Business Gateway; this is a reduction compared to 2022/23 figure of 250 but remains at the same level of other Tayside local authorities. Additionally, we provided funding to Growbiz to support start-up micro enterprises/self-employed individuals and social enterprises in rural Perth and Kinross. Support is also provided for enterprising culture in young people and in rural communities. • The Roads Maintenance Partnership (RMP) have liaised with business owners within the city centre to help deliver their offering of external dining in public open spaces. Agreements are in place to ensure they can effectively trade whilst not detracting from the amenity of the space for others and this will be expanded to other existing premises in 2024/25. • We deployed two Tay Cities Digital Engagement Officers with Shared Prosperity Funding to enable Scottish Broadband Vouchers to connect more businesses and homes to improved internet. Through national interventions R100 and Project Gigabyte there has been significant building of gigabit capable connections in the region. This uplift has also been supported by investment in commercial rollout. Action: Invest in innovative green power and smart technology solutions to reduce reliance on electricity from the national grid and create opportunities for business growth and regeneration • Capital Investment of circa £500,000 was scheduled for 2023/24 and an additional £2 million of capital funding was added into the Council budget in March 2023 for decarbonisation. We are also developing the detail behind the Climate Change Strategy Action Plan to move towards decarbonising the estate by 2045. • We supported Binn Group to create a £100m Energy from Waste Plant at Binn Eco-Park joining forces with Paprec, the French- based leader in recycling and green energies. 60% of the civil works are being managed by locally based companies or branches and along with the 200 jobs created for its construction phase, the new EfW will also generate 30 long-term skilled posts once the facility is operational in early 2026. • We have attracted £100k from the Scottish Government to develop heat networks at scale and explore options for the development of a Strategic Energy Partnership. Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021 places a duty on local authorities to carry out a review of potential areas for heat networks as part of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies. • Phase 2 of the Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) project is continuing to progress well and is on programme for completion in Spring 2025. A key part of the project has been the delivery of benefits relating to local spend and employment during construction. Examples of benefits can be found on the project’s website via www.perthtransportfutures.co.uk. This project addresses the long-term transportation needs of the area and facilitate investment of £174 million in new commercial space and bring the prospect of more than 5,000 new jobs to the area. Design Page 180 of 366
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22 work has started on Phase 3 (Bertha Park Link) with completion of specimen design in October 2024. • A hydrogen facility is being constructed by Greencat Energy at the Binn Eco Park, ready for use by June 2027. This will enable the Council to consider using hydrogen as a fuel source and this will be progressed by fleet in due course. Our Projects – Green Cat Hydrogen (gchydrogen.co.uk) • Two engineers from Perth & Kinross Council and four from Sweco, one of the designers of the Cross Tay Link Road project, have been awarded the accolade of Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Carbon Champions for their work on decarbonising the build through the design and procurement process. Perth and Kinross Council (asset owner) and Sweco (designer) worked in collaboration, with a focus on minimising the carbon output and environmental impacts of the project at design stage. ICE Carbon Champions Award For CTLR (perthtransportfutures.co.uk) • The CTLR project has also been presented as a Case Study in the PAS 2080 Guidance updated in April 2023. This Case Study demonstrates how designers can support asset owners to embed decarbonisation principles and requirements into procurement. Action: Promote what our city and towns have to offer to businesses, investors and tourists by capitalising on built and natural heritage and assets such as the new Perth Museum and the benefits to the whole area of Perth’s status as UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art • Perth & Kinross Council have invested £50m in cultural infrastructure in Perth City Centre in the last decade, which includes Perth’s Creative Exchange, Perth Theatre, Perth Art Gallery, St Paul’s Church and the Perth City of Light Lighting Strategy. Perth Museum is the newest investment and is home to the symbolic Stone of Destiny. The museum opened on 30 March 2024 (following a £27m re-development) with 3,000 visitors on the opening weekend. The cultural & heritage visitor attraction was awarded 5* status from VisitScotland. • Our reputation for major events continued when we delivered the UCI Enduro Gran Fondo in August 2023, part of the UCI Championships which were held across Scotland. Perthshire hosted the Gran and Media Fondo long distance mass participation road races which brought 30,000 visitors to the area. This enhanced an already strong programme which includes a wide range of music, cultural and sporting events. • In December 2023, to build on the success of the Christmas Lights Switch On, three weekends of free family entertainment were held in Perth. Additionally, 6,800 people were able to enjoy free travel on all local bus services within the Perth & Kinross Council area, on the four Saturdays leading up to Christmas in an initiative supported by Smarter Choices Smarter Places. This initiative enhanced footfall, supporting our retailers, restaurants, and other traders across Perth & Kinross. Events are major drivers of economic activity, and the annual impact of the programme has been calculated at £30 million, supporting over 500 jobs. • A refreshed marketing plan, delivered through Perth City and Towns, has been developed to promote our area. This is delivered in partnership with local businesses and a new website (perthcityandtowns.co.uk) and social media campaigns are successfully increasing brand awareness, media profile and economic impact in our places. A new cultural guide for the area has been developed and promotes our attractions and the significant investment over the last decade. We also launched a Christmas Campaign in October 2023 – giving promotional opportunities for over 150 independent businesses across the whole region. Page 181 of 366
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23 • We are part of the Tay Cities Regional Tourism Partnership which focuses on bringing international visitors to our area. Internationalisation is an important part in restoring the value of tourism and activities focus on supporting businesses to become trade ready. The recent Scotland Visitor Survey showed that 32% of all overnight visitors to Perthshire in 2023 were international, up from 11% in 2019. • We continued to work in partnership with Wasps, Culture Perth & Kinross, UHI Perth and Business Gateway Tayside to promote Perth Creative Exchange and maximise the opportunities and facilities available to artists, makers and the wider sector. • The Famous Grouse Ideas Centre continued to provide facilities and programmes designed support to entrepreneurs and innovators. o Our Angel’s Share programme delivered 2 events providing founders and entrepreneurs with the opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors. o Elevator UK delivered their ‘Purpose Led Business Accelerator’ to local SMEs, providing the opportunity to think differently about their ethos and purpose whilst growing their business. o The Famous Grouse Ideas Centre also became the first venue in Perth & Kinross to host CodeBase. Codebase is a digital tech incubator which supports start-up and growth business across a number of sectors. The digital sector is a growing and this partnership presents an excellent opportunity to attract digital businesses to Perth & Kinross and impact across a number of other sectors. CASE STUDY Perth Museum opened its doors in March this year and has already welcomed more than 100,000 visitors and received five star award from Visit Scotland. Action: Support individuals into work and to progress into better paid work, encouraging businesses to access initiatives to create new opportunities for those furthest from the employment market and those currently in low wage jobs • The Futures for Families project has assisted parents into self- employment by funding the transient period between employment/unemployment and into self-employment. This funding creates a ‘safety net’ in terms of income for the first 3 months of self-employment whilst establishing the new business. 7 clients took up this offer between launch in September ’23 and March ’24. • Rural Employment Incentive has delivered 25 new rural jobs for rural young people in 2023/24. These roles create vital new positions in smaller communities and enhance the chances of sustained jobs remaining after the funding period. • In terms of supporting people into work via our Skills Passport project (funded by the UK SPF) the following was achieved in 2023/24: o In total – 40 Clients supported o 32 Unemployed Individuals supported and received funding for training. o 8 Individuals supported into self- employment o 9 People now in employment, however several applicants are still in the training phase who will hopefully gain employment thereafter. Page 182 of 366
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24 CASE STUDY (anonymised) Futures for Families – With the provision of Elev8 and a Digital Grant we were able to support ‘Barry’ with digital equipment and pay for a management qualification. Thereafter, with the support of the Self Employment Grant, he was able to launch his own business. • 901 adult learners were supported by PKC and Adult Learning Partnership to achieve a qualification, helping them to improve their digital, employability skills, literacy or language skills. This was an increase of 121 learners from 2022/23 and reflects our approach to identifying and targeting areas of highest need. The profile of our learners is that they face multiple barriers to employment, education or simply being active citizens. Developing new skills and confidence has allowed these learners to progress into other training courses, further education, employability programmes, actively participate in their communities or engage in recovery programmes. CASE STUDY Digital Skills in Pitlochry over the past year has seen tremendous growth. The average learner is over 60 and most have never used a digital device and have no confidence in learning how to use them. We offered digital skills courses at the Pitlochry Library to support learners in gaining confidence in using digital devices to access online shopping, banking and feel part of their community. Key Areas for Improvement • Unlock new investment in employment and housing land to support business growth in new growth sectors • Make Perth and Kinross a more competitive inward investment destination and encourage investment for growth from existing businesses in key growth sectors • Increased number of businesses in the creative and digital industries. • Unlock private investment and expertise to support public and private energy projects. • More people choose Perth and Kinross as a destination for holidays and day trips. • Further enhance our employability outreach capacity, supporting individuals in community settings. Links to other Performance Information ➢ Local Development Plan 2 Delivery Programme 2019-29 February 2024 Update Page 183 of 366
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25 Key Performance Indicators related to this priority: Trends will be indicative of performance and should be considered in the context of the current operating environment and level of influence. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Support and promote business growth and investment Number of new business start-ups with support from Business Gateway Influence 267 220 250 231 275 Performance has declined however remains at the same level of the other Tayside local authorities. Support for start-up micro enterprises/self-employed individuals and social enterprises in rural Perth and Kinross is also provided by Growbiz, whom we provided with financial support in 2023/24 to expand its provision. However, these are not included in the target. Area of available Serviced Employment Land (Ha) Influence N/A New Indicator Dec 24 N/A 35 N/A Data not available until December 2024 Percentage of premises connected to gigabit broadband Influence 4.7% 40% 43% 46% 45% ✔ The percentage of premises connected is increasing although slowly showing that Scottish and UK Government gigabit roll-out programmes are starting to make an impact. The Council is supporting these programmes by raising awareness of financial incentives such as gigabit broadband vouchers. Thinkbroadband.com. Page 184 of 366
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26 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Number of registered businesses in Creative Industries (including digital) Influence 400 380 350 335 400 There has been a reduction in the number of registered businesses in creative industries compared to the previous year. This KPI is an indication of how the local economy is adapting to new technologies and innovation. There will be a focus on dedicated and tailored business advice to the sector, delivered in partnership with Business Gateway, Famous Grouse Ideas Centre, Perth Creative Exchange, Codebase and Perth UHI. This will encourage start-ups and support identified growth businesses, with the aim of increasing the number of businesses and jobs in the creative industries. Invest in innovative green power and smart technology solutions Renewable energy generated across the PKC estate, including from low carbon heat sources (MWh) Control 2,972 2,535 2,226 2,703 N/A (awaiting decarboni sation plan) N/A Number of the biomass sites are still offline which has a huge effect on overall generation. Additional sites have had heat pumps installed. Number of registered businesses in energy (including renewables growth sector) Influence 140 140 145 140 (Dec 24) 154 An increasing number of businesses in energy (including renewables) is seen as an indicator of the local economy adapting to the transition to net zero. 2023/24 has slightly decreased from the previous year. Business advice will continue to be provided through Business Gateway and initiatives boosting clean growth sector such as Tay Cities Clean Growth Cluster or Perth Eco- Innovation Park or Binn Eco-Park. Page 185 of 366
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27 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Promote what our city and towns have to offer to businesses, investors and tourists Investment in economic development and tourism (£ per 1,000 population) Control £63,504 £100,569 £91,711 Dec 24 N/A (not appropriat e to set targets) N/A Data not available until publication of LGBF. Trends are based upon most recent data published. Total number of visits (in person) to libraries, museums, and galleries Influence 32K 246K 441K 484K 315K ✔ Overall footfall to CPK venues is up 9.7% (43,097) from last year. Libraries increased by 15.1% over that same period with new events and activities attracting customers back to venues. Visits to Perth Art Gallery are lower due to the ongoing refurbishment works (down by 37.9%) but satisfaction rates remain high across all venues (with a slight dip due to heating issues in some Libraries). The figures include the opening weekend of Perth Museum with 4,805 visitors over the first 2 days. However, even excluding this overall footfall numbers would still have increased over last year. Support people into work and encourage business to access initiatives to create new opportunitie s Percentage of unemployed people assisted into work from council operated/funded employability programmes Influence 7.9% 15.7% 13.0% 13.7% 15% A slight increase in performance from 2022/23; however, below target. Less external activity funded in 2023/24 due to the late award of funding from SG and lack of applications from providers. Number of adult learners achieving outcomes Influence 110 279 780 901 293 ✔ 901 adult learners were supported by PKC and Adult Learning Partnership to achieve a qualification, helping them to improve their digital, employability skills, literacy or language skills. This was an increase of 121 learners from 2022/23 and reflects our approach to identifying and targeting areas of highest need. Page 186 of 366
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28 Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential The PKC Raising Attainment Strategy 2024-2027 sets out a shared vision, priorities, and expectations in relation to raising attainment and achievement for every child and young person. This strategy reflects the national ambitions of attaining excellence and achieving equity. Progress is reported in the annual Education Improvement Plan and will be presented at the Learning and Families Committee 28 August 2024. Overall, schools and ELC settings in PKC perform well and deliver high quality education. Inspection data shows that ELC settings and primary schools achieve evaluations above both comparator authorities and the national average. Care Inspectorate inspection data shows a similar picture, with PKC outperforming comparator and national benchmarks. Action: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning • Perth High School was commended for its Reflect, Restore and Re-engage Provision, which has led to a significant reduction in pupil exclusions. Reported on in our Attainment 2022/23 report, the number of exclusions dropped from 99 to 61. The school’s approach encourages students to reflect on their behaviour as an alternative to exclusion, resulting in “a calm and positive atmosphere in almost all lessons.” • Educational attainment across all sectors is strong with a steady upward trend in attainment of Curriculum for Excellence levels across P1-S3, with increases of between 5 and 7 percentages points in Literacy and Numeracy in the last 5 years. Senior phase attainment is also showing positive trends, with increases of 4 to 5 percentage points in school leavers attaining at SCQF Levels 5 and 6, and also increases in the proportion of young people participating in education, employment or training over the last 5 years (COVID years excepted). • The percentage of young people (16-19 year olds) participating in education, training or employment has increased year-on-year over the last three years and remains ahead of the national average. This is supported by an increase in the number of young people participating in work experience. • Young people’s participation in sport has continued to improve with notable increases in target groups such as those from backgrounds affected by poverty, young carers and those who are looked after. Additionally, young people are supporting the delivery of extracurricular activity in PKC schools with leadership, coaching and officiating awards being gained. CASE STUDY Our first intergenerational Peep (Peers Early Education Partnership) group was piloted at Strathmore Street Sheltered Housing Complex. The pilot provided the opportunity for participants to learn new skills, share experiences across generations and reduce loneliness and isolation. • Inspection results for services across the Day Care, ELC and Primary sectors remain strong, consistently above national results and comparator authorities. Inspection outcomes in Secondary Schools have not met the local expectations of good or better. The focus for improvement in this sector is around Leadership of Change and improving Learning and Teaching. Page 187 of 366
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29 • The inspection report for Perth Academy, published in November 2023 had two satisfactory and two weak quality indicators which is below our expectations of good or better. Work is underway to address these prior to a return visit by Education Scotland in 2024. • 34 schools have achieved the ‘Digital Schools Award’, with a further eight schools ready for validation. This is a 100% increase on 2022/23. There are a further 36 schools registered for the award with the majority of these making good progress towards formal accreditation. • 26 schools have achieved their Bronze Rights Respecting Schools Award, with 23 achieving Silver and 12 Gold. Seven schools are awaiting accreditation visits, five for Gold and two for Silver. CASE STUDY To promote education and a wider range of opportunities for pupils across science and wider STEM subjects. Kinross High School introduced new courses such as Practical Electronics, Laboratory Science. The school received the STEM Nation Award by Education Scotland in 2023, which celebrates excellent practice in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths education. Action: Reduce the poverty-related attainment gap • We have reported on a narrowing gap for attainment results for pupils in Perth & Kinross, which is showing a positive and improving picture, across all sectors. The poverty-related attainment gap is a term used to describe the difference in attainment between children from better off backgrounds and their peers impacted by poverty. The report showed 79.8% of all P1 children have met all development milestones before starting primary school, and literacy and numeracy levels have improved for P1, P4, P7 and S3 pupils. It also found the poverty-related attainment gap, in terms of pass rates is better than the Scottish national average for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher. • Effective use of Scottish Attainment Challenge funding, including the Pupil Equity Fund, is helping to close the poverty-related attainment gap with notable progress being made in reducing the gap in senior phase attainment. Secondary attendance remains challenging and an area of particular focus. Action: Ensure that Looked After Children and children and young people with additional support needs achieve health, wellbeing and education outcomes comparable with their peers • Outcomes for our care-experienced children and young people are improving with increased levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy as well as a significant increase in the percentage of young people entering a positive destination on leaving school. However, outcomes for care-experienced young people remain lower than their peers. • Our Corporate Parenting Plan 21-24 supports Looked After Children to achieve their full potential. The plan notes progress in all areas in respect to health, wellbeing and education. It is monitored by the Corporate Parenting sub-group that reports to the Children, Young People and Families Partnership. • In 2022/23, 16 out of 17 LAC pupils (94%) attained at least one SCQF Level 4 qualification. Care should be taken when comparing these figures across years and cohorts due to the Page 188 of 366
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30 small numbers involved. This improvement exceeds the national average of 78% for this indicator, though still below the overall performance achieved in respect of all school leavers. We recognise that this group is a key priority for improved attainment and have established a sub-group of the Raising Attainment Board to focus on further improvement, including supporting the Chief Social Worker and Education Officers in the allocation of the Care Experienced Children and Young Persons Funding. The actions of the sub-group included the establishment of a Promise Improvement Lead post which focuses on raising attainment of all care experienced children and young people and young carers. • Inclusion Ambassadors. Fairview School, Perth & Kinross Council's school for children and young people with significant additional support needs (ASN), is celebrating a national awards win for its work to help pupils locally with ASN feel included, supported and celebrated. CASE STUDY (anonymised) Crest Service, Lifelong Links service supports children and young people to reconnect with those who are important to them in a planned, structured and safe way. The service and a lifelong links co-ordinator supported ‘John’ to find out more about his birth family and being part of a wider family network. Key Areas for Improvement • Attainment at key milestones is raised for all children and young people. • Attendance rates improve, particularly in the secondary sector. • Increase the number of young people going into positive destinations such as work experience, further education, volunteering and employment. • Improved understanding of causes of attainment gap so that effective interventions can be identified and implemented. • Improve support to children and young people with additional support needs to realise their full potential. • Provide Kinship Carers with a range of supports to enable them to meet the needs of children in their care. Links to other Performance Information ➢ Corporate Parenting Update ➢ Community Learning and Development Plan 2021-24 - Year 2 Update Report ➢ Raising Attainment Update 2022/23 Page 189 of 366
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31 Key Performance Indicators related to this priority: Trends will be indicative of performance and should be considered in the context of the current operating environment and level of influence. *Attainment indicator data will not be published until February 2024; therefore trend arrows relate to the most recent year of publication. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning Percentage of children meeting expected developmental milestones when entering primary school Influence 82% 81.7% 80.6% N/A N/A 81% N/A Data not available until end of September 2024 The proportion of P1s meeting all their expected developmental milestones has decreased slightly in 2023. For this cohort of children, all 9 developmental milestones (Attention, Behaviour, Emotional Development, Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills, Hearing, Social Development, Speech and Language and Vision) have seen a drop in levels of achievement. Speech and language development and social and emotional development are the areas which are most affected. Our data aligns with that published in Public Health Scotland’s Early Child Development Statistics in April 2023, highlighting the national increase in the proportion of children with a developmental concern assessed during the 13– 15-month, 27-30 month, and 4–5-year child health reviews. Work is being undertaken across all ELC settings to mitigate the impact of these developmental concerns and to ensure that children are supported to achieve their potential through a focus on the overall quality of provision, outdoor learning, language development and emotional resilience. Page 190 of 366
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32 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning Percentage of primary school pupils (P1, P4 & P7 combined) achieving expected levels in literacy and numeracy Control 74% 77% 78% *N/A 79% N/A There has been steady progress over time in P1,4 and 7 Achievement of a Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels. In 2022-2023 a targeted programme of work to improve writing with 6 pilot schools created significant improvement in writing in these schools. This methodology will be used in at least 20 more schools in session 2023-2024. Proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 5 Control 89% 89% 90% *N/A 91% N/A Performance for Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF) attainment against both of these indicators remain close to our virtual comparator, and in line with the national averages of 86% at level 5 and 61% at level 6. These measures remain a focus of term visits by officers to schools. Specific guidance has been shared with schools to maximise the number of young people who leave with at least 1 level 5 qualification and if possible 1 level 6 qualification. Schools closely monitor the proportion of young people achieving these measures, and act to intervene to support young people, where necessary. The fall in the proportion of school leavers leaving with at least 1 qualification at level 6 is mirrored nationally as we have moved from teacher professional judgement through the alternative certification model to the “normal” SQA assessment process in a post-covid environment. Proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 6 Control 71% 66% 66% *N/A 67% N/A Page 191 of 366
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33 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning Participation of 16–19-year- olds participating in learning, training or work (%) Influence 94% 94% 95% N/A 95% N/A Data not available until end of September annually. Figures are based upon most recent data published. We are implementing a much more rigorous 16 plus framework in partnership with Skills Development Scotland to effect further improvement in this measure. This has been identified by Skills Development Scotland as sector leading practice nationally and involves close and clearly structured partnership working with all stakeholders. The recently established16 plus sub group of the Local Employability Partnership is identifying skills gaps and working to match those with funded opportunities. Reduce the poverty- related attainment gap Percentage gap between SIMD 1 and SIMD 5 for school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 5 Control 28% 24% 17% *N/A 24% N/A Performance for SCQF Level 5 and 6 attainment remains slightly better than both our virtual comparator (18% Level 5 / 29% Level 6) and the national average (17% Level 5 / 32% Level 6). Nine of our secondary schools are now SCQF ambassadors, committed to finding flexible senior phase options for all learners. This will be a key improvement outcome for our planned senior phase curricular input in session 2023/24. It is worth noting that SIMD in terms of quintile one is relevant only in Perth city schools and Blairgowrie High School. Other measures of deprivation are more relevant in our rural settings. Percentage gap between SIMD 1 and SIMD 5 for school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 6 Control 41% 35% 29% *N/A 34% N/A Page 192 of 366
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34 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/ Not Met Ensure that Looked After Children and children and young people with additional support needs achieve comparable outcomes Percentage of children being looked after in community placements rather than residential placements – balance of care Control 96% 94% 94% *N/A 90% N/A There were 248 Looked After Children as at the end of July 2023. Of these, 233 were in community placements, and 15 were in residential or secure care placements. This means 94% of children were being looked after in the community, compared to 89% nationally. The social and emotional impact of Covid-19 has had a major impact on emotional distress and risk taking behaviour amongst young people which coupled with vacancies in our early intervention services has required increased use of residential placements. This situation is being monitored closely with emphasis on enabling the young people to return home. Percentage of school leavers looked after within the last year with 1 or more qualification at SCQF level 4 Control 62% 87% 94% *N/A 88% N/A 16 out of 17 (94%) LAC pupils attained at least one SCQF Level 4 qualification compared to 46% nationally. Care should be taken when comparing these figures across years and cohorts due to the small numbers involved. There has been significant focus on the level 4 outcomes for this cohort of young people and this is reflected in the figures. This improvement puts us above the national average of 78% for this indicator, though still below the overall performance achieved in respect of all school leavers. We recognise that this group is a key priority for improved attainment. We have recently appointed a Promise Implementation Lead to track the educational journeys of all school aged looked after children and young people. Page 193 of 366
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35 Priority: Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people The Council’s Adult Social Work and Social Care services are delegated to the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board (IJB) and managed by the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). There is a statutory requirement for the IJB to produce an Annual Performance Report and this is reported to the Audit and Performance Committee of the IJB. This report highlights progress against the strategic ambitions of the IJB as set out in the IJB’s new Strategic Plan 2024-27. The following content contains information taken from the IJB’s Annual Performance about integrated Health and Social Care services which relate to adults. This has been combined with information from other Council services which are not delegated. Action: Ensure we quickly identify children, young people and adults at risk of harm and abuse and take the necessary actions to keep them safe • A steady increase in qualified Council Officers - only a qualified Council Officer is authorised to undertake certain functions of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Perth and Kinross has increased the number of available Council Officers from 40 full and part-time Council Officers in January 2021 to 61 in January 2024. This demonstrates a commitment to fulfilling statutory responsibilities, our ability to recruit, retain, support, and encourage social workers’ development and our commitment to understanding current and future workforce planning needs. • Police Vulnerable Reports (VPR) continue to dominate the total numbers of all adult protection concerns received, and this is consistent with the data from previous years and with the national picture. This is the first year that our data indicates that there is no significant increase in the numbers of VPRs received in comparison to the previous year. Many factors contribute to this, and a short life working group has been established to explore this in more detail. • Mental Health features in many of the VPRs received, on its own, or linked to other areas of concern including those who experience drug and alcohol addiction. Front line mental health services have (and continue) to be redesigned to reflect emerging themes and trends. This includes the Access Team who facilitate and co-ordinate a fast track triage system into specialist services for all adult protection concerns where mental health and drug and alcohol features. This triage implemented by our Access Team follows the principles and the benefits of early intervention and prevention. • In 2023/24, we increased our use of social media sites to raise awareness of adult protection and how to respond to it. Raising public awareness of the ASP agenda remains a key priority. This data also reflects the value of the dedicated NHS Tayside Adult Protection team who support health colleagues to respond to and report any adult protection concerns that exist in health settings. • Responding early to any adult protection concern received is crucial. The earlier that services can respond to harm the better they are able to intervene effectively. An average of 98.5% of all of these concerns were screened within 24-hours of being received. The Adult Protection Concern VPRs audit 2023/24 found that: Page 194 of 366
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36 “In recent years, commitment has been given to service redesign, particularly the Access Team who provide that first point of contact for many adult concern referrals. This supports a wider HSCP commitment to the principles of supporting an early intervention and preventative approach to responding to harm and to the principles of Getting It Right for Everyone (GIRFE) and getting the right support, from the right people at the right time. Whilst there is room for improvement, this audit demonstrates that the principles of GIRFE and early intervention and prevention are embedded into adult protection decision making and practice.” • The ASP co-ordinator audits the adult protection concerns which were not screened within 24-hours (34 out of 2,262) and no adult was left at any undue harm as a consequence of this delay. Some of the findings from this self-evaluation and quality assurance have led to improvement work. • The ASP Act makes no reference to Large Scale Investigations (LSIs), but these have become increasingly prevalent across Scotland since the implementation of the Act. In 2022/23, a thematic review of our use of LSIs was completed and highlighted a number of emerging and often recurring themes that led to an LSI being instigated, including staff shortages, medication being wrongly administered, lack of leadership and poor moving and handling practices. It also found that missed opportunities existed to deliver a truly multi-agency approach to LSIs. The findings from this review led to several improvements. The most crucial being that colleagues from the Care Home Operational Group and the Enhanced Care Home team remain central to determining whether an LSI is required to safeguard adults at risk of harm and to use their expertise to consider what support and from whom is required to mitigate any risk and improve standards of care. Understanding these themes has allowed the provision of a more targeted, early intervention and preventative support to the care home sector. • Following our audit and implementing the improvements, our LSIs have reduced in numbers and in length of time between start and it being concluded: • From April 21 – March 22, we opened 11 LSIs with an average length of each LSI being 7.5 months. From April 22 – March 23, we held 7 LSIs with an average length of 5 months From April 23 – March 24, we held 6 LSIs with an average length of 3.5 months. • The number of referrals to the Child Protection Duty Team are increasing at around 15% every year, however all referrals that are received are triaged immediately or within 24 hours. Situations flagged as being a significant child protection concern receive an immediate response to safeguarding the child or young person’s wellbeing. • The Scottish Child Interview Model (SCIM) was implemented across Tayside in May 2024. A soft boarder approach was agreed with our Tayside partners allowing trained staff to work across boundaries. SCIM was developed in response to the recommendations within the Evidence and Procedure Review, Child and Vulnerable Witnesses Project. The two main goals of the new model are: o To remove the need for children to give evidence in Court and to instead have their Joint Investigative Interview used as ‘Evidence in Chief’ o To be trauma informed, reducing the risk of children being re- traumatised during the interview itself and during subsequent processes. • The Multi Agency Screening Hub (MASH) was initially set up in June 2022 to provide early help to families in need. MASH meets 2 weekly and is well represented by statutory and non- statutory partners from social work, the 3rd sector, health and education; approximately 35 different teams are involved in this process. On a 2 weekly basis MASH triage and allocate non urgent referrals which have been submitted to the Child Protection Duty Team (CPDT). This process has allowed for better sharing of information and has promoted relationships Page 195 of 366
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37 across the partnership and most importantly it has allowed us to provide a range of supports to families at an earlier point in need. • Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee (CPC) has continued to progress its three main objectives, focusing on continuous improvement, engagement and participation and strategic connections. Positive developments include the establishment of a Multi-Agency Screening Hub (MASH) for early help and the realignment of third sector Service Level Agreements towards early intervention, are beginning to have an impact. These developments include a comparatively low number of children and young people on the Child Protection Register, a smaller increase in referrals to Children and Families Social Work than in preceding years, the number of Inter-agency Referral Discussions remaining steady after a decline of 16% last year, and a small decrease in the number of children and young people who need to be jointly interviewed by police and social work following a disclosure of harm. • The CPC participates in national campaigns to raise awareness and continues to work with NSPCC Scotland to deliver the ‘Speak Out, Stay Safe’ programme, fully committed to a Whole Family Approach working closely with our partners to ensure risks are identified and mitigated as far as possible. • It was decided in 2023 that the Bairns’ Hoose Pathfinder Project will go ahead, the project will provide coordinated child-centred and trauma-informed support from all agencies who support children and young people who have been harmed or who are witnesses to harm. The project will include services such as child protection and justice, healthcare, education, and therapeutic support, as a blueprint for full implementation across Scotland in 2025. The project is a partnership between Perth and Kinross Council, Dundee City Council, Angus Council, Police Scotland, and NHS Tayside. Action: Ensure that people get the right care, accommodation and support where and when they need it The Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) provides and commissions local health and social care services to meet the strategic direction of the Integration Joint Board (IJB). Our aim is to improve health and wellbeing outcomes by providing the right care and support in the right way and at the right time for the adult population of Perth and Kinross. Refer to Integration Joint Board Annual Performance Report 2023/24 which provides detail on the activities undertaken to ensure people have get the right care, accommodation and support where and when they need it. • We have continued to support over 450 people from Ukraine to settle into accommodation and continue to work with the third sector and community groups to provide support to these and around 110 people seeking asylum. This includes expanding provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to support the 98 Ukrainian children who have enrolled in our local schools. • We continue to receive referrals from CoSLA to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people (16-18 years) to settle into the local community. Due to the age of the young people on arrival, they have Looked After status and are afforded the same rights and supports as other Looked After and care experienced (18 years+) young people. As a result, it has been necessary to expand our support service for these young people and host families. The Children Alone Seeking Asylum (CASA) team are supporting 49 young people between ages 15 to 23. • We have recruited sufficient Host Families to provide support to our young unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) population being transferred through the national transfer scheme and who are presenting as children in the Adult Asylum Hotels. Page 196 of 366
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38 • We continue to recruit Foster Carers against a national picture which shows recruitment crisis. We are reducing the number of children placed with independent fostering agencies to 22 with a further 3 due to move shortly. We continue to work hard to reduce the number of children and young people in residential accommodation. Active care planning is in place to support alternative family based care options. • Care at Home Transformation - There are increasing needs for social care services to support older people who need support with the activities which are essential for independent living. Our Care at Home transformation programme aims to ensure that high-quality care is available for people in the right place at the right time, promoting healthy, independent and dignified lives. Having reduced unmet needs by 20% in the reporting year we will continue this work to reduce it further, improve the speed with which care is available, and increase personal contact time. We have progressed this work throughout 2023/24, and this will continue beyond 2024/25 as a long-term improvement programme. One of the key deliverables of the programme is to the redesign of our Care at Home and Reablement approach. This will establish/embed a hybrid model of commissioned, community led and internal services. • Locality Integrated Working - We have made great progress, building on our well established LINCS (Locality Integrated Care Service) model. We have developed new roles such as Clinical Co-ordinators and Assistant Practitioners that work alongside health and social care services to improve efficiencies and develop more co-ordinated support. • In 2023 our partnership was accepted on to the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Focus on Frailty programme, which brings together teams from six NHS boards and social care partnerships and the third and independent sector from across Scotland. Running until 2024, this national quality improvement programme aims to explore and improve access to person- centred, co-ordinated health and social care for people aged 65 and over who are living with frailty. • Through our Early Discharge Project (EDP) we supported 213 people with 92 having been re-abled to regain full independence. 56 people were supported to return home when they would otherwise have been delayed due to unavailability of immediate capacity in our HART or care at home services. As such EDP ‘bridged the gap’ to allow them to be discharged home swiftly, supporting our Discharge Without Delay performance. 15 people were identified as requiring ongoing care at home and so were transitioned over to a care at home service provider. 33 people needed to be readmitted to hospital and 3 were admitted to residential care/crisis placements. CASE STUDY The PKC Lets and Ukraine Landlord Offer project was the winner in the ‘Excellence in the Private Rented Sector’ category at the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland Awards (October 2023). The award recognised the work by the Housing service for their work in resettling people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Action: Prepare for the establishment of the National Care Service and continue to strive for excellent health and social care outcomes for the people of Perth and Kinross We will continue to monitor national developments and consider activity as required. Page 197 of 366
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39 Action: Work with partners to reduce re- offending and support effective interventions for people in the justice system • Around 3,000 ‘person of concern’ cases have been considered since April 2021. This is a multi-disciplinary approach where a concern for someone’s welfare has been raised with nearly 90% being related to substance use, the other 10% relating largely to mental or physical health. • Occupational Therapists provide support through a range of measures, from liberation planning and rehabilitation (across cognitive, physical and mental health) to environment assessment and specialist equipment provision. While they primarily work with people with mental health issues, we have ensured there is capacity to also support people with substance use and physical health needs. • Hillcrest Futures are commissioned to support residents and the following outlines the activities undertaken within the year: o Scottish Prison Service: SMART Recovery - 33 Groups attended by 412 residents. o Relapse Prevention/Harm Reduction/Mindfulness - 27 Groups attended by 216 residents. o Recovery Café - 47 Groups attended by 614 residents. o Recovery Discussion/Book Group - 16 Groups attended by 113 residents. o Recovery Coaching - 36 Groups attended by 1,253 residents. o Art Group - 32 Groups attended by 362 residents. o Yoga - 5 Groups attended by 75 residents. o Harm Reduction/Overdose - 87 One to One Sessions Mental Health/Wellbeing - 49 One to One Sessions Advice and Information - 126 One to One Sessions Recovery Support - 178 One to One Sessions. During this reporting period they delivered 440 One to One Sessions. 3,495 sessions were delivered by Peer workers to support people in their recovery and help to reduce their substance use. • The Perth and Kinross Community Justice and Safety Partnership launched a new Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan (CJOIP) in June 2023 and provides the Partnership with a direction of travel in line with The Vision for Justice 2022 and National Strategy for Community Justice. • Bail supervision provides people access to a bespoke person- centred program, tailored to their individuals needs as a means of improving their life chances. In 2023/24, 40 commenced Bail supervision as an alternative to remand. CASE STUDY Voluntary Throughcare Co-ordination & Sustainable Tenancy Tests of Change were established to enhance the support offer available to people being released from a short- term prison sentence. Support included access to services best able to meet needs on release and exploring opportunities to move directly from prison to a sustainable tenancy. Key Areas for Improvement • Take a partnership approach to the assessment of risk of significant harm to a child and minimising and reducing risk through early support and assessment. • Enhance our housing support offer by implementing an Intensive Housing Support Service for people with complex needs. • Where children cannot remain living at home, every effort is made to keep them within their kin network. • Maintain significant relationships for care experienced children to deliver on the principles of The Promise. Links to other Performance Information ➢ HSCP Annual Performance Report 2023/24 Page 198 of 366
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40 Key Performance Indicators related to this priority: Trends will be indicative of performance and should be considered in the context of the current operating environment and level of influence. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Ensure we quickly identify children, young people and adults at risk of harm and abuse and take the necessary actions to keep them safe. (Children and young people) Percentage of children on child protection register over 12 months Control 21% 8% 4% 6% N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A Most child protection registrations last less than a year and the number of children and young people who remain on the child protection register for 12 months or more has remained low. This was following a peak (28%) in 2020/21 due to the impact of Covid-19. Many of these children and young people have multiple and/or complex needs which require coordinated support. We have implemented the National Child Protection Guidance 2021 (revised 2023) with minimum registrations being 6 months. Rate of children on the child protection register per 10,000 children Control 27 21 20 N/A N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A Data not available until end of September 2024. Calculated using 2022 MYE Population (0-15) figures until updated figures are published. In line with national approach. Child Protection registrations in Perth and Kinross remain in line with the national average rate (from 2022) of 20 per 10,000 population. This ongoing reduction is a consequence of a significant investment made to secure consistent chairing of case conferences and increasing use of Child and Young Person’s Plans at a much earlier stage; reducing the need to go to case conference and registration by working collaboratively with families. Page 199 of 366
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41 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Ensure we quickly identify children, young people and adults at risk of harm and abuse and take the necessary actions to keep them safe. (Adults) Number of Vulnerable Person Reports received Influence 1,515 1,755 2,254 2,262 N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A This is the first year that our data indicates that there is no significant increase in the numbers of VPRs received in comparison to the previous year. Many factors contribute to this, and a short life working group has been established to explore this in more detail. Mental Health features in many of the VPRs received, on its own, or linked to other areas of concern including those who experience drug and alcohol addiction. Front line mental health services have (and continue) to be redesigned to reflect emerging themes and trends. Source: IJB APR 2023/24. Health and social work data is subject to review and validation and figures can change over time. This has led to some figures being amended from those previously reported in our Corporate Plan. Percentage of Adult Support and Protection (ASP) Initial Referral Discussions held within timescale Control N/A 67% 69% 75% 90% Initial Referral Discussions (IRDs) were introduced into adult protection practices in December 2020 to facilitate a multi-agency way to identify adults at risk of harm and coordinate how any risk could be managed. 69 IRDs were held between 2023/24. 75% of IRDs were held within a three working day period between deciding to hold and an IRD and an IRD being held. Legitimate reasons exist why they may not be held within 3 days and our 2023/24 multi- agency audit found that no adult was left at any undue risk of harm because of an IRD that was delayed. For this reason, we are proposing this PI is deleted and replaced with the % of adult protection concerns screened within 24 hours (includes out of hours). Page 200 of 366
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42 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target Met/Not Met Ensure that people get the right care and support where and when they need it. Number of households presenting as homeless Influence 670 610 737 849 N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A We experienced a further 15% increase in homelessness presentations in 2023/24. The sustained higher demand is linked to cost of living pressures and disfunction in the housing system. These pressures and challenges resulted in the Scottish Government declaring a national Housing Emergency in May 2024. Percentage of affordable homes built to wheelchair and adaptable standard (units) Control 8% 4.3% 8.9% 10% 10% of all social housing built ✔ 11 new build affordable homes have been constructed to wheelchair and adaptable standard (9 RSL & 2 PKC) which aligns with our Local Housing Strategy. This indicator reflects the minimum target of 10% of all affordable homes, built by us and RSLs, being to wheelchair and adaptable standard. Percentage of adults receiving any care or support who rate it as excellent or good Influence 89% 77% 73% 70% 80% For 2023/24, the percentage of people receiving any care or support who rated it as excellent or good was 70.1% (201 responses), a reduction of 9.0% from when previously reported in 2021/22 (HACE NI 5). Throughout 2023/24 we continued to gather feedback via our internal Service User Patient Experience (SUPE) Survey. This replicates to a large extent the questions which are asked within the HACE questionnaire and so provides good local data. Although the number of people surveyed is significantly smaller than that for HACE we know that respondents have accessed our services, and we value their feedback. 97% of people (58 responses) indicated that they rated their care or support as excellent or good. Propose two new additional indicators; no. of people waiting for a social care assessment and no. of people assessed and waiting for a care at home package. Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that their services and support had an impact in improving or maintaining their quality of life. Influence N/A 76% N/A 76% 80% Page 201 of 366
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43 Priority: Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing The Council’s Adult Social Work and Social Care services are delegated to the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board (IJB) and managed by the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). There is a statutory requirement for the IJB to produce an Annual Performance Report and this is reported to the Audit and Performance Committee of the IJB. This report highlights progress against the strategic ambitions of the IJB as set out in the IJB’s new Strategic Plan 2024-27. The following content contains information taken from the IJB’s Annual Performance about integrated Health and Social Care services which relate to adults. This has been combined with information from other Council services which are not delegated. Action: Work with partners to provide localised health and social care provision in areas of greatest need and in those most geographically distant from services • Working with third sector partners, we promoted and developed peer to peer support networks and there are now 15 groups. We worked with partners to set up carer cafés in Crieff, Aberfeldy and Blairgowrie as well as supporting PKAVS. Action: Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by increasing overall participation in sport and physical activity and promoting the wellbeing benefits of time spent in our natural surroundings • Change Mental Health are commissioned to help people affected by serious mental illness, including family members and carers. Since January 2023, in partnership with All Strong, they have supported carers to participate in programmes for fitness and wellbeing. The team continues to support and run a number of group activities (Book Club, Carers’ Café, Gardening Group, Creative Writing) as well supporting carers more holistically. This has included supporting them to access provision from partners such as All Strong, Gym, secure Live Active compass cards, and to apply for various types of funding (including Time4Me Fund). Information and advice was provided, with 215 subscribers to the monthly newsletter and 62 people received support. CASE STUDY To promote Active Travel, Cycling and Road Safety in Perth and Kinross. PKC Roads, Safer Communities and Sustrans worked together to develop a ‘virtual’ unit working with communities and across disciplines, to co-ordinate activities such cycle hub at Balhousie Primary School and Women’s Cycle Confidence classes. Page 202 of 366
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44 • The Physical and Sports Strategy focussed on increasing participation in physical and sport to support positive mental health and physical wellbeing. Activities during 2023/24 included: o Young Leaders who completed Aspiring Coaches (62 attended in June 2023), 26 completed Levels 1 and 34 are actively volunteering. o Active Schools organised “Gie it Laldy” event in October 2023, the event was targeted at increasing confidence in sport and physical activity in girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. o Kit banks established in all Primary schools. Further kit banks to be introduced in areas of highest need using SIMD data. o LAL Sports Development have in place a Coach & Volunteer Education Calendar for 23-24 to upskill volunteers from local clubs and community organisations. o The Bikeability programme was delivered in 67 of our primary schools. In term 1 instruction was delivered to 592 pupils in 19 schools. o New volunteer website (Be the Change) launched by PKAVS and PKC to help community groups, including sports clubs promote opportunities and recruit volunteers. • In 2023/24 over £1.1m was spent on projects to improve the infrastructure for walking and cycling in Perth and Kinross. The projects provided improvements and new infrastructure including shared use footpaths, cycling parking provisions and shared use links to assist and encourage pedestrians and cyclists in local communities to use more active forms of travel. • In the latest Sustrans Walking and Cycling Index (March 24), with reference to Perth it noted that every day walking, cycling and wheeling takes up to 13,000 cars off the road, making an annual saving of 2,100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the city. The number of journeys cycled has grown since 2021. As well as positive detail within the Index, it also highlighted areas for improvement that we are looking to address such as increasing numbers of School Exclusion Zones. Perth Walking and Cycling Index - Sustrans.org.uk • A new outdoor Early Learning Childcare (ELC) project opened its gates in Perth to local nursery children. The Westbank Outdoor project supports children from nursery settings to access nature without barriers and allow for outdoor play experiences that are known to have a direct and positive impact on children’s mental and physical health. • We improved 10 parks and play areas in Auchterarder, Blair Atholl, Perth, Crieff, Dunning, Milnathort and Stanley to encourage healthy outdoor physical activity for all abilities. In 2023/24, £291k of Scottish Funding was utilised supplemented by the Council’s own Community Greenspace Programme and funding raised through community groups. CASE STUDY The Scottish Government Children’s Play Park Renewal Initiative allocated funding of £1.741m to the Council over a 5 year period 2021/22 – 2025/26. The funding is used to target play areas in most need of renewal. A recent example is the full upgrade of the ‘Premier’ play area at Auchterarder Primrose Park costing over £300k with the community raising £150k. Page 203 of 366
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45 Action: Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it • Development of the Health Hub within Murray Royal Hospital. This is based in the main foyer area and funding has been secured to develop this area into a health hub, offering physical health and wellbeing advice to patients, carers, staff and visitors. • Social Prescribers continue to signpost people to and support them into open access and community-based activities. The service complements healthcare and can replace or avoid the need for medical interventions. People can access a social prescriber via their GP Practice, local community organisations or self-refer. Across all localities social prescribers worked with 658 individuals. • The Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nursing Service - Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nurses provide mental health and wellbeing triage assessments to individuals aged 16 years and above experiencing a range of mental health and wellbeing issues such as low mood, stress or distress, non- fatal self-harm, and mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Key Areas of Improvement • Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by increasing overall participation in sport and physical activity and promoting the wellbeing benefits of time spent in our natural surroundings • Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it Links to other Performance Information ➢ HSCP Annual Performance Report 23-24 2023/24 ➢ Community Investment and Local Action Partnership Funds 2023-24 ➢ Community Investment Fund 2023/24 CASE STUDY MacRosty Park in Crieff was granted a dementia-friendly status from Paths for All. The park is only the second in Scotland to have the status. The award comes after a series of improvements were made to the park to make it more inclusive for people living with dementia. Page 204 of 366
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46 Key Performance Indicators related to this priority. Trends will be indicative of performance and should be considered in the context of the current operating environment and level of influence. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target: Met/Not Met Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by increasing overall participation in sport and physical activity and promoting the wellbeing benefits of time spent in our natural surroundings Number and percentage of the total school roll (primary and secondary) participating in Active Schools/ School Sports Influence Not collected due to Covid 5,190 29% 7,200 39% 7,776 42% 7,500 (33%) ✔ Figures for this indicator are calculated across three terms and may include some individual pupils being counted more than once if they participated during more than one term. Since school activity programmes have returned more fully in 2022/23. The number of participating pupils has begun to recover increasing from 39% to 42% and slightly higher than 40% of the school roll participating in Active Schools nationally. During 2023/24 there have been improvements for specific targeted groups with increased rates of participation for secondary girls, young carers and care experienced children and young people. Figures for 2023/24 compared to 40% of the school roll participating in Active Schools nationally. Number of attendances at pools, indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities and programmes (thousands) Influence 63K 564K 1.002M 1.116M 930K ✔ There was a decrease in pool and indoor sports attendances due to flooding and subsequent closure of Bells Sports Centre in October 2023 and temporary closures for Perth Leisure Pool. However, this was offset but an increase in outdoor activity. This was mainly due to the introduction of free grass pitch use for the residents of Perth & Kinross. Page 205 of 366
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47 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target: Met/Not Met Percentage of residents satisfied with local leisure facilities Influence 74% (2018 – 2021) 74% (2019- 2022) 73% (2020- 2023) N/A 75% N/A Data not available until publication of LGBF. Trends are based upon most recent data published. Latest figures of 73% is above the national average of 71%. Percentage of adults satisfied with parks and open spaces Control 89% (2018- 2021) 90% (2019- 2022) 91% (2020- 2023) N/A N/A N/A Data not available until publication of LGBF. Trends are based upon most recent data published. Latest figures of 91% is above the national average of 87%. Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it Mental Health - Reduction in waiting times for people to access Mental Health Services (weeks) Influence N/A New Indicator 33 36 39 N/A (basel ine to be establ ished) N/A Demand for all mental health services is high and teams are collectively working with around 5,000 people at any time. Waiting lists are larger and longer than we would like, particularly for Consultant Psychiatry assessment/ADHD assessment and Mental Health OT intervention within the Adult Community Mental Health Teams. There has however been a 27% improvement in the number of people waiting and all other initial mental health assessments are currently being undertaken within 10 working days. The Primary Care Mental Health Transformation Programme was launched in March 2024 to support a sustainable longer-term approach to population mental Page 206 of 366
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48 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target: Met/Not Met Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it health. Mental health issues are a common feature in General Practice, and it is estimated that one third of GP consultations have a mental health component (Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023). Our Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nurses provide an early intervention and prevention service for a range of mental health issues. Source: IJB APR 2023/24. Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that Percentage increase in people who feel that their health and social care support was easily accessible and well communicat ed Influence 91% 80% 89% 57% 80% For 2023/24, the percentage of people supported at home who agree that their health and care services seemed to be well co-ordinated was 57.3% (1,912 responses), a reduction of 7.8% from when previously reported in 2021/22 (HACE NI 4). Throughout 2023/24 we continued to gather feedback via our internal Service User Patient Experience (SUPE) Survey. This replicates to a large extent the questions which are asked within the HACE questionnaire and so provides good local data. Although the number of people surveyed is significantly smaller than that for HACE we know that respondents have accessed our services, and we value their feedback. 92% (59 responses) indicated that their health and support was well communicated, and 83% (58 responses) felt their health or support was easily accessible. Page 207 of 366
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49 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target: Met/Not Met people have access to wellbeing support when they need it Feedback from Care Opinion shows that for 2023/24 of 119 people who shared stories on the platform, an overall rating of 4.73 out of 5 was achieved for Clear Information. For Information and Decision Making Shared Appropriately, 119 people gave an overall rating of 4.75 out of 5. Service User and Experience Reporting (SUPE) Survey results demonstrate that people broadly feel that their health and social care support was easily accessible and well communicated. While the sample size for this measure remains smaller than we would like, work continues to expand the reach of the SUPE Survey to additional teams and services throughout the Health and Social Care Partnership. This KPI came from the Service User Patient Experience Survey and is no longer available proposal that this is changed to HACE Survey Indicator; % of adults supported at home who agreed that their health and care services seem to be well co-ordinated. Page 208 of 366
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50 Priority: Working in partnership with communities We recognise that there is no one-size fits all solution to working with communities to address local needs. In 2023/24 we have tested and operated different approaches. Some of the progress made is 2023/24 is outlined below. Action: Establish locality multidisciplinary teams working with our community planning partners and residents to identify and address local solutions to local needs • Pilot locality working projects are well underway in Highland Perthshire, Letham and Coupar Angus, with further rollout to Perth City and Crieff planned. A full rollout plan has been drafted to wider rollout across Perth and Kinross. • In Highland Perthshire the Multi-disciplinary team has been developed and a steering group formed to deliver on agreed actions, community engagement is taking place all supported by the Improvement Service. • The new Letham Hub is central to the work in Letham where a multi-disciplinary operating model is being developed between council services and partners. The work incorporates learning and feedback from the Love Letham project and integrates this with existing community groups and plans to provide a joined-up partnership approach to delivering better outcomes in Letham. • In Coupar Angus work continues to address the issues raised in the community action plan commissioned by the Community Planning Partnership. • We formed a Public Social Partnership with Glenfarg Community Transport Group (GCTG). As from 03 April 2023 GCTG have been delivering a local bus service and school transport contract with funding and support from PKC. • We secured £30k of external funding to undertake an options appraisal for a Local Authority and Community bus depot in Aberfeldy. • We provided Kirkmichael Community Transport Group with a Council pool car and Council fuel card in order that volunteers had a vehicle to deliver community led public transport solutions. • We committed to invest £150k of Community Bus Funding to purchase 6-8 seat vehicles and lend these to Muthill Community Transport Group, Tay Valley Connections, Kirkmichael Community Transport Group and Stagecoach East Scotland to deliver public transport solutions in our deep rural areas. Action: Increase the supply and availability of rural housing • The recently adopted Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 (March 2023) target is to deliver 1050 affordable homes with an Urban (53%) / Rural (47%) split to ensure representative distribution. In financial year 2023/24, there was 173 new affordable homes completed by PKC and our RSL partnerships with an urban/rural split of 62 new urban affordable homes (36%) and 111 new rural affordable homes (64). CASE STUDY The Letham Hub provides opportunities for partner agencies to deliver a range of services in the locality and engage with local people who attend the many community based activities. Page 209 of 366
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51 Action: Develop and expand our approach to working with communities to identify local actions and priorities and deliver on these together • 104 groups received Community Investment Funding to deliver projects which local priorities in their communities; this was an increase of 24 compared to the previous year. The increase was due to a greater awareness of the fund amongst community groups and increased engagement with groups interested in applying. • 258 groups were supported to improve their capacity to work within their local communities to deliver a variety of projects and interventions. For example, the CLD Team supported small community groups within Strathearn and Strathallan to expand their offer to a wider area and create new provision for community members to access, including the Safeart Group and the Neurodiversity group which both originally started in Crieff and now offer activities in Auchterarder. • Staff at Strathmore Hub were supported to build skills and knowledge in applying for funding (such as CIF and Warm Welcome Fund) for pilot projects around cost of living. Support provided for community groups to manage public assets such as Alyth Community Wing so that availability and usage by communities was increased. • We offered Digital Skills courses at Pitlochry Library to support people in gaining confidence using devices, reduce isolation and feel part of their community. Courses offered people the opportunity to gain digital skills to enable them to keep in touch with family, online shopping, and using community apps keep up to date with what is happening in their local area. A total of 104 hours of learning was provided and 58 people participated. • 118 volunteer groups were supported generating around 40,000 hours of work to compliment the work the Council undertakes in managing greenspace assets. It has greatly added value in ensuring the places we live in and visit are fit for purpose and attractive, as well as contributing to the physical and mental wellbeing of those involved and creating a community sense of pride. Support included Paths Groups, Friends of Cemeteries Groups, Bloom Groups, Community Allotment Associations, Health and Wellbeing Groups. Most groups were provided with insurance, relevant training and materials and many were provided with financial assistance including awards from the Council’s Community Environmental Challenge Fund (CECF), often ‘levering in’ significant amounts of additional funding. • In June 2023 the new community co-designed and funded £300k all abilities play area in Primrose Park Auchterarder was opened and in November 2023, a Food Growing Officer was appointed to help local groups find and develop land for community food growing, as part of delivering the Council’s Food Growing Strategy. • Throughout 2023/24, support was provided to help the Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Football Club develop their new changing facilities at Davie Park to complement their Phase 1 3G all-weather pitch completed in 2022 as part their ambitious £1.2m plan. • We completed a number of flood studies in local communities (including Craigie Burn, South Kinross, Dunkeld and Perth) to understand the risk of flooding, engage the community to disseminate the study findings, and raise awareness of other actions such as community flood resilience. In February 2024, Full Council Committee approved £1M for Craigie Burn and Dunkeld Flood Schemes. • In September 2023, we introduced a dedicated Safer Communities Warden for the area of Perth City North through partnership working. The funding drawn from monies approved during the budget-setting process for 2023/24 will provide a visible, consistent presence in the area, the new role will be focused on helping to tackle anti-social behaviour, engagement Page 210 of 366
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52 with the community, liaison with schools, and close joint working with other council teams and Police Scotland colleagues. Action: Deliver our internal cultural change programme ensuring all staff contribute to our commitment to engage with and be accessible and responsive to our residents and communities • Our internal cultural change programme continued to be a focus during 2023/24 with the Employee Experience (EE) being delivered which focused on the values and behaviours framework, our ‘eyes and ears’ of PKC (or No Wrong Door) and how we work more effectively with partners and communities. • By the end of April 2023 85% of the organisation had attended a session either virtually or in person or had a session within their areas of work using the EE materials to ensure consistency. • In 2023 a staff recognition programme was introduced, and leaders were encouraged to nominate staff who demonstrated the values and behaviours, went above and beyond what was expected or made a significant impact to our communities. The informal events were held by the Chief Executive to personally thank staff for going the extra mile. • The Leadership for All Programme, launched April 2023, sets out a programme of development opportunities, aligned to our corporate plan, all designed to build confidence, skills and knowledge whilst challenging traditional ways of thinking and working to reform. Over 60 sessions were delivered with more than 600 individual staff attending. • Early 2024 we procured Adapt2Digital to work with PKC to design and deliver a 12-month Senior Leadership Development Programme for the new Executive and Strategic Leadership Teams which is focused on establishing a well-connected, supportive and high performing team. • Continued to offer bespoke cultural change programmes for teams to work more effectively with communities and customers and address and remove barriers to working as effectively as possible. • In January 2024 we launched the new Performance and Development Discussion Framework which is aligned to the Leadership Competencies and Values and Behaviours Framework to provide clarity over what’s expected from staff and to provide support and development to gain knowledge and skills to drive performance and support career progression. • Our work with the Insights Team Discovery Model gathered pace during 2023 and PKC were approached by Insights to take part in research as they evolved a new Insights model. 208 staff took the opportunity to be part of the study which had a significant impact on their individual role and team with improved communication, decision-making and more effective and efficient ways of working. CASE STUDY The Friends of Cemetries Initiative was established in 2022 to address community concerns about the upkeep of cemeteries. Since 2022, there are now over 20 active supported groups throughout Perth and Kinross and an estimated 4,000 volunteer hours spent improving and transforming local cemeteries. Page 211 of 366
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53 Key Areas of Improvement • Deliver a clear, consistent, and joined up approach to supporting communities and households with the help and support they need to mitigate and move beyond poverty. • Provide more affordable homes to support liveable and sustainable communities. • Support community groups to manage local assets. • Increased engagement and applications from communities to the Community Investment Fund grants programme. • An empowered and skilled workforce who are confident in engaging with resident and communities and demonstrate the organisational values and expected behaviours at all times Links to other Performance Information ➢ Perth & Kinross Council Equalities Mainstreaming Report 2023-25 Page 212 of 366
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54 Key Performance Indicators related to this priority. Trends will be indicative of performance and should be considered in the context of the current operating environment and level of influence. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target: Met/ Not Met Increase the supply and availability of rural housing Total number of houses built in rural areas of Perth and Kinross Influence 26 55 63 111 60 ✔ This includes part completion of 22 new Council homes in Methven during 2023/24 as a result of an approximately £4.4m investment from ourselves and the Scottish Government. Number of Community Development Trusts supported to increase the availability of rural housing Control N/A New Indicator, baseline to be established and targets set thereafter 3 4 4 ✔ PKC is actively enabling and supporting 4 community development trusts and engaging with two Community Council’s with a view to exploring community-led affordable housing initiatives further. Develop and expand our approach to working with communities Number of community groups with local resilience plans Influence 35 26 28 53 30 ✔ The number of community groups with local resilience plans has increased for 2023/24. Number of community groups supported to increase their capacity Control 270 236 343 258 270 Although the figures show a decline in the previous year, this is due to smarter reporting mechanisms which ensure that staff are not double counting the number of groups receiving capacity building support across multiple areas. This is particularly applicable where organisations and groups cover multiple localities. This means that these figures are more accurate. Page 213 of 366
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55 Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Trend 23/24 Target Target: Met/ Not Met Number of community groups supported in the asset transfer process Influence 5 7 26 31 25 ✔ In 2023/24, we supported 31 community groups who enquired about Community Asset Transfer (CAT), providing relevant known information regarding assets and a single point of contact. This approach has allowed for relationship building and facilitated discussions as to whether a CAT is right for the group at this time. 21 groups are currently still considering the CAT process. Groups will all move at different speeds, however, some of these groups are expected to progress to full Stage 2 requests within the next year Number of groups receiving community investment funding Control N/A 141 85 104 100 ✔ CIF application numbers will vary year on year depending on the projects that ward panels chose to support. In 2023/24 there were 110 applications and £402,878.39 was distributed between 104 groups. Number of participation requests Influence 1 0 0 0 N/A (not appropria te to set targets) N/A In 2023/24, we received no Participation Requests. This situation is not unique to Perth and Kinross, as other local authorities also report low numbers. In recognition of this, Part 3 of the Community Empowerment Act 2015 is being reviewed first as part of a broader Community Empowerment Act review by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Community Development Centre has formed a working group to lead this review with relevant authorities, and we are represented in this working group. Page 214 of 366
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56 Key contact For further information on any area of this report please contact the Corporate Performance Team stratplanperform@pkc.gov.uk Disclaimer: All hyperlinks correct at time of publication Page 215 of 366
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1 Appendix 3 Key Improvement activities from CDIP 2024-25 The following section provides an update on improvement actions included in the Corporate Delivery Improvement Plan 2024/25, approved at Council on 15 May 2024. Priority: Tackling Poverty What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update A co-ordinated and collaborative approach with partners and communities to mitigate the impact of poverty across Perth and Kinross An overarching Poverty Strategy for Perth and Kinross, including key strategic actions for 2024/25 to prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children living locally, will be considered later in 2024 Performance measures will be agreed as part of the Poverty Strategy (including baselines) Strategic Planning, People and Performance March 2025 We are continuing to develop the Anti- Poverty Task Force and are developing a tackling poverty strategy to start to shift the focus from reactive to early and preventative work. Encourage and maximise the update of all supports targeted for children and young people to reduce costs to reduce the impact such costs have on the outgoings families in poverty Increasing uptake of free school meals for eligible children A 5% increase of uptake of free school meals Baseline: 2022/23: 65% (primary pupils); 43% (secondary pupils) Education and Learning March 2025 Improvements have been seen in secondary uptake which rose from 51.6% for 2023/24 to around 58% and continues to rise. However, primary uptake remains around 65%. We continue to promote Free School Meals to all parents both as part of the universal provision and for those who qualify on the basis of receipt of qualifying benefits. 8 Page 217 of 366
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2 Priority: Tackling Poverty What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Encourage and maximise the update of all supports targeted for children and young people to reduce costs to reduce the impact such costs have on the outgoings families in poverty Reduce the cost of the school day Schools using the Cost of the School Day toolkit with action plans in place Qualitative measure to demonstrate positive impact Education and Learning March 2025 Cost of the School Day resources have been provided to all schools to enable consideration and inclusion as part of Quality Improvement Planning for 2024/25. This includes training materials provided by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) as well as exemplar action plans and checklists based on the CPAG Cost of the School Day toolkit. Good practice has been recognised in Education Scotland Triannual Reports. Increasing uptake of the National Entitlement Card for free bus travel to reduce travel costs Run drop-in sign up sessions to support people who have challenges to sign up online. A 5% increase in uptake of the National Entitlement Card amongst under- 22s. Baseline: March 2024 22,091 of under 22s with a card, 82% of under 22s in Perth and Kinross Strategic Planning, People and Performance March 2025 During July 2023, drop in events were held in Letham Housing Office, Community Campus at Loch Leven, Breadalbane, Strathearn and Learning Curve. In November 2023, we visited Breadalbane Academy after a lot of preparation with the school and processed 150 different requests either getting cards replaced, photos updated and adding the free travel element. After the success of this event similar events were offered to Education and Schools. Page 218 of 366
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3 Priority: Tackling Poverty What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Encourage and maximise the update of all supports targeted for children and young people to reduce costs to reduce the impact such costs have on the outgoings families in poverty. Promote NEC take up alongside free Saturday bus travel marketing activity We are working in partnership with local bus operators in terms of branding and advertising, the first Saturday free Bus travel started on 1 June 2024. Page 219 of 366
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4 Priority: Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Ensure we have a cleaner and greener Council fleet Implement the Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy for Perth and Kinross Council From 2025 100% of all fleet vehicles under 3.5 tonnes which reach the end of their useful life or lease period to be replaced with electric vehicles Baseline: In 2022/23 17 fleet vehicles were electric (4% of total fleet) Environment and Infrastructure March 2025 In February 2024, a report on ‘Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy’ was presented at the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee. Develop local public transport solutions which set the needs of residents and the environment as top priority Consider how subsidised local bus services could be configured to be more effective, efficient and economic, addressing equality issues and environmental commitments Develop a fully costed business case for new models of public transport delivery Scoping of proposals and project plan developed Establish baseline for number of journeys delivered through subsidised local bus transport, including existing support provided through Demand Responsive Transport and Community Transport Housing and Communities March 2026 Improvement Actions sit within the Buses 2030 Transformation Project; Elected Members committed a budget motion of £320K over three years to facilitate this. Page 220 of 366
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5 Priority: Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Improved energy efficiency and reduction in carbon emissions in the Council estate A Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) will be published in May 2024 Progress on LHEES. Performance measures on this improvement will be agreed as part of LHEES Economy, Development and Planning March 2025 Publication of the LHEES Strategy and delivery post-election July 2024. Increase provision of biodiversity sites Developing a long term plan for managed grassland areas Increase volume of uncut grassland areas Baseline: 2023/24 40.4ha (53.68 acres) Environment and Infrastructure Housing and Communities March 2025 Following the grassland management trials in previous years the Council’s Grow Wild for Perth and Kinross initiative has been launched this year to significantly increase the areas of grassland to encourage biodiversity. Delivery of UK Shared Prosperity Fund funded Biodiversity Towns and Villages Project and the Greening Industrial Estates Project Increase in number of biodiversity interventions Baseline: 2022/23 – 64 biodiversity interventions completed Environment and Infrastructure Housing and Communities March 2025 Progress has been made in areas of recruitment and engagement: • Two new officer positions have been created to lead and coordinate works • Engaging with local communities who will be involved in the Biodiversity Villages, Towns & Neighbourhood Initiative. Page 221 of 366
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6 Priority: Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Unlock new investment in employment and housing land to support business growth in new growth sectors Commence design work and development of Perth West Eco Innovation Park Level of business interest in Perth West demonstrated by leasing or buying land Baseline: new measure, baseline data to be established 2024/25 Economy Development and Planning March 2025 Following Council’s approval in June 2024 to commit funding, a consultant is being appointed to start design work in August 2024. Tay Cities Deal Outline Business Case approved in July 2024 and positive discussions have taken place with developers to secure financial contributions. This would allow full funding package to be in place to develop Perth West including Perth Eco-Innovation Park. Make Perth and Kinross a more competitive inward investment destination and encourage investment for growth from existing businesses in key growth sectors Developing and improving Invest in Perth information and support for new and existing businesses investing in Perth and Kinross Introduce Business Enquiry Management System to provide more data and insight Increased levels of interest and awareness in inward investment opportunities in Perth and Kinross Baseline: new measure, baseline data to be establish in 2024/25 through the new Business Enquiry Management System being introduced in 2024 Economy Development and Planning March 2025 Invest in Perth website content and format have been reviewed and a new version will be launched. Business information has been reviewed and Business Enquiry Management system is also being reviewed. Page 222 of 366
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7 Priority: Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Make Perth and Kinross a more competitive inward investment destination and encourage investment for growth from existing businesses in key growth sectors Working more closely with Business Gateway, Growbiz and key businesses and sector representatives Increased levels of interest and awareness in inward investment opportunities in Perth Baseline: new measure, baseline data to be established in 2024/25 through the new Business Enquiry Management System being introduced in 2024 Economy Development and Planning March 2025 A top 100 businesses list has been created to improve customer management relationship with key businesses and intelligence is being collated to identify possible investments from companies already located in Perth and Kinross. Key economic stakeholders have been engaged in the development of the Perth and Kinross Economic Action Plan including Growbiz and Business Gateway. The Action Plan will be delivered by the Perth and Kinross Economic Partnership and provide the basis for raising awareness in inward investment opportunities. Increased number of businesses in the creative and digital industries Renewed focus on the visitor, cultural and creative economy as a result of greater collaboration through the new focussed delivery structure. Demand for business space for creative and digital industries will increase Baseline: new measure, baseline data to be establish In 2024/25 through the new Cultural Database in progress for 2024 Economy Development and Planning March 2025 Perth Creative Exchange is regularly being promoted to the cultural sector with various open days to showcase facilities. The Cultural Forum has now been set up and is being administered by Culture PK acting as a platform for peer-to-peer support. The Perthshire Box Office pilot project is underway with KPIs set for 2024-2025 with a budget contribution of £80k. Page 223 of 366
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8 Priority: Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Unlock private investment and expertise to support public and private energy projects Develop a Strategic Energy Partnership with private partner and pipeline of energy investable projects Increased investment in energy projects shown through number of strategic cases approved for delivery which include financial investment Baseline: new measure, baseline data to be establish in 2024/25 Increase in number of registered business in energy Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Economy Development and Planning March 2025 A Prior Information Notice has been published on Public Contracts Scotland to engage with the market to explore options to develop a Strategic Energy Partnership. Good level of engagement has taken place and options will now be reported for consideration before the end of the calendar year. The Strategic Energy Partnership will support the delivery of the Local Heat Energy Efficiency Strategy and the Local Area Energy Plan which have been published in July 2024 including the development of a pipeline of energy investable projects. More people choose Perth and Kinross as a destination for holidays and day trips Increased promotion of consumer and visitor offer via Perth City and Towns website and social media channels Deliver national and international tourism campaigns with Visit Scotland. Attend or be represented at national and regional travel trade events Increased consumer and visitor expenditure, dwell time and overnight stays. Baseline: 2022 Direct tourism expenditure: £463.48 million Average length of stay (staying visitors): 3.1 days Economic impact of tourism: £646.50 million Economy Development and Planning March 2025 The first Tay Cities Regional Tourism Strategy was published in September 2019 and completed in 2024. It demonstrated the success of a regional partnership approach which had clearly focussed on specific activities which were most effectively and efficiently delivered at a regional level. The partnership had successfully sought funding from the Destination & Sector Marketing Fund in 2022 £56k and UK Shared Prosperity Fund 2023-2025 £80k. Page 224 of 366
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9 Priority: Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Further enhance our employability outreach capacity, supporting individuals in community settings Review and increase the number of employability outreach locations and frequency Increased numbers of individuals supported in targeted locations and overall increase in number of people supported Baseline: 2022/23 - 215 number of people supported in outreach locations Economy Development and Planning March 2025 In 2023/24, the total number supported in Outreach locations was 235, we would hope to increase to at least 250 by end of 2024/25. We provided outreach services in 6 locations. These have been reviewed and an additional location has been added at the new Letham Hub for 2024/25. Page 225 of 366
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10 Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Attainment at key milestones is raised for all children and young people Using health and wellbeing census data to inform school level improvement plans PKC attainment for each of the indicators within the Corporate Plan will increase to at least target levels. Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Education and Learning February 2026 (due to timing of publicatio n of data for 2024/25) Early indications are that steady progress is being made with year on year increases in key attainment measures. Literacy and numeracy P1-S3 showing improvement of 1-2%. Increase the number of young people going into positive destinations such as work experience, further education, volunteering and employment A school atmosphere conducive to learning and personal development, where children and young people feel safe, secure, listed to and have their views taken into account on issues that affect them By placing an Employability Youth Worker in each locality to liaise with school Early intervention approach in school and delivery of employability programmes Implementation of the updated Anti- Bullying Strategy which will include key strategic actions for 2024/25 Increase in school leavers entering positive initial destinations Baseline: 2022/23 (95.97%) Schools will have robust procedures to reduce bullying in line with improving relationships Measures and baselines to be established in Anti- Bullying Strategy Education and Learning March 2025 Initial 2024 leaver data not yet available. SDS Annual Participation Measure data will be published in August 2024. There have been year on year increases in the number of young people participating in work experience since 2021. The Anti-Bullying Strategy and Operational Guidance for Perth and Kinross Council Early Learning and Childcare settings and School has been finalised and shared. This can be accessed through the PKC website. 42 schools currently have a school level anti-bullying policy, however almost all school intend to revise their school-level policy over the 2024/25 academic year to refresh their approaches and support alignment to the PKC strategy. Data recorded in the SEEMiS Bullying and Equalities Module is gathered to form a data set that will be regularly scrutinised by both central and school-based staff. Page 226 of 366
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11 Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Improved understanding of causes of attainment gap so that effective interventions can be identified and implemented Review and refresh the Perth and Kinross Council interventions toolkit to address the needs of key priority groups All schools will plan, record and track pupil progress via the Closing the Gap t tool A reduction in the poverty-related attainment gap for schools leavers Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Education and Learning March 2025 All schools are tracking and monitoring interventions on the Closing the Gap Tool. Support and feedback have been provided to all schools on their planning and data analysis needs. More tailored support has also been provided to identified settings on a risk-assessed basis. 2023 leaver data evidences a narrowing of the poverty-related attainment gap in key measures such as achievement of SCQF Level 5 and 6 qualifications. Improve support to children and young people with additional support needs to realise their full potential Through the Additional Support for Learning Transformation Programme Maintain or reduce placement within independent schools Baseline: new measure, baseline to be established in 2024/25 Education and Learning March 2025 Following the establishment of a governance board, programme management, project documentation and identification of specific workstreams, work is underway to implement the priority projects for year two and identify the resources to support their delivery. Project sponsors for each of the workstreams have been identified along with leads for specific pieces of work within them. Focus is now on project implementation; monitoring, evaluation and reporting. Page 227 of 366
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12 Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Provide Kinship Carers with a range of supports to enable them to meet the needs of children in their care Provide opportunities for Kinship Carers to engage in: • Support groups • Training Number of Support Groups and Training Opportunities afforded to Kinship Carers Baseline: new measure baseline to be established in 2024/25 Children, Families and Justice March 2025 Our Carers Group for kinship meet monthly. We have a core group of around 12 carers who attend regularly. The group is gaining popularity, and our carers are actively encouraged to join us. In the support group we present opportunities for learning. The model works very well as it generates a lot of discussion. During the assessment process, learning for carers takes place – for example, a common theme is trauma related care, and carers are asked to reflect on this to increase their understanding. Following the placement of a child a common theme we address is around Life Story and how carers can help a child understand their circumstances. All carers are encouraged to access KCASS resources, and any training being offered by KCASS is sent out to our carers – Kinship Care Week held every March offers a host of training/learning opportunities for kinship carers. We do have a Carers Resource Leaflet for carers which we can send out to carers, and this has on line links to learning on specific areas Our model of support with SSCO’s link also identifies learning/training needs and SSCO’s access resources for them to give carers and this assists with their learning. Page 228 of 366
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13 Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Improve educational outcomes for looked after children Where additional educational support is identified in a child’s plan – to provide access to online tutoring. Number of looked after children in receipt of online tutoring. Baseline: new measure, baseline to be established in 2024/25 Children, Families and Justice March 2025 29 looked after young people have accessed tutoring online in the past year. Page 229 of 366
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14 Priority: Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Take a partnership approach to the assessment of risk of significant harm to a child Undertake Initial Referral Discussions between Social Work, Police, Health and Education Number of Initial Referral Discussions Baseline: new measure, baseline to be established in 2024/25 Children, Families and Justice March 2025 In 23/24 there was a total of 295 Initial referral discussion (IRDs) across Children and Family social work service. These IRDs involved 484 children and young people. These discussions always include relevant partners in the police, social work, health and where necessary education. Take a partnership approach to minimising and reducing risk through early support and assessment Weekly Multi Agency Screening Group (MASH) to triage referrals Number of Families triaged Number of children triaged Baseline: new measure, baseline to be established in 2024/25 Children, Families and Justice March 2025 Between April 23 to March 24, 217 children were triaged and allocated via the weekly MASH meetings. This equates to 170 families. The base line will be 217 children and 170 families for 23/24, as this is the first full year the group has been in operation. Enhance our housing support offer by implementing an Intensive Housing Support Service for people with complex needs Commission a third sector provider to deliver intensive housing support. Repeat homelessness presentations will be minimised and tenancy sustainment for previously homeless people with complex needs will increase Housing and Communities March 2025 Following an open tender process, Turning Point Scotland were appointed to deliver this service. The contract began in October 2023 and is for 2 years with a 12- month optional extension. The service is operating beyond capacity with 22 service-users and is achieving good outcomes for some of our most vulnerable people. Page 230 of 366
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15 Priority: Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Baseline: 2019/20 (25); 2020/21 (30); 2021/22 (15); 2022/23 (5) Feedback from people with complex care needs will be positive with better outcomes being reached. Qualitative measure to demonstrate positive impact We are currently exploring options to identify new funding to enable the capacity of the service to be increased. Where children cannot remain living at home, every effort is made to keep them within their kin network Children, parents / carers and kin networks are listened to and afforded the opportunity to have their say through Family Group Decision Making Number of families completing the Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) process and adhering to a family plan Baseline: new measure, baseline to be established in 2024/25 Children, Families and Justice March 2025 We have seen the use of FGDM processes expand and now include pre- birth decision making. The feedback from the process is that families feel empowered. The baseline figure created will allow for monitoring of success but anecdotally there are few families which have not kept to the plan and evidence of a reducing number of children and young people who are accommodated. Page 231 of 366
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16 Priority: Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Maintain significant relationships for care experienced children to deliver on the principles of The Promise Offer care experienced children and young people to create a Lifelong Links plans to maintain significant relationships. Number of children and young people completing Lifelong Links plans Baseline: new measure, baseline to be established in 2024/25 Children, Families and Justice March 2025 The provision of lifelong links has increased but remains voluntary for the children and young people involved. One success story has been that one young person has made a connection with their birth family and now lives with them. Other children and young people have found relatives that they thought were deceased. Page 232 of 366
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17 Priority: Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing What improvement s do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Targ et Date Progress Update Increase uptake of sport and physical activities. Work with key partners to develop programmes which optimise opportunities for physical activity Numbers of participants have increased. Baseline: 2022/23 (1.002M) Economy, Development and Planning March 2025 Attendance levels at pools, indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities has increased from 1.002M in 22/23 to 1.116M in 23/24. The Physical and Sports Strategy focusses on increasing participation in physical and sport to support mental health and wellbeing. Initiatives include Aspiring Coaches for Young Leaders, KIT banks established in Primary Schools including areas of highest need and the Bikeability programme delivered in 67 of our primary schools. Increase uptake of sport and physical activities. Social prescribers encouraging the use of outdoor activities Reduction in health and social care issues related to inactivity. Baseline: new measure, baseline to be established in 2024/25 Health and Social Care Partnership March 2025 This action is to be removed as there is no data and for a range of reasons this is not measurable. Increase uptake of sport and physical activities. Work with schools and sport groups to increase the number of opportunities for children and young people to take part in physical activity Number and percentage of the total school roll (primary and secondary) participating in Active Schools/ school sports Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Education and Learning March 2025 Since school activity programmes have returned more fully in 2022/23 the number of participating pupils has begun to recover – 39% in 22/23 to 42% in 23/24 and exceeds target of 33%. There have been improvements for specific targeted groups with increased rates of participation for secondary girls, young carers and care experienced children and young people. Page 233 of 366
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18 Priority: Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing What improvement s do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Targ et Date Progress Update Reduce waiting times for people to access Mental Health Services. Redesigning specialist community mental health services across Tayside. Reduction in waiting lists (weeks) Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Health and Social Care Partnership March 2025 The CMHWB Strategy provides an update on how the HSCP is supporting the Council’s CDIP actions. Deliver the Strategic Delivery Plan for Community Mental Health and Wellbeing (CMHWB) Increase access to preventative and community support. Reduction in waiting lists (weeks) Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Health and Social Care Partnership March 2025 Page 234 of 366
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19 Priority: Working in Partnership with Communities What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Deliver a clear, consistent, and joined up approach to supporting communities and households with the help and support they need to mitigate and move beyond poverty. Develop multi- disciplinary locality working focussed on locally identified needs. Feedback from communities and staff on the effectiveness of the multi-disciplinary team approach Strengthened partnerships within localities with case studies to evidence Qualitative measure to demonstrate impact Strategic Planning, People and Performance March 2025 Pilot locality working projects are well underway in Highland Perthshire, Letham and Coupar Angus, with further rollout to Perth City and Crieff planned. A full rollout plan has been drafted to wider rollout across Perth and Kinross. Provide more affordable homes to support liveable and sustainable communities Deliver PKCs affordable housing programme of 1,050 over the next 5 years Maintain 53%/47% split across urban and rural areas, which is in line with the population split in Perth and Kinross Baseline: 22/23: Total 242 homes (54 buybacks/ empty homes; 145 new rural homes (77%) and 43 new urban homes (23%) Achieve an average 210 affordable housing completions each year. Baseline: 2022/23 (203) Economy Development and Planning March 2027 The recently adopted Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 (March 2023) target is to deliver 1050 affordable homes with an Urban (53%) / Rural (47%) split to ensure representative distribution. In financial year 2023/24, there was 173 new affordable homes completed by PKC and our RSL partnerships with an urban/rural split of 62 new urban affordable homes (36%) and 111 new rural affordable homes (64). Page 235 of 366
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20 Priority: Working in Partnership with Communities What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update Support community groups to manage local assets, such as community halls Support community groups to develop Community Asset Transfer (CAT) plans Carry out engagement activity to promote Community Asset Transfer as an option Increase in number of Community Asset Transfers Baseline: 2022/23 (0) Increase in community groups applying for community asset opportunities. Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Housing and Communities March 2025 Web based resources for groups to access have been updated and the CAT process reviewed. Pro-active engagement in localities with LAL managed halls taken place to gauge interest in CAT and promote benefits. Access to external funding to facilitate CAT being reviewed. Increased engagement and applications from communities to the Community Investment Fund (CIF) grants programme Review application and assessment process and implement improvements identified through evaluation of the 2023/24 Community Investment Fund programme Increase in the number of groups receiving community investment funding Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report Increase in the number of people benefitting from a Community Investment Fund funded project Baseline: 2021/22 36,115 people benefitted from a Community Investment Fund funded project Housing and Communities March 2025 Application and assessment process reviewed and improvements made to the online portal to ensure it is more user friendly. Locality staff to promote CIF funding to key groups and support application process. Page 236 of 366
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21 Priority: Working in Partnership with Communities What improvements do we want to achieve? How will we make these improvements? How will we know if we have been successful (Baseline included for reference) Strategic Lead Target Date Progress Update An empowered and skilled workforce who are confident in engaging with resident and communities and demonstrate the organisational values and expected behaviours at all times. Delivery of action within the Employee Engagement and Cultural Change Programme. Feedback from our workforce, managers, and community members Strategic Planning, People and Performance March 2025 The People and Culture Strategy 2024- 28 Delivery Action Plan will replace the Employee Engagement and Cultural Change Programme to monitor and measure improvements. The 2024 Employee Survey results are a positive indication that we are effectively delivering the improvements with 92% of respondents saying they feel their team demonstrates the PKC values often / every day. Page 237 of 366
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Perth and Kinross Council Scrutiny and Audit Committee 18 September 2024 Perth and Kinross Council 30 October 2024 INTEGRATION JOINT BOARD ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2023/24 Report by Chief Officer of the Integration Joint Board (Report No. 24/255) 1. PURPOSE OF REPORT 1.1 This report presents the Perth & Kinross Integration Joint Board’s Annual Performance Report (APR) for 2023/24. The APR sets out performance in relation to the National Core Suite of Integration Indicators and provides an overview of progress in meeting the Integration Joint Board’s (IJB) strategic delivery plans focusing on the impact and the experiences of people who use health and care services. 2. RECOMMENDATION(S) 2.1 It is recommended that the Scrutiny and Performance Committee: (i) Scrutinise and comment as appropriate, on the Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board Annual Performance Report (Appendix 1). It is recommended that Council: (ii) Notes the Integration Joint Board Annual Performance Report (Appendix 1). 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: Section 4: Background Section 5: Overview Section 6: Conclusion 4. BACKGROUND 4.1 The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 requires the IJB to publish an Annual Performance Report setting out an assessment of performance in respect to those functions for which it has responsibility. The Act requires the report to be published within 4 months of the end of each reporting year (by 31 July). As such the IJB Audit and Performance Committee reviewed the APR and approved it at its most recent meeting of 29 August 2024. 9 Page 239 of 366
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The APR sets out an overview of performance for the reporting year and describes the activities undertaken to deliver services, improve outcomes and demonstrate progress towards the achievement of the IJB’s strategic priorities. The data included in the report for National Indicators 1-9 and 11-19 is published by Public Health Scotland and is available here. Some indicators have data provided for calendar year 2023 which acts a proxy for the financial year. This approach is recommended by Public Health Scotland and has been necessary over recent years due to national issues around data completeness. 5. OVERVIEW 5.1 The IJB is required to assess performance in relation to the delivery of the National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes with particular reference to the Core Suite of Integration Indicators (NIs 1-9 and 11-19), supplemented by four set by the Ministerial Steering Group (MSG). Locally determined indicators linked to the IJB’s Strategic Delivery Plans are also set out in this report Overall, performance is good. Out of the 22 nationally determined indicators, 13 are rated green (better than or within 3% of the comparator) 3 are rated amber (within 3-6% of the comparator) and 5 are rated red (more than 6% of the comparator) and 1 is not rated presently. There is demonstrable progress in supporting people to remain at home, reducing the need for people to spend unscheduled time in hospital. Taking the indicators together we can see that flow through inpatient settings has improved. The IJB’s continued investment in community-based services is having a positive impact in ensuring that people spend as little time as possible in acute settings and to remain safely and independently in their own homes or homely care setting. Emergency admissions and readmissions are highlighted as areas for improvement. Our population is older and frailty can increase the likelihood of people needing emergency/unplanned care. This is being addressed through the “Focus on frailty programme” supported by Health Improvement Scotland. This brings together multi-disciplinary teams from across Scotland to share learning and best practice. The APR has a strong focus on the views and experiences of the people that use services. Over the last three years the mechanisms for gathering feedback have been expanded and improved. All Health and Social Care Partnership directly provided services are using Care Opinion and this is also being rolled out across commissioned providers. The increasing numbers of people providing feedback and the focus on high quality engagement and involvement across our services enables the APR to report on the quality of experience and the impact of services on people’s lives. Through Care Opinion the overall rating of the services provided was excellent. Across a range of measures all received scores of 4.5 (out of 5) or better. Through our local Service User Patient Experience Survey, 97% of users rated the services they received as good or excellent. The biennial Health and Care Experience Survey also reflects good overall satisfaction Page 240 of 366
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with some areas of improvement highlighted such as the need for greater co- ordination of services, and the need to support people to have more of a say in how they are supported to live as independently as possible. These are areas which are highlighted in the revised Strategic Plan for 2024- 27 and for which there are already improvement actions underway. The Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has taken forward a new senior leadership structure and this combined with an ambitious programme of transformation across a range of service areas will assist to make integration of services work better for people and communities. In the first quarter of 2024 there has been a commissioning of Care at Home provision which will increase the number of providers available to support people, improving access and resilience. 6. CONCLUSION 6.1 The Annual Performance Report provides a summary of Health and Social Care performance in 2023/24. It sets out performance against the national core indicator set and local indicators.. The overall assessment of performance in 2023/24 is positive with the majority of measures indicating good progress and focused improvement activity already identified in strategic plans which will address those areas which are not showing as good progress. Author(s) Name Designation Contact Details Jacquie Pepper Chief Officer, Integration Joint Board tay.pkijbbusinesssupport@nhs.scot Page 241 of 366
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION The undernoted table should be completed for all reports. Where the answer is ‘yes’, the relevant section(s) should also be completed. Where the answer is ‘no’, the relevant section(s) should be marked ‘not applicable (n/a)’. Strategic Implications Yes / None IJB Strategic Plan Yes Transformation Programme n/a Resource Implications Financial n/a Workforce n/a Assessments Equality Impact Assessment Yes Risk n/a Other assessments (enter here from para 3.3) Yes Consultation External n/a Internal Yes Legal & Governance Legal Yes Clinical/Care/Professional Governance n/a Corporate Governance Yes Directions Communication Communications Plan n/a 1. Strategic Implications Strategic Plan 1.1 This Annual Performance Report provides an assessment of performance against the National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes and the IJB’s ambitions as set out within the Strategic Commissioning Plan (2020-25) and revised in the new Strategic Plan (2024-27). 2. Resource Implications Financial Not applicable. Workforce Not applicable. 3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment Page 242 of 366
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This report sets out progress in respect to performance against the nationally agreed integration indicators. In doing so it provides assurance of progress in relation to our Strategic Plan which includes the reduction of the impact of inequalities. Risk Not applicable. Other assessments This report provides an assessment of performance against national integration indicators. 4. Consultation – Patient/Service User first priority External Not applicable. Internal This report has been created in consultation and collaboration with Health and Social Care delegated services, has been reviewed by the HSCP Executive Management Team and approved by the IJB Audit and Performance Committee. Impact of Recommendation Not applicable. 5. Legal and Governance This report supports the delivery of the IJB’s public reporting responsibilities and meets the statutory requirement to produce an Annual Performance Report within four months of the end of the financial year to which the report relates. 6. Directions Not applicable. 7. Communication Not applicable. 8. BACKGROUND PAPERS/REFERENCES The documents that have been relied on in preparing the report, other than those committee reports already referenced within the main body of the report are as follows: Public Health Scotland Core Suite Integration Indicators 2024 (July Update) Perth and Kinross Performance Update 06.23 Page 243 of 366
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All documents will be kept available for inspection by the public for four years from the date of the meeting at which the report is presented. 9. APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, Annual Performance Report 2023-24. Page 244 of 366
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Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board Annual Performance Report 2023-24 Ambition Compassion Integrity 9 Page 245 of 366
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Contents Introduction Performance Demographics National Indicator Performance Feedback from people that use services Health and Care Experience Service User Patient Experience Survey Feedback from Strategic Plan Consultation Care Groups Care Opinion Primary Care Learning, Disability and Autism Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Substance Use Adult Support and Protection Older People Lead Partner Services (delivered pan-Tayside) Dental Podiatry Prison Healthcare Workforce Finance Key Contact Independent Inspection Appendix To give us feedback Unpaid Carers 3 5 5 7 9 9 13 13 11 11 10 28 25 21 16 42 34 31 45 48 50 52 54 42 62 59 58 Page 246 of 366
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Introduction The Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) provides and commissions local health and social care services to meet the strategic direction of the Integration Joint Board (IJB). Our aim is to improve health and wellbeing outcomes by providing the right care and support in the right way and at the right time for the adult population of Perth and Kinross. Each IJB must produce a strategic plan for the delivery of integrated health and care services delegated to it. The previous Strategic Commissioning Plan 2020-2025, was developed during 2019, pre-pandemic, prior to the Feeley Review and before the announcement of proposals for a National Care Service. As the landscape has changed markedly, we reviewed the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and produced a new Strategic Plan for 2024-2027 which was approved by the IJB in June 2024. The strategic plan sets out our vision, ambition and priorities and we will use the National Framework for Community and Social Care Integrated Services to inform how our services develop to deliver these. A new performance management framework will be developed to measure performance and outcomes and enable the IJB to assess progress, target attention and resources and support sound decision-making. We have established Care Groups each with their Strategic Delivery Plans (SDPs) which are linked to our financial strategy. The IJB has strategic delivery plans for the following Care Groups: Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Learning Disabilities and Autism Older People’s Services Carers Primary Care Alcohol and Drug Partnership The Scottish Government’s National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes enable a high level measurement of how well we are meeting the health and care needs of our population. National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes People are able to look after and improve their own health and wellbeing and live in good health. People, including those with disabilities or long term conditions or who are frail, are able to live, as far as reasonably practicable, independently and at home or in a homely setting. People who use Health and Social Care services have positive experiences of those services and have their dignity respected. Health and Social Care services are centred on helping to maintain or improve the quality of life of people who use those services. Health and Social Care services contribute to reducing health inequalities. People who provide unpaid care are supported to look after their own health and wellbeing, including to reduce any negative impact on their caring roles on their own health and wellbeing. People using Health and Social Care services are safe from harm. People who work in Health and Social Care services feel engaged with the work they do and are supported to continuously improve the information, support, care and treatment they provide. Resources are used effectively and efficiently in the provision of Health and Social Care services. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 3 Page 247 of 366
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Our Vision from 2024 - Our new vision as a Health and Social Care Partnership: This builds on our work to support people to live good and fulfilling lives and is set in the context of today reflecting the challenges that we have faced in recent years and what we know is important to our people. Our ambition is to deliver outstanding services and to improve experiences and outcomes by enabling people to live better lives. We want to be ambitious and to innovate but we are also planning this at a time of unprecedented increase in demand and complexity of need, when public sector finances are under extreme pressure and significant workforce challenges exist in key areas. We know if we continue to provide the same services in the same way we will face a significant financial gap and are unlikely to be able to focus sufficiently on prevention and earlier intervention causing whole system pressures and failure demand. We know we need to be transformative in our thinking and the way we organise ourselves. We are embarking on a new senior leadership structure in which we come together as one team to make integration work for our people and communities. We are working to ensure we have: Target resources to where people and communities need help most. Make it easier for people to get the help and support they need. Provide health and social care supports close to home. Work with communities to design the health and social care supports they need. Improved Integrated Working. Promote Self-management and Living Well. Value our workforce, support them to keep well, learn and develop. Our Priorities Our Ambitions We want people to stay as well as possible for as long as possible. We want people to live as independently as possible for as long as is safely possible. We want people to be able to thrive and feel valued members of their community. Strong leadership, effective collaboration, clarity of purpose and strategy. A motivated and collaborative working culture and cooperative team ethos. A whole-system focus, building on our localities. Teams that are equipped to be motivated, successful, and working in an integrated way with the right range of complementary expertise. Autonomy and freedom to innovate and deliver within a constantly altering environment. Effective Partnerships - IJB Meetings are public meetings and membership includes wide stakeholder representation including carers, service users and the third sector. In addition, membership of the IJB’s Strategic Planning Group ensures wide stakeholder involvement. This is further supported by other forums to ensure a strong contribution to joint strategic planning and commissioning including across our three localities. We maintain close links with the Community Planning Partnership and Local Action Partnerships. For further information around our localities, see our Strategic Plan 2024-27 (page 25, 29 and 33). We want every person in Perth and Kinross to live in the place they call home with the people they love and things they love, in good health and with the care and support they need, in communities that look out for one another and doing the things that matter most to them. 4 Page 248 of 366
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Performance Demographics Perth and Kinross is a geographically large Local Authority area with significant rurality. The population of 154,000 is split evenly across three HSCP localities, North Perthshire, South Perthshire and Kinross-shire, and Perth City. Perth and Kinross Localities - Population The population of Perth and Kinross has a higher proportion of older people than Scotland overall with over 24% of people aged 65 or above compared to 19.6% for Scotland. The number of people over 85 is projected to increase by over 100% in the next 20 years. 34% 33% 33% North Perthshire South Perthshire and Kinross-shire Perth City 153, 810 approx. North Locality South Locality Perth City Children up to the age of 14 account for 15% of the total population The majority of the population is aged between 15 and 64 at 61% Older people from the age of 65 account for 24% of the total population North Locality Perth City South Locality 50, 267 51, 847 51, 696 City - North - 26% 22% 24%South - 65+ (%) in each locality Female Male 0-4 5-17 18-44 45-64 65-74 75-84 85+ -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 Percent Change in Population from 2016 to 2021 by Age and Sex in Perth and Kinross Percent Change Age Group % % % % Source: National Records Scotland There has been minimal change in the size of the working population, together these population characteristics present considerable challenges in the delivery of sustainable and effective Health and Social Care Services. 5 Page 249 of 366
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The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation indicates that 23.2% of our population lives in the least deprived quintile and 6% in the most deprived. Perth and Kinross is classified as “Mainly Rural” (Scottish Government - Rural and Environmental Science and Analytical Services) and is the 8th most rural Local Authority area in Scotland. This means that service accessibility is the main contributor to health inequalities. Perth and Kinross is experiencing and will continue to experience the combined challenges of an increasing older population, rurality, reduced availability of working age population, and reduced economies of scale. Life expectancy in Perth and Kinross is above the Scottish average, 79 years for males and 82.9 years for females compared to 76.8 years and 81 years respectively. The number of people supported in the treatment of Long-Term Conditions (LTCs) provides some additional context on the health of our population and the consequential need for Health and Social Care support. It is estimated (based on people who had contact with NHS services) that 21.6% of the population have at least one LTC. These include cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and respiratory conditions, as well as other organ conditions namely liver disease and renal failure, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and epilepsy. The image below shows how our population is affected by LTCs overall. We can see that the prevalence of LTCs increases with age and with an increasingly elderly population this increases pressure on Health and Social Care services. 1.1 in 10 people aged under 65 have at least 1 LTC 4.1 in 10 people aged 65 tom 74 have at least 1 LTC 6.2 in 10 people aged 75 to 84 have at least 1 LTC 7.9 in 10 people aged over 85 have at least 1 LTC Under 65 Years Old 65 - 74 Years Old 75 - 84 Years Old Over 75 Years Old 6 Page 250 of 366
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7 National Indicator Performance Emergency admission rate for adults (18+) (per 100,000 population). Indicator Description Perth and Kinross 22/23 Scotland 23/24 How we compare to Scotland NI Emergency bed day rate for adults (18+) (per 100,000 population). Emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge (rate per 1,000 discharges) (18+) Proportion of last 6 months of life spent at home or in a community setting. Falls rate per 1,000 population aged 65+ (falls which result in a hospital admission). Percentage of adults with intensive care needs receiving care at home. Number of days people aged 75+ spend in hospital when they are ready to be discharged, per 1,000 population. Emergency admissions per 100,000 population (all ages in acute hospitals). Number of unscheduled hospital bed days; acute specialties per 100,000 population. A&E attendences per 100,000 population (18+). Delayed Discharge bed days per 100,000 population (18+). Source: Public Health Scotland Core Suite Integration Indicators. July 2024 update. See Appendix 2.1 for additional information. For indicators 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 calendar year 2023 is used as a proxy for 2023/24 due to the national data for 2023/24 being incomplete. This approach complies with guidance issued by Public Health Scotland. Using more complete calendar year data for 2023 should improve the consistency of reporting between Health and Social Care Partnerships. PHS has not provided information for indicator 20 beyond 2019/20 because detailed cost information is not available. PHS previously published information to calendar year 2020 using costs from 2019/20 as a proxy but, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activity and expenditure, PHS no longer consider this appropriate. All indicators are based on a 12-month rolling rate. MSG indicators supplied by Public Health Scotland as management information as data is provisional and may change as data validation continues. 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 MSG 1a MSG 2a MSG 3 MSG 4.1 Perth and Kinross 23/24 12,526 How we compare to 22/23 121,394 137 89% 28 67% 939 11,589 82,031 16,286 19,055 13,339 113,483 147 89% 28 64% 664 12,660 75,786 16,445 14,053 -26.3% 15,007 1.0% 22,534 -7.6% 73.350 9.2% 10,819 -29.3% 902 -3.2% 65% 0.0% 23 0.2% 89% 7.3% 104 -6.5% 112,883 6.5% 11,707 13.9% 0.5% n/a -0.2% 21.0% -1.0% -26.4% 17.0% 3.3% -27.0% -6.4% Exceeding comparator or within 3% Between 3% and 6% from comparator More than 6% from comparator The Scottish Government requires us to measure our performance using a core set of National Indicators (NIs) and these combined with those of Ministerial Steering Group (MSG), as well as further supplementary indicators provide an overall assessment of the delivery of the National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes. Table 1 provides a summary of our performance for 2023-24 against the NI and MSG indicators and provides comparisons to last year and to Scotland overall. Premature Mortality rate per 100,000 persons by calendar year.11 380 n/a n/a n/a n/a Proportion of Care Services graded good or better in Care Inspectorate Inspections.17 73% 71% -2.6% 77% -6.2% RAG Table 1 Performance Against NI and MSG Indicators Page 251 of 366
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We have continued to invest in community-based services to support people in their communities and to limit the need for them to attend hospital as an emergency. In 2023- 24, our rate of A&E (Accident and Emergency) attendances (MSG 3) has remained stable (1% improvement) and is 27% better than Scotland overall. People go to A&E with a broad range of issues, therefore our work to reduce attendances spans all of our Care Groups. More detail is provided later in this report but examples include; Advanced Nurse Practitioners providing urgent care home visiting, the introduction of Clinical Co-ordinators to support efficient multi-disciplinary working, Community Care and Treatment Services delivered in each locality and the development of suicide prevention and awareness training. Where people do require admission to hospital (6.5% increase NI-12) we look to support their recovery as quickly as possible and to expedite their discharge so that they can return safely to their home. We have improved the rate at which people have used emergency beds (NI-13) by 6.5% and improved our rate of delayed discharges for the 75+ population (NI-19) by over 29%. Our delayed discharge performance is more than 26% better than Scotland and when we consider 18+ (MSG 4.1) it has improved by more than 26% on last year. This has been a key focus of improvement work over the reporting period, and this has led to improvements that support early discharge with 98% of people 18+, and 94% of people of 75+, being discharged without any delay. We recognise that more needs to be done in this area and we have an ambitious transformation portfolio to further improve. Emergency Readmissions within 28 days following discharge (NI-14) remain higher than expected (increased by 7.3%). Absolute numbers are known to be relatively low with our increasingly frail population likely to be a factor. We will continue to investigate each of these readmissions to establish the reasons for readmission and seek improvements. As people age and become frailer their risk of falling increases. The characteristics of our population mean that this increasing risk is impacted to a greater extent than in other areas. We are implementing improvements in our consistency of approach across our localities in falls prevention and we can see that the rate of falls which result in an admission to hospital (NI-16) has remained stable despite increasing frailty in our population. As frailty increases people can opt to move into permanent residential accommodation rather than continuing to receive care at home and we can see that the percentage of adults with care needs who receive care at home (NI-18) has declined by 3.2%. The average age of residents in care homes is 86 years and the average length of stay is 21 months. Carer breakdown can contribute to the reasons for people moving to permanent residential care and so supporting unpaid carers remains a key priority and we can see that as a reason for admission to permanent residential care, carer breakdown has actually remained stable (17.3% in 2022-23, 17.5% in 2023-24), which is good given increasing levels of frailty in the population. At end-of-life people should have the choice over where they are cared for and often this is in their own home or in a community-based setting rather than in hospital. We have made a slight improvement (0.2%) in the proportion of the last six months of life (NI-15) that people remaining at home or in the community. We have maintained a rate of almost 90% for this indicator which is good and in line with Scotland overall. 8 Page 252 of 366
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9 Feedback from people that use our services Indicator Scotland 2023/24 Percentage of adults able to look after their health very well or quite well. Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that they are supported to live as independently as possible. Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that they had a say in how their help, care or support was provided. Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that their health and care services seemed to be well co-ordinated. How we compared to Scotland 2023/24 How we compare to 2021/22* Perth and Kinross 2023/24 Percentage of adults receiving any care or support who rate it as excellent or good. Percentage of people with positive experience of the care provided by their GP practice. Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that their services and support had an impact in improving or maintaining their quality of life. Percentage of carers who feel supported to continue in their caring role. Percentage of adults supported at home who agree they felt safe. Source: Public Health Scotland Core Suite Integration Indicators. July 2024 update. See Appendix 2.1 for additional information. *NI 1 - 9 data is sourced from biennial National Health and Care Experience survey. Latest data 2023/24. Health and Care Experience We continue to broaden our understanding of people’s experience of our services. Nationally the Health and Care Experience Survey is undertaken every two years. Respondents for the survey are selected at random from GP practice lists with survey questions covering a broad range of topics. People are asked about their experience of health and social care services. These questions and answers make-up National Indicators 1 to 9 as set out in Table 2 below. 93.9% 73.9% 0.2% -6.0% -5.9% -7.8% -9.0% 1.6% 0.0% -1.3% -2.2% 90.7% 72.4% 59.6% 61.4% 70.0% 68.5% 69.8% 31.2% 72.7% 3.2% 1.5% 8.3% -4.1% 0.1% 7.2% 6.0% 0.7% 4.1% RAG Exceeding comparator or within 3% Between 3% and 6% from comparator More than 6% from comparator NI 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 67.9% 57.3% 70.1% 75.7% 75.8% 31.9% 76.8% Table 2: Health and Care Experience Indicators Page 253 of 366
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Service User Patient Experience Survey Throughout 2023/24 we have also continued to gather feedback via our internal Service User Patient Experience (SUPE) Survey. This replicates to a large extent the questions which are asked within the HACE questionnaire and so provides good local data. Although the number of people surveyed is significantly smaller than that for HACE we know that respondents have accessed our services, and we value their feedback. Service users have indicated high levels of satisfaction, with 8 of the indicators achieving greater than 90% and the lowest rating achieved 83%. Overall, 97% of people who responded rated the service they received as good or excellent. This helps validate the HACE results which indicate that performance overall is good and that we compare well to Scotland. HSCP Overall - % Answering Yes Did the way you received health or social care support ensure you felt safe and supported? N=87 Was receiving your help or support a positive experience? N=91 Did you feel respected? N=93 Was your help or support well communicated? N=59 Was your help or support easily accessible? N=58 Was your health or social care support well coordinated and organised? N=54 Did you have a say in how your health or social care support was provided? N=81 Did your help or support have an impact in improving or maintaining your quality of life? N=55 Were you supported to live as independently as possible? N=44 Were you supported to manage your condition so that it doesn’t get worse? N=53 Were you supported to look after your own health well? N=56 92% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100% 83% 96% 84% 87% 96% 98% 100% 100% 100% 99% Overall how would you rate the health or social care support you received? N=58 Excellent Good Ok 80% 17% 3% 10 Page 254 of 366
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Feedback from Strategic Plan Consultation The development of the Strategic Plan aligns with the Scottish Approach to Service Design which ensures a focus on people with living and lived experience being at the heart of designing services that meet their needs and rights. The Strategic Plan was shaped by listening to what people told us is important to them and what matters the most. To maximise public involvement and participation a mixed approach to engagement was adopted. By using both quantitative and qualitative methods it provided a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the issues, needs and experience of individuals and communities. An engagement programme was agreed which offered participants a range of opportunities to get involved including locality drop-in events, targeted focus groups and a survey. We asked people how they felt about the support or service that they accessed in the last 12 months, and then further if they were dissatisfied, what were the reasons. Not Answered 66 Participants (18%) Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied or Dissatisfied Satisfied Very Satisfied 15 Participants (4%) 35 Participants (10%) 72 Participants (20%) 118 Participants (32%) 60 Participants (16%) Of the 14% who were dissatisfied, it was commented that areas of challenge were distance and access to services, waiting times and delays in support, a lack of joined up working between services, quality of care and support and having to repeat the same story multiple times. Care Opinion To broaden our understanding of people’s experience we use Care Opinion which gathers and presents real stories. In 2023-24, 315 stories were shared on Care Opinion, building on the 43 stories from the previous year. Some of these stories are reflected throughout this annual performance report and many more can be read on the Care Opinion website, where our staff are responding in a timely manner to published stories. We responded to 100% of stories posted with a mean response time of 48 hours and with 97% of responses rated helpful. As a result of feedback we have implemented important changes. One change related to improvements to how we gather and use patient and user experience and the other resulted in improved access to services. Further changes are planned as a result of feedback; improved information for unpaid carers and help addressing delays in ASD/ADHD (Autism Syndrome Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) assessments. As people provide feedback they often mention how they felt about their experience and this word cloud gives a summary of feelings expressed. 11 Page 255 of 366
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Things which were quoted as good in feedback received often related to our staff where they were referred to as “helpful and friendly” in 18% of stories, “professional” in 16% of stories, and Caring in 10% of stories. Communications was mentioned as an area for improvement in 12.5% of stories received and Care Opinion helps staff and managers to reflect on what they can do to make this better. The chart shows the overall rating for a variety of measures about people’s experiences all of which achieved at least 4.5 out of 5. HSCP Overall Rating (0 to 5) Being listened to N=119 Getting there N=2 Clean, safe friendly place N=119 Clear information N=119 Service punctuality/ timeliness N=119 Information and decision making shared appropriately N=119 Treated with respect and dignity N=119 4.74 5.00 4.50 4.73 4.61 4.75 4.77 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8 5.0 The majority of stories were submitted via the website (91%, 6% via post and 3% by phone) and they have been viewed over 21,000 times. When these stories were told 50 40 30 20 10 0Number published in month 2024 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Month published 2023 Running total 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 21 30 27 19 27 17 31 19 15 27 42 40 46% of story authors identified themselves as the patient, 38% as a service user and 9% as a relative. How the authors of these stories identified themselves a carer a friend a parent/guardian a relative a service user a staff member posting for a carer/relative a staff member posting for a patient/service user the patient 2% (6) 1% (3) 3% (10) 9% (29) 38% (121) 0% (1) 0% (1) 46% (144) 0 Number of stories 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 12 Page 256 of 366
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Care Groups Primary Care Our objectives and priorities are detailed in the Primary Care Strategic Delivery Plan (SDP), 2023-26, approved by the Integration Joint Board in June 2023. The Vaccination Service is now a Tayside wide service managed by the Public Health Central Immunisation Service providing vaccinations to the population of Tayside. A travel vaccination and advice service is also available, supported by several community pharmacies across Tayside. By delivering this service outwith GP practices, our GPs are being supported to focus on those in most need of their care. From July 2024, the adult and child vaccination and immunisation services will be located in Pullar House as part of the development of the one public estate initiative in Perth and Kinross. The Community Care and Treatment Service (CCATS) continues to ensure clinics are provided in localities to meet the needs of each local community. The development of a diagnostic service is progressing so we can provide access to Electrocardiogram testing (ECG) (checks heart rhythm and electrical activity) and diagnostic spirometry (breathing test) in our community hubs. In 2023 our First Contact Physiotherapy Service treated patients successfully and 75% of patients were discharged after their first appointment with no need for further treatment. Further treatment can be offered from outpatient physiotherapy services, GPs or wider hospital- based specialist services, where necessary. Over 7,750 CCATS appointments per month. of people treated successfully at first appointment with no follow-up needed.75% “I went to see a Physiotherapist at a nearby GP practice about my frozen shoulder. He sent me for an X-Ray first to check there wasn't anything else going on, and once the results came back, he saw me again to give me some exercises to do. The exercises were excruciating as I'd had a painful shoulder for three years which had become more and more impossible to move. I've done the two very basic exercises he gave me and what a difference it's making! I can move my shoulder without severe pain now! I can't explain what a difference this makes in my life. My shoulder was giving me so much pain before and after two very quick appointments at a location so close to home, I'm now on the mend. Thank you, NHS, for such a brilliant physio service!” Case Example – First Contact Physiotherapy Service User (Care Opinion Story) The Urgent Care, home visiting service is delivered by Advance Nurse Practitioners working alongside the Locality Integrated Care Teams and the Medicine for the Elderly Service (MFE) to provide urgent home visits. The service supports 19 out of 23 GP practices in this way, taking pressure off GPs and helping people access the service they need, when they need it. “My mum had been unwell over the past four weeks and had been prescribed several different antibiotics with no improvement. She became more and more dehydrated and unwell. 111 were called who said she didn't meet the criteria for admission because she could still talk but a GP needed to visit. ANP nurse visited and took a full history from us the family and gave mum full examination and organised an admission. She was professional, kind and caring and we were very grateful for her.” Case Example: Urgent Care, Home Visiting Service (Care Opinion Story) 13 Page 257 of 366
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Social Prescribers continue to signpost people to and support them into open access and community-based activities. The service complements healthcare and can replace or avoid the need for medical interventions. People can access a social prescriber via their GP Practice, local community organisations or self-refer. “My appointment with the mental health nurse was an initial exploration of how I was feeling, was very emotional on my part, but afterwards I was so relieved I had made that first move. The mental health nurse in question is a credit to her profession. I had a further meeting with the mental health nurse three weeks later, during which I was assigned a mental health support worker to commence working with two weeks later. To date I have had four sessions with my mental health support worker over a seven- week period (spaced out due to me attending hospital for an unrelated operation). These sessions have been excellent and fundamental in me moving forward and starting to understand more about how I feel and why.” Case Example: Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nursing Service (Care Opinion Story) The GP Clinical Pharmacy Service is provided by pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants who provide specialist advice and support to people about their medication. In many instances a member of the pharmacy team can review a person’s medicines instead of the GP, relieving pressure on GP time. There is however a national shortage of suitably skilled and experienced pharmacy staff and so recruitment and retention of staff can be difficult. The lack of sufficient suitable space in GP premises’ is an ongoing challenge due to growing demands and increased community-based workforce. Through our Premises’ Strategy (approved by the IJB in June 2023), we aim to develop an infrastructure which provides modern, fit-for-purpose premises’ and digital technology to support service delivery. In 2023-24 we assisted practices to make improvements as follows: 4,000 people supported. 14 The Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nursing Service - Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nurses provide mental health and wellbeing triage assessments to individuals aged 16 years and above experiencing a range of mental health and wellbeing issues such as low mood, stress or distress, non-fatal self-harm, and mild to moderate anxiety and depression. 658 people Across all localities Social prescribers worked with Social Prescribers offer a weekly drop in for people seeking asylum this provides a consistent and reliable source of support and resources for individuals facing the challenges of the asylum process. The drop-in creates a sense of community and connection for asylum seekers. It also provides a structured space for individuals to receive ongoing assistance and guidance as they navigate the complexities of seeking asylum. The drop in provides Live Active referrals, Social Flock referrals, Volunteering Opportuities, Social Activities, referrals to Perthshire Welfare Society to request mobile phones, sim cards. Referrals to other services where required. Social Prescribers work in collaboration with other services such as PKAVS, Perthshire Welfare Society, Local Churches, and PKC Equalities team. Overall, the weekly drop in offers stability, empowerment, and a sense of belonging for individuals in need of support during their asylum journey. Case Example: Social Prescriber Drop In - People Seeking Asylum Page 258 of 366
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Our Primary Care SDP recognises the importance of continued engagement with local communities. During 2023-24 we conducted two surveys, one specifically for the people that live in the Bridge of Earn area to understand their health and care needs and how they could be met as there is no local GP Practice in the area, see Bridge of Earn Survey Results. The other was to better understand what is important to people about their local GP Practice premises and how they access it. The results of the second survey will inform the implementation of the primary care premises strategy. During 2023-24 we have supported our workforce by hosting several drop-in ‘What Matters to You’ sessions covering a range of topics. Further drop-in sessions have been arranged throughout 2024-25. We have also introduced a quarterly newsletter for GP practice staff and our managed services. We are exploring options to facilitate training of GP Practice administration staff to help them to navigate patients to the most appropriate professional. Improvement Journey: Community Care and Treatment Service (CCATS) Appointment Utilisation The situation – Increasing demand for appointments for chronic disease monitoring. The challenge – To review availability of appointments across Perth and Kinross CCATS with new reshaping diabetes pathway being implemented in 2024. Our action - Review of all clinic attendance over six-week period in 2023 to identify if further workforce required. The result - Review of Vision 360 booking system appointment books identified average of 30% unfilled appointments across area. The outcome - Information was shared with operational managers. Work commenced on changing and moving clinics to address any underutilisation. Ongoing review by teams to be flexible with clinics to ensure availability when most need identified across each area. Current increased demand for Diabetes monitoring in line with pathway. Review of data planned for 6 months’ time. Workforce planning tools being run in September by operational teams. Looking Forward We will continue to support Primary Care in line with our key priorities set out in our Strategic Delivery Plan and Premises’ Strategy. 15 22 improvement projects were supported including refurbished reception waiting and consulting areas within practices, improvements to lighting, heating and flooring, public toilets, car park surfacing, and entrance doors linked to health and safety. Resources were made available to enable conversion of paper records to a digital platform. We continued to promote the use of Medlink, an online tool that invites patients to complete an online consultation which enables clinicians to carry out remote clinical reviews for the management of long-term conditions. This helps create capacity for people with complex needs who require face to face contacts, or for those unable or unwilling to use the resource. Page 259 of 366
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Learning, Disability and Autism Our objectives and priorities are detailed in the Autism and Learning Disability Strategic Delivery Plan (SDP) 2022-25, approved by the Integration Joint Board in February 2022. This provides a vehicle for implementing the national strategies for autism and learning disabilities. Progress on implementing our SDP was reported to the IJB in March 2024 and performance against the strategy reported to the Audit and Performance Committee in March. Peer Support and Early Prevention – Many of our statutory and commissioned services help empower people to remain as independent as possible, providing expertise, guidance and support to remain safe, independent and active in their community, reducing the need for direct intervention by health and social care services. This is the first stage of the journey through health and social care and is best delivered through peer support and early intervention within communities. Supporting people with complex needs Community resources Offering choice Person centred planning Enriching people’s lives increase in people supported to live more independently in non-residential care.27% 340 people and families supported. Dynamic Support Register (DSR) - Perth and Kinross HSCP has developed a multi- disciplinary oversight group which meets monthly to review current work, make recommendations and update the information required for submission of the DSR to Scottish Government quarterly. Perth and Kinross had six people in long stay hospital, however through the work of SCOPE team and wider multi-disciplinary team, confirmed plans to secure a move to their own bespoke accommodation for all those that have reached a suitable point in their care and treatment. Since the implementation of SCOPE team in 2022 there has been no admissions to long stay hospital in Tayside, giving the HSCP confidence to specify the hospital inpatient requirement for people with learning disabilities to be commissioned from NHS Tayside. 16 For further information: Number 3- One Stop Shop The following examples demonstrate the services and supports available, with case studies showing their impact over the past year. The Independent Living Panel and the SCOPE Team - Ongoing work has contributed to a 27% increase in the number of people with autism and/or a learning disability living in the community rather than a care home or a long stay hospital, from 2018-19 to 2023-24. Autism Initiatives: 71 700 hrsregistered 97 new in 2023 30 from 2022 supported monthly SCOPE stands for: Page 260 of 366
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Case Study: Supported an individual with autism who had been in long stay hospital for over two years due to a breakdown in support in the community and decline in their mental health. The length of stay in hospital was a result of a need to secure the right support in the community and through multi-disciplinary working and the engagement of a care provider who took a true person-centred approach, a support plan was developed which supported the individual out of hospital and enabled them to live a better life. The individual has a staff team who are able to participate in the activities the individual enjoys such as outdoor swimming, hillwalking and running. The individual has now been out of hospital for nine months and through regular multi-disciplinary teams we are able to ensure that support continues to meet needs in all aspects of the individual’s life. Learning and Development Opportunities; During academic year 22/23 - successful delivery of 16 ASDAN short courses, one College Certificate and the John Muir Award to 87 students Successfully completed a residential experience for 6 final year students. Identified positive destinations for 6 final year students. Co-ordinated work placement experiences for 6 final year students. Completed two school-link programmes and successfully transitioned 12 pupils from school onto full-time college courses and 6 onto part-time courses. Supported 2 students to access SLT service. Supported 2 students to access OT service. Supported 5 students to access LD Nurse service. The HSCP’s Employment Support Team (EST) - has a strong record of supporting people with job retention, early intervention and crisis employer support. Four team members completed their supported employment qualification in 2023- 24 with all team members now either holding this qualification or scheduled to complete it. The EST supported 129 people in 2023-24, with a variety of health conditions, illnesses and disabilities to prepare for, find and maintain paid employment. Of the 129 people 97 had a Learning Disability and/or Autism. 97 people supported with employment. PUSH - 12 young people were registered on the PUSH iWork programme. PUSH continues to support those with learning difficulties or additional support needs to access workplace training and experience. 400 GIRAFFE hours of work experience! Learning Disability Health Services - The Scottish Government implemented Annual Health Checks for People with Learning Disabilities (Scotland) Directions in May 2022. Our Learning Disabilities Team and Primary Care Teams support this initiative through the Tayside Annual Health Checks Strategic Group. This group was established to implement a Tayside wide approach to delivering health checks. In January 2024, work commenced on a multi-disciplinary dementia post-diagnostic support (PDS) pathway. This supports people following a dementia diagnosis which can be difficult for people. Although this work is still at an early stage, the number of people being supporting will increase as more people are diagnosed. 17 Page 261 of 366
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Locally, our Learning Disability Intensive Support Service (LDISS) continues to offer a physical health check to people on their caseload. In the past year, 74 checks have been undertaken. The service also provides the following clinics: antipsychotic, ADHD monitoring, epilepsy, Clozapine, Downs Syndrome screening and lithium therapy. 74 people offered physical health check. The Learning Disability Allied Health Professionals team have in the past year implemented postural care clinics in line with the Postural Care Strategy requirements. To date 22 people have attended and 11 are awaiting an appointment. Day Opportunities - The implementation of a transition worker role has helped to streamline and improve the transition processes. This has ensured a consistent person works in partnership across Education, SCOPE, parents, the young person and day opportunities to enable all in navigating the pathway from children to adult services. This has improved open, honest, transparent communication and the building of trust empowering individuals, enabling problems to be identified and resolved quicker. The role also identifies any gaps, additional resources required before the young person transitions to adult service. Service users at Gleneagles and Day Opportunities have shown the power of involvement through their service user forums and they have been able to lead and direct within the service. This has led to the planning and implementation of various events and fundraisers. At Gleneagles Day Opportunities this led to a successful application and pitch to the angels’ share where they secured funds towards improvements to the service such as in the sensory room. In Kinnoull Day Opportunities this has led to the creation of new groups or development of existing groups, based on the requests and suggestions of service users and feedback from families/carers. There has been an increase in use of Day Opportunities and Friends Unlimited Network (FUN) of over 10%, highlighting the ongoing need for meaningful activity which is local and within communities. 18 PAMIS:47 families supported 7 changing places toilets now available in Perth and Kinross For more information visit PAMIS online Our partnership with the V&A Dundee led to a creative design sprint for Mental Health Services, where one key idea was the creation of a collaborative space. In this space, individuals with lived experiences, along with the workforce and community members, can co-design service improvements, change and innovation. This year, our journey has been marked by a shared vision and collective effort, ensuring that the voices of those we serve are integral to the transformation of our services. Page 262 of 366
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Improvement Journey: The situation – Overnight Responder Service commenced a 6-month test of change in January 2024 in conjunction with Supported living Team with five service users. The challenge – To identify a suitable service which would enable the test of change to take place. Providing reassurance to family/carers/legal guardians and service users that the service was safe and would meet the overnight needs of the person. Our action - Consultation with all those involved including staff. Use of TEC including door sensors, floor and epilepsy mats. Robust risk assessments completed, which included multi-disciplinary input. Dual service for the first 3 months of Test of Change to allow for teething issues with no increased risk to service users. The result - First 3 months of Test of Change completed on 29th April. Following review second phase implemented with the removal of waking night. The outcome - Permanent removal of waking night. Rollout ONRS within Perth City, providing alternative option of overnight support which promotes independence and is financially sustainable. Looking Forward Following a successful Angel’s Share pitch to develop a Learning Disabilities Involvement Network, ‘Hear Our Roar’, we launched this network at Learning Disabilities Week in May 2024 We will continue the further integration of Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and other services. Work will continue to develop further core and cluster models. In Day Opportunities we have commenced further work to ensure Hear Our Roar community-based activities are accessible, meet people’s needs and are able to support increases in demand and complexity. Following on from our work within day opportunities last year, we have deepened our commitment to listening to the voices of those who use our services. By gathering stories and data, we have enriched our understanding. Listening to people is at the heart of our approach, and inspired by last year’s Learning Disabilities Jam, we are forging ahead with a robust plan and call to action for active co-design. This involves close collaboration with people who use the service, the workforce, and our community. 19 Page 263 of 366
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Service User Patient Experience Survey - Learning Disability and Autism Care Group Feedback Gaining feedback at Care Group and service level helps us understand how people experience our services. Our local Service User Patient Experience survey of people who access our Learning Disability and Autism (LD&A) services provided the following results. Overall 94% of people rated the service they used as good or excellent, with 6 of the indicators rated as 100%. LD&A Care Group - Overall, how would you rate the health or social care support you received? N=35 Excellent Good Ok 77% 17% 6% LD and A Care Group - % Answering Yes Did the way you received health or social care support ensure you felt safe and supported? N=51 Was receiving your help or support a positive experience? N=52 Did you feel respected? N=54 Was your help or support well communicated? N=31 Was your help or support easily accessible? N=30 Was your health or social care support well coordinated and organised? N=30 Did you have a say in how your health or social care support was provided? N=47 Did your help or support have an impact in improving or maintaining your quality of life? N=30 Were you supported to live as independently as possible? N=24 Were you supported to manage your condition so that it doesn’t get worse? N=28 Were you supported to look after your own health well? N=35 90% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100% 80% 75% 82% 94% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 20 Page 264 of 366
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Progress in enhancing and improving our Adult Community Mental Health services has been taken forward through the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Strategy aligns to the Tayside Mental Health and Learning Disability Whole System Change Programme. Mental Health Services deliver integrated health and social care interventions in Perth and Kinross to people over the age of 16 years with learning disabilities and/or autism, substance use, and a wide range of mental health conditions. In Perth and Kinross, the leading cause of mental ill health is depression, the rate of which is 11.9% lower than in Scotland overall. Anxiety disorders are the next leading cause and are also 11.9% lower than in Scotland. The leading cause of early death due to mental ill health is Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, the rate of which is 23.4% lower than in Scotland. Self-harm is the second cause with a 29.4% higher rate than in Scotland overall. It is estimated that one in three people with Down’s Syndrome will develop dementia and this is likely to happen at a younger age necessitating a move from traditional older people’s dementia service delivery. It is inevitable therefore that given people with Down’s Syndrome are adversely impacted by complex multiple morbidities, are more likely to develop dementia at a younger age than the rest of the population, their years of healthy lifestyle lost will increased. Demand for all mental health services is high and Teams are collectively working with around 5,000 people at any time. Waiting lists are larger and longer than we would like, particularly for Consultant Psychiatry assessment/ADHD assessment and Mental Health OT intervention within the Adult Community Mental Health Teams. There has however been a 27% improvement in the number of people waiting and all other initial mental health assessments are currently being undertaken within 10 working days. Community Mental Health and Wellbeing 27% reduction in people waiting for assessment. people supported.5,000 The Primary Care Mental Health Transformation Programme was launched in March 2024 to support a sustainable longer-term approach to population mental health. Mental health issues are a common feature in General Practice and it is estimated that one third of GP consultations have a mental health component (Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023). Our Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Nurses provide an early intervention and prevention service for a range of mental health issues. 21 Mindspace - Those who have accessed 1:1 counselling from MindSpace report; Increased Self Confidence - 240 (54%), Increased self esteem - 224 (51%), Improved communication skills - 203 (46%), Felt encouraged to do old or new activities - 158 (36%). Locality referrals in 23/24 were 1,264. During 2023 we have increased the number of face- to-face sessions significantly and there is a current waiting list of 150 to 200 people. unique client registrations to the recovery college 565 99% of participants said it had a positive impact on them. Page 265 of 366
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MoveAhead continues to see yearly incremental increases in referrals. In 2021-22 we had 195 referrals and in 2023-24 we had 227 referrals showing a consistent increase over the last two years. Development of the Health Hub within Murray Royal Hospital - This is based in the main foyer area and funding has been secured to develop this area into a health hub, offering physical health and wellbeing advice to patients, carers, staff and visitors. Development of Pan Tayside Suicide Prevention and Awareness Training - Locally there are regular opportunities for multi-agency staff and the public to access suicide prevention training with oversight from our Suicide Prevention Co-ordinators and the Suicide Prevention Steering Group. 209 people attended in 2023-24. Delayed Discharge rates across the Mental Health estate - In the last year the number of people who were delayed from discharge has consistently been in single figures with a 77% overall reduction in delays within General Adult Psychiatry. This is a significant improvement and is in no small part due to the collegiate working between all aspects of our service and the specific work undertaken through the Delayed Discharge Co-ordinators ECT and Therapeutics service - Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a highly specialised, evidence-based treatment intervention delivered by our Therapeutics Team to patients experiencing the most severe, and at times, life threatening mental illness. We were recently awarded Accreditation with Excellence by the Scottish ECT Accreditation Network and we have supported 185 people with this treatment which helps to reduce the lengths of stay in hospital. Pharmacy Service - From September 2022, the role of Pharmacy has expanded into the Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) to support multi-disciplinary team working and improve patient safety. We now have Pharmacist led, independent prescribing clinics in the three CMHTs, ensuring continuity of access for all patients who require support with medication. The introduction of the Pharmacy Teams has supported a refreshed look at medicines governance and this has been welcomed by the NHS Tayside Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee. Mental Health Clinical Care Governance Forum and Key Performance Indicators - Following restructuring of Mental Health services in 2022, work has progressed to enhance our governance culture, working proactively to ensure core key performance indicators are being reported alongside team specific indicators. Our Forum and standing agenda are informed by the overarching principles of Getting it Right for Everyone. Key performance indicators have been collectively devised in partnership with Angus and Dundee HSCPs and agreement has now been reached that these will be used across Tayside, these will be incorporated into our routine performance reporting to the Audit and Performance Committee. Workforce – We have seen an improvement in recruitment and retention, particularly with our Registered Mental Health Nursing cohort. We have reduced our vacancy rate from 13.5% to just over 9% (excluding Adult Consultant Psychiatrists). There is evidence emerging to suggest that the HSCP is becoming an increasingly attractive organisation to work in and recent feedback suggests we are a supportive, nurturing and forward-thinking organisation. improvement in workforce vacancies.4.5% 22 Page 266 of 366
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Recruitment and Retention of Staff - We have significant difficulties with the recruitment of both Medical workforce and Allied Health Professionals, particularly Occupational Therapists and this is causing substantial issues with waiting times for some Mental Health assessments. Reliance on Consultant Locum Psychiatrists in Community Mental Health Teams is an ongoing issue and a consistent theme related to complaints from service users. 23 Deaths Due to Completed Suicide - Perth and Kinross has a higher-than-average rate of suicide than the mean for Scotland. The reasons for this are complex and may reflect the influence of rurality; however, it is higher than would be expected given relatively low rates of deprivation. The mean age of death by suicide is 45 years, 69% of deaths occur at home with a high percentage of deaths occurring in the summer months. A multi-agency strategic commitment to suicide prevention is in place with plans to enable early intervention, crisis management and bereavement support. Crisis and urgent care pathways are under review across Tayside and there has been local investment into The Neuk and Distress Brief Interventions to provide urgent intervention and support to severely distressed individuals in the community, including those who are feeling suicidal. One of our key aims is to ensure that people who present in distress or crisis should have a range of options of help and support to reduce the need to admit a person to hospital. We are also working with our partners in the 3rd sector to improve access to services and ensure people can receive the support they need in a way that is appropriate and works well for them. We are working collectively with The Neuk, Police Scotland and NHS Tayside’s Crisis Team, to test a Mental Health and Substance Use Crisis Triage Model. This model will support people to remain within their communities. 1:1 counselling sessions CRUSE Scotland: Immediate listening support, information and advice given to 143 people.148 For more information you can visit their web page. Dementia - In Perth and Kinross, the leading cause of death for females in 2021 was Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and was the second leading cause for males. 7.7%11.1% 2025 2026 2027 Projections estimate an extra hundred cases year on year. During 23/24 Alzheimer’s Scotland reported an increase in under 65 people being diagnosed with dementia, there is a need to further invest in this area of growth. Alzheimer's Scotland have piloted a Test of Change and are running a small day opportunities resource supporting people with mild cognitive impairment or a diagnosis of dementia with the aim of reducing social isolation and improving individuals’ networks of support. 457 people were provided with Post Diagnostic Support by Alzheimer's Scotland in 2023/24 “Our Link Worker gave us fantastic support in dealing with mums dementia helping us in making decisions and putting things in motion for us, also sending links to information etc, cannot praise them highly enough ! Thank you.” Case Example: Relative of service user with dementia via Alzheimer's Scotland Page 267 of 366
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Case Study: A team leader started working with a care home in 2023 when we had a resident who was displaying challenging behaviours in the home and staff were not able to ensure the resident was safe and that other residents were safe. We had several team meetings with the multi-disciplinary team with regard to the resident. The team leader took the time to engage with the home and discuss what actions we could put in place to ensure a positive outcome for residents. Actions included positive behaviour management for the staff and safety pod training. The positive benefit of the pod is although it could be used to support residents who were displaying behaviours, the residents also enjoyed using it to sit and relax and they saw as an area where they could go for some calm time. Forward a few months, a good outcome was achieved with the resident’s behaviour improved with no need for further medication. With more stability, the pod had only been accessed on two occasions Looking Forward Primary Care Mental Health service provision - In accordance with Scottish Government guidance and an identified key action from the national Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, we are undertaking a Transformation programme relating to redesign of Primary Care Mental Health provision. This will involve a whole system review of services including 3rd Sector and how we can best utilise resources and make the services easier to access and deliver. The Inaugural Perth and Kinross Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference took place on 2 May 2024. This was a resounding success with over 230 delegates attending at the concert Hall. A variety of national and local speakers were present along with 30 stalls and a host of workshops. Information and feedback has been collected from the delegates at the event and we will use this to commence the next version of our Mental Health Strategic plan. It is hoped that the event will be the beginning of an annual or biennial event. Mental Health Strategic Plan - The current Perth and Kinross Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2022-25) is due to come to an end in December 2024. The Mental Health Strategy group will commence formulating a revised strategy document from 2025 onwards and initial information has been gathered from the Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference. By the end of December 2024 we will finalise and present our updated Suicide Awareness and Prevention action plan. We will be designing a Neuro-developmental pathway and treatment service over the coming months. This will entail the recruitment of a specialist Neuro-developmental Nurse and support staff, and will target those who are currently waiting to be seen for assessment and treatment. 24 Page 268 of 366
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Substance Use The Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP), includes members from health and social care, Police Scotland, and the voluntary sector, and provides strategic co-ordination of substance use services. The Alcohol and Drug Partnership Strategic Delivery Plan is used to identify and progress local priority issues. During the lifetime of the plan, significant progress has been made across all its priorities. Examples include: establishing a recognised approach for dealing with near-fatal overdoses; establishing our pathway of support for residential rehabilitation; the formation of iDART (Integrated Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team), establishment of a new service for people who have been given Drug and Alcohol Treatment Requirements as part of their Community Payback Orders, and support for projects utilising a Whole Family Approach to service design. A key focus in 2023-24 was the continued implementation of the national Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards. These put people at the centre of decisions about their care and how it is delivered, adopting a rights-based approach aligning with the national Health and Social Care Standards. Implementation of the ten MAT Standards aims to reduce drug related harm, including premature death, through a programme of sustained funding, workforce development, system and culture change across services and wider communities. We gathered feedback via Care Opinion and conducted interviews with service users, family carers or nominated individuals and commissioned services and partners to gather their views on how well we were implementing the MAT Standards and to identify areas for further improvement. Feedback was generally positive with the majority of people indicating their satisfaction with the changes made to services. Some improvement areas were also identified and these will be addressed as part of the new ADP Strategic Delivery Plan 2024-27. “I am very happy with the support I am receiving. I feel it is helping me very much on my recovery journey and I am glad I came into the service now, before I had no hope, now I have lots.” Case Examples: MAT Standards feedback from Service Users and Families The impact and development of MAT has meant that iDART, along with support from 3rd sector services ensure that people who have had a non-fatal overdose are offered the opportunity to engage in support, offered harm reduction measures, and helped to build a recovery plan that can assist them to reach their potential. 25 Community Recovery Service have supported 183 people for one-to-one support (including supporting 22 family members on a one-to-one basis) - in comparison to the same period in 2022 the service supported 155 individuals of which we supported 16 family members for one-to-one support. Delivered 361 groups with 2141 contacts during this reporting period. Delivered 224 Recovery Cafes with 1102 people attending. 64 foodbank referrals. 120 people trained in overdose awareness. 135 naloxone kits supplied - 35 naloxone kits supplied to staff, Hillcrest Futures - Community Recovery Services: Page 269 of 366
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Although the MAT Standards had a specific focus on drugs, and in particular opiate use, harmful alcohol use remains a serious issue in Scotland and in Perth and Kinross. In 2023- 24 the number of people presenting with alcohol issues fell from 481 in 2022-23 to 443. However, the numbers are still higher than pre-pandemic levels. Commencing in 2022, our successful community alcohol detox service continues to develop with 18 detoxes taking place in 2023-24, including a number in rural locations. As the service continues to expand, there are plans in progress to enable partners to refer into the service. 2023-24 also saw us develop our partnership working with Justice Social Work. We co- designed and are co-delivering the Specified Persons Test of Change which enables service users who come through the justice system to have a streamlined support between the two services, delivered by justice addiction support workers. The support workers work with people to ensure they engage with treatments and try to reduce harmful substance use and offending behaviour. 31 full assessments were completed in 2023-24, and 20 alcohol and drug treatment requirements were made by the Court. 2023-24 saw the establishment of our first Living Experience Engagement Group which provides people with lived experience the opportunity to inform and influence service development and delivery. Recovery Coaching Scotland successfully delivered its community self-coaching programme to the first cohort of learners in 2024. The programme equips people to move on from treatment and onto positive destinations, many of whom go into further education or training with the potential to become peer mentors or recovery coaches themselves. Case Study (Service User Story): Client A, grappling with the challenges of early recovery from addiction, joined the Self-Coaching course offered in Perth. Despite initial apprehensions stemming from their perception of being in the early stages of recovery and being on a Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) prescription, as well as past struggles with mental health, she embarked on this journey seeking personal growth and development. Despite reservations, she had aspirations of helping others and potentially pursuing a career as a drug worker. She experienced a remarkable surge in confidence, propelled by their newfound awareness and skills. She expressed a desire to explore further opportunities offered by the self-coaching programme, underscoring her commitment to ongoing growth and development. Her participation in the Recovery Self-Coaching course exemplifies the transformative power of community-based recovery initiatives. Her journey demonstrates the importance of holistic support, empowerment, and the potential for personal growth inherent in recovery-focused interventions. As she continues her path, she embodies resilience, determination, and the unwavering belief in the possibility of a brighter future beyond addiction. 26 iDART introduced Same Day Prescribing last year as part of the MAT Standards with specialist elements of our comprehensive programmes of care, treatment and recovery delivered to support those experiencing problematic drug and/or alcohol use. In 2023-24, 46 people received this treatment. open 5 days per week. Same day prescribing clinics 26 people supported to see specialist Harm Reduction Nurse, 25 mobile phones provided to have access to ongoing support. Page 270 of 366
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Commissioned services continue to play a vital role reducing harms of substance use. Independent Advocacy, Perth and Kinross (IAPK) (77 referrals) supports people to have their voice heard so they are involved in decisions which affect their lives. Hillcrest Futures delivers a range of services, including enhanced harm reduction and Injecting Equipment Provision service. They co-facilitate community recovery groups, providing assertive outreach support to the Near-Fatal Overdose Pathway and provide training to community members and professions in the use of Naloxone, which reverses overdose, and promoting alternatives to injecting. In 2023-24, the ADP was able to provide funding to enable HiIlcrest Futures to restart its Young Person’s Service, which offers support to young people to address and reduce their substance use, by providing practical advice and support around building resilience and identifying coping strategies. 6.7% reduction in near fatal overdoses. 6% increase in anti-overdose kits distributed. Tayside Council on Alcohol (TCA) has over 300 active service users and, through counselling and creative therapies, it provides one to one therapeutic support, advice and information to any adult in Perth and Kinross, directly or indirectly affected by problematic alcohol use. In 2023-24, TCA started a new project aimed at providing a wrap-around support for individuals who are in the early stages of accessing medically assisted treatment or other forms of substance use support. The service has provided support 33 people. Looking Forward During 2023-24, work has been progressing to create a new three-year ADP Strategic Delivery Plan. An extensive consultation exercise has been carried out which has sought the views of all ADP partners and stakeholders. The new plan will be launched in early 2024-25 and will be accompanied by a new performance framework and communication plan. Summer 2024 will see iDART move from Drumhar Health Centre to Birnam Centre at Murray Royal Hospital. This will help iDART to progress further integration of services and to create stronger links with partner organisations with the goal of improving support for the people that need our services. We will continue to support the growth of recovery opportunities by working with Scottish Drugs Forum to develop a Lived Experience Reference Group and work with partners to support the development of peer mentors. We will continue to develop and implement MAT Standards, including within local justice settings, and we will continue to work with colleagues across Tayside to develop appropriate support for the needs of people who use non-opiate based substances. 27 In May 2023, the first ever RecoverMay was held to highlight what recovery means to people with living and lived experience of recovery, their families and carers and people working in support services.During the month, an art exhibition, podcasts, social media promotions, and other events took place to highlight recovery from both substance use and mental health. As part of the art exhibition, a short film titled “Walk the Inch” was premiered, which was created by residents of HMP Perth, showing the journey of an individual entering and leaving the prison. Some examples include: RecoverMAY Art Exhibition - Hillcrest; and The Art of Recovery, in a Tale of Two Citizens – University Culture Online (dundee.ac.uk). The success of work undertaken by Drug and Alcohol Services during 2023-24 has resulted in several additional performance improvements. Page 271 of 366
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Adult Support and Protection The Perth and Kinross Adult Support and Protection Committee (APC) is a multi-agency forum that meets five times each year to consider how to develop and improve inter agency work to support and protect vulnerable adults. The APC Annual Report 2022-23 was considered by the IJB in February 2024. A steady increase in qualified Council Officers - Only a qualified Council Officer is authorised to undertake certain functions of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Perth and Kinross has increased the number of available Council Officers from 40 full and part-time Council Officers in January 2021 to 61 in January 2024. This demonstrates a commitment to fulfilling statutory responsibilities, our ability to recruit, retain, support, and encourage social workers’ development and our commitment to understanding current and future workforce planning needs. The tables demonstrate a continued high number of all adult protection concerns being received throughout the reporting year. Police Vulnerable Person Report Adult Protection Concerns Oohs - Adult Protection Total 1284 218 21 1523 1515 269 35 1819 1755 589 32 2376 2254 783 44 3081 2262 752 56 3070 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Police Vulnerable Person Report Adult Protection Concerns Oohs - Adult Protection Total 13% -8% -61% 7% 18% 23% 67% 19% 16% 119% -9% 31% 28% 33% 38% 30% 0% -4% 27% -5% 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Year on Year Change % The APC takes the view that where concerns exist, it is better to share these so that services can intervene and safeguard where required. Police Vulnerable Reports (VPR) continue to dominate the total numbers of all adult protection concerns received, and this is consistent with the data from previous years and with the national picture. This is the first year that our data indicates that there is no significant increase in the numbers of VPRs received in comparison to the previous year. Many factors contribute to this and a short life working group has been established to explore this in more detail. Mental Health features in many of the VPRs received, on its own, or linked to other areas of concern including those who experience drug and alcohol addiction. Front line mental health services have (and continue) to be redesigned to reflect emerging themes and trends. This includes the Access Team who facilitate and co-ordinate a fast track triage system into specialist services for all adult protection concerns where mental health and drug and alcohol features. This triage implemented by our Access Team follows the principles and the benefits of early intervention and prevention. In 2023-24, we increased our use of social media sites to raise awareness of adult protection and how to respond to it. Raising public awareness of the ASP agenda remains a key priority. This data also reflects the value of the dedicated NHS Tayside Adult Protection team who support health colleagues to respond to and report any adult protection concerns that exist in health settings. 28 Page 272 of 366
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% of referrals (Adult Protection Concerns and Vulnerable Person Reports) screened within 24 hours (rolling year).100% 99% 98% 97% 96% 95% 94% Apr 23' May 23' Jun 23' Jul 23' Aug 23' Sep 23' Oct 23' Nov 23' Dec 23' Jan 24' Feb 24' Mar 24' Responding early to any adult protection concern received is crucial. The earlier that services can respond to harm the better they are able to intervene effectively. An average of 98.5% of all of these concerns were screened within 24-hours of being received. The APC VPR audit 2023-24 found that: “In recent years, commitment has been given to service redesign, particularly the Access Team who provide that first point of contact for many adult concern referrals. This supports a wider HSCP commitment to the principles of supporting an early intervention and preventative approach to responding to harm and to the principles of Getting It Right for Everyone (GIRFE) and getting the right support, from the right people at the right time. Whilst there is room for improvement, this audit demonstrates that the principles of GIRFE and early intervention and prevention are embedded into adult protection decision making and practice.” The ASP co-ordinator audits the adult protection concerns which were not screened within 24-hours (34 out of 2,262) and no adult was left at any undue harm as a consequence of this delay. Some of the findings from this self-evaluation and quality assurance have led to improvement work. 29 Perthshire Women’s Aid - Celebrating 50 years of Perthshire Women's Aid last year women accessed services727 74% risk assessments were carried out324 safety plans were implemented 248 of women who carried out our outcome and monitoring questionnaire had improved safety. Large Scale Investigations - The ASP Act makes no reference to Large Scale Investigations (LSIs), but these have become increasingly prevalent across Scotland since the implementation of the Act. In 2022/23, a thematic review of our use of LSIs was completed and highlighted a number of emerging and often recurring themes that led to an LSI being instigated, including staff shortages, medication being wrongly administered, lack of leadership and poor moving and handling practices. It also found that missed opportunities existed to deliver a truly multi-agency approach to LSIs. The findings from this review led to several improvements. The most crucial being that colleagues from the Care Home Operational Group and the Enhanced Care Home team remain central to determining whether an LSI is required to safeguard adults at risk of harm and to use their expertise to consider what support and from whom is required to Page 273 of 366
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Looking Forward The APC Improvement Plan 2024-26 identifies several key improvement areas including: Strengthening the relationship the APC shares with other Perth and Kinross Public Protection partners and identifying cross cutting themes. Making ASP work more multi-agency including a commitment to the use of multi- agency chronologies to better assess risk of harm. A continued focus of addressing financial harm and understanding how trauma can lead to an inability to safeguard. Using data to help redesign services at an earlier intervention and preventative stage. Making the necessary changes to our practice that allow adults and their unpaid carers to remain fully engaged in the ASP process. mitigate any risk and improve standards of care. Understanding these themes has allowed the provision of a more targeted, early intervention and preventative support to the care home sector. Following our audit and implementing the improvements, our LSIs have reduced in numbers and in length of time between start and it being concluded: From April 21 – March 22, we opened 11 LSIs with an average length of each LSI being 7.5 months. From April 22 – March 23, we held 7 LSIs with an average length of 5 months From April 23 – March 24, we held 6 LSIs with an average length of 3.5 months 30 Page 274 of 366
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Unpaid Carers Our new Joint Carers’ Strategy 2023-26 was approved by the IJB in June 2023 and was informed by consultation with local carers and their representatives, the National Carers’ Strategy (launched in December 2022), and findings from the 2022 Care Inspectorate inquiry. In 2023-24, we demonstrated our commitment to unpaid carers and ensured: More carers were identified and supported. Information about carer rights and support for carers was made more readily available and accessible. Carer representatives as key decision makers are more firmly embedded within our strategy and working groups. Extra investment into support for carers was made, through commissioning and an exploration of how we can all improve support for carers. We continued to support the development of our integrated teams by improving training materials to ensure they meet the needs of people that need them. We support unpaid carers in their caring role and ensure they have a life outside of caring, by providing access to services and support networks available through online awareness campaigns and in-person events. We promote and encourage peer support networks and organisations, such as Carers’ Voice and our commissioned services to connect with carers. Information about future care planning and emergency planning contributed to over 694 Emergency Care Plans being given to carers. There were 1,045 new adult carer referrals in 2023-24 (marginally lower than last year) with 490 Adult Carer Support Plans (ACSP) created (increase of 47 on 2022-23) and 344 Adult Carer Support Reviews undertaken. The percentage of people admitted to permanent care due to carer breakdown has remained largely consistent (17.3% in 2022-23, 17.5% in 2023-24). This demonstrates the positive impact of having support available for carers and the success of this approach in keeping families together longer, staying at home. We enhanced training materials on carers’ rights and offered 31 sessions of training with 70 people taking part. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Working with third sector partners, we promoted and developed peer to peer support networks and there are now 15 groups. We worked with partners to set up carer cafés in Crieff, Aberfeldy and Blairgowrie as well as supporting PKAVS. Change Mental Health are commissioned to help people affected by serious mental illness, including family members and carers. Since January 2023, in partnership with All Strong, they have supported carers to participate in programmes for fitness and wellbeing. The team continues to support and run a number of group activities (Book Club, Carers’ Café, Gardening Group, Creative Writing) as well supporting carers more holistically. This has included supporting them to access provision from partners such as All Strong, Gym, secure Live Active compass cards, and to apply for various types of funding (including Time4Me Fund). Information and advice was provided, with 215 subscribers to the monthly newsletter and 62 people received support. 31 Page 275 of 366
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We continue to promote Carer Positive as a valuable tool to provide better support to working carers. The Carers’ Centre continues to provide social and complementary therapies and grants enabling carers to have breaks and more opportunities for peer support. They provide a telephone befriending service which provides out of hours support. 424 carers are registered for this service which makes an average of over 147 calls each week (up from 126 in 2022-23). The Carers’ Centre also achieved the Excellence for Carers, Carers’ Trust Quality award. In 2023-24 we supported 1,949 respite bed nights in care homes, (an increase of over 15%), and 9,850 hours of home respite. Crossroads provided over 23,000 hours of sitting service, with additional sessions provided by Kippen Care, Steward Wright and Home Instead, to ensure carers got the breaks they needed. Case Study: Carer Support Services Commissioned Service, PKAVS. PKAVS Carers’ Centre offers emotional and practical support to unpaid carers of all ages. In 2023-24 they had 676 new referrals. PKAVS has 2,389 unpaid carers of all ages registered. A Carers’ Trust Consultation on PKAVS Carers’ Centre in October and November 2023 highlighted that of the 236 responses received: 90% either ‘Strongly Agreed’ or ‘Agreed’ that accessing their services had improved the quality of their life, and 86% said that they were satisfied that the service understands their needs. Working with Ship, Parent to Parent and Perth Autism Support and the Partnership, the Carers’ Centre developed a programme of activities for parent carers including picnics, coffee and chat and a family day at Perth Races. 4,100 spaces provided, exceeding target by 10%. Day services continues to be very popular. Over 4,100 spaces were taken against a target of 3,700. The Carers’ Centre continues to be the first point of contact for information and advice for unpaid carers, with over 28,500 contacts for information and advice, up from almost 24,000 in 2023-24. To address this need PKAVS delivered: 526 packs of complementary therapy vouchers to carers. 360 short break grants awarded, 229 Time4Me, 26 Carers’ Trust awards and 105 alternative respite grants. Over 600 telephone befriending team calls every month (up from 500 per month last year) offering carers access to emotional and practical support. 929 referrals were made to additional support services (e.g. Live Active, Welfare Rights). 32 Support Choices - Continue to see an increase in referrals to the service. In 2021 they had 67, 2022 they had 134 and in 2023 they had 188 referrals with a steady increase of referrals being made from sources other than the Local Authority. Drop in events are being held across the area which is enabling more people to access the social care and support they need. Staff have continued to work with families to find solutions to problems which HSCP staff were aware of but did not have capacity or resources to resolve. Page 276 of 366
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Looking Forward We plan to improve awareness of the support available to carers and will increase their involvement as equal partners. As part of the national Carer Positive Initiative, we will support carers to find or maintain employment. Having successfully trialled providing respite care for people using residential Care Home beds we will evaluate the difference this makes for people. 33 Case Study: SCOPE Team Jenny* is the full-time carer for her daughter Melanie* who has severe cerebral palsy which has led to a wide range of disabilities. She needs full assistance with all aspects of her life and as she turned 18 last year transitioned to adult services. Melanie also has a younger sister and both Jenny and her husband work full-time so she finds life very demanding. On top of caring responsibilities Jenny has her own health problems which means she is more tired and continues to deal with other issues. Despite all this she says Melanie is a much-loved daughter and a lovely happy young lady. The SCOPE team’s Carer Support Worker stepped in early in the transition journey which was extremely helpful and took a lot of stress from Jenny and the family, explaining clearly the options which are available for respite and care. The team worked together to ensure the package meets their needs. The Carer Support Worker was instrumental in helping the family employ a team of three carers providing respite for the family. The Carer Support Worker also assisted in finding training courses for carers new to the role and giving the family and paid carers advice. Whilst the family initially found it difficult to let go and have carers in their home, they see that they are a good fit and now the family can relax when the carers are with Melanie. It has allowed them to do “normal” things with their younger daughter which they hadn’t done before and lets them plan a bit into the future now they don’t feel that they are “running on empty.” * Names changed to ensure anonymity Page 277 of 366
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Older People Our objectives and priorities are detailed in our Older People’s Strategic Delivery Plan, approved by the Integration Joint Board in March 2022. The pandemic has naturally exacerbated an already expected increase in the prevalence of age-related frailty within our population and we can see an increase in the rates of unplanned admissions (NI-12 up 6.3%) for older people. Our strategic response is the continued focus and enhancements in the following areas which seek to support people in the community for longer and prevent where possible the need for A&E attendance and unplanned admission. Age Friendly Accredited and joined Age Friendly Network – one of only three areas in Scotland. Perth and Kinross joined the UK Network of Age Friendly Communities in December 2023 and work has commenced at pace to develop an older people’s forum. We are very pleased to have been working closely with the University of Stirling and their housing expert Dr Vikki McCall. The study ‘Intersectional Stigma of Place-based Ageing (ISPA)’ will investigate and identify how stigma related to age, disability, and where someone lives, creates additional barriers for older people living with sensory and mobility impairments. The project will also build an ‘Inclusive Living Alliance’ – a UK wide network made up of organisations from housing, health, social care and the third sector. An audit of existing age friendly activities has been carried out and a series of events have been organised so that members of the community have an opportunity to learn more about this initiative and join the age friendly movement. To date we have: Delivered presentations at Stronger Communities meetings and reached out to existing community groups. Identified existing Older People forum and Age Friendly Strathmore group who have liaised with colleagues from statutory and non-statutory services and progressed matters of benefit to the entire community. An example is the Kirkmichael community transport initiative. Locality Integrated Working - We have made great progress, building on our well established LINCS (Locality Integrated Care Service) model. We have developed new roles such as Clinical Co-ordinators and Assistant Practitioners that work alongside health and social care services to improve efficiencies and develop more co-ordinated support. Supported by Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Urgent Care and Older People Nurse Consultant roles, we continue to develop our Medicine for the Elderly model and to roll it out across communities and community hospitals. This hybrid approach ensures an appropriate mix of skill, competencies and adherence to professional governance frameworks. During the last year Hospital at Home was piloted to hospital-level acute care for people in their own home. It was not however possible to sustain the service in light of current financial pressures due to the high unit cost. We tested a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) model for managing urgent home visits. This SPOC approach uses rapid and holistic advanced clinical assessment to prioritise the necessary timely responses and this has been possible through better use of our wider multi-disciplinary workforce. 34 Page 278 of 366
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Testing the use of a single co-ordinator for ongoing community care following discharge from the unit. Educational sessions, to enhance staff confidence in meeting frailty needs through person-centred care. With our frail older people and their families, we are reviewing information sharing and communication between the hospital and community, including GPs. This involves testing electronic systems for sharing comprehensive medication information and future care planning based on what matters to the person and their family on returning to the community from hospital. We are developing staff skills to capture improvement feedback from patients through the Care Experience Improvement Model and supporting them with the time and space to learn together, think and reflect to support their practice to deliver the best standard of care to our frail elderly population. Meeting the needs of elderly people living with frailty - In 2023 our partnership was accepted on to the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Focus on Frailty programme, which brings together teams from six NHS boards and social care partnerships and the third and independent sector from across Scotland. Running until 2024, this national quality improvement programme aims to explore and improve access to person-centred, co-ordinated health and social care for people aged 65 and over who are living with frailty. We have explored where best to focus our improvement work, leading to the formation of an integrated project team, with key stakeholders, from across health and social care, independent and third sector and carers representation. Community pathways for falls prevention and care - We have reviewed our approach to dealing with falls across our localities and we are now implementing improvements to ensure consistency of approach using best practice to support people at risk of falling. Integrated Discharge Hub – Prior to the pandemic, around one in ten patients over 75 years discharged from an unscheduled hospital stay experienced a delay in their discharge. Our Discharge without Delay programme focussed on a range of projects to enable people to leave hospital on a planned date. This helped us make an improvement, reducing the likelihood of people experiencing a delayed discharge (94% of over 75s now leave hospital without delay). We are building on the gains from our Discharge without Delay programme and compared with 2022-23 we have reduced (improved) the number of days people 75+ spend in hospital while delayed by over 29% and we are now over 26% better than Scotland overall. This has been achieved by focussing on our Whole System Delayed Discharge /Capacity and Flow to make regular incremental improvements, for example: 29% improvement in Delayed Discharge. The ‘Planned Date of Discharge’ (PDD) is revisited, confirmed and shared widely within PRI teams to improve PDD setting at ward board rounds. Social Work personnel are allocated to both our Frailty Team and our “Avenue” project which seeks to expedite discharges identified for reablement. This completes the multi-disciplinary team which facilitates supported discharge assessment and planning. Our Integrated Discharge hub has been restructured and we are working to recruit to all vacant positions. 35 Page 279 of 366
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Crossroads - new service users during 2023 208 (2% 2022/23) Enhancing Community Hospital Flow - We are working to improve flow through these units (including Tay Ward in PRI) by working towards a target of 28 days for patient average length of stay. We are focusing on discharging patients earlier in the day, which is better for both patients and for process efficiency. To achieve this, we improved our approach to integration and communication from in-patient services to those in communities, including Community Hospitals. All but one of our community hospitals achieved target length of stay at the beginning of 2024. Early Discharge Project (EDP) – This is a test of change project which commenced on 16 January 2023 and there are 28 staff employed by the project. It has supported people to be re-abled within their own home and outwith a hospital setting, enabling people to return home timeously, with their families and loved ones, preventing them being delayed in hospital. In the reporting year the project supported 213 people with 92 having been re-abled to regain full independence. 56 people were supported to return home when they would otherwise have been delayed due to unavailability of immediate capacity in our HART or care at home services. As such EDP ‘bridged the gap’ to allow them to be discharged home swiftly, supporting our Discharge Without Delay performance. 15 people were identified as requiring ongoing care at home and so were transitioned over to a care at home service provider. 33 people needed to be readmitted to hospital and 3 were admitted to residential care/crisis placements. 36 Total Carer Respite hours delivered = 22,522. 117 Waiting list hours reduced from 135 in Dec 2022 to 91 in Dec 2023 Referrals received for Care at Home InterventionLive Active Leisure - delivering 1442 visits to service users. Care at Home Transformation - There are increasing needs for social care services to support older people who need support with the activities which are essential for independent living. In addition, we are experiencing issues with recruitment and retention due to a combination of factors including competition from other sectors of employment and our geographical mix of urban and rural populations. In the context of increasing needs, our Care at Home transformation programme aims to ensure that high-quality care is available for people in the right place at the right time, promoting healthy, independent and dignified lives. This will require us to reduce unmet need, improve the speed with which care is available, and increase personal contact time. We have progressed this work throughout 2023/24 and this will continue beyond 2024/25 as a long-term improvement programme. One of the key deliverables of the programme is to the redesign of our Care at Home and Reablement approach. This will establish/embed a hybrid model of commissioned, community led and internal services. We are delivering ‘Get into Care’ courses in Perth College, schools and employment hub to promote social care as a career and taking part in a national project to identify opportunities for international recruitment. Page 280 of 366
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Organisational Development are supporting the link between strategic planning and operational delivery, ensuring staff are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and ways of thinking and working to meet our communities needs and demands. Care at Home “unmet need” 2022-23 to 2023-24 -The significant progress delivered, combined with an increase in pick up by commissioned providers is encouraging. This has helped us to reduce unmet need by almost 20% compared with the previous financial year. Unmet need for care at home (hours per week) 2022/23 average 2023/24 average Weekly unmet need - 7 week average Rota optimisation in our Home Assessment Recovery Team (HART) Perth City has resulted in an increase in the number of care hours provided and once this is replicated across the North and South localities we can expect to see a further increase, adding an extra 126 hours of provision/week. Living Well care hours have increased as a result of a renewed focus, effectively supporting discharge from community hospitals. We are progressing an integrated locality approach through workforce realignment and the introduction of alliance contracting to promote collaborative working and sharing best practice to ensure consistency of care. We are introducing more efficient and effective IT solutions to increase efficiency and to allow robust data analysis that will inform improvement opportunities and strategic decision making. 20% Unmet need reduced by improvement in wait time for Care at Home to start.60% Royal Voluntary Service (RVS); RVS Carried out 79 home from hospital runs, 285 shopping trips, 51 assisted walks 239 home visits. Held Clubs at 4 locations with 1,505 people attending and provided 149 events to sheltered housing complexes. The Enhanced Care Home team seek to move away from traditional reactive models of care delivery towards proactive care that is centred on the needs of individual residents, their families and care home staff. Such care can only be achieved through a whole- system, collaborative approach which aims: 37 Page 281 of 366
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38 To deliver high-quality personalised care within care homes (people living in care homes have access to enhanced primary care and to specialist services and maintain their independence as far as possible by reducing, delaying or preventing the need for additional health and social care services). To provide, wherever possible, for individuals who (temporarily or permanently), live in a care home access to the right care and the right health services in the place of their choosing. To enable the effective use of resources by reducing unnecessary conveyances to hospitals, hospital admissions, and bed days whilst ensuring the best care for people living in care homes To ensure staff working in care homes feel at the heart of an integrated team that spans primary, community, mental health and specialist care, as well as social care services and the voluntary sector. The Enhanced Care Home Team is comprised of both nursing and Social Work and have made 512 Care Home visits in 2023-24. They have supported 9 LSIs as the second worker and 6 as the lead worker. The Social Worker in the team has conducted 12 Adult Support and protection investigation, screened 1293 incidents and coordinated regular MDTs within Care Homes that are either coming out of an LSI or are experiencing issues which may lead to an LSI. This team is supported by a wider MDT coordinated via the meeting of a fortnightly Care Home Assurance Group. This groups membership is inclusive of the Care Inspectorate, Health Protection, Allied Health professionals, Adult Support and Protection leads, Lead Nurse, Locality service managers, Community Mental Health and Commissioning. Live Active Leisure (Care Homes): 15 Care homes received group activities for the residents. 2,660 Attendances within Sheltered Housing Complexes, 10 Sheltered Housing complexes receiving group activity for residents. 42 new volunteers trained as Walk Leaders, 9 volunteers trained as Dementia Friendly Volunteers, 8 Care Homes attending Seated Netball Training, 43 Care Home Settings receiving new resource on how to deliver netball safely within Care Home “I have found the team to be very supportive, kind, non-judgemental. They genuinely want to help and go out of their way to assist with any queries. They are supportive, knowledgeable and realistic. They know the homes, the staff and the locality. A valuable asset to support the care homes in sometimes very difficult circumstances.” Case Example: Care Home Manager Balhousie, Pitlochry Stroke Care - The stroke service provides rapid 24/7 emergency hyperacute care in Ninewells Hospital. Following this phase of care, patients are moved to more local stroke units if they need ongoing inpatient care and rehabilitation. We are continuing work on implementing the Scottish Government’s Progressive Stroke Pathway, the National Stroke Standards and the National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke. Supported by a clinical improvement group, we have started to implement person-centred, multi-disciplinary goal setting within the stroke unit so that we can work with patients to achieve what matters most to them. Page 282 of 366
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Rehabilitation and reablement - The partnership provides rehabilitation and reablement expertise to maximise potential for recovery and gives individuals the opportunity to recover at home or in a community setting. This expertise is incorporated in a broad range of services including Community Rehabilitation, our Home Assessment and Reablement Team, Community Hospitals, and Tay Ward in the Perth Royal Infirmary estate. For patients who need reablement support it is vital that the HART service is able to provide support as soon as possible to reduce further deterioration. During 2023-24, the average wait between service referral and access improved by almost 60% compared to 2023, to around nine days for hospital patients and two weeks for people in the community. As with many services, HART is experiencing an increase in demand with 50% more referrals for March 2024 than the average for 2023. HART also provides Care at Home support in areas where mainstream provision is not available. 39 Specialist Community Respiratory Service – During 2023-24 the service supported 280 additional people, with a caseload at any one time ranging between 230 and 270 people. Overall, during the year the team assessed and managed almost 500 frail adults with respiratory needs, providing much needed support. However, it is clear that the current demand levels are challenging in terms of operational capacity, the expanding service scope, and the continued ageing population. Visit Care Opinion to read stories about Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership. Case Examples: Care Opinion Stories related to Older People’s Service “The staff have been very supportive.” “We are so grateful to everyone.” “This helped me greatly in recovering my mobility & confidence.” “You are all a wonderful team.” “Patient-centred, compassionate care” Reducing Social isolation Kinross Day Centre - Celebrated their 40th anniversary with a visit from King Charles. They have supported 162 individuals with attending the centre or delivered 4,287 meals to people in their own home. Case Examples: Service users of Kinross Day Centre “I don’t think I would bother getting up in morning if I wasn’t coming here.” “I have had to eat humble pie, my family have been at me for ages to come but I wouldn’t, now I am here I wished I had come ages ago.” “Would be sitting on my own every day if it wasn’t for the Centre.” Page 283 of 366
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Looking Forward We will continue to support What Matters to You beyond the HSCP workforce to embrace our highly valued independent and third sector partners. We are scoping the use of ‘Technology Enabled Care’ Client Assessment Tools. We seek to align services with the overarching integration agenda and shift the balance of care further towards a community-based focus. We are redesigning our dementia services through part of our Transformation Portfolio. This is aimed at enhancing capacity in dementia services and considered how best to operate inpatient and community based services when considering the level of service demand. A reablement ethos will be rolled out across all Care at Home services, with support from Live Active to encourage older people to keep moving, keep connected, and to keep doing the things that matter to them. We will continue the development of our Age Friendly Communities to enable a change in culture and behaviours. Plans for future events are already being developed and these will support people to contribute, and to understand more about the progress made to date. 40 Stanley Development Trust - By the end of December they had almost 5000 exchanges delivered through over 10,000 hours of volunteering. They gained 10 new Time Bank members in 2023. Most of the Time Bank hours were delivered through regular core Care & Wellbeing Project events and activities which include Befriending Service, Lunch Club, Soup Club, Winter Warmer Sessions, Board Game Café, Family Fun, Food Sunday Events, Community Litter Picking and a newly created family fun and food event. Page 284 of 366
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Service User Patient Experience Survey - Older People Care Group Feedback Feedback from our internal Service User and Patient Experience Survey indicates high levels of satisfaction with the support that people have received with all but 1 indicator achieving a score of greater than 90%, and lowest being 86%. Overall respondents rated services as either good or excellent. Older People Care Group - % Answering Yes Did the way you received health or social care support ensure you felt safe and supported? N=40 Was receiving your help or support a positive experience? N=44 Did you feel respected? N=43 Was your help or support well communicated? N=29 Was your help or support easily accessible? N=28 Was your health or social care support well coordinated and organised? N=25 Did you have a say in how your health or social care support was provided? N=39 Did your help or support have an impact in improving or maintaining your quality of life? N=23 Were you supported to live as independently as possible? N=19 Were you supported to manage your condition so that it doesn’t get worse? N=22 Were you supported to look after your own health well? N=20 90% 75% 80% 85% 90% 95% 100% 86% 95% 91% 100% 100% 100% 100% 92% 97% 96% Older People Care Group - Overall, how would you rate the health or social care support you received? N=26 Excellent Good88% 12% 41 Page 285 of 366
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Lead Partner Services (delivered pan-Tayside) Dental Our Lead Partner Services are delivered Tayside wide with the Chief Officer of Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board acting as Lead Partner for the operational and strategic planning of these services. Continued provision of dental services and preventive care for core PDS patients across Tayside. (Core PDS patients are people with an additional care need and who find access to care in general dental services challenging). Maintain delivery of sedation referral services across Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus for people who require treatment under sedation. Maintain delivery of services for people with complex needs who require treatment under general anaesthetic. Improved general anaesthetic (GA) access for special care adults through equitable access to GA lists in accordance with clinical priority. Maintenance of equity of GA access for paediatric exodontia across Tayside through improved demographic access to GA lists. Seek to provide a rolling programme of dental examinations and comprehensive dental care for care home residents. Respond to patient feedback particularly through Care Opinion as a means of continued service improvement. The PDS provides care for people in high priority and vulnerable groups who cannot access dental care elsewhere. It provides a referral service for treatment which requires general anaesthetic or sedation, and for patients requiring specialist input. This covers a wide range of dental care for paediatric and adult patient groups. The service delivers national oral health programmes such as Childsmile, Caring for Smiles, Mouth Matters, Smile4Life and Open Wide. The PDS delivers the National Dental Inspection Programme every year and assesses the dental health of Primary 1 and Primary 7 children. This data supports access to dental care for vulnerable and high-risk children. Teaching for undergraduate dental and dental therapy students is provided through the Outreach Teaching Programme which is inspected annually by NHS National Education Scotland. A daily emergency service for unregistered patients is available at all three sites across Tayside. Routine dental care is provided at fixed clinic locations, in prisons, care homes and hospitals and in domiciliary settings. The service also operates a mobile dental van for socially excluded groups and special care patients who cannot leave their care home setting and there is provision for bariatric services and wheelchair access at fixed clinics in Perth, Dundee and Arbroath. The PDS continued to reinstate delivery equivalent to pre-pandemic levels. This included clinical care for core PDS patients and a return to full clinical capacity. In terms of the Oral Health Improvement Team (OHIT), fluoride varnish has been reinstated in the most deprived 20% of the population along with toothbrushing in schools and nurseries. Reducing inequalities – 20% most deprived provided fluoride varnish. Our Dental Priorities 42 Page 286 of 366
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FOCUS on the National Dental Inspection Programme - The National Dental Inspection Programme, carried out annually by NHS Tayside PDS on behalf of Scottish Government, aims to inform parents of the dental health status of their children and advise the government, NHS Boards and other appropriate organisations of the prevalence of dental disease. Two key child age groups are involved: Primary 1 and Primary 7 and the Inspection Programme has two levels: a Basic Inspection for all Primary 1 and Primary 7 children and a Detailed Inspection for a representative sample of either Primary 1 or Primary 7, inspected in alternate years. In the school year 2022-2023 NHS Tayside PDS carried out 7,249 basic Primary 1 and Primary 7 inspections in 156 primary schools across Tayside, examining approximately 90% of the Primary 1 and Primary 7 school rolls. A representative sample of almost 700 Primary 7 children also received a detailed inspection. The basic inspection results show that although 71% of Primary 1 children had no dental decay experience, 7% of those examined were assessed to be in need of urgent dental treatment. The results of the detailed inspection allow national and historical comparisons and showed approximately 80% of the P7 sample had no evidence of decay experience, slightly below the 82% overall Scottish figure and a marginal improvement from the 79% achieved when this was last undertaken in 2019. The Public Dental Service reached a care opinion milestone during 2023-24. Perth and Kinross Health & Social Care Partnership / Public Dental Service (Tayside) 100 stories shared on Care Opinion! The Public Dental Service (Tayside) reached a total of 100 stories told on Care Opinion. 93 stories were told in the 2023-24 financial year; all were responded to by HSCP staff within a mean time of 12 hours. 100% of staff responses were rated helpful. 100% of PDS Care Opinion stories followed up within 12 hours. “Just before Covid I cracked two teeth and then during Covid the two fillings fell out. Then every so often I would lose another part of these teeth. Got to the point I was in so much pain I had to go to the dentist. As someone who has a phobia of needles and a fear of dentists, I was in that much pain I had no choice. I remember getting an emergency appointment and when I turned up, I was shaking and had tears in my eyes due to the fear. The dentist gave me antibiotics to help relieve the pain. There was not much else she could do due to my fear because if I’m awake, I will not allow a dentist near my mouth. Luckily, they referred me to King’s Cross dental department, Dundee. My fear started at a young age. My parents used a dentist that they called “the butcher”. I hated going to see him, he wasn’t kid friendly at all. All through 2023 I suffered on and off with an abscess. Getting a dentist appointment is nearly impossible. Case Example: An adult patient’s journey from emergency appointment through to treatment under general anaesthetic and post-surgery care – A Care Opinion Story. 43 Page 287 of 366
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In autumn 2023 I had to go to King’s Cross for a pre op discussion. The dentist and the dental nurse were amazing. Sat me down in a regular chair rather than the dentist chair, even a simple thing like that makes a huge difference. As we spoke, I actually felt that they understood my fear and phobia, which I felt was a first! They were very calming and reassuring. I walked out of King’s Cross with a bit of hope. Then earlier this year I was in so much pain, I had to call up and ask for my op to be brought forward. Luckily the dental nurse was able to get a date set for the following month. I was nervous but ecstatic! I will soon be pain free. My mouth surgery was to happen at Stracathro hospital. On the day I got the train up, I was slightly nervous. I was only slightly nervous because I knew the dentist understood my fear. If I didn’t have a pre assessment with the dentist last year, this would have been a different story. Once at Stracathro hospital the staff were fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble for them. Once in my room, all my checks were done, all paperwork filled in. The nurses were fantastic, always checking up on me. The anaesthetist came in and discussed what they were going to do. I was kept up to date with everything that was going on. Once again, I felt that they understood my phobia and fear. They were all very comforting and reassuring. Once I received my medication, I could feel myself calming down. Then an hour later I was transferred to another room, this time I was given gas and air. This sent me to sleep. Next thing I know I am waking up in my room again. Nurses come in to make sure I was ok. Once I felt a bit more awake, the dentists came in and I was able to chat to them. Then I got ready and was driven home by my dad. I suffered no pain after getting two teeth out and didn’t have any pain at all in recovery! I cannot speak highly enough of the staff at Stracathro hospital. Every person I met was fantastic. I am so so grateful for the compassion and understanding of the dental nurse and Dr X that day in Kings Cross Dental hospital back in the autumn. I felt my fears were not ignored; they were actually understood. I would probably still be sitting here in pain just wanting antibiotics if it wasn’t for how they made me feel. Not only have they sorted my teeth, they have given me more confidence, my diet has completely changed, my energy levels have changed, I have a new zest and I’m just so happy to be able to smile again. Words cannot express how grateful I am to Dr X and Nurse Y.” Looking Forward We will continue to provide Public Dental Services in line with our set priorities. In particular we will: Focus on delivering dental examinations for all residents of care homes in Tayside to the extent possible given lack of available workforce, both within PDS and with the Care Home sector. Reduce our waiting list for special care treatments which require general anaesthetics for adults. Work with the Scottish Government and NHS Tayside to meet the increasing demands for emergency dental care for unregistered patients. 44 Page 288 of 366
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A national shortage of suitably trained podiatrists means that recruitment is challenging. Over the past twelve months the increase in capacity for student placements and improvement in the education programme offered to them is however already helping to attract recruits to Tayside. To support foot health education the podiatry service provides a self-management programme ‘Footstep’; Care home education webinars; and information sessions for health and social care staff such as ‘CPR for Feet’, which support early intervention, prevention and appropriate referral. In line with Scottish Government guidelines, we continue to support voluntary personal footcare providers across Tayside. Following the success of the community initiative ‘Footwise’, by three churches in Perth City this model has been replicated in Angus and more recently in Dundee. The service is exploring similar opportunities with community partners in Blairgowrie. Podiatry NHS Podiatrists are experts in all aspects of foot and lower limb conditions, relieving pain, maintaining tissue viability, treating wounds and keeping people mobile and active; thereby reducing the demand on other services. Early podiatry intervention plays a key role in the prevention of problems and proactively supports people to maintain their independence and quality of life. This is achieved through triage, screening, assessment, diagnosis, treatment and health education. 7,000 46,000 appointments provided per year. people supported. Demand remains high due to an ageing population and an increase in people presenting with long term conditions. The service has a fluid caseload of approximately 7,000 people generating over 46,631 appointments per year (a rise from the previous twelve months of 38,500) and a rising referral rate of approximately 600 per month. The number of people supported by the service has reduced following the pandemic however their needs are generally more complex, resulting in the need for more appointments. Podiatry prioritisation: Urgent- infection/ulceration – appointed within 5 working days. Soon – moderate/high risk diabetes foot risk score, severe peripheral arterial disease, nail surgery – appointed within 12 weeks. Routine – referrals that do not indicate any condition which puts the person at immediate risk but meets the clinical criteria for assessment are placed on a waiting list with a target date of 18 weeks. “The session was clear and concise with all parts explained to our understanding which was great.” “Excellent session – really informative and educational – [team member] was really knowledgeable and answered all our questions.” “I think it is very accessible and made easy for people to join as it can be done online.” Case Examples: Care Home Education Student placements increasing capacity 45 Page 289 of 366
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Podiatry Services use Care Opinion and during the reporting period had 29 stories submitted which have been viewed 1,421 times on the Care Opinion website. 100% of the podiatry stories were submitted directly via the Care Opinion website and contained no suggestions for improvement to the services. 100% of staff responses were rated helpful by those who read them and all responses were delivered within the HCSP target period. “I had an appointment to have my big toenail removed due to persistent pain and infections. Firstly, I was very impressed by how quick and easy this entire process has been. Being able to self-refer is a godsend and saves the hassle of trying to go through the GP. I had the initial consultation within a week, and treatment within a month. I had been expecting to be told there would be a very long waiting list, so I’m very happy I was dealt with within such a short time. The staff within this service have all been fantastic. The consultation was great, very informative and potential risks and complications (while unlikely) were fully explained. The procedure itself went very well. Again, the staff were fantastic, very friendly and put me at ease, and I felt they handled the procedure very professionally. Aftercare was discussed in very clear terms that was easy to understand, and I was given some dressings along with written information to take home. Overall, I have been very happy with the experience, such great service, Thank you.” Case Example: A Care Opinion Story Improvement Journey: Impact of Podiatry as part of the Allied Health Professional (AHP) plan for Orthopaedics The situation - Patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) foot and ankle conditions were being referred to Orthopaedics, Podiatry and Orthotics for the same condition. This resulted in duplication of referrals, three different services triaging referrals for same individual and subsequently appointments were being offered by three services. The challenge - Building working relationships, trust and rapport with three services which historically worked in silo and had limited knowledge of each other’s scope of practice. Our action - An AHP and Orthopaedic Improvement Plan was initiated with the support on an Improvement Advisor. Multi-disciplinary foot and ankle pathways were agreed with clear guidance on the triaging process. The result - All MSK foot and ankle referrals will be sent to a central hub, where they will be triaged by an MSK Advanced Practice Podiatrist or an Orthotist. The outcome - Improved interprofessional relationships and communication. Reduced time spent by consultant triaging referrals, reducing unnecessary orthopaedic consultant appointments by enhanced triage of referral by the Podiatrist or Orthotist. Promotes the most appropriate specialist interventions timeously, reduces duplication of appointments, thereby streamlining the patient journey. Ultimately reducing variation, waste and harm. 46 Page 290 of 366
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Looking Forward We plan to initiate a pilot of a Podiatry led vascular service. This will facilitate the early diagnosis and intervention of peripheral arterial disease and improve links between primary and secondary care appointments. Evidence shows early detection and intervention reduces the risk of people experience heart related issues and lower limb amputations. It is anticipated that this will reduce the need for both GP and unnecessary secondary care appointments. We will continue to collaborate with NHS Tayside Vascular Service so that podiatry becomes an integrated partner in the multi-disciplinary team. This will improve the experience people have when accessing our services, reduce waiting times for vascular services, and reduce the time people need to spend in hospital. We will improve people’s experience of accessing nail surgery to reduce the occurrence of infections and limit the need for GP appointments. The Podiatry Service is looking to work with the Dundee Treatment and Care Service (DTACS) and undertake a test of change commencing in September 2024 around shared care. This will foster better working relationships with DTACS; improve the appropriateness and timeliness of referrals; and improve patient experience. 47 Page 291 of 366
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Prison Healthcare Prison Healthcare covers HMP (His Majesty’s Prison) Perth, HMP Castle Huntly and the HMP and YOI (Young Offenders Institute) Bella Unit (Dundee). We provide primary and some secondary health care services with the aim of ensuring equitable provision of healthcare to that delivered in the community. HMP Perth has around 650 residents at any one time and an annual turnover of approximately 3,500. Prisoners are primarily from Tayside and Fife, while HMP Castle Huntly is a national establishment for those coming to the end of their sentence. For HMP Castle Huntly there are approximately 250 residents, who are able to access the community including through work placements and home leave. The newly opened HMP and YOI Bella was initially designed for women from Tayside and Fife, however the unit now provides accommodation for 16 people from all over Scotland. It provides secure living accommodations through independent housing units, to support people to learn life skills, build independence, self-reliance and resilience, before accessing the community. Prison Healthcare teams include primary care, pharmacy, who are responsible for the management and distribution of medication (in possession medication), clinical pharmacy, optician, dentistry, podiatry, mental health, substance use, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, who deliver services such as administration of supervised medication, sexual health and blood borne virus, enhanced care, first responder services for acutely unwell or injured. Everyone admitted to HMP Perth undergoes an assessment by a nurse on admission and by a doctor within two weeks. Residents transferred to HMP Castle Huntly or HMP Bella undergo a transfer admission assessment by a nurse within 72 hours of arrival. Around 3,000 ‘person of concern’ cases have been considered since April 2021. This is a multi-disciplinary approach where a concern for someone’s welfare has been raised with nearly 90% being related to substance use, the other 10% relating largely to mental or physical health. Near Me Tayside is successfully used for outpatient appointments, with the implementation of telephone appointments also provided. This has improved accessibility and is more person-centred, preserving the dignity of patients, as it reduces the need for people to be securely escorted to attend hospital appointments. Occupational Therapists provide support through a range of measures, from liberation planning and rehabilitation (across cognitive, physical and mental health) to environment assessment and specialist equipment provision. While they primarily work with people with mental health issues, we have ensured there is capacity to also support people with substance use and physical health needs. An onsite Clinical Pharmacist provides specialist advice regarding medicines and conducts clinical and medication reviews. Joint working with clinical practitioners has been adopted to improve medicines administration with pharmacy colleagues offering controlled drug training to all staff. To improve efficiency of dental care and increase the number of appointments it was necessary to improve the ventilation in our clinical dental area. This work was completed in 2023, however there are challenges with the provision of sessions due to the nationwide shortage of dentists. 48 Page 292 of 366
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Our complaints handling process has improved. In the 2023 calendar year the service received 317 complaints, a decrease of 130 since the 2022 calendar year. The majority of complaints relate to disagreement with the treatment/care plan at 35% of all complaints; 17% refer to problems with medication; and a further 9% relate to waiting for medication. Unacceptable wait for appointment was the next highest at 8%. Of the complaints received, 12% were fully upheld, 58% were not upheld and 30% were partially upheld. Looking Forward We are continuing to expand the workforce in prison healthcare, introducing new roles for Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) in all our nursing teams, with a trainee ANP already in post for mental health. There has been significant work undertaken to identify people who have been diagnosed with long-term conditions so that they can be better supported. A physiotherapy service has also been introduced as part of the Prison Healthcare team as of January 2024, and we are looking to measure the impact of having this dedicated full time post, the first of its kind in Scotland Additionally, we are: Working with the ‘What Matters To You’ team to implement the, What Matters to You principles, and a culture of kindness, jointly with the Scottish Prison Service. Exploring ‘What Matters to You’ with patients in the three prison establishments. Exploring joint trauma informed leadership training with the Scottish Prison Service in HMP Perth to develop a fully trauma informed prison. Recommencing patient forums. 49 Hillcrest Futures - Scottish Prison Service; SMART Recovery - 33 Groups attended by 412 residents Relapse Prevention/Harm Reduction/Mindfulness - 27 Groups attended by 216 residents Recovery Cafe- 47 Groups attended by 614 residents Recovery Discussion/Book Group - 16 Groups attended by 113 residents Recovery Coaching - 36 Groups attended by 1,253 residents Art Group - 32 Groups attended by 362 residents Yoga - 5 Groups attended by 75 residents. Harm Reduction/Overdose - 87 One to One Sessions Mental Health/Wellbeing - 49 One to One Sessions Advice and Information - 126 One to One Sessions Recovery Support - 178 One to One Sessions During this reporting period they delivered 440 One to One Sessions. 3495 sessions were delivered by Peer workers to support people in their recovery and help to reduce their substance use. Page 293 of 366
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Workforce Our workforce is at the heart of delivering high quality health and social care services for the people of Perth and Kinross. Over 4,500 skilled and compassionate people work in various roles and settings, including the independent and third sectors. During 2023-24 we continued to face significant recruitment difficulties with vacancies for social carers, nurses, allied health professions (AHP) and medical staff particularly difficult to recruit. This challenge will intensify due to demographics and increases in demand for mental health, learning disability and substance use services. Our workforce is getting older, vacancies are increasing and the overall working age population in Perth and Kinross is shrinking. This is compounded by rurality. To address this a three-year Perth and Kinross HSCP Workforce Plan was developed in 2022. This sets out the ways in which we will respond to the significant challenges we face as well as the national action needed to support recruitment and retention. The plan recognises the significant work underway, set out in the chapters above, to redesign services with an unstinting focus on early intervention, integration and locality working. This will improve outcomes for the people we serve but will also improve the experience of staff delivering services across our communities. The plan is being implemented under the oversight of the Workforce Plan Steering Group. PKHSCP is a caring, compassionate partnership with great ambition for enabling our people to live life well and achieve the very best outcomes. We have a positive track record of inspiring and supporting our workforce through, for example, our What Matters to You? year-long initiative with Alliance Scotland. Through this our staff told us what matters to them to assist them to do their very best in public service and we will build on this over 2024-25 in pursuit of the practical and cultural conditions they need. So far, we have carried out over 70 events, attended by over 1,500 staff. Through these events, over 130 people have signed up to become What Matters to You Ambassadors. Recruitment Social care was identified as being a particularly challenging area for recruitment with consistently high numbers of vacancies. A specific plan for social care has been implemented focussing on developing more effective recruitment processes and improving retention through enhancing career pathways and improving support for front line workers. This has contributed to reducing unmet need for Care at Home by approximately one third. The Nursing Directorate and Allied Health Professions Directorate of NHS Tayside have been actively supporting International Recruitment and have successfully appointed employees from outwith the UK to posts locally. NHS Tayside Human Resources have supported all aspects of this approach and our professional education teams have created a range of resources to support new employees. Developing roles Psychiatry of Old Age inpatients have implemented Associate Practitioner roles. These staff have skills and experience in specific areas of clinical practice. Although they are not registered practitioners, they have a high level of skill through their experience and training and help mitigate the impact of the shortage of consultants. To improve the attractiveness of the roles we offer we have created Advanced Practitioner opportunities across all service areas. 1,500 staff engaged in ‘What Matters to You?’ 50 Page 294 of 366
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In-house academy models, offering the opportunity to develop our workforce from within are ongoing. For example, there are currently five people in the HSCP undergoing training for the professional social work qualification. The Nursing Directorate and AHP Directorate have been supporting our healthcare support workers using the opportunities that the NES Development and Education Framework for Healthcare Support Workers brings, such as developing new assistant practitioner roles. The Scottish Government, COSLA and partners have a shared ambition for a trauma informed workforce and services across Scotland and have invested in the development of the National Trauma Training Programme led by NHS Education for Scotland. Having recruited a Trauma Approach Co-ordinator in February 2023, we are implementing a local strategy and action plan that embeds the principles of Trauma Informed Practice across all staff and services in Perth and Kinross. This person-centred approach aims to reframe the understanding of complex behaviours as potential responses to trauma, prioritising the building of trusting, mutual relationships above all else. Data A pan-Tayside data group has been established to co-ordinate and collate workforce information to meet the requirements of workforce planning groups and local workforce strategies. This ensures data, analysis and benchmarks are available to support workforce planning by both Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside. This is helping to reduce agency use and the identification of service hotspots. 51 Page 295 of 366
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Independent Inspection During the period April 2023 to March 2024, there were inspection visits to HMP Perth and to The Bella Centre Community Custody unit. There were also Care Inspectorate Inspections to Care Homes and Care at Home services. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland Inspection to HMP Perth from 22 to 26 May 2023. HMP Perth holds adult short and long-term convicted male prisoners and those on remand from the courts of Angus, City of Dundee, Perth and Kinross, and Fife. The prison’s agreed capacity was 660 and on the first day of the inspection the population was 647. Healthcare provision within the establishment is provided by NHS Tayside, and Perth and Kinross HSCP are the lead partnership for the Prison Healthcare service. With regards to Health and Wellbeing, inspectors assessed 16 quality indicators. Five were rated as Satisfactory. Nine were rated as Generally Acceptable. Two were rated as Poor. The overall rating for Health and Wellbeing with the establishment was Generally Acceptable. There were five examples of good practice highlighted and seventeen recommendations for improvement. The good practice highlighted was: Patients with immediate complex needs, found under the influence or where the reception nurse raised a concern, would be discussed at the multi-disciplinary/multi- agency Person of Concern Group (POCG) the following morning (Monday to Friday). The Occupational Therapy service provided a wide range of support for patients across many services. It works closely with patients to improve access to services, supporting transitions to and from HMP Perth. There was clear multi-disciplinary engagement with the wider healthcare team and the Scottish Prison Service. Patients could be referred to the Pharmacy Team to discuss medication by another member of the Multi-disciplinary Team or patients could self-refer. Inspectors saw evidence of good relationships between healthcare staff and the Scottish Prison Service. Some healthcare teams had individual processes for seeking feedback from patients following treatment to help influence improvements to individual’s practice. The Prison Healthcare service has an improvement plan in place to progress the recommendations identified. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland Inspection to The Bella Centre on 5 March 2024. The Bella Centre became operational in 2022 and houses women and young people with low supervision requirement. Located in the Hilltown area of Dundee, the centre's accommodation consists of three 'shared houses' with capacity for 16 individuals. 52 Page 296 of 366
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How good is care and support planned? How good is your setting? How good is your staff team? How good is your leadership? How well do we support peoples wellbeing? 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 1 - Unsatisfactory 2 - Weak 3 - Adequate 4 - Good 5 - Very Good 6 - Excellent Arrangements for Clinical and Care Governance assurance and reporting. The HSCP Care and Professional Governance Forum (CPGF) has responsibility for ensuring appropriate scrutiny, assurance and advice within the HSCP, and during 2023-2024 was co-chaired by the Head of Adult Social Work and Social Care and Associate Medical Director. The CPGF receives assurance reporting from all localities and services within the partnership, and all have provided an annual report providing details and assurances regarding the provision of safe, effective and person-centred services, and any ongoing improvement. Each locality has in place a Clinical, Care and Professional Governance Group, all of which are now firmly established. These groups have representation across both Health and Social Care, and provide an opportunity for a focus on improvement, shared learning, and effective clinical and care governance. Care Inspectorate Inspections of Care Homes and Care at Home Services throughout the year. During the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, there were a total of 31 inspections to Care Homes, 7 to Supported Accommodation and 1 to Care at Home Services. The graph below shows the results of the Inspections and the overall grades. There were no unsatisfactory ratings given during this year, and only one weak rating given. This compares to four unsatisfactory and one weak rating during the 2022-23. See - Older People’s chapter for more information on the Enhanced Care Home Support Team which is helping to drive improvement in this area. The Community Custody Units (CCU) have been designed to provide safe and secure accommodation, which is trauma informed and gender specific. The CCUs support the needs of women who would benefit from closer community contact and access to local services. Women are supported to live independently in accommodation based on a ‘shared house’ principle to develop a range of independent living skills, which are reflective of real life. The inspection’s report is yet to be made available. 53 Page 297 of 366
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Finance Financial Resources Available to the IJB 2023-24 The IJB is responsible for the planning and oversight of a broad range of health and adult social care services for the people of Perth and Kinross. These services are provided by Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside via Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership. This is funded through budgets delegated from Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside. The resources available to the IJB in 2023/24 totalled £297.879m. The following charts provide a breakdown of where these resources came from, and how it was allocated. Resources Available Perth and Kinross Council £105,961 Set Aside £26,206 NHS Tayside £165,712 Total £297,879 Included within the Resources Available to the IJB is ‘Large Hospital Services’ (Set Aside) totalling £26.206m. This resource is in respect of those functions carried out within a large hospital setting and operationally managed by NHS Tayside but for which planning is the responsibility of the IJB. Resources Available Set Aside £26,206 Older People £98,414 Other Community Services £4,819 Hosted Services in Tayside £19,507 General Medical and Family Health £52,787 Prescribing £30,844 Inpatient Mental Health Hosted £11,698 Management/Other Commissioned £15,382 Adults £38,222 Financial Performance The Financial Plan, approved by the IJB’s in March 2023, projected a break-even position across Health and Social Care after the application of general reserves. The IJB’s financial performance compared to the Financial Plan for 2023-24 is summarised in the table below. 54 Page 298 of 366
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Health Social Care Sub-Total PKIJB General Reserve 3.206 0.636 3.842 (3.842) 2.774 2.040 4.814 (4.814) (0.432) 1.404 0.972 (0.972) Total 2023/24 Financial Plan Position Over/(Under) £m 2023/24 Year-End Out-Turn Over/(Under) £m Movement from Plan Over/(Under) £m - - - Finance updates have been presented to the Audit and Performance Committee throughout 2023-24, reporting on the projected in year position. The main movements from plan relate to - The provision of additional capacity within Older People’s services mainly in Care at Home, inpatient community hospitals, residential placements, and inpatient wards at PRI due to demographic growth, and increased demand for services. In October 2023, the IJB approved the HSCP Winter Plan which included additional expenditure of £1.1m to support whole system resilience over the winter period through the continued investment in additional surge beds and the extension of the Early Discharge Project. GP Prescribing experienced increased prices and volumes throughout 2023-24 which resulted in the final overspend exceeding planned levels. Prescribing continues to be a source of pressure for the Partnership, however measures to tackle the ongoing position have been outlined within the IJB Budget for 2024-25. A share of the costs associated with general medical practices in Dundee and Angus, where NHS Tayside is directly managing the practices, has been attributed to Perth and Kinross in 2023-24. These are known as ‘2C Practices’ and this share of costs was above planned levels. An interim risk share arrangement was reached between the Tayside Partnerships in 2023-24 whilst a revised risk sharing agreement is developed. Work is progressing on this into 2024-25. In addition to the core position, the IJB has utilised various earmarked reserves. This has provided additional capacity and ensured resilience across services, whilst the Strategic Delivery Plan actions are being implemented. Financial Plan In March 2024, the IJB approved a budget for 2024-25 and provisional budgets for 2025- 26 and 2026-27. The budget required the use of general and earmarked reserves to balance in year 1 and identified recurring shortfalls in years 2 and 3. The IJB is faced with significant and increasing financial challenges due to inflation, a growing ageing population, increasing demand and complexities, and funding uncertainty. In setting this budget the IJB remained committed to supporting the Strategic Plan by prioritising and ensuring best use of available resources. The IJB understands there are key risks and uncertainties that require to be monitored and managed closely throughout 2024-25. The budget is also reliant on the success of an ambitious and evidenced based Transformation Programme of works which will be undertaken throughout the financial year. The IJB will need to consider further transformation or reductions in overall expenditure to ensure the budget can be balanced in future years. 55 Page 299 of 366
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Best Value Best Value is about creating an effective organisational context from which public bodies can deliver key outcomes. The following building blocks ensure we are organised to deliver good outcomes, by ensuring delivery in a manner which is: economic, efficient, sustainable, and supportive of continuous improvement. Best Value Self-Assessment Action Plan A report covering our Best Value self-assessment was presented to the Audit and Performance Committee in June 2024, reporting on compliance with the principles of best value and the results of a Best Value Self-Assessment undertaken by the Executive Management Team. IJB’s have a statutory duty to make arrangements to secure best value which is about ensuring there is good governance and effective management of resources, with a focus on improvement, to deliver the best possible outcomes for the public. Statutory Best Value Guidance was updated in 2020 and it is framed around seven themes. IJB’s must be able to demonstrate a focus on continuous improvement in performance around each of the themes of: 1. Vision and leadership 2. Governance and accountability 3. Effective use of resources 4. Partnerships and collaborative working 5. Working with communities 6. Sustainability 7. Fairness and equality There are 87 criteria across the themes. Against each criteria, evidence was added to support the assessment and proposals for improvement were provided, where appropriate. Evidence supported that 76 of the criteria are being met by the IJB and 11 criteria identified action or improvement, some of which is already underway. A summary of the results is shown in the table below. Best Value Self Assessment June 2024% 100 80 60 40 20 0 Vision and leadership Governance and accessibility Effective use of resources Partnerships and collaborative working Working with communities Sustainability Fairness and equality Developed Action/ improvement The assessment shows that the IJB is able to demonstrate that the criteria is either being met or has actions identified across all of the seven themes. As a result of the exercise, actions and improvements will be brought together to form a Best Value improvement plan which will be monitored and reported on throughout the year. 56 Page 300 of 366
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Governance and Accountability The IJB undertakes an annual review of its governance arrangements and is able to demonstrate structures, policies and leadership behaviours which demonstrate good standards of governance and accountability. No significant decisions have been made outside of the scope of the strategic plan in the reporting year. Use of Resources The IJB is supported by a robust Financial Planning process which forms the basis for budget agreement each year with NHS Tayside and Perth and Kinross Council. Performance against the Financial Plan is reported to the IJB on a regular basis during the year. The use of our resources is directly linked to our strategic priorities. Finance update reports have been presented to the Audit and Performance Committee throughout 2023- 24, reporting on the projected financial position and the impact of the pandemic. Our 3- year financial planning process is directly linked to the development of our strategic plans, ensuring resources are continuously prioritised to best meet the needs to the people of Perth and Kinross. 57 Page 301 of 366
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Key Contact For further information on any area of this report please contact: Chris Jolly, Service Manager (Business Planning and Performance), or Claire McCarthy Team Leader (Performance Management and Reporting) at tay.pkijbbusinesssupport@nhs.scot. You can also send us a text message on 07824 498145 If you or someone you know would like this document in another language or format, (on occasion, only a summary of the document will be provided in translation), this can be arranged by contacting the Customer Service Centre on 01738 475000 58 Page 302 of 366
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Appendix Appendix 1.1 Perth and Kinross HSCP Service Breakdown Delegated Partnership Services Pan TaysideCommunity Care Health Hospital Social work services (adults and older people) Social work services (adults with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and autism) Social work services (Mental health) Drug and alcohol services and lead for Alcohol and Drug Partnership Adult Support and protection and lead for Suicide Prevention Carers support services Care Home internal and commissioned services Supported Living Employment Support Aspects of housing support Day services/opportunities/ respite care Community Engagement integrated health and care Occupational therapy and aids and adaptations/Joint Equipment and Loan Store (JELS) Reablement Care at Home TEC/telecare service - community alarm and rapid response District Nursing Addiction services Allied health professional services Primary medical services (where no GP contact is in place) Primary medical services to patients out of hours (Angus Lead Partner) Ophthalmic services Pharmaceutical services Community geriatric medical services Community Palliative care services Community learning disability health services Community Mental health services Community continence services Community kidney dialysis services Local community services to promote public health Tay Ward (PRI) Stroke Ward (PRI) Community Hopitals Blairgowrie Pitlochry Crieff St Margarets Psychiatry of Old Age Gary Ward (MRH) Leven Ward (MRH) Tummel Ward (MRH) Strategic Planning - Large Hospital Services Accident and Emergency Wards associated with unplanned admissions Strategic and Operational: Public Dental Services/Community Dental Services Prison Healthcare Podiatry Strategic planning coordination only (Chief Officer) Inpatient mental health services Inpatient learning disability services Inpatient drug and alcohol services 59 Page 303 of 366
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60 Appendix 2.1 National Core Suite Indicator Tables Indicator 2023/24 Percentage of adults able to look after their health very well or quite well. N = 2762 Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that they are supported to live as independently as possible. N = 180 Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that they had a say in how their help, care or support was provided. N = 180 Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that their health and care services seemed to be well co-ordinated. N = 1912 How we compared to 2019/20 2022/232021/22 Percentage of adults receiving any care or support who rate it as excellent or good. N = 201 Percentage of people with positive experience of the care provided by their GP practice. N = 2265 Percentage of adults supported at home who agree that their services and support had an impact in improving or maintaining their quality of life. N = 178 Percentage of carers who feel supported to continue in their caring role. N = 299 Percentage of adults supported at home who agree they felt safe. N = 178 NI 1 2 3 4 5 2020/212019/202018/19 8 6 7 9 N/A Source: Public Health Scotland Core Suite Integration Indicators. July 2024 update, latest data 2023/24. N is the number of responses. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 94% 82% 77% 73% 83% 86% 80% 37% 84% 94% 80% 74% 65% 79% 74% 76% 33% 79% 94% 74% 68% 57% 70% 76% 76% 32% 77% -0.4% -8.4% -9.3% -15.7% -12.8% -10.7% -4.4% -4.8% -7.1% Page 304 of 366
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61 Indicator 2023/24 How we compared to 2018/19 2022/232021/22NI 11 12 13 14 15 2020/212019/202018/19 18 16 17 19 350 Source: Public Health Scotland Core Suite Integration Indicators. July 2024 update. For indicators 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 calendar year 2023 is used as a proxy for 2023/24 due to the national data for 2023/24 being incomplete. We have done this following guidance issued by Public Health Scotland which was communicated to all Health and Social Care Partnerships. Using more complete calendar year data for 2023 should improve the consistency of reporting between Health and Social Care Partnerships. NI 20 PHS has not provided information for indicator 20 beyond 2019/20 because detailed cost information is not available. PHS previously published information to calendar year 2020 using costs from 2019/20 as a proxy but, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activity and expenditure, PHS no longer consider this appropriate. 365 380333 357 n/a 8.5% 21.8% 8.9% 27.8% -0.7% 25.8% -16.2% 3.0% 21.2% Emergency admission rate for adults (18+) (per 100,000 population). Emergency bed day rate for adults (18+) (per 100,000 population). Emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge (rate per 1,000 discharges) (18+) Proportion of last 6 months of life spent at home or in a community setting. Falls rate per 1,000 population aged 65+ (falls which result in a hospital admission). Percentage of adults with intensive care needs receiving care at home. Number of days people aged 75+ spend in hospital when they are ready to be discharged, per 1,000 population. Premature Mortality rate per 100,000 persons by calendar year. Proportion of Care Services graded good or better in Care Inspectorate Inspections. 10,952 10,586 12,52611,486 11,317 13,339 104,228 94,021 121,394107,690 111,564 113,483 115 141 137116 129 147 90% 90% 89%90% 91% 89% 22 24 2823 23 28 87% 89% 73%86% 77% 71% 61% 60% 67%59% 55% 64% 548 197 939502 594 664 Page 305 of 366
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Appendix 3.1 Our Strategic Priorities Mapped to National Indicators and the National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes Strategic Priority Target resources to where people and communities need help most. National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes Core Suite of Integration Indicators Core Suite of Integration Indicators Make it easier for people to understand where and how to access services. Provide health and social care supports close to home. Older People Delivery Plan, Carers Strategy, TEC Strategy, Primary Care Strategy. Draft Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Strategy, Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2025, Learning Disability and Autism Delivery Plan, Suicide Prevention Plan, ADP Delivery Plan. Work with communities to design the health and social care supports they need. Improved integrated working. Value our workforce, support them to keep well, learn and develop. Draft Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Strategy, Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022- 2025, Learning Disability and Autism Delivery Plan, Older People Delivery Plan and Carers Strategy. NHWO 4 NHWO 5 NHWO 6 NI 7, NI 8, NI 11, NI 12, NI 13, NI 16, NI 17, NI 19, NI 20 NI 1, NI 3, NI 4, NI 5, NI 6, NI 7, NI 8, NI 11, NI 12, NI 13, NI 14, NI 15, NI 16, NI 17, NI 19, NI 20 NHWO 1 NHWO 3 NHWO 4 NHWO 6 NHWO 2 NHWO 3 NHWO 4 NHWO 5 NHWO 6 NHWO 9 NI 2, NI 3, NI 4, NI 5, NI 6, NI 7, NI 8, NI 11, NI 12, NI 13, NI 14, NI 15, NI 16, NI 17, NI 18, NI 19, NI 20 Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2025, Learning Disability and Autism Delivery Plan, Older People Delivery Plan and Carers Strategy. NHWO 1 NHWO 2 NHWO 3 NHWO 4 NHWO 6 NHWO 7 NHWO 9 NI 1, NI 2, NI 3, NI 4, NI 5, NI 6, NI 7, NI 8, NI 9, NI 11, NI 12, NI 13, NI 14, NI 15, NI 16, NI 17, NI 18, NI 19, NI 20 Older People Delivery Plan, Carers Strategy, Primary Care Strategy, Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-25, TEC Action Plan, Community Action Plans. NHWO 2 NHWO 3 NHWO 4 NHWO 6 NHWO 9 NI 2, NI 3, NI 4, NI 5, NI 6, NI 7, NI 8, NI 12, NI 13, NI 14, NI 15,NI 16, NI 17, NI 18, NI 19, NI 20 Older People Delivery Plan, Carers Strategy, TEC Strategy, Primary Care Strategy, NHST Integrated Clinical Strategy, Community Action Plans, Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2025, Learning Disability and Autism Delivery Plan. Promote self- management and living well. NHWO 1 NHWO 2 NHWO 4 NHWO 6 NHWO 7 NI 1, NI 2, NI 3, NI 7, NI 8, NI 9, NI 11, NI 12, NI 13, NI 14, NI 15, NI 16, NI 17, NI 18, NI 19, NI 20 Older People Delivery Plan, Carers Strategy, TEC Strategy, Primary Care Strategy, Community Action Plans, Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022- 2025, Learning Disability and Autism Delivery Plan. To give us feedback If you, a family member or someone you care for has recently used one of our health and social care services, and would like to share your experience, please use the QR code to access Care Opinion, or visit www.careopinion.org/services/s37000023. NHWO 3 NHWO 4 NHWO 8 NHWO 9 NI 3, NI 4, NI 5, NI 6, NI 7, NI 10, NI 12, NI 13, NI 14, NI 15, NI 16, NI 17, NI 19, NI 20 Workforce Plan 2023-26, Celebrating People Document. 62 Page 306 of 366
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL 30 October 2024 ARMED FORCES COVENANT PROGRESS REPORT Report by the Strategic Lead - Housing and Communities (Report No. 24/302) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide a Progress Report in relation to the Council’s commitment under the Armed Forces Covenant. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that Council: (i) Notes the content of this report and approves the continued work in relation to the Council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. 3. STRUCTURE OF REPORT 3.1 This report is structured over the following sections: • Section 4: Background/Main Issues • Section 5: Proposals • Section 6: Conclusion • Appendices 4. BACKGROUND / MAIN ISSUES 4.1 The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly and do not face disadvantages when accessing public or private goods and services in the UK. 4.2 The Covenant is a voluntary pledge. Organisations may choose to sign up to show their support for the Armed Forces Community and the principles of the Covenant. All organisations – public, private or voluntary and small, medium or large – are welcome to sign the Covenant. 4.3 Perth & Kinross Council first signed the Covenant in December 2012, reaffirming this commitment in September 2017. 4.4 Signatories to the Covenant can be recognised by the Employer Recognition Scheme, which awards Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. The Council received the Gold Award in 2021. These awards are reviewed every 5 years by the Ministry of Defence and there are currently 14 Scottish local authorities in receipt of the Gold Award. 10 Page 307 of 366
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We are at the early stages of preparing for the next review of our Gold Award in 2026. The local Armed Forces and Veterans Champion meets regularly with champions from local organisations from both the public and private sectors to share experiences and good practice. 4.5 A legal Duty to have due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant, as set out in the Armed Forces Act 2021, came into force in November 2022. 4.6 Organisations must demonstrate “due regard” to the principles of the Covenant, this means they must consciously consider the needs of the Armed Forces community, placing appropriate weight on the principles when carrying out their functions. 4.7 The Duty applies to specific Council functions in housing and education, as well as certain health functions provided by NHS Tayside, including those delegated to the Integrated Joint Board. Housing Functions: • Allocation polices for social housing • Homelessness (strategic advice and accommodation provision) • Grants for adaptations Education Functions: • Admissions (including placing requests) • Transport • Attendance • Additional Support Needs • Educational provision, attainment and curriculum • Student wellbeing 4.8 An Action Plan is in place to track progress across all Council areas, including those covered by the new Duty. The full Statutory Guidance is available here provides more details. 4.9 The Council’s Armed Forces and Veterans Champion, an Elected Member, co-ordinates the work related to the Armed Forces Covenant. The Corporate Equalities Team Leader is also a named Armed Forces and Veterans Council Officer with responsibility for co-ordinating veterans’ issues. Named officer contacts in Housing, Education, Employability, Welfare Rights and Human Resources also address issues relating to Veterans and Reservists. This group meets twice a year with the Council’s Armed Forces and Veterans Champion. Page 308 of 366
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4.10 The Armed Forces and Veterans Champion attends or chairs various local and national meetings, including: - Highland Gold Network - Veterans and Cadet Force Volunteer Network - Veterans Breakfast Club (monthly) - RAF Association - Association of Perth Veterans - Perth Salute Planning - Working closely with Perth Prison (including building a Wicker Statue for their Memorial Garden). They also hold individual case meetings with Veterans, often concerning housing or mental health issues, and collaborate with Veterans Housing Scotland and SSAFA. 4.11 The Champion is a committee member of the Highland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, overseeing local cadet forces and maintaining regular contact with local cadet units. 4.12 For the first time, the 2022 Census identified those who have served in the Armed Forces. In Perth and Kinross: • 6,896 people identified as having served in the Armed Forces (from a population aged 16 or over of 127,052). - 1,482 said they served in the reserves only. - 4,963 said they served in the regular forces only. - 451 said they served in the regular forces and reserves. • 6,504 households reported having at least one Armed Forces Veteran. • Perth & Kinross has the 9th highest number of Veterans among the 32 Scottish local authorities, with Fife having the highest at 17,217. • The tables in Appendix 1 also give a detailed overview of age and gender of Armed Forces Veterans in Perth and Kinross but summarised points worth noting are: - There is a split of 78% male (6,040) and 12% female (856). - In terms of age 3,383 of the male total (56%) are aged over 65 whilst 411 of the female total (48%) are aged over 65. These figures set in context for the first time why the work outlined above is so vital. Page 309 of 366
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5. PROGRESS REPORT 5.1 Over the last 12 months, we have demonstrated our commitment to supporting Veterans and their families through various services, civic responsibilities, and as an employer. These include: - • Maintaining and updating the range of information available to Veterans on our website in a dedicated area – http://www.pkc.gov.uk/adviceforveterans • Offering a network for staff who are Veterans, Reservists or Adult Cadet Force Volunteers, or have family members serving in the forces. These network meetings, chaired by the Armed Forces and Veterans Champion, provide opportunities to share experiences and discuss workplace issues and policies. • Reprinting and distributing the ‘Veterans First’ Guide, a booklet with information for those leaving the Armed forces and settling in Perth and Kinross, in partnership with SSAFA. The guide is available online and in booklet form. • Issuing bulletins to promote both Reservists Day and Armed Forces Day. • Continuing to provide special leave with pay (up to 15 days per annum) for reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers to attend annual training camps and local detachments. • Continuing to make available the ‘Armed Forces Covenant for Frontline Workers’ eLearning module for all frontline employees. The number of staff completing this module are: - 2023: 87 staff completing the module in 2023 - 2024: (so far) 26 staff - Previous years: 2019 (72); 2020 (73); 2021 (75) and 2022 (42). • Continuing to attend Corporate Induction sessions with a pop-up banner and information leaflets about the Armed Forces Covenant Duty. • Providing a recurring annual budget of £5,000 through the Council budget setting process in February 2023. Current financial year (2024/25) commitment to date is £3,414, based on the following purchases: - Reprint of Veterans First booklets £828 - Poppy Wreaths (75) for Remembrance Day £2,586 Page 310 of 366
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• The Provost (or Depute) and Armed Forces and Veterans Champion have continued to host or represent at various civic and military events since the previous reporting period including local and national ceremonies and salutes, Remembrance Events and engagement and policy events. A full list of these events can be made available upon request. • The Council will continue collaborating with Council services and Veterans Support organisations to address issues related to Veterans in the coming year. 6. CONCLUSION 6.1 The Council remains committed to its responsibilities under the Armed Forces, as demonstrated in this report. This commitment will continue in line with the new Duty. Author Name Designation Contact Details David McPhee Corporate Equalities Team Leader EPLCommitteeReports@pkc.gov.uk Approved Name Designation Date Clare Mailer Deputy Chief Executive 17 October 2024 APPENDICES • Appendix 1 – Age and Gender Breakdown of Armed Forces Veterans in Perth and Kinross (Scottish Census 2022) Page 311 of 366
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement Yes Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial Yes Workforce Yes Asset Management (land, property, IST) Yes Assessments Equality Impact Assessment None Strategic Environmental Assessment None Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) None Legal and Governance Yes Risk Yes Consultation Internal Yes External Yes Communication Communications Plan Yes 1. Strategic Implications Community Plan/Single Outcome Agreement 1.1 This report supports all of the priorities within the Community Plan 2022-27: (i) Reducing Poverty (including child poverty, fuel poverty and food poverty) (ii) Mental and physical wellbeing (iii) Digital participation (iv) Skills, learning and development (v) Employability Corporate Plan 1.2 This report supports the objectives within the draft new Corporate Plan: (i) Children and young people grow up safe, respected, well-educated, and confident in their ability to realise their full potential; (ii) People and businesses are increasingly able to prosper in a local economy which support low carbon ambitions and offers opportunities for all; (iii) People can achieve their best physical and mental health and have access to quality care and support when they need it; (iv) Communities are resilient and physically, digital and socially connected; (v) Perth and Kinross is a safe and vibrant place, mitigating the impact of climate and environmental change for this and future generations. Page 312 of 366
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2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 There are no additional financial implications arising directly as a result of this report at this time. Ongoing work is managed within existing budgets and any new developments which may arise in future will be subject to budget approval as appropriate. Workforce 2.2 There are no additional workforce implications arising directly as a result of this report at this time. Ongoing work is managed within existing resources. Asset Management (land, property, IT) 2.3 There are no additional Asset Management implications arising as a result of this report at this time. Any new proposed developments which arise in the future will be subject to the relevant approval process at the time. 3. Assessments 3.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Council is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for plans and policies allows the Council to demonstrate that it is meeting these duties: (i) Assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.2 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals. Sustainability 3.3 Under the provisions of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 the Council has to discharge its duties in a way which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. Under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 the Council also has a duty relating to climate change and, in exercising its functions must act: • in the way best calculated to delivery of the Act’s emissions reduction targets; • in the way best calculated to deliver any statutory adaptation programmes; and • in a way that it considers most sustainable. Page 313 of 366
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3.4 No steps are required to be considered relating directly to this report. Legal and Governance 3.5 The Strategic Lead, Legal and Governance has been consulted during the development of this report. Risk 3.6 Any risks associated will be mitigated by the monitoring and reporting procedures which are in place for the work concerned. 4. Consultation Internal 4.1 This report has been developed through work across all services within the Council. External 4.2 The work reported here contains reference to the partnership working which goes on with strategic partners in all sectors to deliver on our commitment under the Armed Forces Covenant. 5. Communication 5.1 The report will be made available internally and externally when approved. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 No other background papers were referred to in the preparation of this report. Page 314 of 366
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Appendix 1 Age and Gender Breakdown of Armed Forces Veterans in Perth and Kinross (Scottish Census 2022) Table 1 Female Yes, previously served, Reserve Armed Forces Yes, previously served, Regular Armed Forces Yes, previously served, Regular Armed Forces and Reserve Armed Forces 16 to 19 0 1 0 20 to 24 0 0 0 25 to 29 9 1 0 30 to 34 6 9 0 35 to 39 9 30 0 40 to 44 19 33 0 45 to 49 33 34 1 50 to 54 26 43 1 55 to 59 37 52 6 60 to 64 23 71 1 65 to 69 16 68 0 70 to 74 14 86 1 75 to 79 14 49 0 80 and over 36 127 0 Total 242 604 10 Table 2 Male Yes, previously served, Reserve Armed Forces Yes, previously served, Regular Armed Forces Yes, previously served, Regular Armed Forces and Reserve Armed Forces 16 to 19 0 1 0 20 to 24 6 17 0 25 to 29 14 54 0 30 to 34 24 93 4 35 to 39 29 146 7 40 to 44 39 176 5 45 to 49 60 194 15 50 to 54 108 360 42 55 to 59 151 394 51 60 to 64 177 426 65 65 to 69 145 355 54 70 to 74 114 389 44 75 to 79 127 317 26 80 and over 246 1440 126 Total 1,240 4,361 439 10 Page 315 of 366
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Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri January 1 2 3 6 7 8 P&P (9:30am) 9 10 13 14 15 Licensing Board (9:30am) 16 17 20 Licensing (1:00pm) 21 22 H&SW (9:30am) 23 24 27 TVJB (9:00am) LRB (1:00pm) 28 29 S&P (9:30am) L&F (1.00pm) 30 31 February 3 Common Goods (1.00pm) 4 5 E&I (9.30am) F&R (1.00pm) 6 7 10 Property Sub (1.00pm) 11 12 P&P (9:30am) 13 14 17 18 19 Licensing Board (9.30am) Climate (1.00pm) 20 KC (5.00pm) 21 24 LRB (1.00pm) 25 26 Council (Budget) (10:00am) 27 28 March 3 Provost’s Sub (1.00pm) 4 5 Council (10.00am) 6 7 10 TCJC (10.00am) Licensing (1.00pm) JNC (2.30pm) 11 12 P&P (9.30am) 13 14 17 Property Sub (1.00pm) 18 19 20 21 24 A&R (1.00pm) JCC (2.00pm) 25 26 H&SW (9.30am) 27 28 31 LRB (1.00pm) April 1 2 Licensing Board (9:30am) L&F Exec Sub (1.00pm) 3 4 7 8 9 10 11 14 Licensing (1.00pm) 15 16 P&P (9:30am) 17 18 21 22 23 S&P (9:30am) 24 25 28 LRB (1.00pm) 29 30 Climate (9:30am) F&R (1.00pm) May 1 2 5 Common Goods (1.00pm) 6 7 Council (10.00am) 8 9 12 Licensing (1.00pm) 13 14 P&P (9:30am) 15 KC (5.00pm) 16 19 Property Sub (1.00pm) 20 21 Licensing Board (9:30am) 22 23 26 LRB (1.00pm) 27 28 E&I (9:30am) L&F (1.00pm) 29 30 June 2 L&F Exec Sub (1.00pm) 3 4 S&P (9.30am) 5 6 9 JNC (2.30pm) 10 11 P&P (9:30am) H&SW (1.00pm) 12 13 16 TVJB (9.00am) TCJC (10.00am) JCC (2.00pm) 17 18 Council (10.00am) 19 20 23 LRB (1.00pm) 24 25 A&R (9.30.am) F&R (1.00pm) 26 27 30 Licensing (1.00pm) July 1 2 Licensing Board (9:30am) 3 4 7 8 9 P&P (9:30am) 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 30 31 August 1 4 LRB (1.00pm) 5 6 P&P (9:30am) 7 8 11 Licensing (1.00pm) 12 13 Licensing Board (9:30am) 14 15 18 Common Goods (1.00pm) 19 20 Climate (9:30am) Property Sub (1.00pm) 21 KC (5.00pm) 22 25 TVJB (9.00am) TCJC (10.00am) LRB (1.00pm) 26 27 E&I (9:30am) L&F (1.00pm) 28 29 September 1 L&F Exec Sub (1.00pm) 2 3 P&P (9:30am) 4 5 8 JNC (2.30pm) 9 10 Council (10:00am) 11 12 15 Provosts Sub (1.00pm) JCC (2.00pm) 16 17 S&P (9:30am) A&R (1.00pm) 18 19 22 LRB (1.00pm) 23 24 Licensing Board (9:30am) 25 26 29 Licensing (1.00pm) 30 October 1 H&SW (9:30am) F&R (1:00pm) 2 3 6 7 8 P&P (9.30am) 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 20 LRB (1.00pm) 21 22 23 24 27 Common Goods (1:00pm) 28 29 Council (10:00am) 30 31 November 3 Licensing (1.00pm) 4 5 P&P (9.30am) Climate (1.00pm) 6 7 10 L&F Exec Sub (1.00pm) 11 12 Licensing Board (9:30am) L&F (1.00pm) 13 14 17 TVJB (9.00am) TCJC (10.00am) LRB (1.00pm) 18 19 S&P (9:30am) E&I (1.00pm) 20 21 24 Property Sub (1.00pm) 25 26 H&SW (9.30am) F&R (1.00pm) 27 KC (5.00pm) 28 December 1 A&R (1.00pm) JNC (2.30pm) 2 3 P&P (9.30am) 4 5 8 Licensing (1.00pm) JCC (2.00pm) 9 10 Council (10.00am) 11 12 15 LRB (1.00pm) 16 17 Licensing Board (9.30am) 18 19 22 23 24 25 26 29 30 31 11 Page 317 of 366
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Recess Periods (all inclusive) End of Cycle P&P = Planning and Placemaking Committee LRB = Local Review Body E&I = Economy an Infrastructure Committee H&SW = Housing & Social Wellbeing Committee L&F = Learning & Families Committee F&R = Finance and Resources Committee JCC = Employees Joint Consultative Committee JNC = Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff L&F Exec Sub = Lifelong Learning Executive Sub-Committee IJB = Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board IJB A+P = Audit and Performance Committee of Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board Licensing = Licensing Committee Climate = Climate Change and Sustainability Committee A&R = Audit & Risk Committee KC = Kinross-shire Committee S&P = Scrutiny and Performance Committee TCJC = Tayside Contracts Joint Committee TVJB = Tayside Valuation Joint Board Page 318 of 366
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PERTH & KINROSS COUNCIL 30 October 2024 FINANCIAL REGULATIONS Report by Strategic Lead – Finance and Business Support (Report No. 24/303) 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This report seeks approval to update the Council’s Financial Regulations to reflect the revised organisational structure. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 The Council is asked: (i) note the contents of the report. (ii) approve the updated Financial Regulations set out in Appendix 1. 3. STRUCTURE Section 4 Background/Main Issues Section 5 Conclusion 4. BACKGROUND / MAIN ISSUES 4.1 The Council approved the last update of the Financial Regulations on 10 May 2023 (Report No. 23/134 refers). 4.2 The Financial Regulations are kept under review with amendments being presented to Council as and when required. 4.3 With the implementation of the Council’s new leadership structure, it is appropriate that this document is reviewed and updated to reflect these structural changes. 4.4 The updated Financial Regulations are included within Appendix 1. 4.5 There are no fundamental changes to the Financial Regulations, this update simply reflects the changes to the Council’s structure and revised reporting lines. ACTION - the Council is asked to approve the updated Financial Regulations as set out at Appendix 1. 12(ii) Page 319 of 366
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5. CONCLUSION 5.1 This report seeks approval to update the Council’s Financial Regulations which are set out in Appendix 1. APPROVED Name Designation Date Scott Walker Chief Finance Officer 23 October 2024 Page 320 of 366
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ANNEX 1. IMPLICATIONS, ASSESSMENTS, CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION Strategic Implications Yes / None Community Plan / Single Outcome Agreement None Corporate Plan Yes Resource Implications Financial Yes Workforce Yes Asset Management (land, property, IST) Yes Assessments Equality Impact Assessment Yes Strategic Environmental Assessment Yes Sustainability (community, economic, environmental) Yes Legal and Governance None Risk None Consultation Internal Yes External None Communication Communications Plan None 1. Strategic Implications Corporate Plan 1.1 The Council’s Corporate Plan 2022 – 2027 lays out seven outcome focussed strategic objectives which provide clear strategic direction, inform decisions at a corporate and service level and shape resources allocation. They are as follows: • Tackling poverty • Tackling climate change and supporting sustainable places • Growing a sustainable and inclusive local economy • Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential • Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people • Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing • Placing communities at the heart of how we work 1.2 This report relates to all these objectives. 2. Resource Implications Financial 2.1 There are no direct financial implications arising from this report other than those reported within the body of the main report. Page 321 of 366
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Workforce 2.2 There are no direct workforce implications arising from this report other than those reported within the body of the main report. Asset Management (land, property, IT) 2.3 There are no direct asset management implications arising from this report other than those reported within the body of the main report. 3. Assessments Equality Impact Assessment 3.1 Under the Equality Act 2010, the Council is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for plans and policies allows the Council to demonstrate that it is meeting these duties. 3.2 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Corporate Equalities Impact Assessment process (EqIA) and has been assessed as not relevant for the purposes of EqIA. Strategic Environmental Assessment 3.3 The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 places a duty on the Council to identify and assess the environmental consequences of its proposals. 3.4 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. Sustainability 3.5 Under the provisions of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 the Council must discharge its duties in a way which contributes to the achievement of sustainable development. In terms of the Climate Change Act, the Council has a general duty to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and the community, environmental and economic impacts of its actions. 3.6 The information contained within this report has been considered under the Act. However, no action is required as the Act does not apply to the matters presented in this report. Page 322 of 366
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4. Consultation Internal 4.1 The Strategic Leadership Team have been consulted in the preparation of this report. 2. BACKGROUND PAPERS 2.1 No background papers, as defined by Section 50D of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (other than any containing confidential or exempt information) were relied on to any material extent in preparing the above report. 3. APPENDICES • Appendix 1 – Financial Regulations Page 323 of 366
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1 Appendix 1 Financial Regulations 2024 – 2027 Chief Finance Officer September 2024 12(ii) Page 325 of 366
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2 Preface Section 95 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 requires local authorities to make arrangements for the proper administration of their financial affairs and to appoint a “Proper Officer” with responsibility for the administration of those affairs. The Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 1985 places upon the Proper Officer the duty to determine the system of accounting control and the form of accounts and supporting records to be maintained. It also imposes a duty on the Proper Officer to ensure that these accounts and records are kept up to date. I am the Proper Officer appointed for the purposes of Section 95 by Perth & Kinross Council and these Regulations exist to contribute to the fulfilment of the statutory responsibilities set out above. These Regulations are made to provide a sound basis for the control of Perth & Kinross Council’s financial affairs. Specifically, they aim: (i) to ensure compliance with the legal obligations placed upon the Council in respect of financial administration. (ii) to ensure that the Council’s accounting records are accurate and complete. (iii) to promote compliance with the standards set out in the Council’s Governance Framework. (iv) to protect the Council against the risk of fraud and financial irregularity. (v) to safeguard the Council’s assets. (vi) to enable the provision of appropriate management information. (vii) to promote best value in the Council’s operations. S Walker Chief Finance Officer Page 326 of 366
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3 Pag e 1. INTRODUCTION 6 1.1 General …………………………………………………………… 6 1.10 Definitions and Interpretations …………………………………. 7 1.16 ALEO’s and Joint Boards ……………………………………… 10 1.17 Perth & Kinross Integration Joint Board ………………………. 10 2. FINANCIAL PLANNING 11 3. FINANCIAL MONITORING AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW 12 3.1 Budgetary Control……………………………………………… 12 4. BUDGETARY ADJUSTMENTS 14 4.1 General……………………………………………………………. 14 5. VIREMENT 15 5.1 General …………………………………………………………… 15 5.2 Devolved School Management ………………………………… 15 6. ACCOUNTING 16 6.1 General …………………………………………………………… 16 6.5 Internal Control ………………………………………………… 16 6.8 Access to Financial Systems ………………………………… 16 6.11 Retention of Records …………………………………………… 17 6.12 Annual Accounts ………………………………………………… 17 6.13 VAT ……………………………………………………………… 17 7. INTERNAL AUDIT 18 7.1 General …………………………………………………………… 18 7.6 Fraud and Corruption …………………………………………… 18 8. BANK ACCOUNTS 20 9. INCOME 21 9.1 Setting Charges ………………………………………………… 21 Page 327 of 366
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4 9.8 Cash Income …………………………………………………… 21 9.13 Receipting ……………………………………………………… 22 9.16 Invoicing and Debt Recovery ………………………………… 22 9.22 Non-payment, Write-offs and Credit Notes …………………… 23 9.26 The Receipt of Grants ………………………………………… 23 10. PETTY CASH ACCOUNTS 25 11. EXPENDITURE ON SUPPLIES, SERVICES AND WORKS 27 11.1 Placing Orders …………………………………………………… 27 11.12 The Receipt of Supplies, Services and Works ……………… 28 11.15 Payments ………………………………………………………… 28 11.23 Self-Directed Support …………………………………………… 30 12. PAYROLL 31 12.1 General …………………………………………………………… 31 12.9 Additional Payments/Deductions and Other Allowances …… 32 12.15 Overpayments …………………………………………………… 32 13. TREASURY MANAGEMENT 33 14. INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT 35 15. SECURITY 36 16. PHYSICAL ASSETS 37 16.1 Land, Buildings and Infrastructure …………………………… 37 16.7 Vehicles ………………………………………………………… 37 16.10 Stocks …………………………………………………………… 37 16.15 Disposal of Surpluses ………………………………………… 38 16.17 Use of Council Property ………………………………………… 38 17. COMMON GOOD FUNDS 39 18. SCHOOL FUNDS, COMFORTS FUNDS AND PRIVATE PROPERTY 40 18.1 Unofficial Funds ………………………………………………… 40 Page 328 of 366
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5 19. FEES, GIFTS AND HOSPITALITY 41 19.1 General …………………………………………………………… 41 Page 329 of 366
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6 1. INTRODUCTION General 1.1 The purpose of these Regulations is to provide a sound basis for the control of the financial affairs of the Council. 1.2 It is the responsibility of the Strategic Leadership Team to ensure that the Regulations are complied with within their Services and that their employees are fully aware of them. 1.3 All employees must comply with these Regulations regarding any matter to which these Regulations apply. These Regulations also apply to any Council resources in any partnership project. 1.4 It is the responsibility of the Chief Finance Officer to ensure that – (a) Elected members are aware of the Regulations. (b) The Regulations are observed and applied consistently throughout the Council. (c) The Regulations are kept under review to ensure that they are effective. 1.5 The Chief Finance Officer may issue additional guidance on any matter contained within these Regulations. Such guidance shall have the same force and authority as these Regulations. The Strategic Leadership Team may also issue guidance in respect of their Services. The Chief Finance Officer may, if it is deemed necessary, require any such additional guidance from the Strategic Leadership Team to be modified or withdrawn. 1.6 Any material breach of these Regulations must be reported to the Chief Finance Officer who will determine the appropriate course of action to be taken. 1.7 Nothing in these Regulations should restrict any employee from responding to an emergency so long as the Chief Finance Officer is advised as soon as possible after the action is taken. 1.8 The Chief Finance Officer is the financial adviser to the Council and has the right to report to the Council on any relevant financial matter. 1.9 The Strategic Leadership Team is authorised to incur expenditure where an approved budget heading exists or there is specific Council approval. All expenditure is subject to the terms of the Council’s Scheme of Administration and any other conditions imposed by the Council. Page 330 of 366
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7 Definitions and Interpretations 1.10 The terms used in these Regulations should be interpreted, where applicable according to the definitions set out below and in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer. 1.11 Where these Regulations refer to approval by the Council this includes approval by the relevant Council Committee, where appropriate. 1.12 Where these Regulations refer to the Strategic Leadership Team, this includes the Chief Executive and Directors. The Regulations also include the Chief Officer (Health & Social Care Partnership) in their capacity as Lead Officer for the delivery of operational adult social care. 1.13 Nothing in these Regulations overrides any legal requirement placed on the Council, its elected members, or employees. 1.14 Where these Regulations place a duty upon a Council employee, this may be delegated to another person with prior approval of the original delegate. 1.15 The following words and phrases used in these Regulations shall be defined as follows: ALEO These are Arm’s Length External Organisation’s such as Live Active Leisure. Accountable Budget Holder The Accountable Budget Holder is deemed to be the Strategic Lead for the function concerned. In conjunction with business partners, Strategic Leads will provide a list of budget holders within their function to the Chief Finance Officer on a regular basis. The term Budget Holder means someone who is responsible for an approved budget. Approved Budget Approved Council budget updated for any budgetary adjustments agreed at meetings of the Council or the Finance & Resources Committee. Budget Variance An over or under spend, compared to approved budget. Budget Heading (i) For non-Devolved School Management (DSM) budgets – a budget on an individual line of the Council’s current Revenue & Capital Budget Volumes, for example: Corporate & Page 331 of 366
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8 Democratic Services / Finance / Staff Costs / Single Status / Gross Pay (ii) For Devolved School Management (DSM) and Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) budgets – a budget given on an individual line of a school’s DSM/ PEF Expenditure Monitoring Statement’, for example: Blackford Primary School / Supplies & Services Capital Budget A budget heading given on an individual line of the Composite Capital Programme and Housing Investment Programme, for example: Roads Structural Maintenance. Capital Expenditure Capital expenditure is defined as expenditure on the: (i) acquisition, reclamation, enhancement or laying out of land: (ii) acquisition, construction, preparation, enhancement or replacement of roads, buildings and other structures (iii) acquisition, installation or replacement of moveable or immovable plant, machinery, apparatus, vehicles and vessels. Enhancement means the carrying out of works which are intended to: (i) lengthen substantially the useful life of the asset; (ii) increase substantially the market value of the asset; (iii) increase substantially the extent to which the asset can or will be used for the purposes of or in conjunction with the functions of the Council. Corporate Budgets The Chief Finance Officer is the Accountable Budget Holder for Corporate budgets with the exception of Health & Social Care which is the responsibility of the Chief Officer (Health & Social Care Partnership) and Discretionary Relief which is the responsibility of the Strategic Lead – Customer & Digital. These budgets, as listed below, are generally outwith the control of Services. • Health & Social Care (allocation to P&K Integration Joint Board) • Support Service External Income, • Capital Financing Costs, • Interest on Revenue Balances, Page 332 of 366
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9 • Tayside Valuation Joint Board, • Trading Organisations – Surplus returned to General Fund, • Un-funded Pension Costs, • Apprenticeship Levy • Council Tax Reduction Scheme • Discretionary Relief, • Contribution to / from Funds (Capital / Insurance Fund / Renewal & Repair Fund, • General Revenue Grant, • Ring Fenced Grant • Capital Grant • Non-Domestic Rate Income, • Council Tax Income, • Council Tax Second Home / Long Term Empty Properties • Use of Budget Flexibility & Contribution to/from Reserves Council Perth & Kinross Council and all constituent Committees in accordance with the Council’s approved governance arrangements. Chief Finance Officer Where the Financial Regulations state “requires the Chief Finance Officer approval” this means that approval must be sought from the Chief Finance Officer or Finance Business Partners. Income For the purposes of Section 9, income includes local taxes, rents and miscellaneous accounts. Miscellaneous Income refers to all income raised by the Council with the exception of Housing Rents, Council Tax, Non- Domestic Rates, and Car Parking Materiality Significance, in financial terms. The Head of Finance may, from time to time, specify the values to be applied. CIPFA definition of materiality– Materiality is the threshold level above which the omission, addition or misstatement of an item would influence the decision of a user Set Off Set off is the process whereby debt due to the Council by an individual or a body may be reduced by amounts due to the same individual or body by the Council. This process allows the Council to reduce debts or debt balances due to it by sums that would normally have been paid to those debtors. Page 333 of 366
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10 Stock Raw materials and consumables. Suspense Account An account into which receipts are deposited temporarily pending the determination of a proper account/s where they should be posted. Virement The transfer of an approved budget from one budget heading to another within a financial year (both permanent & one-off). ALEO’s and Joint Boards 1.16 The Council works closely with several ALEO’s, Joint Boards and Committees. These organisations will operate their own Financial Regulations as determined by their governance arrangements. However, staff employed by Perth & Kinross Council must adhere to the Council’s Financial Regulations. Perth & Kinross Integration Joint Board 1.17 A Joint Working Agreement has been established between NHS Tayside and Perth & Kinross Council. This agreements states that all employees working within integrated care services who were in employment prior to the commencement of health and social care integration will continue to be employed by the same employer, as set out in their contract of employment. As such these financial regulations will apply to all staff employed by Perth and Kinross Council. 1.18 Beyond this there will be occasions where NHS Tayside staff are incurring expenditure on behalf of the Council on social care related activities. Under these circumstances the Financial Regulations of Perth & Kinross Council must be adhered to. Other Bodies 1.19 In addition, there may be occasions where staff from other bodies incur expenditure on behalf of the Council. Again, the Council’s Financial Regulations must be adhered to. Page 334 of 366
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11 2. FINANCIAL PLANNING 2.1 This section applies to the preparation of budgets for capital and revenue expenditure. 2.2 Prior to the budget process, the Chief Finance Officer may issue guidance to the Strategic Leadership Team on the preparation of budgets, setting out a timetable and other provisions as appropriate. This will include the preparation of an annual Medium Term Financial Plan. 2.3 The budget timetable and procedures must ensure that recommendations are submitted to the Council by whatever date may be required by law. 2.4 With the support of finance business partners, Strategic Leads must prepare estimates in accordance with the guidance of the Chief Finance Officer. 2.5 The Strategic Leadership Team will consider estimates prior to their submission to the Council. 2.6 The Chief Finance Officer will submit the draft budgets to the Council for its consideration and make recommendations. 2.7 In relation to the Housing Revenue Account, the Chief Finance Officer and the Strategic Lead – Housing & Communities will prepare a draft budget and make recommendations regarding the level of rents. Page 335 of 366
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12 3. FINANCIAL MONITORING AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW Budgetary Control 3.1 Strategic Leads must consult with the Chief Finance Officer where any matter arises that may affect the finances of the service area / Council, including the projected failure to reach a financial performance target. 3.2 This consultation must take place prior to entering into any financial commitment or issuing any report to the Council in connection with the matter under consultation. 3.3 The Chief Finance Officer will provide Strategic Leads with adequate access to the Council’s corporate financial information systems, in such a manner as to allow them to monitor financial transactions against budget. 3.4 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads must make adequate arrangements to monitor the income and expenditure for which they are responsible. 3.5 Within each area of service delivery, the responsibility for monitoring the use of resources against budget must be clearly identified and communicated to the Chief Finance Officer. 3.6 Strategic Leads must inform the Chief Finance Officer where there is, or they forecast that there is likely to be, a material budgetary variance. Where this is the case, the Strategic Lead must inform the Chief Finance Officer of the reasons for the budgetary variance and of any action being taken to correct the situation. 3.7 Revenue monitoring will be considered by the Strategic Leadership Team regularly. 3.8 The Chief Finance Officer will regularly inform Council of the current financial position, reporting any material budgetary variances, giving an opinion on the adequacy of the corrective action being taken where appropriate and making other recommendations as appropriate. 3.9 All variances (Revenue & Capital) more than £100,000 will be reported to the Finance & Resources Committee. However, there will be many instances whereby Committee reports will discuss variances that are less than this amount. 3.10 Where an under spend arises during a year, the Chief Finance Officer may, after considering the views of the relevant Director / Strategic Page 336 of 366
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13 Lead, report to Council, making recommendations as to the most appropriate use for these funds. 3.11 For the avoidance of doubt the points discussed above 3.1.6) include both revenue and capital transactions. 3.12 In addition, the Chief Finance Officer may issue guidance as appropriate to Strategic Leads on the proper arrangements for planning, authorising and controlling revenue and capital transactions. Page 337 of 366
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14 4. BUDGETARY ADJUSTMENTS General 4.1 This section applies to proposed adjustments to any budget heading after its approval by Council in either the Revenue or Capital Budget. 4.2 Budgetary adjustments will be made only in response to an authorised change in any Council activity. A budgetary adjustment must be made where the financial effects of any such change are material. Guidance on changes which are considered to be material may be issued by the Chief Finance Officer. 4.3 Where a proposed budgetary adjustment has no overall effect on the planned net expenditure of the Council (i.e. there is a transfer from one heading to another), the regulations on virement apply (see Section 5). 4.4 Budgetary adjustments must not be made where they have the purpose of concealing or otherwise removing unplanned budgetary variances, whether adverse or favourable. 4.5 Where a proposed budgetary adjustment involves an increase in the budgeted net expenditure of the Council, the Chief Finance Officer must be consulted prior to entering into any commitment or issuing any report. No such adjustment will be made unless approved by the Council. 4.6 In the case of a proposed budgetary adjustment that involves a reduction in the budgeted net expenditure of the Council, the Chief Finance Officer must be consulted and may make a recommendation to Council regarding the use of any released funds. 4.7 The Chief Finance Officer has responsibility for advising Council on all matters relating to Reserves. No recommendation to change the use of Reserves including the Housing Revenue Account should be made without prior approval from the Chief Finance Officer. 4.8 Where Council or the Finance & Resources Committee has previously agreed to the earmarking of Reserves, the application of this funding will be delegated to the Chief Finance Officer. The Finance & Resources Committee will note the application retrospectively. Page 338 of 366
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15 5. VIREMENT General 5.1 The Chief Finance Officer is authorised to make adjustments to management budgets (Revenue) that: • Do not result in an increase or reduction in the net expenditure of the Council, and • Do not adjust Council policy. Devolved School Management / Pupil Equity Fund 5.2 This section applies to budget headings coming within the scope of the Devolved School Management (DSM) scheme and Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) and replaces the regulation at 5.1 above. 5.3 Within a school’s DSM / PEF budget, any virement may be made, subject to the approval of the Strategic Lead – Education & Learning and within the terms of the Council’s policy on Devolved School Management. The Chief Finance Officer will be informed of all DSM virements in an approved manner. 5.4 Where there is a planned under spend of the school’s devolved budget for any financial year and this does not exceed 10% of the total devolved budget, it may be carried forward to the next financial year. 5.5 Where there is an under spend on PEF this may be carried forward to be utilised during the current academic year. Only in exceptional circumstances should the funding be carried forward beyond 30 June into the new academic year. 5.6 Planned over spends must be approved in writing by the Chief Finance Officer, prior to the expenditure being committed. 5.7 Any unplanned over spends will be investigated as soon as they are identified. Written confirmation should be sent to the finance business partner (education & learning) with a reason given for the unplanned over spend and a detailed plan of how this will be repaid. Finalised carry forwards must be agreed before inclusion in the new financial year budget. 5.8 Any unplanned under or over spend must be reflected in the Education & Learning revenue monitoring. Page 339 of 366
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16 6. ACCOUNTING General 6.1 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads must ensure that financial transactions initiated within their areas of responsibility are accounted for promptly, completely and accurately. 6.2 Suspense accounts must only be created or used with the approval of the Chief Finance Officer. The Chief Finance Officer must ensure that suspense accounts are regularly checked and monitored and where appropriate reconciled. 6.3 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads must ensure that all transactions through the Capital Ledger are of a capital nature and comply with the definition of capital expenditure. 6.4 All journal entries require authorisation. The Chief Finance Officer may issue supplementary guidance on journal levels and processes. Internal Control 6.5 The Chief Finance Officer is responsible for the proper control of financial systems and procedures and is responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient internal controls to give reasonable assurance that they are functioning properly, having regard to the assessed risks. 6.6 In determining the appropriate arrangements within the area under their control, Strategic Leads must adhere to the following principles of internal control: (i) The duty of accounting for monies owed to the Council should be separate from the duty of collecting this income. (ii) The duty of accounting for payments made by the Council should be separate from the duty of processing these payments. (iii) The duty of accounting for the assets held by the Council should be separate from the duty of physical custody of these assets. 6.7 All deviations from the above principles require documented approval of the Chief Finance Officer. Access to Financial Systems 6.8 The Chief Finance Officer will determine the extent of the authorised access that each Council employee has to the Council’s Corporate Financial Systems and may issue additional guidance describing the Page 340 of 366
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17 authorisation process. The Chief Finance Officer will maintain a register of all authorised users. 6.9 Strategic Leads must ensure that changes to user access are maintained and that all leavers are notified to Finance timeously on the approved forms. 6.10 The Chief Finance Officer has the right to terminate user access where it has been used inappropriately or where it has not been used for a considerable time. An annual return is issued to Strategic Leads to verify user requirements. Retention of Records 6.11 All accounting records and related documentation will be retained for the appropriate periods as specified by the Chief Finance Officer per the Council’s Retention Schedule. Annual Accounts 6.12 The Chief Finance Officer is responsible for the production of the Annual Accounts, in accordance with the relevant regulatory requirements. The Strategic Leadership Team must provide the Chief Finance Officer with all information necessary to enable this to be achieved. VAT 6.13 In conjunction with business partners, Strategic Leads must make adequate arrangements to ensure that Value Added Tax (VAT) is accounted for promptly and correctly within their areas of responsibility and that there is adequate supporting documentation. 6.14 The Chief Finance Officer may provide additional guidance as necessary on the correct treatment of VAT. 6.15 The Chief Finance Officer is responsible for the preparation and submission of whatever reports, relating to the Council’s VAT position, may be required by law, and for the processing of any associated payments. Page 341 of 366
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18 7. INTERNAL AUDIT General 7.1 Internal Audit is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organisation’s operations. It helps an organisation accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes. It objectively examines, evaluates and reports on the adequacy of the control environment as a contribution to the proper, economic, efficient and effective use of resources. 7.2 Internal Audit’s role within the Council is as defined in the ‘Audit Charter’ as approved by the Audit & Risk Committee. 7.3 Internal Audit reports on its activities to Elected Members through the Audit & Risk Committee. 7.4 The Chief Internal Auditor will provide an Annual Internal Audit Plan to the Audit & Risk Committee for approval which has been prepared using a risk-based methodology. This will direct the work of the Internal Audit Team. 7.5 The Chief Internal Auditor will provide an annual opinion on the strength of internal control to the Audit & Risk Committee. Fraud and Corruption 7.6 The Chief Internal Auditor oversees the implementation of the Council’s anti-fraud and anti-corruption policies, these are detailed in the following: • Counter-Fraud and Corruption Strategy • Anti- Bribery Policy • Anti-Money Laundering Policy • Whistle-Blowing Policy 7.7 These policies are published on the Internal Audit Eric page and set out: (i) the responsibilities of elected members and employees in relation to suspected fraud and corruption, (ii) guidance to elected members, employees and the public on the actions to be taken in respect of suspected fraud or corruption, and (iii) the role of Internal Audit in the prevention and detection of fraud and corruption. Page 342 of 366
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19 7.8 The Chief Internal Auditor is to be informed immediately of any known or suspected instances of fraud and corruption. Page 343 of 366
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20 8. BANK ACCOUNTS 8.1 Strategic Leads must seek the approval of the Chief Finance Officer to open a bank account in the name of the Council. Only the Chief Finance Officer is authorised to open and operate bank accounts and will maintain an up-to-date register of all Council bank accounts operated by the Council. 8.2 All such bank accounts must be used in the name of Perth & Kinross Council, giving the purpose for which they are to be used. In certain circumstances a joint bank account may be opened in the name of Perth & Kinross Council and other named organisations. These bank accounts still need approval by the Chief Finance Officer and may be subject to further guidance. 8.3 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads must ensure that all bank accounts are reconciled regularly, in accordance with standards as determined by the Chief Finance Officer. 8.4 All cheques or other instruments of payment will be ordered by the Chief Finance Officer, who will determine the procedures for their custody and use. 8.5 The operation of credit card facilities or similar payment methods by the Council requires the prior approval of the Chief Finance Officer, who may issue additional guidance on the procedures to be followed. 8.6 The Chief Finance Officer will maintain a register of the authorised signatories for each bank account. Withdrawals may be made by the Chief Finance Officer or by delegated employees of Finance. 8.7 All cheques will be signed by an approved signatory. Cheques may not be altered in any way, other than on the instructions of the Chief Finance Officer. 8.8 All use of the Clearing House Automated Payments System (CHAPS), the Bankers Automated Clearing System (BACS) or similar facilities will be in accordance with guidance which may be issued by the Chief Finance Officer. 8.9 Only the Chief Finance Officer may authorise an overdraft, the amount of which must be restricted to within the limit agreed with the Council’s bank and will, in any case, be kept to the minimum necessary. Page 344 of 366
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21 9. INCOME Setting Charges 9.1 Strategic Leads must review the levels of charges to the public that are or may be made in relation to activities under their control. All potential sources of income should be considered. This review must be carried out at least annually and the revised full `Scheme of Charges’ must be submitted to the Council for detailed consideration. 9.2 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads must ensure that income budgets are consistent with the approved charges, having regard to the expected demand for the goods and services in question. 9.3 All non-statutory remission (reduced charges) schemes require the approval of the Council. Strategic Leads should review these schemes at the same time as the Scheme of Charges to which it relates. Strategic Leads are responsible for maintaining sufficiently up-to-date and accurate data to enable remissions schemes to be operated correctly. 9.4 The Council has a minimum invoice value which is applicable to all miscellaneous income. The current level for the minimum invoice value is £19.99. 9.5 The Chief Finance Officer will approve all exceptions where there is a requirement to raise invoices below the minimum invoice value. 9.6 The most current approved charges for Council services must be imposed in every case, taking account of statutory remissions schemes and the minimum invoice value. All other variations in the charges made require the approval of the relevant Council Committee. 9.7 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will ensure that subject to the relevant Council policy on charging for goods and services, the full economic recovery of costs will generally be applied to all charges raised. Income 9.8 The Chief Finance Officer will specify the accounting procedures, form of records and security relating to Council income, whether in cash, cheque or other form. 9.9 An approved receipt must be issued for each sum of money paid to the Council except with the prior agreement of the Chief Finance Officer. A notice and specimen receipt must be available and wherever possible displayed at the point of payment, advising those paying to expect a receipt. Receipts must be numbered in sequence and must Page 345 of 366
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22 be retained for inspection in the manner required by the Chief Finance Officer. The Chief Finance Officer may specify the arrangements made for the issue of receipts by Services. 9.10 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will ensure that all tills and other money-handling arrangements in use within their functions are secure, both physically and in respect of the integrity of records. The Chief Finance Officer may issue detailed guidance on the operation of cash tills/floats and other money handling systems. 9.11 The Chief Finance Officer has authority to approve additional income streams and income collection locations this also includes online payments. 9.12 The Chief Finance Officer is responsible for all debit and credit card transactions. Any income stream that accepts card payments must use a Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards compliant system. All card processing systems require approval of the Chief Finance Officer and the Senior Information Risk Owner. Receipting 9.13 All income must be timeously paid in full into the appropriate Council bank account, except where the approval of the Chief Finance Officer has been given. The Chief Finance Officer may specify the minimum frequency, in each case, at which income will be banked. 9.14 All transfers of money between Council employees will be recorded in a manner approved by the Chief Finance Officer. 9.15 Under no circumstances will Council income be used to cash personal cheques, or for any purpose other than the proper course of Council business. Invoicing and Debt Recovery 9.16 The Council’s preferred method of income recovery is to collect at or before the point of sale. Invoices will only be issued in cases where it is not practical, reasonable or economical for income to be collected at the time of ordering or supply of the goods or services concerned. The Chief Finance Officer may, from time to time, direct that credit should not be extended to certain named individuals or bodies, or in particular circumstances. 9.17 Employees and elected members will be invoiced for all over payments in the absence of any salary mandates. 9.18 In no circumstances should services or grant funding be provided if the named individual or body has any other debts to the Council unless – Page 346 of 366
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23 • There is a legal requirement to provide the service, support or funding, or • The withholding of said service, support or funding may lead to extreme hardship, loss, injury or suffering of an individual. Any exception to this requires the approval of the Chief Finance Officer. 9.19 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will be responsible for the prompt and accurate raising of invoices, including the correct treatment of VAT and the appropriate use of financial codes. The Chief Finance Officer may issue detailed guidance on the raising of invoices. 9.20 The Chief Finance Officer will be responsible for the prompt and accurate issue of Sales Ledger invoices and reminders, on the basis of the information produced by Strategic Leads. The Chief Finance Officer will determine the form and timing of any reminders. 9.21 All postal remittances will be received in accordance with arrangements approved by the Chief Finance Officer, who may issue guidance on the appropriate arrangements for opening mail, accounting for and banking income. Each Strategic Lead should have their own internal guidelines for banking income which requires approval by the Chief Finance Officer. Non-payment, Write-offs and Credit Notes 9.22 The Chief Finance Officer will determine the most appropriate course of action in cases of non-payment, having considered the views of the relevant Strategic Lead. This may include the use of set off. 9.23 The Chief Finance Officer will have the power to write off debts or unpaid rents for inclusion in the Annual Accounts. 9.24 The Chief Finance Officer will determine the most appropriate course of action in cases of the incorrect raising of charges. Only accounts raised incorrectly should be corrected by the raising of a credit note. 9.25 Any financial arrangement made by an officer to repay a Council debt where the payment term exceeds 24 months requires approval from the Chief Finance Officer. The Receipt of Grants 9.26 Strategic Leads will put in place arrangements to ensure that all grant applications submitted relate to the Council’s objectives. 9.27 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will be responsible for the prompt and accurate submission of all grant claims Page 347 of 366
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24 on behalf of the Council. The Chief Finance Officer may issue further guidance on the procedures for the application for, and the receipt of, grants. 9.28 Strategic Leads must ensure that any conditions attached to the grant must be complied with. Page 348 of 366
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25 10. PETTY CASH ACCOUNTS 10.1 Petty cash advances may be used for making small payments, or as a change float. The Chief Finance Officer will specify an upper limit to the size of individual petty cash payments, or to the type of payments that can be made in this way. 10.2 Petty cash accounts will only be operated with the approval of the Chief Finance Officer, who may specify the value of each float. 10.3 The Chief Finance Officer will maintain a register of all petty cash accounts and holders of those accounts. Strategic Leads will ensure that the number and size of petty cash accounts will be the minimum necessary to facilitate transactions. Strategic Leads will regularly review the use made of petty cash within their Services and will inform the Chief Finance Officer of any amendments that may be required. 10.4 Petty cash transactions will be recorded in a form approved by the Chief Finance Officer. Strategic Leads will ensure that petty cash payments are authorised in writing, in a manner approved by the Chief Finance Officer. All petty cash expenditure will be supported by receipted vouchers. 10.5 Each petty cash account will be the responsibility of a nominated employee. Strategic Leads will inform the Chief Finance Officer of the names of all such employees within the area of their responsibility. The nominated employee will account for the use of the petty cash to the Chief Finance Officer when required. 10.6 Petty cash will be kept in a credit balance at all times. Strategic Leads will ensure that petty cash balances are checked by employees who are independent of the day to day operation of the account. This should be done each month, or at a frequency agreed with the Chief Finance Officer. A record should be made of each inspection in a form acceptable to the Chief Finance Officer. Any material discrepancy should be reported to the relevant Strategic Lead, who will ensure that appropriate action is taken. 10.7 Where appropriate, the Chief Finance Officer may open a bank account for use by a petty cash holder. Such an account may not be overdrawn at any time. 10.8 No Council income will be paid into a petty cash account or used for petty cash expenditure, without the approval of the Chief Finance Officer. 10.9 Petty cash accounts will not be used for cashing personal cheques. No money will be removed from, or paid into a cash float, other than in the proper course of Council business. Page 349 of 366
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26 10.10 The Chief Finance Officer may issue additional guidance on procedures relating to the operation of petty cash accounts. Page 350 of 366
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27 11. EXPENDITURE ON SUPPLIES, SERVICES AND WORKS Placing Orders 11.1 In placing orders for supplies, services and works, Strategic Leads will comply with the delegation and tendering procedures set out in the Council’s Scheme of Administration and Contract Rules. 11.2 Strategic Leads will ensure that all orders placed within their area of responsibility properly relate to the Council’s activities and that resources are available from within the approved budget. 11.3 Where relevant, supplies, services and works will be ordered in accordance with the Council’s: • Corporate Procurement Strategy • Contract Rules • Procurement Toolkit • Purchase Order Best Practice Guidelines 11.4 All contracts for goods or services should refer to the Council’s standard terms and conditions most appropriate to the category of expenditure, selected from the following: • Conditions of Contract for Consultancy Services • Conditions of Contract for the Provision of Services • Conditions of Contract for the Purchase of Goods • Conditions of Contract for the Provision of Goods with a Related Service • Conditions of Contract Supply of Software and or Software Support • Contracts for works should be agreed under a standard form of construction contract, e.g. those devised by the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE i.e. NEC3, NEC4) or Joint Contracts Tribunal (SBCC contracts). 11.5 Where an appropriate contract exists with the Council or other approved Collaborative Purchasing Body; supplies, services and works should be ordered from the contracted suppliers. 11.6 All Council orders for the supply of goods, services and works must be raised on PECOS (Professional Electronic Commerce On-line System) or a relevant approved corporate system. An approved order will be issued to the supplier in all cases except where the payment provisions within the contract provide for a formal method of certification or other process whereby application is made for payment for the Council to thereafter assess. Page 351 of 366
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28 11.7 All approved orders will be given to the supplier in writing in advance, except in the following cases: (i) Where the approval of the Chief Finance Officer has been obtained; (ii) In emergency situations, in which case an appropriate order will be issued by the close of business the next working day, marked as “Confirmation Order”. 11.8 Strategic Leads will put in place arrangements to ensure that all purchases are authorised by an appropriate person. All purchase orders will be authorised by an approved signatory. 11.9 The Chief Finance Officer will specify the records to be kept in respect of purchasing or credit card transactions. 11.10 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will maintain a register of employees authorised to approve purchases within their area of responsibility, specifying the delegation limits in each case. The Chief Finance Officer will maintain a register of authorised persons and will require Strategic Leads to provide such information in the prescribed format as necessary to ensure the authorised signatory database is kept up to date. 11.11 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will ensure that all purchases made in their area of authority are charged to an appropriate accounting code within their area of responsibility. The Receipt of Supplies, Services and Works 11.12 Strategic Leads will put in place arrangements to ensure that the supplies, services and works ordered are received and are as ordered in terms of specification, price, quality, quantity and the time and place of delivery. The receipt of goods, services and works will be recorded in a manner acceptable to the Chief Finance Officer. 11.13 Strategic Leads will put in place procedures to ensure that all orders raised in PECOS are promptly receipted in PECOS in accordance with the relevant guidance. 11.14 Strategic Leads will ensure that, where relevant, stock records and inventories are promptly updated in respect of goods received. Payments 11.15 Strategic Leads will put in place arrangements to ensure that invoices are correct and authorised for payment by an appropriate person. The Chief Finance Officer will maintain a register of authorised persons Page 352 of 366
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29 and will require Strategic Leads, in conjunction with finance business partners, to provide such information in the prescribed format as necessary to ensure the authorised signatory database is kept up to date. 11.16 Strategic Leads will ensure that each payment is authorised only where: (i) it relates to a properly authorised purchase by the Council. (ii) the relevant goods, services or works have been received by the Council. (iii) it is arithmetically correct, including any calculations relating to discounts, VAT, etc. (iv) the payment value is in accordance with the authorised order, contract or purchasing card records. (v) payment has not previously been made. (vi) an acceptable VAT invoice is received, and the correct rate of VAT is applied. 11.17 The Chief Finance Officer will ensure that all invoice payments are processed through the Purchase Ledger Module of Integra and must refer to the appropriate purchase order number in the relevant field of Integra. Refer to Invoice Best Practice Guidelines. In exceptional circumstances invoices can be processed through the banking system with prior approval from the Chief Finance Officer. 11.18 The Chief Finance Officer will process approved payments, subject to any further enquiries that are considered necessary including sight of invoice and backup documentation and specifically in regard to invoices/individual payments of £75,000 or over. 11.19 Payments may be made in advance or outwith the appropriate credit terms only on approval from Chief Finance Officer, the only exception being where there is specific prior committee approval. The Chief Finance Officer may issue additional guidance on types of payment that may be made in this way and the procedure to be followed. 11.20 The Council’s standard credit terms are 30 days following date of invoice. For clarity invoice dates should be on or after the date the relevant goods/supplies are received by the Council. The Chief Finance Officer may issue additional guidance on the acceptability of credit terms for different categories / types of payment. 11.21 With the support of finance business partners, Strategic Leads must ensure that any purchase made within their service by a credit card is Page 353 of 366
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30 valid and appropriate and the transaction is properly accounted for. The Chief Finance Officer will ensure periodic compliance checks are undertaken (as a minimum this must be completed annually). 11.22 All payment methods must be approved by the Chief Finance Officer and supplementary guidance may be issued. Self-Directed Support 11.23 Procedures have been prepared by the Chief Officer, Health & Social Care to accommodate these changes. The procedures will be subject to the agreement and approval of the Chief Finance Officer. Page 354 of 366
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31 12. PAYROLL General 12.1 The Corporate Human Resource Manager will be responsible for the prompt and accurate processing of salaries, expenses and related payments to employees and former employees of the Council, elected members and outside organisations. The Corporate Human Resource Manager will also be responsible for the processing of statutory and any other deductions from pay. 12.2 The Corporate Human Resource Manager will notify the Strategic Leadership Team whenever any matter arises relating to conditions of service or pensions that may affect any such payments. 12.3 Strategic Leads will provide the Corporate Human Resource Manager with sufficient information regarding employees and elected members within their area of responsibility to enable the correct payments to be made. It is the responsibility of the Strategic Lead – Legal & Governance or designated individual to advise elected members on all matters arising from this section of these Regulations. 12.4 The Corporate Human Resource Manager may issue additional guidance on the submission of payroll input, specifying the form of each document, the timescale to be adhered to, and the required level of authorisation for employees and members. 12.5 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will provide the Corporate Human Resource Manager with up-to-date specimen signatures of authorising employees in the prescribed format. The Corporate Human Resource Manager will maintain a database and ensure this is used to check the validity of all payroll documentation. 12.6 The Corporate Human Resource Manager will issue establishment lists on a monthly basis. Should any variances be identified by Strategic Leads, they will notify the Corporate Human Resource Manager. 12.7 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will be responsible for the annual reconciliation of the above establishment lists. This exercise will be based on the September establishment list and be returned by 31 October each year. 12.8 The Chief Finance Officer has a responsibility to maintain oversight of the payroll function and all related activities, reporting, by exception, to the Chief Executive. Page 355 of 366
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32 Additional Payments/Deductions and Other Allowances 12.9 The Corporate Human Resource Manager will be responsible for the prompt and accurate payment to employees, and elected members, of additional payments/deductions and other allowances such as the payment of travel, overtime, sickness, maternity, paternity, adoption and other allowances in accordance with statutory and Council policy requirements. 12.10 Strategic Leads will be responsible for ensuring the prompt submission of accurate claims for processing, within their area of responsibility, in accordance with statutory and Council policy. 12.11 The Corporate Human Resource Manager will ensure that adequate procedures are in place for checking claims for additional payments/deductions and other allowances, to ensure compliance with statutory provisions and Council policy. 12.12 The Corporate Human Resource Manager will inform Strategic Leads of any change to the approved allowances/deductions, or any other factor that may affect the payment/deductions made. 12.13 The Corporate Human Resource Manager will issue additional guidance on the submission of payroll input for additional payments/deductions and other allowances, specifying the form of each document, the process required, the timescale to be adhered to, and the required level of authorisation. 12.14 Strategic Leads will inform the Corporate Human Resource Manager annually of all payments made on behalf of, (e.g. attendance at conferences, travel, accommodation) and income received from, elected members. The Strategic Leadership Team should not make payments to or reimburse elected members. Overpayments 12.15 The Chief Finance Officer will be responsible for ensuring Council procedures are followed for the recovery of all overpayments and are dealt with in accordance with section 9. Page 356 of 366
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33 13. TREASURY MANAGEMENT 13.1 The Chief Finance Officer will be responsible for all decisions relating to treasury management. 13.2 The Council will create and maintain, as the cornerstones for effective treasury management: (i) a treasury management policy statement, stating the policies, objectives and approach to risk management of its treasury management activities. (ii) suitable treasury management practices (TMPs), setting out the way the organisation will seek to achieve those policies and objectives, and prescribing how it will manage and control those activities. (iii) the content of the policy statement and TMPs will follow the recommendations of the Treasury Management in the Public Services Code of Practice, subject only to amendment where necessary to reflect the circumstances of this organisation. Such amendments will not result in the organisation materially deviating from the Code’s key principles. (iv) The Council will receive reports on its treasury management policies, practices and activities, including, as a minimum, an annual Investment & Treasury Strategy and plan in advance of the year, and an annual report after its close, in the form prescribed in the TMPs. Other updates may be provided to the Finance & Resources Committee of through elected member briefings. (v) The Council is responsible for the implementation and regular monitoring of its treasury management policies and practices and delegates the responsibility for the execution and administration of treasury management decisions to the Chief Finance Officer, who will act in accordance with the organisation’s policy statement, TMPs and the CIPFA Standard of Professional Practice on Treasury Management. (vi) The Council is responsible for ensuring effective scrutiny of the treasury management strategy and policies. 13.3 The Chief Finance Officer will maintain records of all borrowings and investments and will have custody of all documentation relating to stocks, bonds and mortgages. 13.4 All investments of money will be in the name of the Council and be within lending limits approved by the Council. Page 357 of 366
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34 13.5 Strategic Leads will inform the Chief Finance Officer of any exceptional cash flows relating to their area of responsibility that may have an impact on the management of the Council’s funds. The Chief Finance Officer may issue additional guidance in this area. 13.6 The Chief Finance Officer will set and monitor appropriate Prudential Indicators in respect of capital expenditure and treasury management, with regard to affordability, prudence and sustainability and will report all relevant matters which are required to be taken into account to the Council. In determining such matters, due regard will be given to asset management, stewardship and strategies and follow a full option appraisal of all alternative service methods. Page 358 of 366
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35 14. INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT 14.1 The Chief Finance Officer will be responsible for the appropriate provision of insurance cover. 14.2 The Chief Finance Officer will assess the financial risks faced by the Council and will determine the most appropriate course of action in each case. In doing this, the Chief Finance Officer will consult the Strategic Leadership Team, who will provide whatever information may be necessary to enable this to be done. The Chief Finance Officer will maintain a record of each financial risk area identified and evaluated. 14.3 The Chief Finance Officer may issue detailed guidance giving advice on measures to reduce or eliminate any financial risks that may be identified. 14.4 The Strategic Leadership Team will promptly inform the Chief Finance Officer of any new financial risks within their area of responsibility that may come to light. 14.5 The Chief Finance Officer will make the most appropriate insurance arrangements for each risk area, either through an external insurer, by means of an internal insurance fund or by self-insurance. The Chief Finance Officer will report to the Council setting out the insurance arrangements in place. 14.6 The Chief Finance Officer or appointed agent will negotiate all insurance claims. No admission of liability will be made by a Council employee in connection with any claim made by an outside body or individual. In each case, the Strategic Leadership Team will provide the Chief Finance Officer with a full report on the circumstances surrounding the insurance claim in accordance with whatever arrangements the Chief Finance Officer may prescribe. 14.7 The Chief Finance Officer may issue additional guidance on the processing of insurance claims. 14.8 The Strategic Leadership Team will inform the Chief Finance Officer of all circumstances that may have an impact on the Council’s insurance cover, prior to entering into contractual agreements. 14.9 Strategic Leads will inform the Chief Finance Officer of any amendments / deletions of safes or other secure containers. 14.10 Strategic Leads will be responsible for ensuring all individuals, consultants, suppliers and contractors that are employed, engaged or contracted by the Council are covered by the appropriate level and types of insurance. The Chief Finance Officer may issue guidance on appropriate insurance arrangements. Page 359 of 366
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36 15. SECURITY 15.1 Strategic Leads will be responsible for the maintenance of buildings under their control and safe custody of buildings, vehicles, stores, equipment, cash, financial stationery, Council records and any other asset under their control. 15.2 The Chief Finance Officer will be responsible for the security of cheque stationery and other related financial documents. 15.3 Strategic Leads will inform the Chief Finance Officer of all circumstances in which cash is held by Council employees under their direction. The Chief Finance Officer may specify a maximum limit to any such holdings, and this will not be exceeded. 15.4 In all cases where Council employees may receive cash or other assets from outside bodies or individuals, Strategic Leads will issue personal identification cards showing a photograph of the holder. Such Council employees will identify themselves whenever reasonably required to do so. 15.5 Strategic Leads will nominate individuals to be responsible for the security of each safe or secure storage area. All keys to safes / lock- fast cupboards should at all times be kept in a secure location / manner. There should be adequate arrangements for the transfer of this responsibility at times of absence. 15.6 Spare keys should always be kept, in a secure manner acceptable to the Chief Finance Officer. Any loss of keys will be reported to the Chief Finance Officer, who may issue advice on the action to be taken. Page 360 of 366
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37 16. PHYSICAL ASSETS Land, Buildings and Infrastructure 16.1 The Strategic Leads – Property and Legal & Governance will maintain a register of all land, buildings and infrastructure owned by the Council (excluding dwellings provided under the Housing Acts). 16.2 The Strategic Lead – Housing & Communities will maintain a register of all land, buildings and infrastructure owned by the Council relating to dwellings provided under the Housing Acts. 16.3 The Strategic Lead – Property must give prior authorisation to all changes to the Council’s property estate. Changes to the estate are defined as; acquisitions, new builds, disposals, leasing-in, leasing-out, demolitions and vacating premises through staff movement. 16.4 The Strategic Lead - Legal and Governance will be responsible for the custody of all Title Deeds. 16.5 The Strategic Lead – Customer & Digital will be responsible for maintaining asset inventories of IT hardware. 16.6 The Strategic Lead - Property will be responsible for the maintenance of buildings under their control and for the custody of all other physical assets including furniture, fittings and equipment within their service. Vehicles 16.7 The Strategic Lead – Environment & Infrastructure will be responsible for the management of all the Council’s vehicles which require an Operator’s Licence and will maintain an inventory of such vehicles and may require other Strategic Leads to provide such information as is necessary to enable this to be done. 16.8 The Strategic Lead – Environment & Infrastructure will be responsible for the maintenance of all such vehicles as are mentioned above and for all legal requirements relating to the ownership of the Council’s vehicles. 16.9 The use of all Council vehicles will be recorded in a manner approved by the Strategic Lead – Environment & Infrastructure. Stock 16.10 Strategic Leads will be responsible for stocks of material in their control. Stocks will be maintained at an efficient level, having regard to such factors as purchase price, the rate and regularity of issue and storage costs. Page 361 of 366
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38 16.11 Strategic Leads will maintain up to date stock records, in a manner approved by the Chief Finance Officer. 16.12 Strategic Leads will ensure that stocks are checked by employees who are independent of the normal stock recording process. This should be done at least annually at 31 March of each year. A record will be made of each inspection, in a form acceptable to the Chief Finance Officer. Any material discrepancy will be reported to the Chief Finance Officer, who will determine the most appropriate course of action. 16.13 Strategic Leads may issue detailed guidance on the procedures for year-end stocktaking within their own functions. 16.14 Exceptions from undertaking year-end stocktaking can be granted on the basis of materiality at the discretion of the Chief Finance Officer. Disposal of Surpluses 16.15 Strategic Leads will identify surplus or unused items under their control. In these cases, reasonable attempts will be made to find an alternative use within the Council. 16.16 Where no such alternative use is found the items will be disposed of, in accordance with arrangements approved by the Strategic Leadership Team that secure best value for the Council. Use of Council Property 16.17 Council property will not be removed from Council premises or used other than for the proper purposes of Council business, except with the permission of the relevant Strategic Lead. Page 362 of 366
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39 17. COMMON GOOD FUNDS 17.1 The Council’s Financial Regulations will apply to the activities of elected members and employees in respect of Common Good Funds. 17.2 The Chief Finance Officer will maintain a register of all Common Good Funds. 17.3 The Strategic Lead – Housing & Communities has authority to authorise expenditure from approved Common Good budgets. 17.4 The Chief Finance Officer will be the financial advisor to the Common Good Fund Committees and may report on any issue relating to the financial position of any Fund. 17.5 The Chief Finance Officer will determine, prior to the commencement of each financial year, the amount of, and period over which, any fixed deposits within the Council’s Loans Fund are made for each Common Good Fund. 17.6 The Chief Finance Officer will be responsible for preparing the Annual Accounts of the Common Good Funds and will make appropriate arrangements for the audit of these accounts. 17.7 The Common Good Funds will be within the scope of internal audit review. Page 363 of 366
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40 18. SCHOOL FUNDS, COMFORT FUNDS AND PRIVATE PROPERTY 18.1 This section applies to School Funds, Comfort Funds and others of a similar nature that are managed by the Council or its employees in the course of their duties. These unofficial funds can be defined as any fund other than official Council funds operated in the name of Perth & Kinross Council. 18.2 Strategic Leads are authorised to open and operate School Funds and Comfort Funds bank accounts. 18.3 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will maintain an up to date register of all School Funds, Comfort Funds and private property held within their Service and will provide such information to the Chief Finance Officer as required. 18.4 School Funds and Comfort Funds will be the responsibility of a named employee, who will be responsible for the funds and will be accountable to the Council for its administration. 18.5 All accounts for School Funds, Comfort Funds will bear the name of the establishment to which they relate, along with their purpose. 18.6 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads must ensure that all bank accounts are reconciled on a monthly basis. 18.7 All transactions will require the approval of two authorised signatories. In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will put in place adequate arrangements for nominating authorised signatories, who will require the approval of the relevant senior officer. Any departures from this requirement will require the approval of the Chief Finance Officer. 18.8 In conjunction with finance business partners, Strategic Leads will ensure that Annual Accounts are produced for any fund under their control, and that these are independently audited / examined (as appropriate) by a suitable person. The Chief Finance Officer may make directions as to the form of accounts or the arrangements for audit. 18.9 The regulations described in Section 7 - Internal Audit, will apply to voluntary and unofficial funds. 18.10 In certain circumstance the Council will manage client funds for individuals either through Social Work Appointee, Access to Funds or both. Procedures have been prepared in line with legislation and Department for Work & Pensions and Office of Public Guardian. The procedures will be subject to the agreement and approval of the Chief Finance Officer. Page 364 of 366
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41 19. FEES, GIFTS AND HOSPITALITY General 19.1 These regulations should be read in conjunction with the Gifts and Hospitality Policy and Procedures, the Employee Code of Conduct and the Elected Members Code of Conduct or such further guidance that may be issued. 19.2 Strategic Leads will put in place proper arrangements to ensure that no decision taken within an area under their control is improperly influenced by any benefit received (by a person representing the Council) from any outside individual or body. These arrangements will be subject to the approval of the Chief Finance Officer. Page 365 of 366
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