Agenda Document Pack - Scrutiny and Performance Committee - 17/09/2025
Perth and Kinross Council · 17 September 2025
Back to Scrutiny and Performance Committee — 17 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Ambition | Compassion | Integrity Our vision is for a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Council Building 2 High Street Perth PH1 5PH 11/09/2025 A hybrid meeting of the Scrutiny and Performance Committee will be held in the Council Chamber on Wednesday, 17 September 2025 at 09:30. If you have any queries please contact Democratic 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: Councillor Colin Stewart (Convener) Bailie Alasdair Bailey (Vice-Convener) Councillor Keith Allan Councillor Steven Carr Councillor Angus Forbes Councillor Michelle Frampton Councillor Ian Massie Councillor Willie Robertson Councillor Caroline Shiers Councillor Frank Smith Councillor Jack Welch Page 1 of 196
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Scrutiny and Performance Committee Wednesday, 17 September 2025 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 SCRUTINY AND PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE OF 4 JUNE 2025 FOR APPROVAL (copy herewith) 5 - 8 4 OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (copy herewith 25/226) 9 - 10 5 ARM'S LENGTH EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS PERTH THEATRE AND CONCERT HALL - CURRENT FINANCIAL POSITION (copy herewith 25/227) 11 - 16 LIVE ACTIVE LEISURE - CURRENT FINANCIAL POSITION (copy herewith 25/228) 17 - 18 CULTURE P&K - CURRENT FINANCIAL POSITION (copy herewith 25/229) 19 - 22 6 PERTH AND KINROSS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2024-25 Report by Strategic Lead - Strategic Planning, people and Performance (copy herewith 25/230) 23 - 158 7 BLAIRGOWRIE RECREATION CENTRE - DELAY Report by Strategic Lead - Property Services (copy herewith 25/231) 159 - 166 8 DATA PROTECTION COMPLIANCE 2024-25 Report by Strategic Lead - Legal and Governance (copy herewith 25/232) 167 - 178 Page 3 of 196
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9 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION PERFORMANCE REPORT 2024- 25 Report by Strategic Lead - Legal and Governance (copy herewith 25/233) 179 - 184 10 PERTH AND KINROSS HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PARTNERSHIP (HSCP) CLINICAL AND CARE GOVERNANCE ASSURANCE REPORT Report by Chief Social Work Officer (copy herewith 25/234) 185 - 196 Page 4 of 196
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Scrutiny and Performance Committee Minute of hybrid meeting of the Scrutiny and Performance Committee held in the Council Chambers, 2 High Street, Perth, on Wednesday 4 June 2025 at 09.30am. Present: Councillors C Stewart, Bailie A Bailey, Councillors K Allan, B Brawn (substituting for Councillor C Shiers), S Carr, A Forbes, M Frampton, I Massie, W Robertson, F Smith and J Welch. In Attendance: T Glen, Chief Executive; C Mailer, Depute Chief Executive; L Simpson, Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance; S Merone, Strategic Lead – Economy, Development and Planning; S McDonald, K Johnston and T Waterworth (Economy, Planning and Development); F MacKay and J Meikle (Education and Learning); J Clark, K Jamangile, A Goodey, S Wallace, J McGregor, K Molley, M Pasternak and R Ramsay (Legal and Governance). Apology: Councillor C Shiers Councillor C Stewart, Convener, Presiding. The Convener led discussion on Items 1-4 and 6-9, and the Vice-Convener led discussion on item 5 and P1. 1. Welcome and Apologies The Convener welcomed all those present to the meeting and apology was noted as above. 2. Declarations of Interest There were no Declaration of Interests in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. 3. Minute of Meeting of Scrutiny and Performance Committee of 23 April 2025 The minute of meeting of the Scrutiny and Performance Committee of 23 April 2025 was submitted and approved as a correct record. 4. Outstanding Business Statement Resolved: The status of actions in the Outstanding Business Statement, be noted and completed actions removed accordingly. 3 Page 5 of 196
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5. Scrutiny review findings: adjustments for children and young people with additional support needs (“ASN”) There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance (25/141) presenting the findings of the review by the Scrutiny and Performance Committee in relation to adjustments made by the Council within schools for children and young people with additional support needs (“ASN”). In response to a question from Councillor A Forbes regarding the aspect of funding with the increase in level of need, F MacKay advised that Education and Learning would continue to work within the budget available to ensure that resources are impactful as possible but confirmed that the service would always welcome additional resource. The Vice-Convener thanked members, F MacKay, L Simpson and their teams for their thorough work on the scrutiny review of adjustments for children and young people with additional support needs (ASN). Resolved: (i) The Committee approved the four recommendations outlined in the Report 25/141: 1. Planning Assessment: Streamline, Personalise and Future Proof 2. Communication & Engagement: Building Trusting and Inclusive Partnerships 3. Workforce Development: Develop and Expand ASN Knowledge and ASL expertise across all roles 4. Learning Environment: Create Inclusive and Adaptive Spaces (ii) A progress summary report be submitted to the Scrutiny and Performance Committee within a year. 6. Review of Perth and Kinross Council Support to Community Led Development Projects Involving Regeneration of Key Buildings There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Economy Development and Planning (25/142) (1) reviewing the support provided by Perth and Kinross Council to community-led development projects involving the regeneration of key buildings and significant physical assets, (2) evaluating past and current interventions, (3) identifying successes and challenges through case studies and (4) proposing actionable recommendations to support future community-led regeneration efforts. Page 6 of 196
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Resolved: (i) The contents of the report, be considered and commented on. (ii) The findings of this report, be approved and it be requested that the Strategic Lead - Economy, Development and Planning and the Strategic Lead - Housing and Communities develop a framework to be used for future support of community led regeneration projects and report back to the relevant committee when complete. (iii) A further workshop with members of the Committee on vacant and eyesore properties, be arranged. 7. Annual Governance Statement 2024-25 There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance (25/143) presenting for scrutiny and review the draft Annual Governance Statement (AGS) for the financial year 2024/25 which provides assurance as to the effectiveness of the Council’s governance framework and in particular the system of internal control. Councillor A Forbes queried if there had been any significant change since the last Annual Governance Statement to reduce the level of risk. L Simpson confirmed that in terms of the complexity of business, the level of risk had remained static across the organisation. L Simpson confirmed that even with extensive risk protocols and mitigation measures in place, certain areas of risk would always be high to manage such as cyber and information security. Resolved: (i) The draft Annual Governance Statement for the financial year 2024/25, be scrutinised and commented on. (ii) The assurance provided as to the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council’s Governance arrangements, including the system of internal control, be noted. 8. Update from Arm’s Length External Organisation 8(i) Live Active Leisure There was a submitted a report (25/144) providing the current financial position of Live Active Leisure. 8(ii) Culture Perth & Kinross There was a submitted a report (25/145) providing the current financial position of Culture Perth and Kinross. Page 7 of 196
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8(iii) Perth Theatre and Concert Hall There was a submitted a report (25/146) providing the current financial position of Perth Theatre and Concert Hall. In response to a question from Councillor A Forbes, K Johnston reassured members that regular reviews of the ALEOs are undertaken, quarterly monitoring meetings are held and the three ALEOs provide monthly reporting. K Johnston confirmed that there are no anomalies in the reporting and everything is as it should be at this point. Resolved: The financial position of the three Arm’s Length External Organisations, be noted. 9. Perth and Kinross Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Clinical and Care Governance Exception Report Perth and Kinross Care and Professional Governance Forums were held on 6 March, 11 April and 9 May. There were no Social Work/Social Care issues escalated for exception reporting. Resolved: The Committee noted the update. (It was agreed that the public and press should be excluded during consideration of the following items in order to avoid the disclosure of information which is exempt in terms of Schedule 7A to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.) P1. Annual Review of Cyber Security There was submitted a report by Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance (25/147) providing (1) an overview of Cyber Security in the Council; (2) assurance on current risks and threat; (3) giving a description of the current arrangements in place to protect information (‘cyber security’); (4) detailing the relevant compliance framework to which the organisation is subject, and (5) giving an analysis of the security measures in place in order to counteract threats and mitigate associated risks to provide the Council with assurance as to the integrity of our systems and processes. Resolved: (i) The contents of Report 25/147, be scrutinised and noted. (ii) The assurance as regards to the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council’s cyber risk and management arrangements, be noted. ~~~~~~ Page 8 of 196
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SCRUTINY AND PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STATEMENT (OBS) (Report No. 25/226) No. Minute Reference Subject Title Outstanding Action Update Lead Officer /Service Action Due Action Expected 56. 4 June 2025 Item 6. Review of Perth and Kinross Council Support to Community Led Development Projects Involving Regeneration of Key Buildings A further workshop to be arranged with members on vacant and eyesore properties. Workshop has been arranged on Tuesday 2 November. Steve MacDonald Complete 17 September 2025 4 Page 9 of 196
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SCRUTINY & PERFORMANCE COMMITTEE 17 September 2025 Live Active Leisure Limited (Report No. 25/228) - CURRENT FINANCIAL POSITION - Supporting Commentary The attached figures show the Live Active Leisure, excluding funded activities, draft performance for the month of June 2025. In the month of June customer generated income was 96% of budget, up from 87% in the previous month, bringing the customer generated income YTD to 94% of budget. Membership income increased in June over May whilst casual swimming income at Perth Leisure Pool fell over the same period. The increase in membership income was due in part to a successful promotion for children’s holiday passes allowing comprehensive access for £20 or £25 (dependent on age) for the summer holidays. Page 17 of 196
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Income from casual swimming at Perth Leisure Pool was £52k representing 85% of budget. Over the month there were 13k usages for casual swimming at Perth Leisure Pool compared with 12k for the same period in the previous year. Swimming lesson income increased slightly to £68k in June. Fitness membership income achieved 100% of budget in June at £118k. “Other Income” includes investment income, training, and ad hoc grant funding. Investment income was significantly higher than budget (36%). Overall, other income is 137% of budget in June but 92% for the year to date. Staff costs were 99% of budget in June and 97% for the year to date. It is worth noting that the budget figure does incorporate the slippage target of 3.5%. Supplies and services include a range of costs including IT, advertising, service delivery, and irrecoverable VAT. In June these costs were 127% of budget and year to date are 115% of budget. Increased spending in the first quarter led to an irrecoverable VAT cost that was 26% higher than budgeted. Property costs were 102% of budget in June but achieved 96% of budget for the year to date. Utilities were 86% of budget for the month of June and 101% of budget for the year to date. For the month of June, there is a draft deficit of -£96k against the budgeted position of -£72k. For the first quarter there is a deficit of -£63k against a budgeted surplus of £7k. Key risks identified in AGS (submitted in 2025), and plans to address: The Company achieved the ‘Good Governance Award’ in 2024/25, a quality standard for Scottish Charities and recommended by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The assessment process involves a robust review of the following areas; charitable status, trust responsibilities, planning, delivery, monitoring, recruitment, managing staff and volunteers, financial management, resource management, and marketing and communications. Key Areas: 1.The Organisation has a clear vision and sense of purpose which is clearly linked to the delivery of the Council’s wider strategic objectives: Action: Company Business Plan currently under review. Longer term plan (3 – 5yrs) to be developed taking cognisance of a range of factors including the key decisions resulting from the PKC Leisure Asset Review. 2.Information is managed effectively and gathered and processed in a legally compliant way: Action: Increasing risks around Cyber security, increasingly convincing scam emails that contain malicious links. Staff awareness and training will continue to be further developed and prioritised. The Company continue to work with PKC to progress the achievement of the ‘Cyber Essentials ‘award, which is a government backed, industry supported scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common online threats. Page 18 of 196
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Scrutiny and Performance Committee – Date of Meeting: 17 September 2025 Report Title: Perth and Kinross Council Annual Performance Report 2024/25 Report Number: 25/230 Report Author: Carole Hendry, Service Manager – Strategic Planning and Performance Organisational Lead: Greg Boland, Strategic Lead – Strategic Planning, People and Performance ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The Annual Performance Report (APR) is part of the Council’s strategic planning and performance framework, supporting delivery of its vision and achievement of outcomes. It provides an overview of how the Council has performed against its priorities, actions and associated key performance indicators in the period from April 2024 to March 2025, as set out within the Corporate Plan 2022-2027. 1.2 This report is structured as follows:- 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background 4. Summary Information 5. Impact Value Assessment 6. Appendices 2. Recommendations It is recommended that Scrutiny and Performance Committee:- 2.1 Scrutinises the Annual Performance Report for 2024/25 and provides feedback to be incorporated into the report for Council. 2.2 Identify any areas of performance for further scrutiny at future committees. 6 Page 23 of 196
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2.3 Agrees the proposals to amend two of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), outlined in paragraph 4.3 (Table 1), for future Annual Performance Reports. 2.4 Agrees the proposed reporting arrangements for the Corporate Delivery and Improvement Plan and Annual Performance Report outlined in paragraph 4.8. 3. Background 3.1 Perth and Kinross Council’s Annual Performance Report (APR) is a statement of the progress made towards achieving its strategic priorities and meeting its statutory duty to deliver best value during the financial year 2024/25. 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, an Executive Summary is attached at Appendix 1 which provides an overview of Key Performance Measures (KPI) trends for each strategic priority and a short narrative to explain performance. This shorter version will help support the Council’s public performance reporting activity on the website and via social media. 3.2 To support the APR, as with previous years, supplementary information is online on the website PK Performs. This includes a progress report on how the Council is meeting its statutory duty to deliver best value including an update on the Best Value Assurance Report (BVAR) improvement actions. Case studies are also provided to give illustrative examples of progress towards the Council’s vision of a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequalities. 4 Summary Information 4.1 The Council’s APR for 2024/25 is a high-level summary of the impact that Council services collectively had in the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. 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. 4.2 Within the APR performance is reported 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. 4.3 As part of the information gathering process, two existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been identified as requiring replacement or refinement. These are outlined in Table 1 below, and Committee is asked to approve these changes for the 2025/26 Annual Performance Report. Page 24 of 196
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KPI Title Priority Change Reason Number of employers signed up as Living Wage employers in Perth & Kinross Tackling Poverty Removal This KPI only includes those who have paid for Living Wage Foundation accreditation, whilst officers are aware that many more employers who pay the real Living Wage are not accredited. Another existing KPI (Percentage of people earning less than the real Living Wage) is more relevant. Renewable energy generated across the PKC estate, including from low carbon heat sources (MWh) Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy Split into two KPIs - one to reflect generation of renewable energy; and one to reflect low carbon heat source technology The current KPI combines two distinct categories of energy generation: renewable and low carbon (see distinction below). While both contribute to decarbonisation, they differ in source, sustainability, and operational control: • Renewable energy (e.g. solar PV solar water heating, hydro, wind) is typically zero-emission at the point of use and often directly managed by the Council. • Low carbon heat sources (e.g. biomass boilers, heat pumps) may still produce emissions or rely on external management, making their performance and impact different. Two of the largest low carbon heat sources in the estate are not directly managed/maintained by the Council and including their output in a combined KPI can obscure the Council’s direct contribution to renewable generation. Splitting this KPI will assist in demonstration of progress against each energy source and bring us in line with Scottish Government policy and reporting frameworks which increasingly distinguish between renewable and low carbon technologies. Percentage of unemployed people assisted into work from council operated/funded employability programmes Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy Replace - Number of People that have Progressed to a Positive Destination as a Result of their Participation in Council Funded or Operated Employability Activities This new KPI will adopt the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development (SLAED) Group’s outcome indicator OC13. This will simplify the internal framework process and improve robustness as well as aligning with the national framework. Page 25 of 196
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Total number of homes built in rural areas of Perth and Kinross Working in partnership with communities Title change - Number of new affordable homes in rural areas, including new build and buy backs The wording of the indicator should be changed to remove explicit reference to new build and include other delivery types, such as buybacks, as this more accurately reflects the scale of new supply rural housing that is described in the Key Action Summary (Increase the supply and availability of rural housing). This ensures a more accurate measuring of the KPI and reflects reporting elsewhere. Table 1 4.4 Throughout the APR, there are 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. 4.5 Despite these achievements the Council are not complacent and recognise the many challenges we faced within 2024/25, and those that lie ahead. The report recognises some of these challenges and the work that we are doing to make positive change. 4.6 In May 2024, the Corporate Delivery and Improvement Plan (CDIP) was approved, and a progress update on this is appended to the APR. In addition, included under each of the corporate priorities within the APR we have outlined key areas of focus for 2025/26. 4.7 The current Corporate Plan will require to be updated in 2027 and offers the opportunity begin the process of reviewing the current Council priorities, aligning both local and national needs as well as undertaking wider engagement with our partners, community groups and more generally with the wider Perth and Kinross population. The planning and engagement for this will commence in the latter part of 2025 and beyond. 4.8 As a result, it is proposed that we continue to provide updates to the existing CDIP actions, with any areas of focus for the following year identified within the APR. We will also consider further how we report on the current Corporate Plan for 2025/26 and 2026/27 with a view to streamlining the APR process. 5. Impact Value Assessment This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. 6. Appendices 6.1 Perth and Kinross Council Annual Performance Report 2024/25 Page 26 of 196
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6.2 Annual Performance Report 2024/25 Executive Summary 6.3 Case Studies 6.4 Key Improvement Activities from CDIP 2024-25 Page 27 of 196
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Appendix 1 6 Page 29 of 196
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Annual Performance Report 2024/25 1 PKC - GENERAL Contents Contents Introduction 2 Performance summary 3 Priority: Tackling poverty 4 Priority: Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places 13 Priority: Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy 19 Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential 298 Priority: Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people 387 Priority: Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing 46 Priority: Working in partnership with communities 52 Key contact 60 Page 30 of 196
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Annual Performance Report 2024/25 2 PKC - GENERAL Introduction Welcome to our Annual Performance Report for 2024/25. This report provides an overview of the work undertaken by Perth and Kinross Council over the past year. It reflects the dedication of our teams, the strength of our partnerships, and the resilience of our communities in the face of ongoing challenges. Our vision remains clear: a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality. Delivering on this ambition requires us to focus our efforts where they are needed most - supporting those in greatest need, protecting our most vulnerable residents, and creating the conditions for a thriving local economy. In 2024/25, we continued to invest in targeted support for families and individuals experiencing poverty, expanded opportunities for fair work and employability, and strengthened our approach to care and protection. At the same time, we have worked to deliver services more efficiently, making the best use of the resources available to us in a climate of increasing financial pressure. This report is structured around the Council’s seven strategic priorities and includes performance data, case studies, and links to further information. It also reflects on areas where improvement is needed and outlines how we are responding to emerging challenges and opportunities. We are proud of the progress made this year and grateful to everyone who has contributed - including Council officers, elected members, partners, businesses, and community and voluntary groups. We hope this report provides a clear account of our performance and our ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality public services for the people of Perth and Kinross. Councillor Grant Laing Thomas Glen Council Leader Chief Executive Page 31 of 196
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3 PKC - GENERAL 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 change over the last year and accompanying commentary. Data is shown between 2021/22 – 2024/25, or the most recent year available. Caution should be applied when interpreting KPI data, as these are only indicative of performance. Changes in performance should be considered in the context of the current operating environment, challenges and whether we control, influence or are informed by the services which are reflected in the data. Targets Targets for each KPI are also presented where relevant and highlighted by a traffic light system as to whether the 2024/25 performance has met the target. KPI Overview KPI Annual Change Change since last reporting year is favourable Change since last reporting year is unfavourable Change since last reporting year is static No data available to make comparison N/A 33 12 5 4 KPI performance against target Met or exceeded target Target not met Target Not Set 24/25 Target Set but data not yet available Not appropriate to set target 18 18 7 3 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 2024/25 on our PK Performs website. Financial information We have also included financial information online which details where we get our money from and how that budget is used. Read the supporting financial information on our PK Performs website. Page 32 of 196
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4 PKC - GENERAL Priority: Tackling poverty Action: Prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children living in Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross has made encouraging progress in reducing child poverty. The local rate is now 3.8% below the national average, nearly double the previous gap of 2%. This improvement has improved the area’s ranking to 7th nationally for lowest child poverty rates. While these results are promising, data will be closely monitored over the next two years to ensure the improvement is sustained. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 are included below and detailed further in the Children’s Scorecard 2024/25: • A network of public, third sector, and community organisations collaborated to deliver holistic family support, focusing on employability, income maximisation, and wellbeing. • Strategic efforts across all partner organisations supported parents into work by providing access to affordable housing, transport, childcare and employability support. • The Support and Connect programme trained frontline workers to deliver wraparound support, helping families transition from crisis support to sustainable livelihoods. • The Children’s Scorecard tracked service responsiveness to people with lived experience of poverty and monitored progress against child poverty reduction targets. • Through the Future for Families project we: engaged with 238 families, including 199 new families; supported 45 parents into self-employment; and provided digital devices to 98 families experiencing digital poverty. • We helped remove barriers to employment for parents by providing 3,229 childcare places across the public and private sectors and funding 300 Strong Start places for 2-year-olds. • We allocated over £82,500 to support holiday food for school children and 70 children benefited from free places at the Fuelled for Fun holiday programme. • Despite increased demand for temporary accommodation due to the housing crisis, our ‘Home First’ approach helped maintain stability in terms of families being in temporary accommodation. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of households in temporary accommodation remained stable, with 6 households (15 children) in March 2025 compared to 8 households (16 children) in March 2024 – reducing disruption for families which is critical for child development and wellbeing. In the same period the national figure rose by 36%. CASE STUDY The Family Advice and Community Connections Service was commissioned from Aberlour and launched in September 2024 using Whole Family Wellbeing Fund funding. It provides flexible, early help to families across Perth and Kinross, allowing them to access support directly without professional referral. Action: Mitigate cost of living pressures for households experiencing or at risk of poverty We have taken a targeted, person-centred approach to easing cost- of-living pressures for households in or at risk of poverty. Through financial support, early intervention, and strong engagement, we have helped residents maintain stable housing and improve their financial wellbeing. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • In 2024/25 564 tenants received £203,000 in financial assistance through our Tenancy Sustainment Fund (TSF), Page 33 of 196
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5 PKC - GENERAL helping them manage arrears and maintain stable housing. The fund uses a flexible, person-centred approach to ensure support reaches those who need it the most. • Our rent collection strategy continues to deliver exceptional results, achieving an in-year collection rate of 100.17% in 2024/25, up from 99.15% the previous year. This result, supported by a 53-week rent year, reflects the success of our tenant-focused approach that balances financial rigour with personalised support. Key enablers of this success include: • Digital Inclusion Project: provided devices, data, and training to tenants to improve digital access. • Centralised Arrears Team: took a proactive approach to early intervention and tailored support to prevent arrears increasing. • Tenant engagement: over 6,700 support calls handled, strengthening responsiveness when they need it. • Rent arrears reduced significantly, highlighting the effectiveness of our integrated support model • current arrears fell from 9.59% to 8.03% • gross arrears dropped from 10.98% to 8.83%. • The Financial Inclusion Project, in partnership with Citizens’ Advice Bureau, delivered: • £784,052 in financial gains for tenants. • Support for 677 tenants in arrears Action: Maximise income from benefit entitlement and concessions for households experiencing or at risk of poverty In 2024/25, we strengthened our efforts to help residents increase their income through benefits and financial support. By focusing on outreach, targeted funding, and inclusive service delivery, the Council ensured that support reached those most in need - particularly in rural areas and among vulnerable groups. Recognition at a national level highlighted the impact of this work, which continues to evolve through strong partnerships and community engagement. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • £9.2 million in additional benefits secured for Perth and Kinross residents by our Welfare Rights service in 2024/25. This marks a significant uplift, driven by stronger service promotion and improved follow-up efforts to better track financial outcomes. • £269,000 distributed through the Financial Insecurity Fund to over 1,400 households, including those without recourse to public funds. Despite reduced funding and fewer applications, over 66% of payments were directed to rural households facing financial hardship. • In October 2024, our Welfare Rights and Welfare Fund teams won the Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation’s Excellence in Social Inclusion Performance Award for Scotland, recognising their impactful work in prisons and foodbanks across urban and rural communities. • We strengthened access to Welfare Rights and Welfare Fund services by reducing barriers and increasing awareness in targeted communities. Key examples include: • Beginning regular outreach at Double Dykes and partnering with Broke Not Broken to support Gypsy/Traveller communities in Kinross. This improved engagement, built trust, and strengthened relationships, with officers now being accepted and welcomed into the communities. • Delivering a six-month outreach programme at @Scott Street .This led to improved referral rates and stronger partnerships, enabling Social Work teams to move to online referrals and increasing client engagement to ensure full entitlements are obtained. • Partnering with YMCA, Creative Exchange, and others to enhance welfare rights support for young people aged 16– Page 34 of 196
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6 PKC - GENERAL 25, ensuring tailored assistance for this age group. This is the first time that young people have been specifically targeted with this type of support in Perth and Kinross. • Establishing a weekly Welfare Fund outreach service in HMP Perth in collaboration with the Scottish Prison Service. This supported over 90 prisoners preparing to reintegrate into the community, helping them access entitlements and stabilise their transition. CASE STUDY Provision of Welfare Rights Outreach in Prison – This case study highlights our efforts to ensure provision of financial support for prisoners and their families, to improve the transition from prison to community for individuals due to be released. We are the first and only local authority in Scotland to provide this outreach service. 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 We continue to champion the Scottish Government’s Fair Work Action Plan by embedding fair work practices across our own operations and encouraging local employers to do the same. Our focus remains on ensuring fair pay, inclusive recruitment, and meaningful support for businesses committed to the Real Living Wage and the Scottish Business Pledge. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • Ensuring that all businesses receiving Council grant funding paid the living wage to their employees • Supporting local employers to recruit through targeted incentives where roles pay the Real Living Wage. • Paying the Real Living Wage to all our employees, including apprentices • Through our Futures for All Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI), we provided financial and employability support to 48 businesses – 20 in Perth and 28 in rural areas. All participating employers paid the living wage to new recruits (except apprentices), with a focus on helping individuals facing barriers to employment to access fair work opportunities. • Further developing our Customer Relation Management (CRM) system to improve our intelligence and develop enhanced engagement with our Top 100 businesses. Areas of Focus • Better understand and capture the value of preventative spend and how funds are allocated to develop a budgeting approach based on identified need and overall wellbeing • Review actions contributing to ongoing reduction in child poverty levels to identify and enhance the most effective interventions. • Expand Fast Online Referral Tracking system referral pathways and deliver Support and Connect training to frontline staff and partners to provide a more consistent and comprehensive support service Links to other Performance Information ➢ Child poverty action in Perth and Kinross – Perth & Kinross Council (pkc.gov.uk) Page 35 of 196
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7 PKC - GENERAL ➢ Welfare Rights Annual Report (link to be updated) ➢ Link to Children’s Scorecard (to be provided when ready – expected end of October) ➢ Link to Local Child Poverty Action Plan (As above) Page 36 of 196
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8 PKC - GENERAL 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 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met Mitigate cost of living pressure for households experiencin g 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 1,638 500 Advice was provided to 1,638 households via the SCARF energy advice programme, funded by the Council. The apparent decline in the number of households supported compared to 2023/24 is due to this measure only reflecting Council-funded services, with the Heat Project (which was included in 2023/24 figures) now funded elsewhere. As a result of the advice through all agencies, £3,360 of fuel debt was written off, relieving immediate pressure for households in crisis. 558 households received face-to-face support, with personalised advice and interventions that helped residents take control of their energy usage. This advice delivered an estimated £51,661 in household savings and 123.56 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions savings. 108 onward referrals were made to additional schemes and support services, ensuring clients could access everything from energy advice funding to welfare rights advice. From 2025/26 we will adopt a more targeted approach. This means fewer households receive advice overall, but it is expected to generate greater impact for those most in need across Perth and Kinross. Page 37 of 196
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9 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met 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) 264 (37 new builds, 116 buy backs, 23 empty home and 18 acquisitions*) 210 In 2024/25, 264 new affordable homes were completed across Perth and Kinross by us and our Registered Social Landlord partners. Of these, we delivered 37 new build properties and purchased 116 as buybacks. The Local Housing Strategy sets a yearly target of 210 new affordable homes a year, based on assessed housing need and demand. While this is shown as an annual target, delivery is over a 5-year strategy as annual delivery may vary due to the nature of new housing development. To maintain progress while our new-build programme is being established, the decision was taken to exceed the standard buyback target of 40 homes. This approach has helped ensure a steady supply of council housing during a period of transition. We also acquired 18 homes from the National Trust of Scotland. Maximise income from benefits and concessions Number of Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grant applications Influence 6,336 5,498 6,539 7,421 7,856 N/A (not appropria te to set targets) N/A Since June 2023, first point of contact calls have been re-routed directly to the Welfare Rights team. This change has led to an increase in applications, driven by improved access to specialist advice, a rights-based approach to crisis support, and external pressures such as Universal Credit (UC) Managed Migration; UC deductions and the ongoing cost of living crisis. The new call handling process ensures queries are managed end-to-end by trained advisors, providing accurate and timely support from the outset. Page 38 of 196
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10 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met In 2024/25, over 100% of the Scottish Government allocation of £653,000 for the Scottish Welfare Fund was spent on Crisis Grants. Additional local funding was used to meet the remaining demand for Crisis Grants and to fully fund Community Care Grant awards. Of the 7,856 applications received, 5,118 awards were made. 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 £9.2m N/A (not appropria te to set targets) N/A In 2024/25, the Welfare Rights service helped Perth and Kinross residents gain an additional £9.2 million in benefits – an increase of 8% compared to 2023/24. The service received 8,109 referrals, with 6,315 of these being new clients. This rise in referrals reflects targeted efforts to promote the service and maintain contact with customers, enabling better tracking of outcomes. Promote and encourage principles of the Scottish Government Fair Work Action Plan Number of employers signed up as Living Wage employers in Perth & Kinross Influence N/A New Indicator 91 97 100 102 110 This figure shows a slight increase on last year, whilst not meeting the increased target. This KPI does not show the full picture of employers who pay the real Living Wage in Perth & Kinross. The figures are only inclusive of those subscribed to the Living Wage Foundation Pledge scheme, where accreditation is paid for. It is recommended that this KPI be removed with the existing KPI titled Percentage of people earning less than the real Living Wage being a more relevant indicator for the action and priority at a more granular level. Page 39 of 196
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11 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met Percentage of people earning less than the real Living Wage Influence 25.3% 16.5% 12% 13.8% (provis.) Awaiting Data TBC15% N/A (24/25 Target Set but data not yet available) The 2023/24 figure is currently provisional ahead of finalisation in November 2025, when the provisional figure for 2024/25 will also be released. Prevent and mitigate the impacts of poverty for children Percentage of children living in poverty after housing costs in P&K Inform 18.7% (note, viewed as an outlier due to small sample as a result of COVID) 21.9% 21.7% 19.2% Data produced in June 2026 10% by 2030 (SG Target) N/A (24/25 Target Set but data not yet available) 2024/25 information will not be published until June 2026; commentary is based on the most recent data published. All figures are based on estimates using Scottish Government (SG) data. Perth and Kinross continues to outperform the national average in tackling child poverty. This local rate has fallen from 21.7% to 19.2%, compared to the Scottish average of 23%. This 1.5% reduction has widened the gap between Perth and Kinross and the national average to 3.8%, nearly double what it was previously. This improvement may be linked to: • Perth and Kinross recording the second highest growth in affordable housing per 1,000 residents between 2018-2024 • Local authority and private sector rental charges remaining below the national average • Strong performance in promoting and delivering Best Start and Crisis Grants Page 40 of 196
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12 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met While these figures are encouraging, continued monitoring over the next two years will be essential to confirm whether this represents a sustained improvement. We will continue to prioritise areas where we are performing less well against the national average, such as free school meal uptake and child poverty in urban wards. Page 41 of 196
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13 PKC - GENERAL Priority: Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places We continue to deliver the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Perth and Kinross. This 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 We continue to closely monitor UK and Scottish Government targets relating to green transport to ensure that we adhere to these. We also participate in Transport Scotland’s Policy Consultative Group to contribute to and learn from peer organisations. We continue to support our Community Transport Groups across Perth and Kinross with our Community Transport Forum and by directly liaising with communities who approach us seeking support to establish a new Community Transport Group. The Public Transport Unit has invested the majority of the Scottish Government’s Community Bus Fund in purchasing MPVs for long term loan to several Community Transport Groups to enable them to deliver transport locally with volunteer drivers. Elected members approved a motion to hand over Council minibuses, which have reached the end of their Council life, to Community Groups, rather than sending the vehicles to auction. Free bus travel was funded throughout Perth and Kinross on the first Saturday of each month, from June 2024 - March 2025, for passengers who do not hold a free bus pass. A total of 38, 042 passengers benefited from this offer. 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 2024/25, we made strong progress in improving the energy efficiency of homes and supporting low-carbon living. Our work focused on delivering new energy-efficient housing, upgrading existing stock, and enabling private homeowners to access funding for improvements. These efforts contribute directly to reducing fuel poverty and lowering carbon emissions across Perth and Kinross. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • 37 new affordable social rent homes were completed in Methven, Rattray and Kinross, all with high insulation levels and solar panels to reduce energy bills and carbon footprint. • Prioritising energy efficiency improvements to homes in Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) Bands E and F, which currently represent 2.6% of our housing stock. This work will contribute to ensuring all our homes meet the Scottish Government’s minimum EPC Band D target by 2025. Access challenges remain and our housing teams are working to resolve this. • 440 properties were upgraded to meet the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESH) standards in 2024/25. As of March 2025, 87% of properties meet EESH - a 5% improvement from the previous year. We continue to work with tenants and teams to improve more properties where possible. • A £6.5m refurbishment began at the Double Dykes Gypsy Traveller site in Perth, replacing existing chalets with more Page 42 of 196
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14 PKC - GENERAL energy efficient homes. Five chalets were delivered by April 2025 with energy-efficient heating, hot water systems and renewable technology. • Over £3m in grants were issued by March 2025 through the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland Area Based Schemes (HEEPS ABS) and ECO4 schemes to help private homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their properties. • 1,638 households were provided with free home energy advice to help reduce energy bills, write off energy debt, improve energy efficiency and reduce damp and mould. Action: To conserve and enhance the biodiversity of our natural environment We’ve made strong progress in protecting and improving biodiversity across Perth and Kinross, recognising its vital role in building climate resilience. Our actions have focused on tree planting, habitat restoration, community engagement, and targeted ecological improvements. These efforts are helping us create healthier ecosystems, support wildlife, and strengthen our response to climate change. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • Planting 3,142 trees in our open spaces – an increase from 2,512 in 2023/24 – boosting carbon capture and contributing to climate resilience and flood mitigation. • We supported the Grow Wild initiative by distributing the locally cultivated Westbank Wonder Mix, a native pollinator seed blend that reduces reliance on water-intensive annuals and strengthens Nature Networks. Community involvement was central to this success, with 20 groups receiving native herbaceous plants, 15 receiving wildflower seeds, and 7 receiving pollinator shrubs to enrich local green spaces. • Our ecology reports guided targeted biodiversity work in parks and graveyards in collaboration with local communities, including removing invasive species. Meanwhile, pond enhancement projects at six sites introduced native planting, hedgehog-friendly designs, and amphibian hibernacula— creating thriving habitats for diverse wildlife. • 16 Nature Restoration Fund grants were awarded, with three more deferred to 2025-26. These empowered council teams and community groups to make lasting improvements for nature. • The community NRF projects spanned around 199ha of restoration and included: invasive species control; riparian habitat restoration; tree and shrub planting; wildflower meadow creation; pond enhancement; surveying; a new tree nursery; and provision of tools and training for sustainable land management. CASE STUDY Biodiversity Towns and Villages Project funding of £277k was utilised to set up 3 Biodiversity towns, 10 Biodiversity villages and 2 Biodiversity neighbourhoods. This case study highlights projects rolled out across communities that are helping to restore natural habitats which provide food and shelter for wildlife, supporting a thriving ecosystem. Action: To adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change on the way we operate We’re taking practical steps to reduce the impact of climate change on our operations and communities. From flood protection and waste reduction to sustainable reuse initiatives, our work is helping to build resilience, protect homes and infrastructure, and support a circular economy. These actions reflect our commitment to climate Page 43 of 196
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15 PKC - GENERAL adaptation and mitigation across Perth and Kinross. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • We advanced flood risk management by completing the Perth Surface Water Flood Study and starting studies and plans in Bridge of Earn, Comrie, and Scone. We also progressed the Milnathort Flood Protection Scheme and began preparatory work for the Blairgowrie & Rattray Surface Water Management Plan, and data collection to support the outline design of the Dunkeld and Craigie Flood Protection Schemes. • Construction of the Comrie Flood Protection Scheme began following Council approval in November 2023. It remains on track for completion anticipated in Q4 2026 and within budget. The South Kinross Flood Protection Scheme was formally notified to the Scottish Government, with a Local Authority Hearing scheduled for October 2025. • Our dedicated two-person Watercourse Inspector team carried out routine inspections and maintenance of key watercourses throughout the year, replacing the previous seasonal student support. In total, £4.3 million was invested in capital projects and £0.4 million in revenue projects to reduce flood risk and support essential works. • We launched a mattress reuse project with local charity PUSH, supported by £24,873 funding from the Zero Waste Scotland Small RIF fund. Donated mattresses are cleaned, sanitised sold affordably - diverting mattresses from incineration and creating employment opportunities. • Following the successful securing of £2.72m of capital investment from the Scottish Government Recycling Improvement Fund (RIF), we introduced a new twinstream collection, with an improved kerbside recycling service for around 97% of householders. Whilst the 2024/25 performance figures are awaiting verification updated 2023/24 figures show an overall increase in household recycling rates to 51.7%. • An additional bonus with the separation of products has resulted in a financial benefit with an increase of income from recyclable items. CASE STUDY Cross Tay Link Road Carbon Management embedded sustainability into every stage of design and construction, achieving over 51,000 tCO₂e in carbon savings. Key innovations included the use of flexible pavement with a hydraulically bound material (HBM) base, low-carbon concrete mixes, and sustainable drainage systems. Carbon reduction was made a contractual requirement, with procurement and design decisions driving measurable environmental benefits. The project is now recognised nationally as a leading example of low-carbon infrastructure delivery. Areas of Focus • 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 ➢ Waste Management Plan 2010-2025 - Final Update (Plan being revised in early 2026) ➢ Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy ➢ List of Nature Restoration Fund Projects 2024/25 Page 44 of 196
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16 PKC - GENERAL Key Performance Indicators related to this priority: Data 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 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/Not Met Support the prioritisation of sustainable, cleaner, and greener Number of publicly available charging devices per 100,000 population Influence 86.2 125.5 133.9 175.4 349 It should be noted that the target for this KPI in previous reports had been based on the number of charging connectors, of which there are two in every unit. The target has been amended to reflect the number of units in line with the KPI measure going forward. It will also rise with a predicted 30% increase in uptake of electric vehicles following a local strategy developed alongside Urban Foresight in 2023. However recent law changes on the taxation of electric vehicles may affect the actual uptake. We estimate that planned progress is delayed by around a year, due to delays in funding. A large-scale contract is set to be awarded in April 2026, earmarking the install of approx. 100 charging units. Percentage of Council fleet vehicles that are electric or other zero direct carbon fuel technologies Control 5.3% 3.8% 3.6% 4.5% 3.85% The Council added 3 more electric vehicles to its fleet in 2024/25. We will continue to closely monitor developments in evolving new technologies, particularly electric and hydrogen. The Binn Ecopark Hydrogen Facility being developed by Green Cat Energy in Glenfarg, could make hydrogen a viable option within Perth and Kinross. If it is completed by June 2027 this would allow the Council’s Fleet Team to review the options for using hydrogen as a fuel source for our HGV fleet ahead of the Page 45 of 196
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17 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/Not Met national target of ceasing petrol/diesel vehicle production in 2030. We are working on a project looking at the introduction of a hydrogen facility within our Friarton Depot. If successful, it could see hydrogen being available on site also from 2027. Using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) in the Council waste fleet should also see CO2 savings of c1000 tonnes by 2027. 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 6.2% 6.6% 7.1% 8.0% 8.0% Of the total housing stock (8,226 properties as of 31 March 2025), we’ve increased the number meeting the Energy Efficient Standard 2 for Social Housing from 565 to - an increase of 92. This was achieved through new builds and investment in existing properties, despite access challenges. Scope 1 and 2 Emissions from Council Non- Domestic Estate (tonnes CO2e) Control 10,761 9,226 9,080 8,976 Rolling 3% per annum reduction Although the national electricity emissions factor remained unchanged, which means switching from gas to electricity would not lead to a drop in carbon emissions, our overall emissions still fell. This is due to reduced energy use across our buildings and services. It should be borne in mind that emissions will be heavily influenced by the assets held within the estate and reductions have been achieved despite increases in Gross Internal Floor Area with inclusion of Perth Museum and Bells Sports Centre. Page 46 of 196
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18 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/Not Met To conserve and enhance the biodiversity of our natural environment Area grassland managed by PKC for biodiversity improvement objectives (ha) Control 21.8ha 40.4ha 40.4ha 121.5ha N/A (Target not set) N/A We more than doubled our management of grassland areas included in Grow Wild, increasing from 49.16ha to 121.5ha. Early monitoring has shown noticeable increases in insect and flower populations in unmown areas. To adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate changes on the way we operate Total household waste recycled/com posted as % of all household waste Influence 50.2% 49.3% 51.7% N/A awaiting verificati on 60% 2023/24 figures have been revised following SEPA verification and show an increase of 2.4% on the previous year. 2024/25 data is yet to be verified, however we project that there is a further increase, largely due to the new kerbside recycling system (twinstream). Previously this was documented in the Waste Management Plan (WMP), however going forward this will be incorporated in the Circular Economy Strategy. Historic data for this KPI has been amended to reflect a consistent reporting period aligned with the calendar year data reported to SEPA. Climate Change Assessment Tool (CCAT) overall score Control 61% 69% 71% 74% 78% Our score improved by 3%, with strong gains in Adaptation (up from 79% to 96%), Emissions (up by 5 points) and Behaviour (up by 5 points). Procurement remains the lowest category at 38%, with no change from last year. Improvement is aimed for in future years following a new five-year Sustainable Procurement Strategy being approved in June 2024. Governance dropped by 18 points, despite an increase in the accountability by senior management score. The 2023/24 score Page 47 of 196
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19 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target Met/Not Met was artificially inflated due to a one-off internal audit that wasn’t repeated this year. Page 48 of 196
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20 PKC - GENERAL 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 In 2024/25, we strengthened our support for business growth and innovation across Perth and Kinross, with a particular focus on start-ups, rural enterprises, digital industries, and inward investment. Our efforts have led to increased engagement, exceeded programme targets, and laid the groundwork for future sustainable development. We continue to build a dynamic and inclusive business ecosystem that reflects our commitment to entrepreneurship, creativity, and economic resilience. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • Supporting 252 business start-ups through Business Gateway, exceeding last year’s figures and surpassing our New Start and Pre-Start Plus programme target with 22 businesses supported. • Leading the Tayside region in Business Gateway Growth referrals, with 23 high-potential businesses projecting turnover increases of £200k+, highlighting strong entrepreneurial momentum. • Providing tailored support to 254 micro-enterprises, self- employed individuals, and social enterprises through GrowBiz, significantly exceeding our target of 180. • Enabling 231 businesses to participate in learning and networking sessions, with 43% aligned to our targeted growth sectors, and 76 new businesses supported to begin trading. • Expanding Perthshire Artisans to support 168 creative sector businesses—well above our target of 36—demonstrating a thriving rural enterprise culture. • Designing work and related investigations for the first phase of the Perth Eco-Innovation Park (11ha), progressing Heads of Terms to unlock sustainable business growth. • Maintaining steady interest in our industrial sites, including Northfield Business Park, with ongoing enquiries from businesses seeking premises in established hubs. • Launching a refreshed Invest in Perth website in October 2024, improving mobile responsiveness and accessibility, resulting in a 24% increase in traffic over six months. • Introducing a new CRM system in January 2025 to enhance tracking of business interactions, improve economic intelligence, and strengthen our engagement impact. • Continuing to support innovation through the Perth Ideas Centre at Creative Exchange, offering entrepreneurs and SMEs access to technical equipment, training, and events focused on creative and digital industries. • Hosting Techscaler, delivered by CodeBase, at the Ideas Centre, reinforcing Perth and Kinross’s profile as a hub for scaling tech businesses. • Delivering The Angel’s Share programme, enabling local businesses to pitch to certified investors, attracting inward investment and encouraging relocation to the region. Page 49 of 196
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21 PKC - GENERAL 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 We’re reducing reliance on the national grid by investing in low- carbon energy and smart technology—supporting both sustainability and local economic growth. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • We progressed two major clean energy projects featuring heat pumps and solar panels, helping to reduce emissions and energy costs across our estate. • We installed a medium-scale heat pump system at a rural primary school, replacing oil heating with a cleaner alternative. • We are actively exploring new partnerships and agreements to expand solar power and battery storage, aiming to increase on- site energy generation and reduce grid dependency. • As the national grid becomes greener, we remain committed to using electricity—especially through heat pumps—as our main heating source, while continuing to invest in smart, low-carbon technologies. 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 In 2024/25, we continued to position Perth and Kinross as a vibrant and distinctive destination for business, investment, and tourism. By leveraging our cultural identity, natural assets, and international recognition as a UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art, we delivered impactful programmes and infrastructure that enhanced community engagement, boosted visitor numbers, and supported economic growth. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • Promoted Perth and Kinross as a dynamic destination by building on our UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art status and showcasing our cultural and natural assets. • Delivered a curated programme of high-impact creative projects through local, national, and international partnerships, with ongoing work to embed creativity into everyday community life through new assets and infrastructure. • Grew the Perth City & Towns platform to over 100,000 active users, supporting local businesses and events through a multi- platform marketing strategy and targeted campaigns with partners such as Expedia, TripAdvisor, and Scotland’s Tay Country. • Achieved a 25.1% increase in total visitor numbers, with day visitors up 21% and overnight stays up 21.6%, contributing to a 33% rise in direct visitor spend and a 37% increase in the sector’s overall economic impact. Page 50 of 196
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22 PKC - GENERAL • Strengthened cultural tourism and regeneration through strategic promotion and investment, including the successful opening of the new Perth Museum as a flagship attraction. CASE STUDY The opening of Perth Museum marked a major cultural milestone for the city, transforming the historic City Hall into a vibrant heritage destination. With £27.5 million in funding from the Council and the Tay Cities Deal, the museum welcomed over 128,000 visitors in its first four months. Community pride was reignited through the return of the Stone of Destiny, while the museum’s design and programming aim to boost tourism, celebrate local history, and reposition Perth as a key cultural hub in 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 We’re helping people across Perth and Kinross access learning, training, and employment—especially those furthest from the job market or in low-paid roles. By working with local partners and businesses, we’re creating pathways into sustainable, better-paid work and supporting inclusive economic growth. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • We supported 618 adults to achieve learning outcomes – more than double our target of 300 – through SQA-accredited courses and short programmes in communications, numeracy, digital skills employability, volunteering and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). • We awarded £92,000 through the Adult Learning in the Community Fund to support 8 local organisations, reaching 220 learners through a diverse range of projects. Projects included ESOL support, rural skills training, digital literacy, employability programmes, and volunteer driver training. • Our adult advisors supported 48 people into employment, with outreach support available in Letham, Blairgowrie and Rattray, Kinross, Auchterarder, and Crieff. • We launched a monthly employability drop-in the Letham Hub, working with DWP and Skills Development Scotland. Through this partnership the Council will also continue to work in Letham on a weekly basis providing ongoing multi-disciplinary drop-in services including housing, Welfare Rights and CAB, supporting the “No Wrong Door” approach to service provision in Letham. • Through the Skills Passport project, 58 unemployed clients gained training awards, with 21 now in work or self-employed. • Our Youth Employability Team registered 140 new young people and 122 completed support – 94% of whom moved into a positive destination. Staff are based in every secondary school in Perth and Kinross delivering one-to-one and group support, and sector-based academies, and work closely with local employers. CASE STUDY Futures for All – Employer Recruitment Incentive supported Wild Hearth Bakery in Highland Perthshire to create a baking apprenticeship for a young person at risk of becoming NEET*. With £8,000 funding, the business provided meaningful training and development, resulting in the apprentice progressing to the Real Living Wage within six months. The scheme has had a transformative impact, Page 51 of 196
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23 PKC - GENERAL with plans to expand support for inclusive employment opportunities across all age groups. *Not in Education, Employment, or Training Areas of Focus • Unlock new investment in employment and housing land to support business growth in foundational and key growth sectors. • Make Perth and Kinross a more competitive inward investment destination and encourage investment for growth from existing businesses in foundational and key growth sectors • Unlock private investment and expertise to support public and private energy projects. • Continue to grow visitor numbers for holidays and day trips • Further enhance our employability tracking and outreach capacity, supporting individuals in community settings. ➢ Perth & Kinross Economic Action Plan ➢ Perth & Kinross Tourism Strategy and Action Plan ➢ Perth & Kinross Culture Strategy Links to other Performance Information Page 52 of 196
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24 PKC - GENERAL 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 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met Support and promote business growth and investment Number of new business start-ups with support from Business Gateway Influence 220 250 231 252 260 The number of business start-ups supported by Business Gateway grew in 2024/25 and shows level progress within the Tayside Business Gateway LAs – slightly ahead of Angus and just behind Dundee. Area of available Serviced Employment Land (Ha) Influence N/A (New Indicator) 17.57 26.15 35 This figure is based on the Employment Land Audit 2025 (August 2025) and represents employment land immediately available across PK. There is an improved take-up of 2.7 ha per annum in the 3 years 2022-25 (compared to 2.1ha per annum in 8 years prior to 2022). There is 269ha of land constrained by minor factors including physical, amenity and ownership constraints. We are working with partners to make this land immediately available. 2024/25 saw 13 windfall planning permissions for employment land on sites not allocated in the Local Development Plan, and this contributed to a strong uplift in the immediately available land supply of over 9 hectares to 26.15 hectares. Percentage of premises connected to gigabit broadband Influence 40% 43% 46% 55% 50% Gigabit-cable connectivity reached 55% of premises, meeting our target. The recently announced Scottish Government partnership with GoFibre will connect 63,000 hard-to-reach premises in Scotland, including areas of Perth and Kinross – boosting future full fibre coverage. Page 53 of 196
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25 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met Number of registered businesses in Creative Industries (including digital) Influence 380 350 335 355 (As of Dec 2024) 400 There are 355 registered creative industry businesses, including digital as of December 2024. This data is captured annually towards the end of the calendar year (Nov/Dec) to capture data for that period. We’re delivering projects to grow this number, guided by the Culture Strategy 2023-2025. Perth's designation as the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art is raising our profile as hub for makers, crafters and creatives looking to start and grow their practice or business. Invest in innovative green power and smart technology solutions Renewable energy generated across the PKC estate, including from low carbon heat sources (MWh) Control 2,535 2,226 2,703 2,593 Rolling 3% continual improvemen t While additional Heat Pumps were installed in 24/25, low carbon heat consumption fell due to operational issues with biomass boilers at Strathearn and Breadalbane community campuses. These sites are our largest sources of low carbon heat generation. Investigative works are ongoing to find a resolution. Electricity generation increased significantly thanks to new solar panel installations. It is recommended that this KPI be split into two: one to reflect generation of renewable energy; and one to reflect low carbon heat source technology. This will assist in demonstrating more clearly how we are performing in these linked, but discreetly separate areas. Page 54 of 196
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26 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met Number of registered businesses in energy (including renewables growth sector) Influence 140 145 140 145 154 There are 145 registered energy businesses, including renewables growth. We’ve received multiple enquiries from companies interested in locating in Perth and Kinross, but land and office accommodation constraints together with other business specific factors have limited uptake. Recently Business Waste ranked Perth as the 5th most sustainable UK city for businesses, and first for renewable energy capacity per 100, 000 people. 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 £100,569 £91,711 £85,842 Dec 25 N/A (not appropriate to set targets as national methodology being reviewed) N/A Data not available until publication of LGBF. Information based upon most recent published data. Total number of visits (in person) to libraries, museums, and galleries Influence 246K 441K 484K 765K 617k Visitor numbers rose significantly, driven by the successful opening of Perth Museum. Q1 saw a 106,307 rise in footfall, with library visits up 10.5%. Q2 saw a further increase of 200,952 visits, including a 12.8% rise in library footfall and 6,898 visits to Perth Art Gallery and Alyth Museum. Q3 continued to exceed targets, with library visits up 7%, despite a temporary reduction in mobile library services. Libraries showing notable improvement included Auchterarder, Breadalbane, Scone, Loch Leven, and North Inch. Q4 saw a 58% increase in overall footfall (+280,586), including a 550% rise in museum visits and a 36% increase at Perth Page 55 of 196
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27 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met Art Gallery following the reopening of two galleries. Support people into work and encourage business to access initiatives to create new opportuniti es Percentage of unemployed people assisted into work from council operated/funded employability programmes Influence 15.7% 13.0% 13.7% 19.9% 15% Notable improvement of +6.2% can, in part, be attributed to increased engagement through a number of key projects and programmes. The Futures for Families programme engaged 199 new families in 24/25. 45 of these clients have moved into new self-employment opportunities with our support. This, being a new initiative, enhances the already existing suite of options. A greater focus on new job creation saw significant investment from PKC and Scottish Government of £343k. This funding created 48 new jobs, 22 of which were Modern Apprentices in micro and small businesses locally. In addition, we have supported 233 people into accredited training and qualifications. 246 people with a disability were supported into a positive destination. Number of adult learners achieving outcomes Influence 279 780 901 618 300 A total of 618 adult learners achieved outcomes across a range of programmes: • 132 achieved Level 2 Food Hygiene. • 159 learners completed digital skills courses. • 169 improved English skills through ESOL classes. Page 56 of 196
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28 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met • 43 achieved SQA qualifications at level 2, 3 or 4 in Numeracy, Communications or ICT. • 40 improved core literacy and numeracy. • 75 completed ASDAN short courses. Lower figures in some areas reflect reduced demand following earlier surges, - e.g. ESOL enrolments linked to the Ukraine war and Food and Hygiene training for volunteers during and post COVID. Page 57 of 196
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29 PKC - GENERAL 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, presented at the Learning and Families Committee 27 August 2025. Overall, schools and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings in PKC perform well and deliver high quality education as evidenced through internal and external scrutiny, review and inspection detailed below. Children and young people experience a curriculum which considers equity and excellence with work ongoing to ensure due consideration to the Cost of the School Day. Action: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning By using data effectively and focusing on equity, our schools and early years settings are driving meaningful improvements and helping children and young people reach their full potential. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • We strengthened the use of data in school improvement planning. The majority of schools now include actions to reduce the Cost of the School Day in their Quality Improvement Plans for 2025/26 – ensuring equity is embedded in everyday decision-making. • Our Early Learning and Childcare settings outperformed both national and comparator benchmarks in all Care Inspectorate Quality Indicators, reflecting the consistently high standards across Perth and Kinross. • Education Scotland inspected one secondary and seven primary schools. Of the primary reports published in 2024/25 (two reports were for inspections undertaken in 2023/24), one was graded “Very Good”, 16 “Good” and five “Satisfactory”. The secondary school received one “Good” and one “Very Good” 88% 90% 88% 84% 88% 74% 76% 74% 66% 73%77% 80% 78% 72% 77% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Care, Play and Learning Setting Staff Team Leadership All QIs How good is our ... Quality Indicator (QIs) -Good or better (%) Perth & Kinross Council Comparator Authorities National Page 58 of 196
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30 PKC - GENERAL grading, with strengths in leadership, attainment and partnership working. Schools have put in place action plans to address identified improvements, supported by our Quality Improvement Team. Common improvement themes identified in the inspection reports included consistency in learning, teaching and assessment, and better use of data to plan interventions. These are being addressed through: • individual action plans at school level • service-wide initiatives including the introduction of Principal Teachers of Learning and Teaching, funded by Strategic Equity Funding • universal, tailored or intensive support to schools and ELC settings to improve approaches to learning and teaching and the use of our Learning and Teaching Framework. • A National Thematic Inspection by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education reviewed how local authorities support schools to improve. The visit to Perth and Kinross found our advice and guidance to be clear and comprehensive, with strong expectations set around standards and planning. Our responsive, risk-based approach to providing support and challenge to schools along with formal Quality Improvement Reviews were highlighted as good practice. • Quality Improvement identified key strengths and areas for development, which correlate with the findings of Education Scotland Inspections. These include key strengths such as: • positive climate and ethos in schools • effective use of data for improvement • targeted use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) to close the poverty-related attainment gap • impactful local authority-led programmes, including the National Improving Writing programme and Numeracy Schools initiative Areas for development included: • strategic approaches to self-evaluation and involving children, young people and their families • assessment and moderation practices • consistency in learning and teaching expectations CASE STUDY By utilising Nurturing approaches, which recognise that positive relationships are central to learning, wellbeing and resilience, Riverside Primary School delivered training and a programme of activities to develop positive self-esteem among children and young people, with involvement from families and carers. • We made strong progress across all Additional Support Needs (ASN) Transformation Programme workstreams, including: support staff; professional learning; inclusive environments; intensive support; transitions; speech and language therapy; and data-informed decision-making. Examples include: • Extensive options appraisals and statutory consultation processes were undertaken, involving a range of stakeholders, on proposals to develop three new Intensive Support Provisions (ISPs). These will open (temporarily pending formal approval in January 2026) in August 2025 providing intensive level learning and support for a greater number of children and young people within their own catchments. • A new support staff allocation model to better match staffing to identified learner needs. Page 59 of 196
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31 PKC - GENERAL • New data tools are helping school staff and central officers to record pupils needs accurately and ensure the right support is in place. • A revised Speech and Language Therapy contract now includes a defined ‘core offer’ and annual review process, allowing us to tailor priorities based on emerging needs. • Career Progression Pathway models for staff supporting learners with ASN are being mapped to statutory duties and staged levels of interventions, ensuring children are supported by trained and skilled staff. • 45 schools and 3 ELC settings now hold a Digital Schools Award, an increase of over 50% on 2023/24. Every school now has a named Digital Champion. Perth and Kinross had the second highest number of schools gaining Digital Schools Awards during 2024/25. • Schools are implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Act 2024 supported by published guidance and shared examples of good practice. • The Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) programme is active in many schools, with currently 16 holding the Silver Award accreditation, and 14 holding the Gold Award. CASE STUDY Over the course of 2024/25 Crieff Primary School has been working with Education Scotland, Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative (CYPIC) and PKC central officers on a pilot project to support practitioners to improve learning, teaching and assessment of Numeracy. Action: Reduce the poverty-related attainment gap By tracking progress over time and targeting support where it’s needed most, we’re helping more children and young people achieve their potential—regardless of background. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • We’ve seen steady improvement in literacy attainment across P1, P4 and P7. The gap between the most and least deprived cohorts narrowed from 27% in 2020/21 to 21% in 2023/24. • Numeracy attainment has improved in both cohorts, but at a slower rate for SIMD Q1 than for Q5. As a result, the poverty- related attainment gap widened slightly in 2023/24. However, the long-term trend still shows progress, with the gap narrowing from 24% in 2020/21 to 22% in 2023/24. • Senior phase leaver data shows significant progress: • the gap between SIMD Q1 and SIMD Q5 in achieving at least one Level 6 qualification reduced from 40% in 2021/22 to 28% in 2023/24 • the gap for leaving with at least one Level 5 qualification narrowed from 28% to 19% over the same period. 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 Through targeted support, partnership working, and a refreshed policy framework, we’re improving outcomes in education, health and wellbeing. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: Page 60 of 196
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32 PKC - GENERAL • Our new Corporate Parenting Plan 2025-30 sets out clear priorities to support Looked After Children to achieve their full potential. Progress is monitored by the Corporate Parenting sub- group of the Children, Young People and Families Partnership. • The Care Experience Children and Young People Fund enabled the recruitment of two additional youth workers, ensuring every secondary school has a dedicated contact/support youth worker for care-experienced pupils, strengthening relationships and support. • In 2023/24, 60% (12 out of 20) of Looked After young people attained at least one SCQF Level 4 qualification, below the national average of 72%, and attainment remains below that of all school leavers. Care should be taken when comparing these figures across years and cohorts due to the small numbers involved. A sub-group of the Raising Attainment Board has been established to focus on further improvements. Actions include: • Appointment of a Promise Improvement Lead (Education) to support attendance and raising attainment for all care experienced children and young people and young carers. • Delivery of refreshed guidance and training for school staff to ensure consistency of practice. • A Services for Young People project is being developed to improve attendance for care-experienced young people providing a tailored support to tackle the barriers to attendance. This will be part-funded through the Care Experience Children and Young People Fund. • The Staged Intervention Framework was implemented across ELC settings and schools, offering a clear structure to support learners who face barriers. In September 2024, 39% of pupils (6,973) were identified as facing barriers - up from 35% in 2022/23. • The Staged Intervention Model promotes early intervention through a four-level framework, involving the child or young person, their parents or carers, school staff and, where relevant, other professionals, in developing a Child’s Plan. Annual audits will monitor implementation and consistency. • Schools are using a range of initiatives to support care- experienced learners, including: • one-to-one tutoring from the Volunteer Tutors Organisation (40 pupils supported, 14 of these showed improved attendance) • mentoring through MCR Pathways • Learning Hubs at Riverside and Letham Primary Schools • Champions Boards in every secondary school, supported by Youth Services • Attendance for children and young people who are looked after at home has fallen in the last academic session, from 77% in 2023/24 to 53% in 2024/25. The largest fall was for young people in S2 and S3 in secondary school, although these numbers need to be treated with caution as these are usually very small cohorts of pupils (33 pupils with attendance under 90%). Reviewing Officers and the Promise Improvement Lead (Education) are working in close partnership to ensure barriers to attendance and participation in learning are identified and joint planning is in place. • Outcomes for our care-experienced learners are improving, with higher attainment in literacy and numeracy. More care experienced young people are entering positive destinations on leaving school (up from 82% in 2022/23 to 95% in 2023/24), although gaps remain compared to their peers. Changes in this area need to be judged carefully as they refer to very small cohorts of young people, often less than 20 per year. • Fairview School won a national award for its work to promote inclusion and celebration of ASN learners. Page 61 of 196
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33 PKC - GENERAL CASE STUDY Funding from the Scottish Attainment Challenge’s Care- experienced Children and Young People fund has enabled the facilitation of Learning Hubs in Riverside and Letham Primary Schools to provide additional support for care-experienced children and young people to achieve their potential. Areas of Focus • 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 ➢ Raising Attainment Update 2023/24 ➢ Corporate Parenting Plan 2025-2030 Item 7 Page 62 of 196
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34 PKC - GENERAL Key Performance Indicators related to this priority: Data 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 2026; therefore, change relate to the most recent year of publication. Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Annual Change 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 82.0% 81.7% 80.6% 75.6% 81% In 2023/24, 75.6% of P1 children met all expected developmental milestones – a decrease likely to be linked to the cohort being born in during the COVID-19 pandemic, when early supports were not available to families. Public Health Scotland confirms a national increase in developmental concerns at age 4-5 reviews. Additionally, the percentage of additional support needs (ASN) within this cohort is slightly higher. Of those, 68% did not meet all milestones, up from 44% last year. This cohort also includes a higher proportion of boys (54% this year compared to 49% last year), and research tells us that boys typically make slower progress at this stage of development. Within this cohort more children are recorded as not having achieved one developmental milestone, rising from 267 last year to 298 this year. Particular issues are: attention; emotional; social; and speech and language, which all show an increase of 3%. Through the embedded work of the Communication and Wellbeing Champions who plan and model daily high- quality play and learning experiences, there is a focus on early intervention to support development. ELC settings continue to focus on high-quality provision, outdoor learning, and emotional resilience to address developmental concerns and support children’s progress. Percentage of primary school pupils (P1, P4 & P7 combined) achieving expected levels Control 74% 77% 78% 80% 79% There has been a steady upward trend in this measure over time from 74% in 2020/21 to 80% in 2023/24. This compares favourably with the Scottish average of 81%. Literacy attainment gaps between the most and least deprived pupils have narrowed from 27% in 2020/21 to 21% in 2023/24. In numeracy, although both SIMD Q5 and SIMD Q1 have Page 63 of 196
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35 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning in literacy and numeracy improved, the gap has widened due to faster progress among the least deprived cohort. The Education Improvement Plan for 2025/26 prioritises numeracy, with targeted support for schools where numeracy attainment is below 70% or where gaps persist. This includes rollout of the pilot Improving Numeracy Project, completed in one setting in 2024/25. Proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 5 Control 89% 89% 90% 88% 91% Leaver attainment at Level 5 declined slightly in 2023/24 but remains above the national average (83.5%). Attainment at Level 6 has remained stable, outperforming the national trend, which has steadily declined to 57.4% over the last three years. This may reflect the return to full course assessment for the first time since 2019. There has been a focus on a data driven senior phase curriculum to ensure that there is breadth, progression, depth, personalisation and choice available in the senior phase. This includes the development of Foundation Apprenticeships and a focus on developing qualifications in partnership with employers and industry. Proportion of school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 6 Control 71% 66% 66% 66% 67% Participation of 16–19-year-olds participating in learning, training or work (%) Influence 94% 94% 93% 93% 93% There have been changes to how this data set has been collated. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) data was included within the data set (for the first time) in 2023 but was removed from the 2024 APM data set. To ensure comparability across publications, the 2023 data set has been revised to allow for comparisons between different years to be made on a like for like basis. This change has been reflected in the data recorded here. This measure is influenced by a range of other partners including Skills Development Scotland and UHI Perth. Our teams are working closely with them to ensure that young people achieve sustained positive destinations. Page 64 of 196
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36 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met 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% 19% 24% The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) led to changes in how National Qualifications were assessed and graded, and this will have had an impact on the attainment of school leavers in 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23. 2023/24 data demonstrates that the poverty related attainment gap at Level 5 has maintained a steady downward trend from 28% in 2020/21 to 19% in 2023/24, and at Level 6 has reduced from 41% in 2020/21 to 28% in 2023/24 with year-on-year reductions. This compares favourably with the national picture where the gap was 22.7% at Level 5 in 2023/24; wider than in 2022/23 (20.2%). At Level 6 this also compares favourably with the national picture where the gap was 38.4% in 2023/24; wider than in 2022/23 (36.9%). Percentage gap between SIMD 1 and SIMD 5 for school leavers attaining 1 or more passes at SCQF Level 6 Control 41% 35% 29% 28% 34% 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% 95% (as at 31st July 2024) N/A (Target not set) N/A Data for 2024-25 not available until publication of LGBF. Information based upon most recent published data. In 2023/24 there were 248 Looked After Children, with 95% looked after in the community – above the national figure of 89%. The overall number of children who are looked after has continued to decrease, however the population is changing. More are now looked after at home, looked after but living independently, or are in kinship arrangements. This reflects the success of early intervention projects and Family Group Decision Making (FGDM), helping families support each other and keep children within their birth families. Percentage of school leavers looked after within the last year with 1 or Control 62% 87% 87% 60% 72% We recognise that this group is a key priority for improved attainment. We have recently appointed a Promise Implementation Lead (Education) to track the educational journeys of all school aged looked after children and young people. Page 65 of 196
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37 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 Annual Change Target Target Met/ Not Met more qualification at SCQF level 4 Note: Care should be taking when comparing these figures across years and cohorts due to the small numbers involved. The drop in performance from 2022/23 to 2023/24 amounted to a change in actual numbers of only 1. Page 66 of 196
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38 PKC - GENERAL Priority: Protecting and caring for our most vulnerable people Under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, as amended by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994, Scottish local authorities hold statutory responsibility for delivering social work services. Children, Families and Justice Social Work are delivered by the Council, whereas Adult Social Work and Social Care services are delivered through the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), under the governance of the Integration Joint Board (IJB). The IJB Annual Performance Report 2024-2025 outlines progress against the strategic ambitions set out in the IJB’s Strategic Plan 2024-2027. This section draws on key highlights and performance information from both services delivered by the council and those delegated to the IJB to protect and care for our most vulnerable people. 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 Through strong multi-agency working, trauma-informed practice, and continuous improvement, we act quickly to identify risk and provide the right support at the right time. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • In 2024/25 8,832 referrals were made to the Child Protection Duty Team – an increase of 9% from the previous year. This appears to be stabilising after increasing year on year post COVID-19. All referrals are triaged within 24 hours, with immediate action taken. Where significant child protection concerns are identified, we include Inter-Agency Referral Discussions (IRDs) or support via the Multi-Agency Screening Hub (MASH). • The Scottish Child Interview Model (SCIM), introduced across Tayside in May 2024, is now well imbedded in child protection processes. This trauma-informed approach was used in 85% of all interviews in 2024/25, ensuring children have the best possible opportunity to tell their story. Cross-boundary working with trained staff has strengthened consistency and access. • MASH continues to provide early help to families in need, bringing together statutory and third-sector partners to share information and direct families to the most appropriate support as soon as possible. • The Child Protection Committee (CPC) launched its updated CPC Improvement Plan 2025 to 2028, supported by a new strategy and schedule to guide self-evaluation activities. Audits led by the Child Protection Interagency Coordinator highlighted strong practices in relationship-based practice and rapid responses to risk. Areas for improvement include enhancing child and young people’s plans and better incorporation of their views into decision-making. • CPC Community of Practice events focused on professional curiosity and managing professional differences. These sessions were well attended and positively evaluated, helping to refresh CPC guidance and support continuous service improvement. • In adult protection, complex cases are managed through a multi-agency approach under the Adult Support and Protection (ASP) Act. Referral analysis led to new triage pathways for adults at risk due to addiction or mental health issues, supporting earlier intervention. • The ASP assessment framework was updated to focus on the quality of outcomes for adults and unpaid carers. The ASP workforce supports people in both urban and rural areas. Joint Page 67 of 196
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39 PKC - GENERAL work between adult and child protection committees is underway in Letham to better understand community views on public protection. • Reporting harm is actively encouraged. Although we see a levelling in the total number of Adult Protection (AP) referrals, it must be noted that the national ASP data that is made available, data for 2024/2025 demonstrates that Perth and Kinross receives more Vulnerable Person Reports (VPR) per head of population and third highest in Scotland for the total number of all AP referrals received. • The ASP Co-ordinator audits the AP concerns and VPRs that are not screened within 24-hours (50 out of 3,147). Whilst the majority of these that were not screened within 24-hours were screened within 48-hours, the audit found that no adult was left at any undue harm as a consequence of this delay. • Interagency Referral Discussions (IRDs) facilitate the multi- agency sharing of information to determine how to safeguard and adult at risk of harm. The process for IRDs in Perth and Kinross has been found by the Care Inspectorate to be a good example of services providing an early multi-agency response to harm. CASE STUDY This case study highlights the benefits of using the Safe and Together approach – a relationship-based approach with family to safely return children to their mother’s care. This approach involved engagement with parents and family members ensuring children’s needs remained central. Action: Ensure that people get the right care, accommodation and support where and when they need it We’re focused on making sure people of all ages receive the right care, support and housing at the right time. Whether through health and social care, family-based support, or access to safe and sustainable homes, our work aims to meet individual needs and improve outcomes across Perth and Kinross. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • 64% of people with intensive care needs received ‘care at home’, maintaining strong performance in line with the Scottish average of 65%. This reflects our continued commitment to helping people remain safely at home for as long as they wish to do so. • 97.6% of adults were discharged from hospital without delay, consistently meeting the national target of fewer than 34.6 per 100,000 adults. This was supported by a number of interventions which have reduced unmet care needs by around 800 hours since August 2024 • A new alliance contract with 15 care at home providers, increasing care hours from 6,302 to 8,073. • Care at Home providers now using the PinPoint mapping tool to better organise support provision. • Restructuring HART and HART+ teams to enable more personalised and timely discharges, supporting 256 people (up from 230) and increasing care hours from 1,450 to 1,847. HART and HART+ is the Council’s internal care at home and reablement service. • During 2024/25 funded permanent placements to care homes due to unpaid carer breakdown and/or crisis decreased from 17.5% in 2023/24 to 7%. This indicates early intervention and Page 68 of 196
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40 PKC - GENERAL prevention within the community for both the unpaid carer and cared for remains critical • Recruitment of host families for our unaccompanied asylum- seeking children (UASC) has slowed despite targeted recruitment campaigns. Alternative accommodation options are being considered to ensure safe placements continue. • Foster carer recruitment remains challenging, but we’ve reduced the number of children placed with independent fostering agencies from 22 in 2023/24 to 16 in 2024/25, with two more transitions planned in 2025/26. • At the end of March 2025, 13 young people were in residential accommodation, with plans for three to leave in 2025/26. Active care planning is in place to support alternative family-based care options including: family group decision making; kinship care; support for families out of hours; and therapeutic supports from speech and language therapy and psychology. Notwithstanding, there is likely to be a continued need for residential accommodation for children during 2025/26. • A Youth Housing Panel was established to support care- experienced young people who are moving into independent living. Meeting monthly, the panel matches individuals to suitable accommodation based on skills and needs, working with partners including ROCK Trust and YMCA. Around 10 care leavers are expected to benefit annually, with consideration of extending this to other young people with complex needs. • As a council of sanctuary, we continue to support reducing demand for resettlement activity and people seeking asylum placed here by the home office. Some individuals who have been granted refugee or humanitarian protection status may choose to make homelessness applications in Perth and Kinross • In response to the National Housing Emergency, we reduced average re-let times from 37.8 days in 2023/24 to 24.87 days in 2024/25 and cut the number of void properties from 136 to 95. Improvements were achieved by deferring non-essential upgrades, simplifying compliance checks, and offering flexible decoration options – despite national challenges such as skilled labour shortages, rising material costs, and delays in utility connections. • To maintain progress, we introduced bulk material purchasing, launched recruitment initiatives, hired six modern apprentices, and partnered with Energy Angels to address utility delays - ensuring homes are delivered quickly and sustainably • A dedicated Housing Condition Team was established to tackle condensation, mould, and damp (CMD) in response to Awaab’s Law and new Scottish Housing Regulator indicators. We expanded our Housing Internet of Things (IoT) project by installing air quality sensors in over 440 homes to monitor temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels in real time. This supports early identification of issues and encourages tenants to report problems at the right time, with staff training and tenant engagement helping to improve outcomes. CASE STUDY Youth Housing Support Group brings together providers of housing support with key teams in Housing and Children’s services. Support provided matches young people with more appropriate accommodation. 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 The Scottish Government has revised its approach and through the Care Reform (Scotland Bill) will retain key policy commitments such as Anne’s Law, the establishment of a National Social Work Agency and improved support for unpaid carers, while no longer pursuing Page 69 of 196
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41 PKC - GENERAL the transfer of adult social care responsibilities from local authorities. Action: Work with partners to reduce re- offending and support effective interventions for people in the justice system Through trauma-informed practice, coordinated release planning, and community-based interventions we are working together to help individuals rebuild their lives and to reduce the impact of offending on families and communities. We trialled the trauma informed group work programme Connectere within our men’s service. Following positive feedback from the first group (six completions), eight staff were trained to deliver the programme inhouse. Two further cohorts were completed in 2024 with eight participants and positive feedback on impact and group progress. “I enjoyed finally getting help for issues that have been lifelong. Also finding out that I am not alone in my issues.” – Connectere participant “The most beneficial session was the session on self- compassion. I don’t think I would have improved without it, I think it is something everyone should learn.” – Connectere participant • A small test of change to improve co-ordinated support to Perth and Kinross residents leaving prison on short-term releases was expanded from two prisons to any Scottish prison in June 2024. The approach brings together partners from several teams and agencies to discuss individual support needs and provide an effective offer of support to people leaving prison. A total of 47 people (40 males and 7 females) were considered during 2024/25 and 32 (68%) signed up for the support offered. This work will be expanded further in 2025-26 bringing all releases into the co-ordination meeting (Short-term Sentence, Long-term Sentence and Remand). A Young Person’s Steering Group was established at Perth Academy, involving seven young people affected by family contact with the justice system. Supported by Families Outside, the group helped develop youth- focused resources for the Child Impact Assessment project. In early 2025, the group evolved into a peer support model, offering fun and meaningful activities and some respite from the school environment. Learning from this group support expanding this model into other schools. • Our Community Justice Service (CJS) took part in a Care Inspectorate self-evaluation activity focused on measuring and reporting performance, quality and outcomes for people on community-based sentences. Perth and Kinross was one of the areas which received onsite. Strengths included a demonstratable capacity for improvement as evidenced by numerous focussed Strategic Needs and Strengths Assessment and work to align activity to the National Strategy for Community Justice. Areas for development included development of a Performance Framework and Dashboard and a Quality Assurance Framework. • Hillcrest Futures employed a peer worker at HMP Perth to deliver harm reduction and recovery activities. There are 321 groups providing activities with 2,658 attendances, and 301 received one-to-one support. This work is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Prison Service. CASE STUDY Child Impact Assessment Project supports children and young people with a parent in contact with the justice system to be seen, heard and supported through the provision of Page 70 of 196
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42 PKC - GENERAL widespread training for professionals and raising awareness of the Child Impact Assessment Toolkit. Areas of Focus • 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 ➢ IJB Annual Performance Report 2024/2025 ➢ Adult Support & Protection Annual Performance Report (expected mid Sept) Page 71 of 196
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43 PKC - GENERAL 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 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met Target 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 8% 4% 6% N/A N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A Most child protection registrations last less than a year, with registrations of 12 months or more remaining low. This follows a peak of 28% in 2020/21 linked to the impact of COVID-19. Children and young people who remain on the register longer often have multiple and/or complex needs requiring coordinated support. Registrations now follow the revised National Child Protection Guidance (2021, revised 2023), with minimum duration of six months. Note: Children are removed from the register when risks have been mitigated and there has been an improvement in relation to the circumstances that led to them being registered in the first place. Rate of children on the child protection register per 10,000 children Control 21 20 19 N/A N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A Data for 2024-25 not available until publication of LGBF. Information based upon most recent published data. 23/24 Scottish Average for 23/24 is 23.8 Calculated using 2022 Mid-Year Estimates (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 reduction reflects significant investment in consistent chairing of case conferences and earlier use of Child and Young Person’s Plans, helping reduce the need for case conference and registration by working collaboratively with families. Page 72 of 196
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44 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met Target 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 1,755 2,254 2,262 2,255 N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A In 2024/25, 2,255 Vulnerable Person Reports (VPRs) were received – consistent with recent years. The Adult Protection Committee encourages reporting where concerns exist, enabling timely intervention. Although we are seeing a levelling in the VPRs received, national data shows Perth and Kinross receives more VPRs per head of population than any other area in Scotland. This is likely due to strong partnership arrangements around this area of work. Percentage of Adult Support and Protection (ASP) Initial Referral Discussions held within timescale Control 67% 69% 75% 86% 100% 86% of Adult Initial Referral Discussions (IRDs) were held within five days of the decision to proceed. Routine auditing of IRDs ensures timely safeguarding and accountability and confirm that where IRDs took place outwith the target of 5 days no adult was left at undue risk. Ensure that people get the right care and support where and when they need it. Number of households presenting as homeless Influence 610 737 849 861 N/A (not appropriate to set targets) N/A Homelessness presentations increased slightly by 1.4% in 2024/25. Despite this, our commitment to the ‘Home First’ approach remains strong. Focused on prevention, rapid rehousing, and tenancy sustainment, this model continues to deliver sector-leading outcomes and person-centred support. Percentage of affordable homes built to wheelchair and adaptable standard (units) Control 4.3% 8.9% 10% 11% 10% of all social housing built Of the 107 affordable homes built in 2024/25, 12 were adapted properties suitable to meet the needs of older or ambulant disabled households, including one being suitable for wheelchair use. Page 73 of 196
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45 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Met/Not Met Target Percentage of adults receiving any care or support who rate it as excellent or good Influence 77% 73% 70% HACE data available 25-26. N/A N/A (Target not set) N/A HSCP no longer uses the Service User Experience Survey (SUPE). Future reporting will draw on the Health and Care Experience (HACE) survey data, available next year. As the HSCP implements the newly approved IJB Performance Framework new measures and targets will be established to supplement the 2 yearly publication of HACE data. 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 76% N/A 76% HACE data available 25-26. N/A N/A (Target not set) N/A Page 74 of 196
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46 PKC - GENERAL Priority: Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing Adult Social Work and Social Care services are delivered through the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), under the governance of the Integration Joint Board (IJB). The IJB’s Annual Performance Report 2024-2025 outlines progress against the strategic ambitions set out in the IJB’s Strategic Plan 2024- 2027. This section draws on key highlights from the report, alongside performance information from Council services which are not delegated to the IJB. 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 By focusing on person-centred services, inclusive activities, and community-led initiatives, we’re helping people live healthier, more independent lives closer to home. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • The Learning Disability and Autism Strategy 2022-2025 continues to drive person-centred support, with progress reported to the IJB in June 2025. • The Scope Team was established in May 2022 and now supports 367 people which is an 8% increase since March 2024. The Team has successfully prevented hospital admissions and assisted people to return from long-stay hospital care to their community, in line with the ‘Coming Home’ ambitions. Additionally, the team also provides valuable assistance to carers of people with complex needs. A new peer support group for carers has attracted 15 participants, strengthening informal networks and wellbeing. • The ‘Check In Giraffe’ programme delivered over 6,000 hours of work experience and 3,500 hours of additional support through 301 sessions and 67 different activities – helping people overcome barriers to employment. • Promoting a More Inclusive Society (PAMIS) supported 46 registered families and reached many more through inclusive community events. In 2024, the team responded to 219 enquiries, held 100 online meetings, and hosted 50 in-person events. Two digital passports were developed to improve person-led communication. • Stanley Development Trust provided weekly soup and sandwich clubs to reduce isolation among older residents. In 2024, there were 496 attendances at the Lunch Club and 280 at Soup Club. “I have always felt included and valued at Giraffe. People play different roles in the organisation, but there is no hierarchy of importance. No one person is more important than another.” – Check In Giraffe participant “PAMIS staff consistently go above and beyond to support our family.” “PAMIS are always such a great support to me.” – PAMIS registered users Page 75 of 196
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47 PKC - GENERAL “Soup and lunch clubs are great value for money and a good social occasion for older people.” – Stanley Development Trust feedback 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 Through inclusive programmes, community-led initiatives, and investment in green spaces, we’re helping people of all ages stay active, connected, and well. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • We supported Live Active Leisure staff to deliver evidence-based falls prevention classes. These classes are based on later life training, postural stability instructor training, and have been shown to be highly effective in reducing falls among community dwelling older adults. Over 2,000 Wellbeing Community Classes were delivered, supporting more than 20,000 individual attendances. Activities included chair-based social classes, social circuits, aqua circuits/aerobics, and chair-based yoga. • The risk of falls increases with age and given the growing older population in Perth and Kinross, higher admission rates due to falls are to be expected. This is reflected in the rate of 25 admissions per 1,000 people aged 65 and over in Perth and Kinross, compared to 23 per 1,000 for Scotland. Despite this, performance against this indicator remains good, with a marginal improvement of 1.6% compared to last year • Seven parks and play areas were enhanced- in Bridge of Earn, Luncarty, Blairgowrie, Scotlandwell, Greenloaning and Braco – with design development continuing for a further four in Perth and Crieff. Each project was shaped through community consultation to reflect local needs and aspirations. • The Right Track programme, supporting young people aged 16- 26 on deferred sentences, was independently reviewed in 2024/25. The review highlighted strong outcomes and identified development areas, including identifying resilience as a risk. In November 2024, an additional worker was recruited to increase capacity. The programme was recognised with a Butler Trust Commendation for the Right Track Project Officer and participants continue to feedback positively on the sense of achievement they gain from participating, noting they have had the opportunity to learn skills they never thought were possible for them. CASE STUDY During the 2024 Olympics, 20 care homes and three day centres took part in the annual Go4Gold challenge, with residents and service users taking part in physical and wellbeing challenges in their own setting. The event, jointly facilitated by the HSCP and Scottish Care, celebrated participation and community spirit. CASE STUDY Girls for Change: Get Active, Get Confident brought together 40 pupils from across Perth and Kinross for a day of workshops and fitness sessions aimed at building confidence and promoting physical activity. Held at Dewars Centre, the event tackled body image, exercise myths, and gender inequalities. Inspired by the day, pupils at Bertha Park High School launched an “Into Exercise” project to support peers Page 76 of 196
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48 PKC - GENERAL disengaged from PE. Early results show promising improvements in participation and wellbeing. Action: Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it Through integrated care, dementia support, technology-enabled services and targeted help for unpaid carers, we’re improving health outcomes and supporting people to live well in their communities. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • Between April 2024 and February 2025, 113 people were supported by local integrated care services to remain at home and avoid crisis placements or hospital admissions service, helping shift the balance of care. In Perth city, the integrated hub is now fully established, enabling rapid, multi-disciplinary responses when health deteriorates. Urgent care Advanced Nurse Practitioners are working with locality teams to expand this model across the region. • Dementia support has grown through Alzheimer Scotland’s Brain Health Centre and dementia cafés. In 2024, 275 referrals were made for Post Diagnostic Support (PDS), with 279 people receiving support by December – an increase of 12% from January. • Our Community Alarm service handled 260,911 calls in 2024/25, with 99.26% answered within 60 seconds - up from 98.83% the previous year. The service now supports over 3,900 clients and 12,000 devices, helping people stay safe and independent at home. • In 2024/25, 692 unpaid adult carers received tailored support through statutory services, including day centres, sitting services, and respite. These services offer carers essential breaks to help maintain their own wellbeing. Additionally, 166 carers benefited from donated Respitality breaks, 252 were referred to Live Active for wellbeing support, and 472 received grants under the Time to Live Scheme. • PKAVS Carers’ Centre was awarded the Carers’ Trust for Carers’ Quality Award, recognising its commitment to outstanding service delivery. The centre had 1,622 adult carers registered this year - a 15% increase since June 2024. • Carers have a higher risk of financial exclusion. In 2024/25, 847 unpaid carers received support from Citizens’ Advice, mainly with debt and energy advice -a 40% increase from the previous year. We’re working with partners and internal teams to identify those in need and ensure they are signposted to appropriate support. • Since January 2024, all Inpatient Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Services in Tayside have been using SafeCare to reflect real time staffing visibility, red flags and associated mitigations and professional judgement • One of our key learning objectives this year across the Mental Health Service family has been further enhancement of staff knowledge of Adult Support and Protection particularly for SCNs, Team Leaders, CPTMs, IM’s and Service Managers. The Service have been working proactively with both Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Adult Protection Teams to progress this with two half day events delivered, engagement with the Police Scotland Public Protection Unit and engagement with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for fire safety. Areas of Focus • 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 Page 77 of 196
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49 PKC - GENERAL • 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 ➢ Community Justice Progress Report 2023-24 Item 5 ➢ Joint Carers Strategy 2023 to 2026 Page 78 of 196
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50 PKC - GENERAL 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 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change 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 5,190 29% 7,200 39% 7,776 42% 7,859 43% 43% Participation in extra-curricular sport activities has continued to rise, with 38% of secondary school pupils involved in extra- curricular clubs – placing Perth and Kinross in the top three local authorities in Scotland. Number of attendances at pools, indoor and outdoor sports and leisure facilities and programmes (thousands) Influence 564K 1.002M 1.116M 951K 1.013m Attendance at Live Active Leisure venues fluctuated due to the closure of Bells Sports Centre following flooding. Q1 saw 241,577 visits. Q2 dropped to 212,967 (-12%) with the quieter summer period, before rising slightly in Q3 to 220,490 (+3.5%). In Q4, following the successful relocation of the gym to Dewars Centre, attendance rose to 275,545 (+25%) driven by higher gym memberships and overall attendance, plus increased use of classes and sports halls across other venues in Perth and Kinross. Percentage of residents satisfied with local leisure facilities Influence 74% (2019- 2022) 73% (2020- 2023) 75% (2021- 2024) N/A 70% N/A (24/25 Target Set but data not yet Data for 2022-2025 not available until publication of LGBF. Information based upon most recent published data. Page 79 of 196
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51 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target: Met/Not Met availab le) Latest figures indicate a 2% increase compared to previous and are above the national average of 67%. Percentage of adults satisfied with parks and open spaces Control 90% (2019- 2022) 91% (2020- 2023) 89.7% (2021- 2024) N/A N/A (Target Not Set) N/A Data for 2022-2025 not available until publication of LGBF. Information is based upon most recent data published. Satisfaction with parks and open spaces remains high at 89.7% (2021-24), slightly down from 91.3% in 2020-23 but still above the national average of 85%. 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 33 36 39 42 N/A (Target Not Set) N/A Waiting times for mental health services have increased. We are working with partners to improve access and reduce delays through better co-ordination and early intervention. Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to Percentage increase in people who feel that their health and social care support was easily Influence 80% 89% 57% HACE data availabl e 25-26 N/A N/A (Target Not Set) N/A HSCP no longer uses the Service User Experience Survey (SUPE). Future reporting will use data from the HACE survey, available next year. As the HSCP implements the newly approved IJB Performance Framework new Page 80 of 196
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52 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target: Met/Not Met wellbeing support when they need it accessible and well communicated measures and targets will be established to supplement the 2 yearly publication of HACE data. Page 81 of 196
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53 PKC - GENERAL 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 2024/25 we have tested and operated different approaches. Some of the progress made 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 In 2024/25, we expanded our multidisciplinary approach to tackling poverty and inequality across Perth and Kinross, supported by Scottish Government funding through the Fairer Futures Fund. By deepening local engagement, strengthening service coordination, and enhancing community resilience, we are building a more inclusive and responsive support system tailored to the needs of our most vulnerable communities. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • Secured Fairer Futures funding support to scale up our multidisciplinary approach, appointing a programme manager and recruiting a dedicated project team to lead delivery in new priority localities: Rattray, South Crieff, and Muirton, alongside existing pilots in Letham, Highland, and Coupar Angus. • Advanced the Letham Action Plan by bringing additional services into the hub, commissioning youth work from YMCA, and conducting further community consultation. • Reviewed the Coupar Angus Action Plan and provided targeted support to the Strathmore Hub to develop a sustainable operating model. • Engaged with communities in Highland through consultation sessions in Aberfeldy, Pitlochry, and Kinloch Rannoch to inform future planning. • Strengthened local coordination by consolidating Community Support and Enforcement services, with new leadership roles enabling more effective collaboration between specialist and locality-based teams. • Supported a record 65 community groups—exceeding our target of 60—to establish Community Resilience Groups using ringfenced Council funding, enhancing emergency preparedness and response, as demonstrated during severe weather events. • Delivered targeted enforcement actions, including Operation Anvil, which improved public safety and consumer protection through successful interventions such as the seizure of counterfeit tobacco and the issuing of a significant fine. CASE STUDY A Community Outreach Progamme initiated to support the prevention of fraud and scams amongst vulnerable people. The programme visits various community groups and engages with residents providing advice on scams whilst assessing if individuals require further support. Page 82 of 196
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54 PKC - GENERAL Action: Increase the supply and availability of rural housing Our efforts focus on securing long-term tenancies, prioritising local connections, and strengthening collaboration with key partners to deliver sustainable housing solutions. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • We acquired 20 residential properties in Dunkeld from the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), enabling 20 households to transition into secure Council tenancies and increasing access to affordable housing in the area. • We worked closely with NTS and tenants to ensure a smooth transition, providing responsive support throughout the handover process. • We introduced a local lettings policy that prioritises future allocations for individuals with strong ties to the Dunkeld area, reinforcing our commitment to the principle of “local homes for local people. Action: Develop and expand our approach to working with communities to identify local actions and priorities and deliver on these together We are deepening our partnership with communities by co- designing local solutions, investing in inclusive spaces, and empowering residents to shape decisions that matter to them. Our approach is rooted in trust, transparency and shared ownership, ensuring that local priorities drive meaningful change. Key activities contributing to this in 2024/25 include: • The development of new chalets at Double Dykes – phased occupation of which began in May 2025 - represents part of our wider investment in high-quality, culturally appropriate accommodation for Gypsy/Traveller communities. We introduced a resident-led engagement model shaped by direct feedback, including regular on-site sessions, digital participation via Microsoft Teams, tailored newsletters, and real-time updates through noticeboards - strengthening trust and empowering residents to play an active role in shaping their living environments. • Through our Warm Welcome Initiative, we allocated over £200,000 to more than 100 community groups to create warm, welcoming spaces during winter. Co-design workshops led to a 34% increase in overall attendances (45,336), a 36% increase in unique attendees (6,156), and a 67% boost in volunteer participation (835 volunteers). • We allocated £100,000 through our Locality Participatory Budgeting Fund to 28 community groups in areas facing the greatest socio-economic challenges. Residents voted on proposals tackling poverty, cost of living, and volunteer development, with 2,516 votes cast – a 23% increase from last year. Children and young people played a key role, with 799 aged 5-17 actively involved. • We supported 118 volunteer groups who contributed 40,000 hours to enhancing greenspace management. Despite reduced funding, we provided insurance, training, materials, and, in some cases, financial support, helping enhance local spaces and community pride. • We consulted communities on the design of 11 play areas, receiving 486 responses. Workshops with schools ensured children’s voices were heard, resulting in inclusive, multifunctional designs that reflect local aspirations. • We contributed £0.5 million towards new changing facilities at Davie Park, led by Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Football Page 83 of 196
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55 PKC - GENERAL Club - demonstrating the impact of joint investment in community-led infrastructure. • We updated our Equality aims and outcomes for 2025 to 2029 clear actions to promote fairness, inclusion, and opportunity for all. Further details are provided in the Perth and Kinross Council Equality and Perth & Kinross Council Equalities Mainstreaming Report 2023-25. 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 • We launched our Leadership Competency Framework, setting out the actions and behaviours expected of all our teams to help us deliver our organisational vision and strategic outcomes and work effectively with communities. • We revised our leadership model and introduced the Five Foundations of Leadership to support cultural change and improve how we engage with residents. This model will be central to future leadership development activity. • We adopted a new Performance and Development Discussion (PDD) Framework making it mandatory for all staff in early 2025. It includes structured prompts to encourage meaningful conversations about delivering better outcomes for people and communities. All annual PDDs are recorded in our HR system to support analysis and future organisational development planning. • We developed a Leadership and Manager Induction Toolkit as part wider support for new managers in understanding their role and responsibilities, including how they contribute to shaping our culture. This guide, along with enhanced induction processes, will be launched in 2025/26. Areas of Focus • Scale up and roll out of Fairer Futures programme to Rattray, South Crieff, Muirton and North Muirton. • Develop updated locality profiles to support a needs-based approach. • Support delivery of Business Improvement, Culture and Behaviours and Workforce Planning workstreams of the Leadership Development Phase 2 Transformation Project. • Implement the newly developed Leadership and Managers Induction toolkit. CASE STUDY Parapet Repairs at Bridge of Cally were carried out following storm damage in December 2023, with climate resilience built into the design. A key moment came when a local resident shared historical photos showing the bridge once had flood chutes—prompting Perth & Kinross Council to reinstate them as part of the repair. This community insight helped shape a more effective and contextually appropriate solution. Combined with drainage improvements and collaboration with landowners, the works have successfully prevented further flooding and strengthened local engagement in infrastructure planning. Page 84 of 196
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56 PKC - GENERAL Links to other Performance Information ➢ People and Culture Strategy Action Plan ➢ Perth & Kinross Council Equalities Mainstreaming Report 2023-25. ➢ Community Empowerment Annual Report 24-25 Item 8 ➢ Locality PB Fund 24/25 - Funding Awards ➢ Community Investment and Local Action Partnership Funds 2024/25 Item 10 ➢ Community Investment Fund 2024/25 Page 85 of 196
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57 PKC - GENERAL 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 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change 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 55 63 111 113 60 This includes 29 buybacks, 66 new builds, and 18 purchases from National Trust Scotland in Dunkeld. Number of Community Development Trusts supported to increase the availability of rural housing Control N/A New Indicator, baseline to be establishe d and targets set thereafter 3 4 4 4 We are actively supporting four community development trusts to explore community-led affordable housing initiatives. Current projects include: • refurbishment of two flats in Aberfeldy • planning permission in progress for 12 new affordable homes in Kinloch Rannoch and 10 new affordable homes in Aberfeldy • negotiations to purchase three flats for mid-market rent in Aberfeldy • a feasibility study to convert Blair Atholl’s former rail station into three affordable homes Develop and expand our approach to working with communities Number of community groups with local resilience plans Influence 26 28 53 65 60 The number of Community Resilience Groups rose from 53 to 65 in 2024/25 - a 22.6% increase – thanks to targeted funding awarded in the Council budget, which enabled tailored support from our Community Support and Enforcement team. These groups played a vital role during recent weather events, supporting residents and maintaining essential services. Page 86 of 196
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58 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target: Met/ Not Met Number of community groups supported to increase their capacity Control 236 343 258 110 270 Our CLD team improved reporting accuracy by counting each supported group only once per year. While this approach means a lower overall figure is reported, it provides a more reliable picture of the support being delivered. In 2024/25, we supported 110 community groups, including 91 new ones - highlighting our growing role in helping emerging groups build skills, confidence and sustainability. Number of community groups supported in the asset transfer process Influence 7 26 31 34 25 We supported 34 community groups who expressed interest in Community Asset Transfer (CAT), offering a single point of contact and clear asset information. Sixteen groups are still actively considering the process, with several expected to progress to Stage 2 within the next year. Others have found alternative solutions that better suit their needs. Number of groups receiving community investment funding Control 141 85 104 115 110 CIF award numbers will vary year on year depending on the projects that ward panels chose to support. In 2024/25, we received 161 applications - up from 110 the previous year - and distributed £326,383.04 between 115 groups, an increase of 11. Number of participation requests Influence 0 0 0 2 N/A (not appropria te to set targets) N/A We received two participation requests. One, related to a proposed rural library closure, was accepted but did not progress as the library remained open. The second was declined due to timing, but we committed to working with the community when it is time to progress the outcomes with which they are concerned. Page 87 of 196
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59 PKC - GENERAL Key Actions (summary) Indicator Control / Influence Performance Comments 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 Annual Change Target Target: Met/ Not Met Note: Participation Requests (PRs), introduced under the Community Empowerment Act, provide a legal safeguard for community groups seeking greater involvement in decision-making and service delivery. An increase in PRs may indicate growing community confidence and capacity—a positive sign—or highlight shortcomings in initial Council engagement, which would be a concern. Page 88 of 196
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60 PKC - GENERAL Key contact For further information on any area of this report please contact the Strategic Planning, Performance and Risk Team stratplanperform@pkc.gov.uk. Disclaimer: All hyperlinks correct at time of publication Page 89 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Appendix 2 6 Page 91 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction This Executive Summary uses 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 tables within the full APR provide an overview of changes in performance within the KPI data between 2023/24 and 2024/25, or the most recent year available. Of these, 61% are moving in a favourable direction, 22% in an unfavourable direction, 9% remain static and 7% 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 moving in a favourable direction. Caution should be applied when interpreting this data, as these are only indicative of performance. Changes in performance should be considered in the context of the current operating environment, challenges and whether we control, influence or are informed by the data. Priority: Tackling poverty Mitigate Cost of Living Pressures for Households Experiencing or at Risk of Poverty Efforts to mitigate the effects of poverty continue to be a priority in Perth and Kinross. Key initiatives included The Financial Inclusion Project, in partnership with Citizens’ Advice Bureau, delivering £784,052 in financial gains and supporting 677 tenants in arrears. In 2024/25, 564 tenants received £203,000 in financial assistance through the Tenancy Sustainment Fund, helping them manage arrears and maintain stable housing. Rent arrears saw a marked reduction, with current arrears falling from 9.59% to 8.03% and gross arrears from 10.98% to 8.83%. Page 92 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Maximise Income from Benefit Entitlement and Concessions for Households Experiencing or at Risk of Poverty Efforts to increase household income through benefits and concessions were significantly enhanced in 2024/25 with our Welfare Rights service securing £9.2 million in additional benefits for residents, driven by improved service promotion and follow-up. The Financial Insecurity Fund distributed £269,000 to over 1,400 households, with a strong focus on rural communities and those without recourse to public funds. National recognition came in October 2024 when the Welfare Rights and Welfare Fund teams won the Excellence in Social Inclusion Performance Award for their work in prisons and foodbanks. Access to services was expanded through targeted outreach, including regular engagement at Double Dykes and collaboration with Broke Not Broken to support Gypsy/Traveller communities. A six-month outreach programme at @Scott Street improved referral rates and enabled Social Work teams to adopt online referrals. Partnerships with YMCA and Creative Exchange provided tailored welfare rights support for young people aged 16–25. Additionally, a weekly Welfare Fund outreach service in HMP Perth supported over 90 prisoners preparing for release. Promote and Encourage Local Employers to Follow the Principles of the Scottish Government Fair Work Action Plan Perth and Kinross Council continues to champion the Scottish Government’s Fair Work Action Plan by embedding fair work practices and promoting them among local employers. All businesses receiving Council grant funding are required to pay the Real Living Wage, and the Council ensured all its employees, including apprentices, receive fair pay. Targeted incentives supported local employers in recruiting for roles that paid the Real Living Wage. Through the Futures for All Employer Recruitment Incentive, financial and employability support was provided to 48 businesses—20 in Perth and 28 in rural areas—with all new recruits (excluding apprentices) receiving the living wage. The Council also advanced its Customer Relationship Management system to improve intelligence and engagement with its Top 100 businesses, reinforcing its commitment to inclusive recruitment and fair work principles. Page 93 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Priority: 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 supported Community Transport Groups through forums and direct liaison, investing in MPVs for long-term loans. Elected members approved handing over Council minibuses to Community Groups. A scheme providing free bus travel on the first Saturday of each month continued from June 2024 to March 2025, benefiting 38,042 passengers and encouraging use of public transport. 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 2024/25, the Council made significant progress in improving energy efficiency and supporting low-carbon living. We delivered new energy- efficient housing, upgraded existing stock, and enabled private homeowners to access funding. Key activities included completing 37 new affordable homes, prioritising EPC Bands E and F, upgrading 440 properties to meet EESH standards, beginning a £6.5m refurbishment at the Double Dykes Gypsy Traveller site, issuing over £3m in grants, and providing free home energy advice to 1,638 households. To conserve and enhance the biodiversity of our natural environment: The Council made strong progress in protecting and improving biodiversity, focusing on tree planting, habitat restoration, community engagement, and targeted ecological improvements. Key activities included planting 3,142 trees, supporting the Grow Wild initiative, conducting targeted biodiversity work, enhancing ponds, awarding 16 Nature Restoration Fund grants, and implementing community NRF projects spanning around 199ha of restoration. Page 94 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Priority: 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: In 2024/25, the Council enhanced support for business growth and innovation in Perth and Kinross, focusing on start-ups, rural enterprises, digital industries, and inward investment. We supported 252 business start-ups, led the Tayside region in Business Gateway Growth referrals, and provided tailored support to 254 micro-enterprises. We also expanded Perthshire Artisans, designed the first phase of the Perth Eco- Innovation Park, and launched a new CRM system to improve business interaction tracking. Our initiatives led to increased engagement, exceeded targets, and laid the foundation for sustainable development. 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: The Council has continued to reduce its reliance on the national grid by investing in low-carbon energy and smart technology, supporting sustainability and local economic growth. In 2024/25, the Council progressed two major clean energy projects, installed a medium-scale heat pump system at a rural primary school, and explored new partnerships to expand solar power and battery storage. 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: In 2024/25, Perth and Kinross Council positioned Perth and Kinross as a vibrant destination for business, investment, and tourism by leveraging our cultural identity, natural assets, and UNESCO status. The Council promoted the area as a dynamic destination, delivered high- impact creative projects, grew the Perth City & Towns platform, and achieved a significant increase in visitor numbers and economic impact. We also strengthened cultural tourism and regeneration through strategic promotion and investment, including the opening of the new Perth Museum. Page 95 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 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: In 2024/25, the Council supported 618 adults to achieve learning outcomes, awarded £92,000 to support local organisations, and helped 48 people into employment. We launched employability drop-ins, supported 58 unemployed clients through the Skills Passport project, and registered 140 new young people with our Youth Employability Team, achieving a high rate of positive destinations. Priority: Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning: The Council is using data and focusing on equity to drive meaningful improvements in schools, helping children and young people reach their full potential. A National Thematic Inspection highlighted the clear and comprehensive advice and guidance provided by Perth and Kinross, with strong expectations set around standards and planning. Key strengths identified include a positive climate and ethos in schools, effective use of data for improvement, targeted use of Pupil Equity Funding, and impactful local authority-led programmes. Reduce the poverty-related attainment gap: In 2024/25, there was steady improvement in literacy attainment across P1, P4, and P7, with the gap between the most and least deprived cohorts narrowing from 27% in 2020/21 to 21% in 2023/24. Numeracy attainment improved in both cohorts, but at a slower rate for SIMD Q1 than for Q5, resulting in a slight widening of the poverty-related attainment gap in 2023/24. However, the long-term trend shows progress, with the gap narrowing from 24% in 2020/21 to 22% in 2023/24. Senior phase leaver data shows significant progress, with the gap between SIMD Q1 and SIMD Q5 in achieving at least one Level 6 qualification reducing from 40% in 2021/22 to 28% in 2023/24, and the gap for leaving with at least one Level 5 qualification narrowing from 28% to 19% over the same period. Page 96 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Ensure that Looked After children and children and young people with additional support needs achieve health, wellbeing and education outcomes comparable with their peers: The Council’s new Corporate Parenting Plan 2025-30 sets out clear priorities to support Looked After Children to achieve their full potential. The Care Experience Children and Young People Fund enabled the recruitment of two additional youth workers, ensuring every secondary school has a dedicated contact/support youth worker for care-experienced pupils. The Staged Intervention Framework was implemented across ELC settings and schools, offering a clear structure to support learners who face barriers. Schools are using a range of initiatives to support care-experienced learners, including one-to-one tutoring, mentoring, Learning Hubs, and Champions Boards. Outcomes for care-experienced learners are improving, with higher attainment in literacy and numeracy, and more care- experienced young people entering positive destinations on leaving school. Priority: 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 In 2024/25, Perth and Kinross strengthened its multi-agency, trauma-informed approach to safeguarding vulnerable individuals. The Child Protection Duty Team received 8,832 referrals, a 9% increase from the previous year, with all triaged within 24 hours. The Scottish Child Interview Model was used in 85% of interviews, enhancing consistency and child-centred practice. The Multi-Agency Screening Hub continued to provide early help, while the updated Child Protection Committee Improvement Plan introduced new evaluation strategies. Adult protection saw improved triage pathways for those affected by addiction or mental health issues, and the assessment framework was revised to focus on outcomes for adults and carers. Joint work in Letham explored community perspectives on public protection, and professional development events supported continuous improvement across services. Ensure that people get the right care, accommodation and support where and when they need it Efforts in 2024/25 focused on delivering timely, personalised care and housing support. Sixty-four percent of people with intensive needs received care at home, aligning with national averages. Hospital discharge performance remained strong, with 97.6% of adults discharged Page 97 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY without delay. A new alliance contract expanded care hours, and internal teams like HART and HART+ supported more individuals with increased capacity. Despite challenges in foster and host family recruitment, the Council reduced reliance on independent fostering agencies and maintained active care planning for children in residential settings. The Youth Housing Panel matched care-experienced young people to suitable accommodation, and homelessness support continued for refugees and asylum seekers. In response to the housing emergency, re-let times dropped significantly, and void properties were reduced. A Housing Condition Team was established to tackle condensation, mould, and damp, supported by IoT sensors in over 440 homes to monitor air quality and improve tenant engagement. 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 The Scottish Government’s revised approach to care reform retains commitments such as Anne’s Law, the creation of a National Social Work Agency, and enhanced support for unpaid carers, while halting the transfer of adult social care responsibilities from local authorities. Perth and Kinross continues to align its services with these national priorities, focusing on quality outcomes and integrated support across health and social care. Work with partners to reduce re-offending and support effective interventions for people in the justice system Perth and Kinross Council advanced its justice interventions through trauma-informed practice and coordinated support. The Connectere group programme was successfully trialled and expanded, with trained staff delivering sessions to multiple cohorts. A test of change supporting individuals released from prison was scaled to all Scottish prisons, with 68% of participants accepting support. A Young Person’s Steering Group at Perth Academy evolved into a peer support model, helping children affected by justice system contact. Community Justice Services participated in a Care Inspectorate self-evaluation, highlighting strengths in strategic alignment and areas for development in performance and quality assurance frameworks. Harm reduction and recovery activities at HMP Perth were supported by a peer worker, with hundreds of group and one-to-one engagements delivered in partnership with the Scottish Prison Service. Page 98 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Priority: 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 In 2024/25, The Learning Disability and Autism Strategy continued to guide inclusive support, while the Scope Team expanded its reach to 367 individuals, helping prevent hospital admissions and supporting transitions from long-stay care. Carers of people with complex needs benefited from peer support initiatives, and programmes like Check In Giraffe and PAMIS offered meaningful activities and communication tools to improve wellbeing and inclusion. Local efforts to reduce isolation included weekly lunch and soup clubs in Stanley, which saw hundreds of attendances and strengthened community connections. 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 The Council promoted active lifestyles and wellbeing through inclusive physical activity programmes and investment in green spaces. Falls prevention classes delivered by Live Active Leisure staff supported older adults, with over 2,000 community classes and more than 20,000 attendances recorded. Seven parks and play areas were enhanced through community consultation, and further developments are underway. The Right Track programme for young people on deferred sentences was independently reviewed, showing strong outcomes and earning national recognition, with participants reporting increased confidence and skill development. Improve health and wellbeing in Perth and Kinross by ensuring that people have access to wellbeing support when they need it Integrated care services in Perth and Kinross helped 113 people avoid crisis placements and hospital admissions, with a fully established hub in Perth city enabling rapid responses to deteriorating health. Dementia support expanded through Alzheimer Scotland’s services, with a notable increase in referrals and support provided. The Community Alarm service handled over 260,000 calls, supporting thousands of clients. Unpaid carers received tailored support through statutory services and community initiatives, including respite breaks and wellbeing grants. Financial exclusion among carers was addressed through targeted support from Citizens’ Advice, with a 40% rise in demand. Mental health and Page 99 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY learning disability services adopted SafeCare for real-time staffing visibility and enhanced staff training in adult protection, supported by multi- agency collaboration with Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Priority: 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 Perth and Kinross Council expanded its multidisciplinary approach to addressing poverty and inequality through the Fairer Futures Fund. New teams were established in Rattray, South Crieff, and Muirton, building on existing pilots in Letham, Highland, and Coupar Angus. Local action plans were advanced through community consultation and service integration, while coordination was strengthened by consolidating support and enforcement services. A record number of Community Resilience Groups were supported to help communities response in the event of an emergency. Increase the supply and availability of rural housing The Council acquired 20 properties in Dunkeld from the National Trust for Scotland, enabling secure Council tenancies for local households. A local lettings policy was introduced to ensure future allocations favour individuals with strong ties to the area, reinforcing the principle of “local homes for local people.” Efforts to expand rural housing focused on securing long-term tenancies and prioritising local connections. Develop and expand our approach to working with communities to identify local actions and priorities and deliver on these together New chalets at Double Dykes provided culturally appropriate accommodation for Gypsy/Traveller communities, supported by resident-led engagement. The Warm Welcome Initiative funded over 100 groups to create winter spaces, increasing attendance and volunteer participation. Participatory budgeting allocated £100,000 to 28 groups, with strong youth involvement. Volunteer groups contributed 40,000 hours to greenspace management, and community consultation shaped the design of 11 play areas. Joint investment in Davie Park changing facilities demonstrated the impact of community-led infrastructure. Equality aims and outcomes were updated to promote fairness and inclusion. Page 100 of 196
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 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 The Council launched a Leadership Competency Framework and revised its leadership model to support cultural change and improve community engagement. The Five Foundations of Leadership will guide future development, while a new Performance and Development Discussion Framework became mandatory in early 2025 to encourage meaningful conversations about outcomes. All discussions are recorded to support organisational planning. A Leadership and Manager Induction Toolkit was developed to help new managers understand their roles and responsibilities, with full rollout planned for 2025/26. Page 101 of 196
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Appendix 3 CASE STUDIES Tackling Poverty Family Advice and Community Connections Service (FACCS) Purpose: Following the identification of a gap in the provision of universal family support across Perth & Kinross, the Family Advice and Community Connections Service (FACCS) was commissioned from Aberlour to provide a service that screens, signposts and/or provides a flexible range of supports to families requesting early help. Activity: FACCS was launched in September 2024 using funding from the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund and is delivered by Aberlour. Families can “reach in” for support, with no requirement for referrals from professionals. Funding has been provided initially for two years and supports five members of staff (Service Manager, Wellbeing Assessor and three Family Support and Community Workers). FACCS provides support for children, young people, parents, and carers with children from pre-birth to 18 years old. The range of supports is based on whole family wellbeing, including engagement with other services, parenting skills, family routines, relationship issues, domestic violence, budgeting, tenancy support and mental health and wellbeing. Support is coordinated and links families with community-based services to ensure sustainability. To raise awareness and build community links, staff have: • Distributed promotional materials to schools, libraries, community hubs, health providers, and sports clubs. • Attended support groups such as mother and toddler groups, playgroups, Bookbug, and Carers groups. • Developed links with primary and secondary schools through events like parent evenings and coffee mornings. • Participated in community and networking events. • Directly connected with service providers including finance, housing, community policing, mental health groups, women’s aid, and minority groups. FACCS support workers have engaged in a variety of support activities, meeting with family members in their homes and communities as requested. The nature of support is varied, with the team working with families to identify needs and help them to identify solutions to meet those needs. Families were supported to engage with services such as Welfare Rights, Housing, CAMHS, GP, Women’s Rights, Young Carers, and mental health organisations. Links were also made to Parenting and Family Learning Courses and CAMHS parental support courses. Results: From September 2024 to March 2025, 84 families (comprising 209 individuals) have been supported. 73% of referrals came directly from families. Many families meet priority criteria as set out in the Best Start, Bright Futures Child Poverty Delivery Plan, with 42% of families falling into more than one category. Support themes included: • Health/Mental health across the family (51%) 6 Page 103 of 196
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Tackling Poverty Family Advice and Community Connections Service (FACCS) • Behaviour and boundaries (35%) • School-related support (29%) • ASN needs (15%) Support was typically provided for up to 12 weeks, with most families receiving support for 2–3 months. 48 cases were closed during the reporting period, with 85% completing planned work and requiring no further support. However, we continue to provide further support if and when required by families. All families who completed an evaluation rated the service as “satisfied or better,” with 78% indicating they had achieved what they wanted. Quotes from families included: • "I was so nervous before you came. I didn't know what it would be like having someone come to my house. Talking things through has really helped and I'm not nervous anymore." – Parent • “I feel like I have an ally, someone finally believes me. I feel validated.” – Parent In addition, 208 enquiries were handled by the wellbeing assessor, linking families to advice and support. Common themes included family support, education, early years, mental health, financial support, and parenting programmes. Next Steps: • Review and improve recording processes • Continue delivery of FACCS through 2025–2026, with potential extension beyond May 2026 based on evaluation. • Strengthen links with locality-based services and multi-agency networks. • Expand awareness and engagement activities to reach more families. • Use evaluation data to inform future service design and sustainability planning Page 104 of 196
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Tackling Poverty Provision of Welfare Rights Outreach in Prisons Purpose: In 2022, the Scottish Government reviewed the Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) to improve support for low-income individuals, including those in prison, and identified some key areas for improvement that would assist in doing this. At the same time, engagement with prisoners revealed a strong desire to avoid immediate crisis upon release and to ensure their families would receive appropriate entitlements throughout their imprisonment. Recognising existing financial challenges, we aimed to develop a financially sustainable and scalable model that could be adopted across local authorities. Our ambition was to create a high-impact approach that would reduce future crises and be delivered collaboratively with a range of partners. Activity: In response to the identified need, we launched a programme focused on: • Facilitating a whole systems approach, demonstrating that early intervention is meaningful preventative spend • Supporting individual’s pre-release to ensure a stable transition to the community. • Maximising household income for families during imprisonment. In 2023, working with colleagues across the Council and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), we piloted an enhanced early intervention service to support individuals nearing release. This involved coordinating Community Care Grant decisions ahead of release, allowing tenancies to be signed and furnished to ensure a secure and homely environment from day one. We also trialled Welfare Rights input into Life Skills courses for those preparing to leave custody, which received positive feedback. In 2024/25 we built upon this and, in conjunction with the SPS, set up an on-site weekly appointment-based outreach facility at Perth prison, making us the first and only local authority in Scotland to provide this service. This service raises awareness of entitlements and support and improves co-ordination between the council and SPS so that: • More people in prison gain awareness of how their families can access support during their sentence. • More people leave prison with an awareness of how to access advice/assistance. • Less people leave prison with no financial resources in place. • Individuals leave prison to a tenancy that has all essential items/flooring in place where possible. This on-site service is available to individuals due for release within the next 12 weeks, on a referral basis, regardless of where they plan to resettle. This inclusive approach ensures that prisoners and local authorities across Scotland can benefit and aims to promote equity, strengthen cross-authority collaboration, and build a case for future Scottish Government funding to sustain and expand the model. Results: Measuring exact outcomes is challenging due to the complex needs and multitude of supports which may be accessed as individuals settle in different parts of Scotland. However, the initiative has strengthened our partnerships with the SPS and Welfare Fund teams in other local authorities and connections have led to a more consistent approach Page 105 of 196
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Tackling Poverty Provision of Welfare Rights Outreach in Prisons across regions which will help to improve outcomes for people leaving prison. Between April 2024 and March 2025: • 90 individuals received support pre-release. • 30 settled in Perth & Kinross; and of this, 9 individuals were awarded Crisis or Community Care Grants totalling circa £9,000 in respect of living expenses, clothing and essential domestic items. • 8 neighbouring Local Authorities, who we work closely with on prison release, have committed to applying the statutory guidance as broadly as possible, helping ease the transition from custody to community for both their residents and ours. Feedback from a contact at the SPS also demonstrates the success of this initiative: “HMP Perth have an excellent working relationship with Perth and &Kinross Council. In person and over email they are always helpful and courteous and have evidenced a valuable service for the people we have in custody. Their efforts to support people reintegrate to the local community with support and housing are essential to effective rehabilitation. The wider impact on the local community of increasing well-being, reducing poverty and developing people’s self-belief and self-esteem cannot be measured.” Next Steps: We will continue developing our on-site outreach services to support people in prison and their families, ensuring a smooth transition to the community. A priority is securing a similar arrangement with HMP Glenochil, which releases the largest number of individuals to Perth & Kinross. Our long-term aim is to provide a variety of services from prison establishments including, HMP Perth, HMP Glenochil and Castle Huntly to ensure that people being released have access to cash assistance at the earliest opportunity. Through both current and planned activity, we aim to encourage Scottish Government investment in this model and advocate for increased local authority administration budgets. This would allow other areas to adopt similar approaches and improve outcomes for people leaving custody across Scotland. Page 106 of 196
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Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Biodiversity Towns and Villages Purpose: Project funding of £277k was utilised to set up 3x Biodiversity Towns (Auchterarder, Blairgowrie and Kinross) and 10x Biodiversity Villages (Crook of Devon, Abernethy and Aberargie, Errol, Guildtown, Wolfhill, Kettins, Portmoak, St Madoes and Glencarse, and Stanley. Two Biodiversity Neighbourhoods were also added – North Muirton and Bridgend, both in Perth. Activity: There were many projects rolled out across all these communities, activity included: - 59x specialist swift nest boxes were installed, 240 x tree sparrow nest boxes and 61x hedgehog hibernation boxes. 226x fruit trees and 24k snowdrops. - Several ‘Beds for Bees’ flowerbeds and a pollinator trail created at Fossoway Primary School. BeeWild reports were prepared for Auchterarder and Guildtown Primary Schools. Forty BeePosts were provided, 2k native wildflower seed packets and 1,300 packets of pollinator-friendly garden plant seeds, plus perennial plants provided to local churches, care homes, day care centres, In Bloom groups and community gardens. Over 73 blossom/berried native trees were planted. - There was a citizen science element to the project, raising awareness of wildlife recording and survey training sessions – including swift, bat, moths, hedgehog and Flower-Insect surveys. iNaturalist pages were set up for each community to record their wildlife observations. - Skills training was also provided – scything, amphibian ladder workshops, toad patrols and amphibian ID. Three Gardening for Wildlife Days were held (with 100+ attendees). Working with the Biological Recording Company, 16 x webinars were held (6,114 attendees and 9k YouTube viewings). A Woolly Critters Art Project celebrating National Meadows Day involved a care home, day care centre and a Church Craft Group. Results: Planting native species is crucial for biodiversity conservation and 2217 square metres of pollinators were planted. Restoring habitats with native plants provides food and shelter for wildlife, supporting a thriving ecosystem. This is particularly important in areas affected by deforestation, urbanization, or agricultural expansion, where native plant communities have been displaced. Reintroducing native plant species helps restore ecological balance and promotes the recovery of endangered species. Many improvements were made, and the project was condensed into 6 months with only one additional officer instead of 2. Team working between the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership, Community Greenspace and PKCT enabled this to be delivered. Next Steps: The biodiversity towns and villages will be managed within the grow wild and food growing activities utilising the revenue budget of £200k given for 2025/26 and 2026/27. Page 107 of 196
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Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Biodiversity Towns and Villages Mini bioblitzes will be undertaken over 2025 and further work will be undertaken to increase the number of biodiversity towns and villages. Page 108 of 196
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Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Carbon Management in Procurement, Design and Construction (Cross Tay Link Road) Purpose, key activities and results: The now completed Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) project was always considered by the delivery team to be about much more than building new roads and bridges. It’s about future proofing the local transport network and Perth City Centre for all users, allowing Perth to grow as a city and provide much needed access to designated housing sites. It’s also about connecting communities across the River Tay and providing access for everyone. By relieving traffic from the City Centre, valuable space is made available to implement Phase 4 of the Perth Transport Futures Project (PTFP) which will promote modal shift and enhance the environment in the city centre Air Quality Management Area. In light of the aims of the wider PTFP, carbon management and sustainability objectives were at the heart of the CTLR project from the start, driving innovation and positive behaviours to deliver infrastructure to the project brief whilst maximising fair and inclusive benefits to local communities and the environment. Opportunities to reduce emissions associated with the creation of the asset during the design and construction phase were explored from the start. This has been accomplished by integrating the carbon management process within PAS 2080, the world’s first specification for addressing carbon in the built environment, into design choices and decision making then further into the procurement and the delivery stages. Activities: Specimen Design An initial carbon baseline was developed prior to development of the specimen design, to identify carbon hotspots and over the course of the design process, various value engineering modifications were incorporated by Sweco (the design consultant working with the Council’s Roads Infrastructure team) which resulted in associated carbon savings from Earthworks, Structures and Pavements of some 13,000 tCO2e (approx. 21% saving) at the end of the specimen design stage. Project Future-Proofed To ensure that the project is future-proofed, consideration has been given to potential future developments along the route corridor and within its area of influence. This is to ensure that where feasible, there is no requirement to modify the road cross section, junctions or other project infrastructure, which will reduce carbon emissions going forward. Work was also undertaken in design to build-in climate resilience and ensure that the design of the CTLR would not be susceptible to predictable future climate change, which may then require infrastructure modifications. Procurement To further maximise carbon reduction opportunities carbon management was integrated within the procurement of the works contract. Tenderers were challenged to propose projects that would result in a minimum saving of 14,100 tCO2e of CO2e (representing a ground-breaking 30% of the specimen design) compared with the specimen design carbon footprint. This element of the tender was weighted at 15% of the evaluation criteria, with the maximum reduction being awarded the highest score. This ensured Page 109 of 196
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Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Carbon Management in Procurement, Design and Construction (Cross Tay Link Road) serious consideration was given to this element and this was evident with several Contractors engaging on this topic and providing thorough positive feedback. Crucially, this was not just a question for the tendering exercise. The successful Contractor’s tendered baseline carbon footprint replaced the Council’s original carbon footprint at contract award. Consequently, the Contractor’s baseline was then incorporated into the contract as the commitment to be delivered throughout the design and construct contract. The winning Contractor was BAM UK & Ireland. Sustainability and Carbon The design process presented not just opportunities to reduce carbon but also to enhance the natural environment and contribute to the sustainability of the wider region. This was particularly important given the aims and objectives of the PTFP. Through close collaboration between the project team, statutory consultees and the local community, the following wider environmental and sustainability measures were incorporated: • Non-Motorised User (NMU) provision: enhancing connectivity through the upgrade and provision of NMU paths, an active travel route along the full length of the CTLR project, the Highfield Green Bridge and a new connection across the River Tay; • Ecological measures: reducing habitat fragmentation via Highfield Green Bridge and mammal ledges/tunnels, as well as the provision of mammal fencing; • Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) design: wetland habitat creation rather than a standard road drainage system; and • Landscaping: sensitive landscaping as the new road passes through the Scone Garden and Designed Landscape, reflecting the form and minimising visual impacts. Wildflower planting is incorporated, providing much needed flowers for insects and bees. Detailed Design, Value Engineering and Construction The contract was an innovative NEC contract form which included an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) period which, while also providing vital cost certainty, allowed the Client, Contractor and Designers to work together to implement carbon reducing value engineering proposals during the first year of the contract. This was incentivised with a suite of contractual KPIs which offered a financial incentive should the Contractor meet them all, including carbon reduction targets. This form is being held up as ‘Optimal ECI’ and being used as a case study by industry experts. Contractually, BAM UK & Ireland committed to achieving a reduction in the project’s carbon footprint by over 35,000 tCO2e, from a re-evaluated baseline of circa 84,000 tCO2e to under 50,000 tCO2e. They were an early adopter of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) which is considered the highest standard when it comes to verifying an organisation’s carbon targets. Three main aspects of the project’s detailed design and build impacted significantly to the overall carbon reduction: 1. Destiny Bridge - Relocation of bridge piers and asymmetrical backspans Page 110 of 196
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Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Carbon Management in Procurement, Design and Construction (Cross Tay Link Road) 2. Destiny Bridge - Relocation of west abutment 3. Use of flexible pavement with HBM Base on the Link Road In addition, there were other key areas where embodied carbon war targeted and reduced during the detailed design and construction phases, as well as the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) During Construction. Other notable savings included: • Cement replacement ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) was used to further reduce embodied carbon; structural concrete mixes contain up to 65% GGBS. • Drainage design was made more sustainable with more use of grass surface water channels. • Other carbon saving design changes included refinement of the road geometry and roundabout designs and the change of box culverts to pipes where possible. Results: Specimen Design and Procurement As well as the initial 21% carbon reduction Sweco were able to achieve through the design phases of the project, the procurement exercise was a great success with each Contractor demonstrating at least 30% carbon reduction. The successful Contractor was able to demonstrate a very significant reduction of over 26,000 tCO2e compared to the target of 14,200 tCO2e. This became a contractual commitment for the detailed design and construction of the project. As well as the positive impact the procurement process had on reducing carbon emissions associated with the project, the project team have been able to share the success of the project with a wider audience, promoting how carbon can be embedded in procurement. Additionally, the project has been included as a case study for carbon in procurement in the guidance document of the revised PAS 2080 – Carbon Management in Buildings and Infrastructure. The new standard (April 2023) introduced Procurement as a clause for the first time. This led members of the CTLR project team from Perth and Kinross Council and Sweco being awarded ‘Carbon Champions’ status by the Institute of Civil Engineers. Sustainability and Carbon The actions listed under this section (see above), do not reduce carbon on their own but considered design, and raising the importance of sustainable development, can promote and encourage behavioural change that helps to reduce future user carbon emissions. Mitigating impacts upon the environment and providing a connected network of alternative sustainable travel options will help increase the resilience of the community and the development of the CTLR project will also enable Perth & Kinross Council to progress with Phase 4 of the PTPF. Detailed Design, Value Engineering and Construction Page 111 of 196
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Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Carbon Management in Procurement, Design and Construction (Cross Tay Link Road) The embodied carbon in the project was evaluated regularly during detailed design and construction (see attached graph summary below). This found that the majority of embodied carbon was from materials (59%). Construction processes and transport were the other contributors (27% and 14% respectively). The monitoring process clearly showed that the best way to reduce embodied carbon is to make your design as efficient as possible at an early stage thereby reducing materials brought to site and re-using as much material as possible onsite. This shows that the procurement and contract type are key, and, in this project, they laid the foundation for successful carbon reduction. The final embodied carbon figure is just over 51,000 tCO2e saved compared to the original pre-tender carbon baseline. This would not have been possible without the delivery team showing innovation and having a real focus on carbon from very early stages of the project, allowing Contractors and Designers to have the time and incentive to bring their significant expertise to the project and reduce carbon as much as possible. The success in this regard is a true example of collaboration in the construction industry delivering measurable results and addressing climate change. Impact of the project: The impact of embedding carbon in procurement has been very positive. Too often designs have looked at minimising emissions only for decisions on the ground to look at cheaper alternatives which don’t have the same carbon impact. By making carbon reduction contractual, not just coincidental, the impact of the scheme has been minimised with significant carbon savings from initial design through to construction. Next Steps: To ensure that lessons learned from this project are taken forward, work has been undertaken to embed carbon as a standard question in procurement. Sweco have taken Page 112 of 196
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Tackling climate change and supporting greener sustainable places Carbon Management in Procurement, Design and Construction (Cross Tay Link Road) these lessons and have worked with other Councils including North Ayrshire and Manchester City to advise on how the methods applied on the CTLR can be incorporated into their procurement processes. As well as the positive impact the procurement process had on reducing carbon emissions associated with the project, the project team have been able to share the success of the project with a wider audience, promoting how carbon can be embedded in procurement. The project has been published by the Scottish Government as an exemplar case study for sustainable procurement on their sustainable procurement website – designed to help public sector organisations identify and address how they can optimise the economic, social and environmental outcomes of their procurement activity. It has also been included as a case study in the updated PAS 20280 guidance document to show a global audience how procurement is a mechanism that can contribute to carbon reduction. Page 113 of 196
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Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy The Launch of Perth Museum Purpose, key activities and results: Perth Museum was developed to revitalise the city’s cultural offer, attract tourism, and reignite civic pride. A 2015 market report identified Perth’s underperformance as a visitor destination, despite its rich history. The project aimed to transform the former City Hall into a world-class museum, showcasing Perth’s heritage and boosting the local economy. Activity: Perth & Kinross Council committed £17.5 million to the project, with an additional £10 million secured through the Tay Cities Deal. Culture Perth and Kinross was appointed as the operating partner. The museum was designed to be a cultural anchor, with the return of the Stone of Destiny as a centrepiece. Extensive community engagement and feasibility studies shaped the vision, ensuring the museum reflected local identity and aspirations. Results: Since opening in March 2024, Perth Museum has welcomed over 128,000 visitors in its first four months. The project has boosted tourism, enhanced Perth’s national profile, and created a renewed sense of pride among residents. It has also demonstrated the power of cultural investment in driving regeneration and community wellbeing. Next Steps: Ongoing programming and exhibitions will continue to attract diverse audiences. The museum will serve as a catalyst for further cultural and economic development in the region, with lessons from its success informing future regeneration projects. Page 114 of 196
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Developing a resilient, stronger and greener local economy Futures for All – All Age Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI) Purpose, key activities and results: Wild Hearth Bakery, a local artisan business in Highland Perthshire, exemplifies the positive impact of the "Futures for All" ERI scheme. Owner John Castley identified a young person from Crieff High School who was at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Despite limited work experience, John was committed to offering a meaningful opportunity that could transform this individual's future. Activity: In September 2024, Wild Hearth Bakery approached the Skills and Employment Support team to express interest in recruiting a Baking Apprentice through the "Futures for All" fund. Their application demonstrated a strong commitment to nurturing talent and investing in the development of a young person. The panel was impressed by the quality and intent of the proposal, and the business was awarded £8,000 to support the creation of the apprenticeship role. Results: Six months into the apprenticeship, the young recruit is thriving. Enrolled through Scottish Bakers, they have shown remarkable growth in both skill and confidence. Their performance has exceeded expectations, prompting Wild Hearth Bakery to transition them from the apprentice wage to the Real Living Wage—a testament to their dedication and capability. Employer feedback: “I'm pleased to say that we are now paying our apprentice baker the adult Real Living Wage because of their work ethic and ability to learn quickly on the job. I had an interesting chat with their mum who told me that the transformation in their life since they started working with us has been dramatic and positive, which is great to hear’’. ‘’You might like to see my recent Instagram post about our apprentice. I really had no idea how this would turn out, and it's been such a positive experience. I think I'll contact Crieff High School to suggest they give a presentation about their experience. Bringing young people up through the ranks could be a win all round.” John Castley, Wild Hearth Bakery Next Steps: Subject to future funding, the intention is to expand the ERI scheme to support more employers in creating inclusive opportunities across all age groups—strengthening local economies and improving life outcomes for individuals. Page 115 of 196
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Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Nurturing Relationships – Involving the School Community at Riverside Primary School Purpose, key activities and results: Riverside Primary School embarked on their second year of the nurturing relationships programme in the 24-25 session. Nurturing approaches recognise that positive relationships are central to learning, wellbeing and resilience. The approach is grounded in an understanding of attachment theory and how early experiences can have a significant impact on development. The approach is underpinned by the Six Principles of Nurture which are, • Nurture Principle 1: Learning is understood developmentally. • Nurture Principle 2: The Environment offers a safe base • Nurture Principle 3: Nurture is important for the development of wellbeing • Nurture Principle 4: Language is a vital means of communication • Nurture Principle 5: All behaviour is communication • Nurture Principle 6: Transitions are significant in children and young people's lives The GMWP (Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile) which supports the monitoring and tracking of the wellbeing of children and young people is used within Riverside PS to support children to evaluate their own wellbeing. A review of these results highlighted a need to develop a positive sense of self among children and young people. Nurture Principle 3, Nurture is Important for the Development of Wellbeing was then identified as a principle of focus and further evaluations and observations were carried out. Activity: Change Projects • Delivery of training to all teaching and ECP staff on self-esteem. • Development of a bespoke programme of self-esteem activities carried out in every classroom weekly and with a targeted group of nursery learners. • Created a ‘Ready for Riverside’ guide for families based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Drawing upon their experiences last session with successful ‘Nurture Nights’, School leads recognised the importance of involving parent/carers in their change projects. The following family learning activities were carried out: • Nurture Principle 3 ‘Nurture Nights’ for P1-3 and P4-7 which included a discussion with parents around the importance of self-esteem. Following this, parents/carers attended three workshops designed to boost self-esteem with their children. Each family received resources including further activities and information to support developing self-esteem with the home. • Piloted the ‘Ready for Riverside’ approach within the nursery, offering a range of relevant workshops for children and their families including sleep support, healthy habits, belonging and self-esteem. Page 116 of 196
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Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Nurturing Relationships – Involving the School Community at Riverside Primary School Results: A repeat of pre and post baseline measures, pupil, parents and carer feedback found impact across all areas. Key findings include: • Staff understanding and confidence in developing learner self-esteem increased from 61.4% on average to 94.4%. • Substantial increase in target group of nursery learners meeting their social and emotional developmental milestones from 24% in May 2024 to 90% in May 2025 • A total of 32 families attended the ‘Nurture Nights’, representing 13% of the school community, and all families who attended strongly agreed/agreed that their understanding of how to develop self-esteem at home has increased. • Increase across all descriptors of self-esteem questionnaire with school learners. Next Steps: Riverside plan to continue with their Nurture Nights, engaging with families and the whole school community and the ‘Ready for Riverside’ approach will be rolled out across the school. They will be moving into their third year of implementation around Nurture and will be focusing on Nurture Principle 4 – around language being a vital means of communication. Across Perth and Kinross 58 schools are undertaking the nurturing schools programme and best practice from participating schools is shared to ensure that successful approaches are disseminated. Page 117 of 196
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Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Improving Numeracy Pilot at Crieff Primary School Purpose, key activities and results: Improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for children and young people and closing the poverty related attainment gap are key priorities for the authority identified within the Raising Attainment Strategy 2024-2027. Across PKC, the number of children and young people achieving expected levels in numeracy is steadily increasing, however, the attainment gap between the most and least deprived has widened as the rates of improvement are not consistent in the different groups. Whilst there are a number of evidence-based interventions to support literacy, there are fewer in numeracy. It was therefore agreed to pilot an approach to improving numeracy using approaches from the previously successful National Improving Writing Programme. Activity: Over the course of 2024/25 Crieff Primary School has been working with Education Scotland, Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative (CYPIC) and PKC central officers on a pilot project to support practitioners to improve learning, teaching and assessment of number and number processes at first level. The intended outcomes of the project were to increase • attainment of identified learners in P4 & P5 • practitioner confidence, skills and knowledge in teaching numeracy. • practitioner confidence in assessing learners’ progress • practitioner confidence in using data to make improvements • engagement, confidence, skills and knowledge of learners. • positive attitudes to numeracy (practitioners & learners) Having been involved in the National Improving Writing programme previously, the school was able to use the learning and adapt content from that programme and apply it to teaching numeracy. Results: Pre and post assessments were undertaken which demonstrated the improvements below in baseline assessments. Page 118 of 196
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Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Improving Numeracy Pilot at Crieff Primary School The learner group provided very positive feedback when the project was reviewed in March Next Steps: • A National Improving Numeracy programme is being developed by Education Scotland for launch in October 2025. The feedback from this pilot is being used to support the development. • Schools will be identified to take part in the National programme. • The work with Crieff PS will be built upon and shared with other schools targeting those where numeracy attainment is below 70% or where there is an identified gap between SIMD Q1 and Q5. Page 119 of 196
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Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Supporting Care-experienced Children and Young People – Volunteer Tutors Organisation (VTO) Hub Purpose, key activities and results: The PKC Corporate Parenting Plan sets out the authority’s shared vision for all children and young people to have the best start in life and for Perth and Kinross to be the best place in Scotland to grow up. It outlines the high aspirations and ambitions the authority has for children and young people who are looked after or have experience of care. It recognises that the outcomes for young people who have experienced care often fall short of their peers and states that through strong collaboration and partnership working the authority will strive to close outcome gaps and to achieve significant improvements in life chances for care experienced children and young people. PKC remains committed to Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) with children and young people in Perth and Kinross feeling safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. There is also a commitment to ensuring that they and their families receive the help they need when they need it. Funding from the Scottish Attainment Challenge’s Care-experienced Children and Young People fund has enabled the facilitation of Learning Hubs in Riverside and Letham Primary Schools to provide additional support for care-experienced children and young people to achieve their potential. Activity: The first PKC Learning Hub launched in November 2023 in Letham Primary School supported by senior pupil volunteers from Perth Academy. A second opened in Riverside Primary School in November 2024, supported by volunteers from Perth Grammar School. Each Hub has a maximum roll of 10 primary pupils supported by senior pupils who volunteer an hour a week to support the primary pupils. Through this they are encouraged to sign up for the Saltire Award or to use the volunteering hours to contribute to the achievement of their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. The majority of the children attending the Hubs are care-experienced. Enrolment and attendance rely heavily on family engagement during the referral process and Headteachers review attendance and new referral opportunities regularly. Learning resources are coordinated by VTO staff in collaboration with schools staff and included maths jotters with bespoke learning alongside personalised ‘Big Maths’ learning. ‘Stile’ literacy resources were also used to encourage reading and understanding of text with self-correcting puzzle tiles. Times tables games, educational quiz games and books provided additional variety. Results: The feedback from all parties is excellent with improvements noted in literacy, numeracy, confidence, and resilience. • Improvements in numeracy and literacy were reported for 100% of primary pupils who attended the hubs. • All primary pupils reported that they knew where to turn for help and support with learning. Page 120 of 196
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Enabling our children and young people to achieve their full potential Supporting Care-experienced Children and Young People – Volunteer Tutors Organisation (VTO) Hub • All primary pupils reported that they felt more motivated and confident. These results were echoed in feedback from school staff and also from the senior pupil volunteers. Feedback includes comments such as, “P loves the hub. It has supported her with her confidence in learning as she has many barriers to overcome academically. The support has encouraged her self-belief, and she is more willing to have a go. Tremendous support for a vulnerable wee girl.” “D has benefitted from the mentor time and opportunities to focus on different aspects of his literacy and numeracy. It has also greatly supported his own self-confidence.” Next Steps: Subject to continued funding, VTO will be able to continue this support combined as part of a tailored and nurturing approach. Page 121 of 196
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Protecting and caring for our vulnerable people Safe and Together approach Background: P and W were placed on the PKC Child Protection Register due to concerns about their mother’s alcohol use, domestic incidents, and allegations of assault by another family member. The family environment had been chaotic for several years. At the time of registration, P was living with his paternal grandmother, while W remained at home with their mother, supported by the maternal grandmother. Activity: The allocated social worker, A, adopted a Safe and Together, relationship-based approach with the family. This involved engaging all parents and protective family members in discussions, ensuring the children’s needs remained central. A consistently sought and incorporated the children’s views, feelings, and wishes. A’s approach recognised both the children’s resilience and the growing resilience within the family, who were accepting of the supports on offer. While A had to highlight the risks present, this was balanced by the family’s willingness to engage with the help offered. Outcome: Working collaboratively, A and the family developed a safety plan with input from other professionals. This enabled the children to safely return to their mother’s care, surrounded by a strong network of family support. Despite the long-standing nature of the mother’s alcohol issues, the trust and openness between A and the family gave professionals confidence in the family’s ability to manage future crises while keeping the children at the centre of decision-making. This was done with a strong appreciation of the right to family life. Following the Review Child Protection Planning Meeting (RCPPM), one professional shared the following reflection: “Just a quick e mail to say that was the most uplifting RCPPM I have ever attended. I should’ve acknowledged A’s work with the family during the meeting, but I think I was a bit in awe of the ‘Grannies’. There was a genuine trust between the family and A. Even more apparent when we heard Mum’s heartfelt thanks to A. They clearly followed the advice given by A because they were able to not only evidence it but understand why they were doing it. These are the cases that keep us all going. You might not change the world, but you did change the world for that family 😊. Well Done A” Page 122 of 196
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Our children and young people are given the best start in life Youth Housing Support Group Purpose, key activities and results: As part of our work to refresh our Corporate Parenting Plan in 2025 we undertook a self - assessment of our Corporate Parenting duties to identify what areas require improvement. The assessment included feedback from our young people and partners. One of the main areas identified was the key transition for young people into adulthood in terms of accommodation and support. Young people spoke about how difficult it was to move from being supported within a care situation to living on their own. The service had identified that although their age meant that leaving care was possible, some young people continued to need a high level of support. These local reflections mirror national conversations which have come from The Promise and Moving On Report for our care experienced young people. Locally our Housing colleagues reported that the same issues were identified for non- care experienced young people as well. We identified that although Perth and Kinross Council and partners have a number of teams and projects to support young people into independence, these were working in silos, and no priority or allocation of resource was based on assessment. Housing colleagues also had little information which would enable them to make a decision about which tenancy would best suit their needs. Housing is in demand in the area and there was recognition that there was a need to ensure the best possible match is made. Activity: We have developed the Youth Housing Support Group, which brings together providers of housing support with the key teams in Housing and Children’s services. The group meets monthly and takes referrals from all agencies involved with young people who are identified as requiring additional support with moving on. The group will discuss the needs of the young person and what support they require, in order to best match need with resource. The group also acts as mentors for each other by supporting and developing practice. Results Young people are being matched with more appropriate accommodation and whist in the early stages the group has shown that by collaborating we can make best use of limited resources. There is a clearer understanding of the needs of young people which will inform future planning. Next Steps: The group will continue to meet, an evaluation of the first year will take place early 2026 informed by data Page 123 of 196
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Protecting and Caring for our most vulnerable people Child Impact Assessment Project Purpose, key activities and results: Children with a parent in contact with the justice system often report being not seen and not heard, even though they are not guilty. Young People’s lives can change irrevocably when a family member enters the justice system. They may witness the arrest, lose the person from the house if the family member is imprisoned and experience financial hardship (through loss of income to the household). Families can often deal with this lifechanging event alone due to stigma which can have long lasting impact on mental health. We sought to change the narrative for our children and young people from Not Seen, Not Heard and Not Guilty to Seen, Heard and Supported through the provision of widespread training for professionals regarding the impact on children and young people, and raising awareness about the Child Impact Assessment toolkit. Activity: Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) submitted a successful funding application to Corra Foundation for the Scottish Government’s UNCRC Innovation Fund, for the period 9 October 2023 to 6 December 2024. The funding was utilised in its entirety to purchase the specialist knowledge of Family Outside to raise awareness amongst professionals about the impact of the justice journey on children and young people. Central to the project, which is rooted in children’s rights, is the use of Prison Reform Trust’s Child Impact Assessments Toolkit, a UK- wide resource co-created by children and young people. A multi-agency steering group formed in January 2024 and a programme of training (multi- agency) was launched in April 2024. Ninety-nine people attended Champion Training (1 day session) and 345 attended a shorter Toolkit Session. The training aimed to upskill staff on a multi-agency basis (including social work, education, housing and third sector) enabling them to understand and mitigate the negative impacts of the justice system on children. In addition to the in-person training delivered during 2024, a short training video was created by Families Outside (as part of this project) and is available on our webpage to anyone not able to attend the session or wanting a refresher Child Impact Assessment Training - Perth and Kinross - Perth & Kinross Council (pkc.gov.uk) . This video is a legacy of the project. Resources and Support: Young people, with living experience, from Perth Academy were involved in the project and developed child-friendly resources promoting the toolkit, assisting children and young people to know more about their rights when they are impacted by the justice system. In addition to the development of resources for children and young people, a resource was also developed for those directly in contact with the justice system (perpetrator and victims) to provide clarity regarding the support available. Pathways & Roles and Responsibilities: A Roles and Responsibilities guide was created to provide clarity to the multi-agency professionals regarding expectations i.e. police role - to share information about the availability Page 124 of 196
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Protecting and Caring for our most vulnerable people Child Impact Assessment Project of the toolkit; children and families support service – direct support with completing the toolkit and accessing identified support. In addition, an information sharing pathway was developed to provide clarity to workers regarding information sharing and GDPR. Results: Outcomes and Impact The project equipped staff with the necessary knowledge to link children impacted by the justice system into support. Positive feedback was received from the multi-agency training, confirming the project's success. Work will take place during 2025-26 to gather feedback from children, young people and professionals who have utilised the toolkit. The following are some examples of commitments made by participants following attendance at the training: - Find a way to keep the conversation about families in justice going. - Make sure it becomes an everyday conversation. - Ensuring children are heard! - I will always mention the impact assessments when I deliver rights training to children, young people and professionals. - Keep the impact on the child at the forefront of my mind and use info/tools from training as appropriate. Share with colleagues. - Ensure the families I work with are provided with an option to engage in assessment. - Include impact assessments in the support we offer and consider other ways we can promote and advocate for children's voices in the justice system. Successes, Challenges and Solutions Key to the success of this project was the high level of ‘buy-in’ from management teams across all sectors (Community Justice and Safety Partnership). Combining the specialist knowledge of Families Outside with the established connections of the local Community Justice Partnership Co-ordinator enabled prompt access to key multi-agency partners. Regular feedback was sought from the steering group throughout the project and tweaks to the training delivery format were made, as required. For example, it was quickly identified that engaging teachers presented a significant challenge due to school schedules. To address this, Family Outside provided in-service sessions and twilight sessions, maximising participation without disrupting school schedules. An initial concern from multi-agency partners was that that Child Impact Assessment would be an additional ask of their staff, many of whom already feel close to capacity. The development of the Roles and Responsibilities guide referenced earlier was useful in providing clarity to services that their staff were not being asked to do more. Page 125 of 196
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Protecting and Caring for our most vulnerable people Child Impact Assessment Project Next Steps: The webpages developed to support staff, and the public will be developed further during 2025- 26. About Child Impact Assessments - Perth & Kinross Council (pkc.gov.uk) The Steering Group established at the outset of this project will continue to meet, albeit at a reduced frequency (moving in January 2025 to (bimonthly instead of monthly meetings) to continue to raise awareness and embed the toolkit. The Young People’s Steering Group has evolved to a peer support group looking to arrange activities for young people impacted by someone close to them on the justice journey (like the types of activities arranged for young carers). It is hoped that learning from this group can be shared with other Perth and Kinross schools. Along with keeping the topic on meeting agenda’s locally, learning from the project will also be shared at national events during 2025-26 and beyond. Page 126 of 196
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Supporting and promoting physical and mental wellbeing Girls For Change: Get Active, Get Confident Purpose, key activities and results: To empower girls across Perth and Kinross to engage in physical activity, build confidence, and challenge barriers related to body image and gender inequalities. The initiative aimed to address low participation in PE and physical activity among teenage girls. Activity: A regional event was held at Dewars Centre in December 2024, attended by 40 pupils from S3–S5 across all Perth and Kinross secondary schools. These pupils were identified from their schools as potential role models and those who would get the most benefit from learning more about physical activity. Workshops focused on body image, menstrual health, and exercise myths, alongside practical sessions including gym inductions and fitness class design. Pupils were equipped to lead extracurricular sessions in their own schools. Results: Those attending left empowered and understanding that physical activity is for everyone, and that nothing should hold them back. A number of events have commenced around Perth & Kinross including at Bertha Park High School where pupils have taken park in a new “Into Exercise” project, supporting peers disengaged from PE. With help from Active Schools and a Sports Psychologist, participants set goals and overcame barriers to physical activity. Early signs show increased engagement and improved wellbeing. Next Steps: The “Into Exercise” project will continue to develop throughout the academic year. The success of the Girls for Change event may lead to similar initiatives being rolled out in other schools across the region. Page 127 of 196
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Working in Partnership with Communities Trading Standards Supporting Scam Victims and Community Education Purpose: Prevention of fraud and scams amongst vulnerable people will always be better than having to deal with the consequences. Thus, a Community Outreach Programme was initiated. This is carried out by an officer currently funded by a two-year Budget Motion. For the previous three years funding came from a variety of sources. Activity: Visiting various community groups and engaging with residents, giving advice about scams, how to spot them and protect yourself against them. At the same time, additional support can be provided if there is a need for an individual resident to receive further intervention (call blocker, support visits or intervention of another service) Results: Using the UK recognised NTSST calculations* it is identified that the project has achieved savings of £1,170, 984. This includes further potential financial losses and other health and wellbeing aspects. 28 Direct interventions Direct financial savings £358,456 Healthcare, and health related quality of life £193,564 20 Call Blocker installations - Direct financial savings £330,820 Healthcare, and health related quality of life £178,640 Community Outreach Programme (83 events at which 1856 residents attended) £109,504 *The calculations have been created by a team of independent economists from Optimity Advisors Ltd, with input from a working group of trading standards professionals including the National Trading Standards Scams Team. Most of the calculations consist of two parts: financial losses prevented, and non-financial losses prevented, including physical and emotional harm, healthcare and other service costs Next Steps: Continue this work and build more relationships with community and other local organisations. Provide further support and intervention to vulnerable people and groups as well as the community more generally. Page 128 of 196
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Working In Partnership with Communities A93/14 Bridge of Cally - Parapet Repairs Purpose, key activities and results: Following Storm Gerrit in December 2023, A93/14 Bridge of Cally sustained significant damage to its parapet structure, necessitating urgent repairs to ensure public safety and restore connectivity between communities. In response to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, the project incorporated climate resilience measures including drainage improvements and the installation of flood chutes. These interventions were designed to mitigate future storm damage and enhance the bridge’s long-term sustainability. Activity: Community liaison played a key role in the introduction of flood chutes. During early engagement, a local resident shared historical photographs showing that the bridge had previously been equipped with flood chutes. This valuable community input was taken on board by Perth & Kinross Council and discussed during the design stage, ultimately influencing the decision to incorporate flood chutes into the final repair strategy. Drawings were produced to show how the flood chutes would be integrated into the parapet structure and the benefits they would bring in terms of water management and climate resilience. In addition, drainage improvements were undertaken away from the structure by both Perth & Kinross Council and private landowners to address water pooling and runoff issues in the surrounding area. Results: The installation of flood chutes and drainage improvements significantly enhanced the bridge’s resilience to future storm events and heavy rainfall. These measures have reduced the likelihood of standing water and structural erosion, which were key contributors to the damage sustained during Storm Gerrit. The integration of community input into the design process—particularly the use of historical evidence—strengthened local engagement and ensured that the solutions were contextually appropriate. The collaboration between Perth & Kinross Council and private landowners to implement off-structure drainage improvements further extended the impact of the climate resilience strategy beyond the immediate repair site. Since these actions were implemented, there have been no recorded instances of water build-up at the structure and no recurrence of the damage previously caused by flooding. This outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of the climate adaptation measures and supports their continued use in future infrastructure projects. Next Steps: Routine monitoring of the repair will continue as part of the structures inspection programme to check for any defects. Specific attention will be given to the performance of the flood chutes and drainage systems during and after significant rainfall events. Page 129 of 196
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Perth & Kinross Council will also continue to engage with residents and landowners to gather feedback on any observed changes in water behaviour around the structure. This collaborative approach will help ensure the bridge remains resilient to evolving climate conditions and that lessons learned can be applied to similar sites across the region. Page 130 of 196
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1 Key Improvement activities from CDIP 2024-25 Appendix 4 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, 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 A Tacking Poverty Strategy was approved in November 2024. An action plan which includes actions and performance measures has been developed by the Anti-Poverty Task Force. This is currently being taken forward by thematic sub-groups for delivery. Encourage and maximise the update of all supports targeted for children and young people to reduce costs and to reduce the impact such costs have on the outgoings of 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 2023/24: 65% Primary, 53% Secondary 2024/25: 66% Primary, 60% Secondary While the uptake of Free School Meals (FSM) has increased among secondary pupils, Primary uptake has not increased significantly and overall, there has only been a slight increase of around 1% in uptake. The uptake of FSM has been actively promoted by schools and by the corporate communications team to encourage applications and uptake. Support is also provided for families to complete applications. Encourage and maximise the update of all supports targeted for children and young Reduce the cost of the school day Schools using the Cost of the School Day toolkit with Education and Learning March 2025 The majority of schools have now included Cost of the School Day within their school improvement plans and Cost of the School Day guidance has been published. 6 Page 131 of 196
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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 people to reduce costs to reduce the impact such costs have on the outgoing’s families in poverty action plans in place Quality Improvement Officers are following up with the remaining schools, and Cost of the School Day plans are now integrated within School Improvement paperwork. Impact will be measured over the course of 2025/26 based on measures included in the plans submitted. 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 18,742 of under 22s with a card, 69.4% of under 22s in P&K Strategic Planning, People and Performance March 2025 March 2025 – 20,323 young people between 5 – 21 years with a card – 77.5% of U22s in PKC – this is an increase of 8.1% compared to the previous year and above the 5% increase target. Of the young people 5 – 11 years, 45% with a card, of the young people 12 – 21 years, 99.6% with a card. Comms have been issued throughout the year, on the Council’s social media platforms and on the real time information screens promoting the free 60+, disabled and U22s free bus passes. The free first Saturday in the month bus travel was also promoted in these areas. Promote NEC take up alongside free Saturday bus travel marketing activity Page 132 of 196
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3 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 The Fleet Decarbonisation Strategy was approved by the Climate Change & Sustainability Committee in April 2025, with the aim of aligning fleet purchases with future developments in technology, and with the aim of increasing the number of Low Emissions Vehicles (LEVs) within the Council fleet between 2025-2030. We continue to closely scrutinise UK and Scottish Government targets relating to green transport to ensure that we continue to adhere to these. We also participate in Transport Scotland’s Policy Consultative Group. In 2024/25, 4.5% of the Council’s fleet were electric or powered by other zero direct carbon fuel technologies, above the target of 3.85% with three electric vehicles purchased in the year. 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 PKC IT department have built a Power BI dashboard for reporting and analysing on bus passenger and revenue information. PTU have set up data feeds from the bus companies who use Ticketer electronic ticket machines and also a data feed from Stagecoach East Scotland’s electronic ticket machines. The Demand Responsive Data can be inputted manually from monthly returns. Consultants have been engaged to support the Council in the delivery of the outline business case and five workstreams have been established. Improved energy efficiency and A Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) will Progress on LHEES. Performance measures on this improvement will Economy, Development and Planning March 2025 The final approved LHEES and Local Area Energy Plans were published in May 2024. Following publication, a KPI framework has been developed and Page 133 of 196
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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 reduction in carbon emissions in the Council estate be published in May 2024 be agreed as part of LHEES external delivery groups have been established. Key LHEES delivery actions have been progressed including option development for a new Perth City Centre Heat Network and Heat Network Designation Zoning across Perth and Kinross more widely. This Council continued to fund SCARF to provide free home energy advice. This benefitted over 1638 households, helping to increase the warmth of homes while bringing down fuel bills and lowering emissions. As a result, £3,360 of fuel debt was written off, relieving immediate pressure for households in crisis. 558 households were provided with face-to-face support and personalised advice and interventions that helped them take control of their energy usage. This advice delivered an estimated £51,661 in household savings and 123.56 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions savings. Last, 108 onward referrals were made to additional schemes and support services, ensuring clients could access everything from energy advice funding to welfare rights advice. 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 The grassland management trials were further extended in 2024/25 to include all sites in Perth and the surrounding landward areas towards Dundee. This forms part of the ongoing development of a long- term plan to support a “long grass” approach across Perth and Kinross. As part of ‘Grow Wild’ Phase 1, the area managed under this approach has increased from 49.16 hectares to 121.5 hectares in 2024/25. Initial monitoring shows that unmown areas support greater biodiversity, with increases in both insect and Page 134 of 196
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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 Increase provision of biodiversity sites flower populations. This contributes to reversing the decline in pollinators—essential for food production— and supports efforts to halt biodiversity loss. 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 114 community engagements carried out for Biodiversity towns and villages. Biodiversity towns and villages help to create habitat and the monitoring contributes to national recording statistics to show the changes nationally. Raingardens help to mitigate flooding. Activities delivered include: • 10 community mapping sessions; • 11 events (Gardening for Wildlife, Amphibian Ladders, Scottish Swift Conference, Portmoak Gala, Hedgehog Highways); • 27 site visits & recces; • 2 volunteer sessions; • 5 tutorials; • 18 Snowdrop plantings; • 27 swift box installs; • 7 meetings in person or online; • 7 interactive Zoom conferences; • 226 fruit tree plantings, • 18 Mag/BeePost installs (will update). • 5 Businesses received non-financial support. • 2 SuDS raingardens implemented. Page 135 of 196
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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 Design work has already commenced with respect to opening up the 11ha of land that will form the first phase of the Perth Eco-Innovation Park at Perth West. Ground investigations have been carried out and Heads of Terms will soon be agreed allowing the transfer of land to the Council. A commercial real estate and property investment consultancy (JLL) began work in May to review market conditions and recommend a development partner who can work with the Council to realise the employment potential of the site. There is a steady level of interest from businesses in industrial sites and premises that the Council owns or manages including Northfield Business Park. Enquiries from companies looking for new premises in existing commercial business complexes remains steady. A baseline measure for this KPI is in the process of being established. Make Perth and Kinross a more competitive inward investment destination and encourage investment for growth from Developing and improving Invest in Perth information and support for new and existing businesses investing in Perth and Kinross Introduce Business Enquiry Management 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 Economy Development and Planning March 2025 In October 2024, we launched a refreshed Invest in Perth website designed to promote Perth and Kinross as a prime location for doing business. The new site targets both local businesses seeking support and those interested in inward investment and land opportunities. With a cleaner, more user- friendly design, the website serves as a hub for signposting to business support agencies while showcasing current investment prospects. Page 136 of 196
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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 existing businesses in key growth sectors System to provide more data and insight System being introduced in 2024 In January 2025, we launched and implemented our new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. This allows us to track all business interactions and engagements and monitor business opportunities and challenges. 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 252 Business start-ups were supported by Business Gateway; this is an increase compared to 23/24 figures. Our New Start and Pre-Start Plus (previously Early-Stage Growth) target (20) exceeded, with over 22 businesses supported. Perth and Kinross had the highest BG Growth referrals across Tayside with 23, which are businesses with projected turnover increases of £200k+. Funding is provided to GrowBiz to support start-up micro enterprises/self- employed individuals and social enterprises in rural Perth and Kinross. Support is also provided for developing an enterprising culture in young people and in rural communities. The 2024/25 target for Enterprise Support for GrowBiz was 45 businesses a month, totalling 180 over a 12-month period. This target was exceeded with a total of 254 businesses receiving enterprise support in 2024/25. 231 businesses attended learning & networking sessions, exceeding the target of 180. 43% of businesses supported in 2024/25 fell into the category of Perth and Kinross Council's targeted growth sectors. The number of new businesses that started trading with the assistance of GrowBiz was 76. Perthshire Artisans had a target to support 36 creative sector businesses and was supporting 168 by the end of the 2024/25 financial year. Page 137 of 196
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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 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 and Kinross now hosts 355 registered creative businesses, with initiatives underway to grow this number. The Culture Strategy 2023–2025 is being actively progressed, embedding culture as a driver of economic growth. Perth’s UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art status is enhancing its profile, supported by a programme of impactful local and international projects. The Famous Grouse Ideas Centre continues to support innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital growth, with programmes like The Angel’s Share attracting investment and supporting business development. Techscaler has established a regular presence, helping build a strong tech community and promoting Perth and Kinross as a hub for digital business. 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 businesses in energy Economy Development and Planning March 2025 We are progressing the Strategic Energy Partnership approach and have received advice from our legal advisers on the appropriate delivery models – based on other experience from similar models from across the UK. A draft Procurement Strategy will be agreed by an officer Board currently being established. A Competitive Dialogue process will be used to select a private sector partner which should be announced by March 2026. Page 138 of 196
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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 Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report 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 Perth City & Towns is the promotional arm of Perth & Kinross Council in terms of residents and visitors, overseeing the marketing and promotion of Perth City and the surrounding towns, large events, and footfall drivers, as well as tourism initiatives for the area, The website offers promotional opportunities for retail, hospitality businesses, visitor attractions and event organisers via a multi-platform marketing strategy and vibrant, varied programme of events. Perth City and Towns Website – 108,685 Active Users - 57,670 of which is organic search. Top Location – London with 23,169 Followed by Perth – 17,604 Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow. Locations spanning across the UK. Social Channels: Facebook 33K followers Twitter / X 11K followers Instagram 7K followers. Mailchimp Newsletter – 23K – Monthly Newsletter advertising what’s on across the region. We delivered a series of creative campaigns and events to promote Perth city centre and support local businesses. Notable new additions included Perth Page 139 of 196
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10 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 Cocktail Week, which showcased 35 venues and generated an economic impact of £263K, and the Street Life Campaign, which highlighted over 130 independent retailers, reinforcing Perth’s identity as a hub for unique, local shopping. Other initiatives included Perth Eat Week, the launch of a new City Centre Map, and continued promotion of the Perth & Kinross Gift Card, all aimed at boosting visibility and footfall across the city. Events are the most popular pages with the Christmas Blog generating 21,158 page views, followed by the events and festivals blog generating 19,341 page views. Perth City and Towns platform will continue to be used to promote the region. The website will undergo a rebuild in 2025/2026 to further enhance the brand, improve navigation, refresh content whilst also adding additional functions to support promoters and end users. 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 We have increased the number of people supported overall, including within key priority areas. Within 2024/2025 we have supported 199 parents with 45 of those participants moving into Self-employment 13 of which were supported with childcare whilst moving back into employment. 119 participants have been successful at accessing our training grant which is in place to upskill or gain a new qualification. While direct outreach remains a challenge, we have strengthened local visibility and access by working through trusted partners, improving referral routes, and responding quickly to identified needs. Working in partnership with different services at the NEXT Page 140 of 196
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11 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 STEPS 4 ALL employment drop ins at Letham 4 all we have seen 21 clients engage with us since this began in March 25’ We are a referral pathway on FORT giving better access to employability services – 1 referral from a different agent so far but support is now in place. Crieff community campus remains an outreach hub on the first Thursday of every month – the staff were keen to give us a bigger presence in the library allowing us to connect with book bug attendees. Recognising challenges around traditional outreach, our approach has focused on making ourselves more visible and accessible where families already are – flexibility has been key. Strengthening warm referral pathways through partners such as Business Gateway and establishing a regular presence at The Hub – allowing families to meet with us in trusted, familiar spaces. We are collaborating and working together to improve visibility – employability board/ flyers on tables and marketing for tv screen in main foyer. Page 141 of 196
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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 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 For Session 2024/25:31% of primary schools had included a priority addressing Health and Wellbeing on their School Improvement Plans: 22% of primary schools identified the Nurturing Schools programme 13% identified Relationships and Behaviour 10% identified Health and Wellbeing curriculum development Over 70% of schools have now engaged with the Nurturing Schools Programme. Increase the number of young people going into positive destinations such as work experience, further education, volunteering and employment By placing an Employability Youth Worker in each locality to liaise with school Early intervention approach in Increase in school leavers entering positive initial destinations Baseline: 2022/23 (95.97%) Education and Learning March 2025 Summer leaver data is not yet available for 2024/25, however for 2023/24 the percentage of school levers entering an initial positive destination increased to 96.4% from 95.97% in 2022/23. Over the course of the year, an internal Work Placement Assessors course has been delivered in conjunction with the corporate Health and Safety team. 20 staff have now been trained, including Employability Youth Workers. This has built additional capacity for work placements to be arranged and by training the Employability Youth Workers, those who are most at risk of not achieving a Page 142 of 196
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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 school and delivery of employability programmes positive destination can be prioritised for work experience placements. The number of pupils undertaking work experience placements has increased to 596 in 2024/25 and is on a steady upward trajectory from 264 in 2021/22. External funding has been secured to run a pilot Enterprise and Employability programme at Perth High School for S3 pupils who are at risk of not achieving a positive destination. YMCA are working with groups of 6- 8 young people in each school with a focus on employability skills. The impact of the programme includes an Employability Award at SCQF Level 4 which all participants are on track to achieve. This recognises improved consistency in attendance and engagement, improved attitude towards youth workers, improved engagement in accredited work and participation in wider opportunities. Those delivering the programme reported improved engagement, development of key life skills, and increased self- confidence among participants, many of whom may underachieve within the school environment and leave school with no positive destination. A school atmosphere conducive to Implementation of the updated Anti- Bullying Strategy Schools will have robust procedures to reduce Education and Learning March 2025 The PKC Anti-Bullying Strategy and supporting Operational Guidance were published in June 2024. These support children, young people, parents and staff Page 143 of 196
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14 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 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 which will include key strategic actions for 2024/25 bullying in line with improving relationships in schools and ELC settings to feel be informed on approaches to prevent bullying and be confident that bullying can be addressed wherever it happens. Schools are using these to inform the development of local procedures, appropriate to their own context. Considerable work has been undertaken on Relationships and Behaviour with the promotion of a culture and ethos within our settings where positive, respectful relationships and valued and invested in. Guidance on relational approaches has been shared with schools. Support and professional learning has also been provided to ensure that respectful relationships and positive behaviour are a foundation of practice within schools and ELC settings. The most recent available data for 2024/25 shows a reduction of 7% in the number of bullying incidents recorded when compared with the previous year. 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 tool Education and Learning March 2025 The Interventions Toolkit was launched in 2023 and was subsequently updated in 2024 to share details of impact of interventions in Perth and Kinross settings. The tool provides links to resources, training and guidance with a focus on evidence-based interventions and approaches, including support for practitioners in undertaking needs analysis. Page 144 of 196
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15 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 A reduction in the poverty- related attainment gap for school leavers Baseline: established in 2022/23 Annual Performance Report It links very closely with the Closing the Gap Tool (CTGT) which tracks and monitors PEF-funded interventions aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment gap. KPI - 100% of schools are using the CTGT to plan, track and monitor interventions, with impact measured and next steps noted. This facilitates quality assurance of all interventions funded by Pupil Equity Funding (ensuring that the conditions of the grant are adhered to and that interventions are appropriately targeted and evidence- based). It also enables the dissemination of good practice and successful outcomes across the service through case study and report evidence. KPI - Leaver data in relation to the Poverty Related Attainment Gap demonstrates a reduction over time. The gap between SIMD Q1 and SIMD Q5 school leavers attaining 1 or more qualification at SCQF Level 5 has reduced from 28% in 2020/21 to 19% in 2023/24. The gap between SIMD Q1 and SIMD Q5 school leavers attaining 1 or more qualification at SCQF Level 6 has reduced from 41% in 2020/21 to 28% in 2023/24 Improve support to children and young people with additional support Through the Additional Support for Learning Maintain or reduce placement within independent schools Baseline: new measure, Education and Learning March 2025 We currently have 29 children placed in independent schools. This is a concerning spike in what was previously a downwards trajectory. The implementation of actions from the ASN Transformation Programme will Page 145 of 196
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16 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 needs to realise their full potential Transformation Programme baseline to be established in 2024/25 address this going forward with the creation of three additional Intensive Support Provisions across Perth and Kinross (open in August 2025). Additionally, a review of the provision for children and young people with Social and Emotional Behaviour Needs (SEBN) will ensure that their needs can be appropriately met. A revised model for support staff and the use of PowerBI will provide time for schools to ensure that ASN data is accurately recorded and that the allocation of support is closely linked to identified need. Career Progression Pathway models for staff supporting learners with ASN have been drafted with mapping underway to ensure that all training is linked to statutory duties, is evidence-based and links to the Staged Levels of Interventions. The Compass App, designed by ARC Scotland, is being rolled out across PKC secondary schools. This enhances understanding of the post-school transition process by young people with additional support needs and the adults supporting them, enabling them to be more in control of the process. Education and Learning and NHS Tayside have collaborated to complete an audit of young people in S3 – S6 who meet the criteria for an intellectual disability, facilitating services providing post-school support to more Page 146 of 196
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17 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 effectively plan their provision to improve options for the young people. Various initiatives have been implemented to support inclusive learning environments across PKC, including the purchase of enhanced support resources, such as pop-up sensory spaces (tents) and weighted blankets, vests, or body socks for children who require appropriate pressure support to help them regulate their behaviour. Compared with the previous year 2023/24, data on the number of incidents of incidents of distressed, challenging, violent or aggressive behaviour reported by staff in 2024/25 has shown a reduction of 12%, which is almost 200 fewer incidents. 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. Page 147 of 196
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18 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 There are also ongoing supports in local communities being developed to support the development of informal networks. The support has ensured that carers feel able to care for the children and avoid a breakdown in the arrangement. We recognise that not all carers want to attend a group and have a model of support where individual carers are allocated an individual worker this allows for one-to-one support if that is there preferred option. National resources are available and carers are aware of how to access them. 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 pupils have been supported via online and face 2 face tutoring support from the Volunteer Tutors Organisation (VTO). Page 148 of 196
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19 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 2024/2025 there was a total of 222 Initial referral discussion (IRDs) across Children and Family social work service. These IRDs involved 358 children and young people. These discussions always include relevant partners in the police, social work, health and, where necessary, education. In keeping with the previous years, the need for IRDs continues to reduce and we think this relates to improved universal support services and increased early intervention preventing crisis and the need for crisis intervention. 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 2024 to March 25, 218 children were triaged and allocated via the weekly MASH meetings. This equates to 185 families which has increased from the 170 in the last reporting year. We are keeping intervention at a proportionate level according to assessed need. In line with the Promise, we are ensuring that families are receiving the right support at the right time. It’s not appropriate for us to measure impact/ outcome when all we have done is triaged the referral to the most appropriate place. 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 Baseline: Housing and Communities March 2025 The Intensive Housing Support service was commissioned and launched in October 2023. Since its introduction, the service has consistently operated at full capacity, supporting approximately 20 individuals at any given time. It is delivering significant benefits for people whose needs exceed the scope of existing support services. However, due to the relatively small scale of the service and the short time it has been in place, it is challenging to demonstrate outcomes through key performance Page 149 of 196
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20 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 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 indicators (KPIs). Many of the individuals supported have complex, long-term needs and deeply embedded behaviours, which require time and sustained support to address. The Intensive Housing Support service contract runs to October 2025 and has been extended to March 2026. Beyond this, we intend to mainstream the service by including it as part of the recommissioning of the much larger Floating Housing Support service, by redesigning the model to provide for service-users with Low, Medium and High support needs. The new, integrated service will be in place from April 2026. 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 The FGDM and Lifelong Links continue to be promoted and offered to families. We have rolled out the connections tool which identifies who is important to the child and who they want to keep in touch with. This is proving very popular with children and young people and other local authorities. In the past year 76 children/young people were referred, and plans agreed for 54 of these. This is shown in the overall decrease of children and young people being accommodated and an increase in those in kinship arrangements. 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 We have identified a space where brothers and sisters who are separated can come together and have fun. During 2025/26 this will become operational and is being designed with the voice of children and young people and carers in mind. In line with The Promise which recognises the importance of sibling relationships - we are creating a place where meaningful sibling family time can take Page 150 of 196
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21 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 place. We want this to be an organic development and will promote it through our networks. Page 151 of 196
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22 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 Working with key partners throughout 2023-24 and into early 2024-25, there was continued focus on the completion of the Year 1 Action Plan, developed as part of the Physical Activity & Sport Strategy 2023-2028. However, due to the unexpected flooding and subsequent closure of Bells Sports Centre in October 2024, this had a significant impact on the usage levels and all individual and group bookings, had to be re- directed to other available venues across Perth & Kinross for the foreseeable future. The Olympia Dundee re-opening early in 2024, also impacted the displacement that had been evident throughout 2023-24 at Perth Leisure Pool. Overall, participation in 2024-25 dropped to 886,359. 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 Through our commitment to Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport (PEPAS), and working in partnership with a range of other organisations (e.g. Live Active Leisure, UHI Perth, SportScotland and community clubs), participation in extra-curricular sport activities has continued to improve with a 43% participation rate in 2024/25. Page 152 of 196
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23 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 This equates to 7859 primary and secondary pupils taking part in extracurricular sport and physical activity, a 1% increase on the 2023/24 academic year. Notably PKC secondary school pupils’ participation in extracurricular clubs is in the top 3 local authorities in Scotland at 38%. 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 Delivery Plan has now come its conclusion and so we are moving to a new version which will be more strongly aligned to the pan-Tayside vision of have a more uniform "Model of Care" for Tayside. 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 153 of 196
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24 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 March 2026 Progress has been made in several areas and new areas have been identified to enhance our rolling programme. External evaluation activity with the Scottish Government is planned for 2025 to better assess which approaches and interventions have the biggest impact. 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 Economy Development and Planning March 2027 The 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 2024/25, there were 264 (above target of 210) new affordable homes completed by PKC and our RSL partnerships with an urban/rural split of 53% Urban (140) and 47% Rural (124). Page 154 of 196
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25 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 each year. Baseline: 2022/23 (203) 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 In 2024/25, we supported 34 community groups who expressed interest in Community Asset Transfer (CAT), providing them with relevant asset information and a single point of contact. This is an increase from 31 groups supported in 2023/24. This approach has helped build relationships and enabled meaningful discussions about whether CAT is the right path for each group. Currently, 16 groups are still considering the CAT process—a reduction from 21 live cases at the end of 2023/24. This decrease is due to some groups finding alternative solutions outside the CAT process, while others have chosen not to proceed with their projects. Each group progresses at its own pace, but several are expected to move forward with full Stage 2 applications within the next year. The launch of the Advancing Community Assets Fund in 2024/25 has further supported progress. To date, £74,000 has been allocated to fund capital works, surveys, valuations, and development workers to strengthen community ownership applications. Page 155 of 196
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26 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 Examples of groups that found alternative solutions in 2024/25 include: • Blairgowrie and Rattray Development Trust, who secured a long-term lease for Wellmeadow Toilets in July 2024, ensuring the facility— previously earmarked for closure—remains open to the public. • Aberfeldy Development Trust, who completed the purchase of the Slaughterhouse Field site to develop community-owned affordable housing. 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 In 2024/25, Ward Panels allocated just over £326,000 to support 114 projects aligned with the priorities set out in the Council’s Corporate Plan. A review of the application and assessment process has been completed, and a new proposal will be brought forward for the 2025/26 Community Investment Fund grant programme. The proposed model aims to: • Increase engagement with communities and community organisations • Strengthen collaborative working at a local level Page 156 of 196
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27 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 This refreshed approach is designed to ensure the fund continues to deliver meaningful impact and supports community-led priorities. 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 was approved in June 2024 and expanded on the work of the previous Employee Engagement and Cultural Change Programme. It includes specific measures allowing the monitoring and measurement in specific areas to identify improvement and the need for further action. The plan is monitored by the Workforce Planning Board, chaired by the Strategic Lead for Strategic Planning, People and Performance. 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 our PKC values often / every day. The development of individual team action plans created in response to the survey results and the progress made with these has allowed continued monitoring of the response and progress towards improvement. A further survey will take place in November 2025. Page 157 of 196
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Scrutiny & Performance Date of Meeting: 17 September 2025 Report Title: Blairgowrie Recreation Centre - Delay Report Number: 25/231 Report Author: Stephen Crawford & Robert Meiklejohn Organisational Lead: Stephen Crawford, Strategic Lead – Property Services 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to: (a) provide an overview of the construction phase of the new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre and in particular to provide the Committee with a detailed explanation for the 34 week delay in certifying practical completion; (b) identify any learning which could inform our approach to quality assurance and the management of future construction projects 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Conclusion 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Scrutiny and Performance Committee: 2.1 Scrutinises and comments on the content of the report. 2.2 Notes the measures that were put in place to manage construction quality and quality control; and 2.3 Takes assurance that the building is fit for purpose at practical completion. 7 Page 159 of 196
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3. Background/Context 3.1 Project overview 3.1.1 The £36 million Blairgowrie Recreation Centre has been a complex construction projects by its very nature. Building a swimming pool is always challenging and this was also only the second wet leisure centre in the UK to be designed and built to Passivhaus standards. 3.1.2 The project, is a tandem build multi sports facility including wet and dry facilities and external synthetic pitches to increase the internal facilities and leisure / sports offering to Blairgowrie High School and the local community. The building is designed to Passivhaus standards and as part of this standard, quality control on site was/is paramount. Phase 1 commenced on site in May 2023 and the anticipated date for practical completion was late 2024. 3.1.3 The project is being delivered through the Hub East Central Scotland (Hub) delivery framework with Main Tier 1 Contractor: BAM Construction (BAM). Both Hub and BAM have delivered numerous projects across East Central Scotland for the public sector, and it was the same BAM Construction project team that delivered the recent and highly acclaimed Perth Museum Project. 3.1.4 This complex and somewhat novel project (due to the Passivhaus design) has tendered supply chains to deliver best value in the appropriate design and construction services and where possible maximise “social value” in local delivery. 3.2 Project Programme and Delay 3.2.1 The original contract programme for the Blairgowrie Recreation Centre project scheduled Practical Completion (“PC”) for 16 December 2024. 3.2.2 PC marks the formal point at which the works are considered substantially complete and suitable for occupation or use; this may exclude completion of any specialist fit out being completed and remedying of minor defects (known as “snags”/”snagging”) At this stage: • The contractor hands over the site to the client • Responsibility for insurance and maintenance typically transfers • The defects liability period begins • Financial final account processes and retention release mechanisms are triggered 3.2.3 Up until November 2024, the project was progressing in line with the agreed schedule as reported to Committee/ Council in updates. 3.2.4 From November 2024 there were a series of both consequential and non- consequential events which delayed the programme. These are detailed in the Section 4 of this report. Page 160 of 196
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3.2.5 As a result of the disruption and the necessary remedial works, PC was ultimately achieved on 11 August 2025, representing a 34-week delay to the original programme. During this delay the contractor continued to complete remedial works / snagging and additional works to the entire building. 3.2.6 This report focuses on the swimming pool only as it is the material reason for the delay in achieving Phase 1 PC. 3.3 Quality Control Processes and Measures 3.3.1 In a construction project such as this, Property Services are the “Intelligent Client”. As Intelligent Client they have the in-house responsibility for the management and delivery of the project. The Cole Report 2017 (the independent inquiry into the construction of Edinburgh schools) made many recommendations for the construction sector to address construction quality. As the intelligent Client, Property Services within PKC have taken many of the lessons learned from this report to shape their approach which is focussed on ensuring compliance and delivering high quality facilities. 3.3.2 To ensure the standards of quality throughout the project, PKC Property Services have established project delivery processes that closely monitor and manage project design through to construction on site. This comprises PKC technical resources managing the design process and when on site, a clerk of works for each technical discipline monitoring construction. This robust approach has delivered a marked improvement on completed project facilities over the last 10 years. 3.3.3 In addition, Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) representatives following the success of the Riverside PS build, used the Blairgowrie Recreation project to evidence nationally PKC’s quality control processes as part of ongoing Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC). During construction up until November 2024 testing of installations and plant as installed was ongoing and met quality standards. 3.3.4 Given the lack of in-house specialist knowledge in relation to the design and construction of swimming pools, Devin Consulting were appointed by Hub and PKC to provide specialist pool design appraisal and quality oversight on the pool element of the project. 3.4 Pool Design Specialist 3.4.1 Devin Consulting played a dual role, acting as both pool specialists and external reviewers of specialist sub-contractors during construction. Their involvement included: • Design appraisal of the pool systems • Oversight of installation quality • Participation in regular progress and technical meetings • Coordination of dedicated Quality Control meetings throughout the build process Page 161 of 196
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3.5 Scope of Swimming Pool Works 3.5.1 The scope of works for the pool facility included the design and installation of a 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool. The solution proposed by the contractor and design team featured: • A Myrtha tank system with a PVC liner within a stainless steel tank, housed within a concrete substructure • A boom and moveable floor, enabling the pool to be subdivided and the depth adjusted for flexible use for lessons and multiple users at one time • A technical plant room located below finished floor level, housing the boom and floor mechanisms, accessed via a hatch in the pool walkway 4. Main Issues/Chronology of events 4.1 This section details the sequence of events and challenges met during Phase 1 construction from November 2024 which provides context for the delay in achieving practical completion despite the rigorous quality assurance testing and monitoring throughout the build. 4.2 Initial Leak and Early Repairs (November–December 2024) 4.2.1 On 8 November 2024, water ingress was reported in the technical and plant rooms. Initial inspections focused on the boom and ram connection, where nuts were torqued and three pin-sized holes in the liner were repaired. The origin of these holes was unknown. BAM later found overflow from the balance tank as a contributing factor to the water ingress. The pool was refilled and watched, with no immediate recurrence of leaks. 4.2.2 In early December, PKC reported continued water seeping into the lower level technical room. Testing indicated residual water seepage rather than active leakage. On 4 December, a loose panel on the hinged boom caused a tear in the liner, which required the pool to be emptied in order to carry out the repair. Refilling resumed over the Christmas period. 4.3 Flooding and Pipework Failures (January–February 2025) 4.3.1 On 6 January 2025, flooding occurred due to a plant room pump failure, causing the balance tank to overflow. Water was given time to flow out from behind the liner, into the lower level technical room floor and be collected in the sump. In February, water remained seeping and further water hydrostatic testing revealed a leak in the pool recirculation pipework. Pressure testing showed pipework on the east side of the pool did not hold pressure. Excavation into the pool surround uncovered a fractured elbow joint and a further failed seal near the pool shallow end. Repairs were completed, and pressure tests confirmed integrity. This pipework during construction had evidence of passing pressure tests. 4.4 Liner Penetrations and Sealing Issues (March–April 2025) Page 162 of 196
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4.4.1 In March, a number of further liner penetrations were found and sealed with resultant residual water pooling into the basement technical room. In April, another liner hole was found near the moveable floor. Myrtha recommended marine sealant for the 72 threaded rods penetrating the liner supporting the moveable floor. BAM began resealing these penetrations. 4.4.2 Further liner damage was discovered during bracket repairs. Welded repairs were completed, and the pool was refilled incrementally. A leak in the shallow end was traced to a lapping detail, which was repaired. 4.5 Leak Detection and Monitoring (May–June 2025) 4.5.1 In May, pooling in the technical room were attributed to residual water. Increased chemical readings later showed a new leak. Vacuum testing revealed a number of very minor penetrations, and Myrtha’s European technical representative advised on remediation. Consideration of replacing the entire liner was undertaken by BAM and Hubco. By June, the pool was filled above the shallow end. Damp patches persisted, but chemical tests showed no pool water presence. Further testing suggested no, and refilling continued. 4.6 Final Issues and Stabilisation (June–July 2025) 4.6.1 Late June saw a non-return valve failure in the plant room, causing the balance tank to overflow. In July, the sump pumps failed. Pumps were repaired, and residual water was extracted. 4.6.2 There were delays caused by linking the building management system to the corporate IT network during the holidays through resources being deployed on other projects (e.g. PHS) or on holiday. 4.6.3 By mid-July, inspections confirmed whilst water ingress in the technical room continued, this was residual water from historic leaks and daily monitoring showed this reducing to a small level. Practical completion was achieved on 11 August monitoring this water seepage in the technical room. 4.7 Commentary 4.7.1 The issues that have been found and ultimately addressed in the swimming pool component of the facility are a combination of: • equipment / component failures (valves, pipework) caused by installation errors or faulty components • Commissioning errors – most significantly, a major cut in the liner in December • Minor unexplained penetrations in the liner Page 163 of 196
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4.7.2 These issues have taken time to investigate and/or resolve with the cumulative impact being a significant delay in achieving practical completion. Once remedial works were complete, there remained an issue with residual water between the steel tank and liner which is taking time to seep out. Until this seepage has run its course it is impossible to say with 100% confidence that all faults have been resolved. 4.7.3 In order to protect the Council’s position, practical completion has been achieved but subject to conditions. With small amounts of residual water still seeping into the technical room. Phase 2 of the project (the demolition of the existing Blair Recreation Centre) has been delayed for 6 months to mitigate the risk should it transpire that the seepage is not from residual water but is symptomatic of an ongoing defect. This cost is being borne by HubCo. This additional 6 month period will allow PKC to be confident that the technical issues are addressed, and the pool is operating to the contract specification. Worst case scenario, this provides a contingency should further significant works be required, thus ensuring continuity of service provision. 4.7.5 The delay in practical completions has however meant that the rest of the building has been snagged and issues resolved in advance of occupation; ironically the facility (excluding swimming pool) is the most advanced practical completion of any recent major projects delivered. 4.7.6 The critical path of the project was always centred on the swimming pool. The leak issues only became apparent in November 2024 when the pool was filled for the first time and the plant began to be commissioned / operated. This has been unfortunate as there was no ability within the original Phase 1 Programme to absorb any of the delays. 5. Conclusion 5.1 The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre (BRC) pool works encountered multiple technical challenges during the final construction phase. These included liner penetrations, pipework failures, and residual water ingress into the pool surrounds and plant areas. 5.2 Addressing these issues required extensive testing, targeted repairs, and close collaboration among key stakeholders — Perth & Kinross Council (PKC), Hub East Central Scotland, BAM Construction and specialist subcontractors Barr and Wray, and Myrtha Pools. 5.3 The majority of defects and snags are resolved prior to handover. The facility has now opened to the public, and the project is showing signs of operational stability. Ongoing monitoring of the minimal water ingress continues as part of post-completion assurance, with additional contractual safeguards agreed at Practical Completion (PC). Page 164 of 196
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5.4 In terms of lessons learned, given the current pressures within the construction supply chain and the increasing complexity of builds, PKC Property Services as the Intelligent Client may need to better manage expectation that projects can be delivered 100% to programme and quality at practical completion. More careful consideration needs to be given to agreed project timescales, specific contingency measures may need to be programmed in and the robust approach to quality assurance, testing and monitoring needs to be maintained throughout. Page 165 of 196
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Scrutiny and Performance Date of Meeting: 17 September 2025 Report Title: Data Protection Compliance 2024-25 Report Number: 25/232 Report Author: Jillian Walker - Data Protection Officer Organisational Lead: Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this Report is to provide members of the Committee with the Data Protection Officer’s professional assessment of the Council’s compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation during the year 2024-25. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation(s) 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendation(s) It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Notes the Data Protection Officer’s assessment of the Council’s compliance with the requirements of data protection legislation. 2.2 Considers the Council’s performance in terms of its compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and provides constructive scrutiny and comment. 8 Page 167 of 196
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2.3 Notes that the Data Protection Officer is confident that an acceptable degree of compliance with data protection law was achieved during 2024-25 and that this will continue during 2025-26. 3. Background 3.1 The UK General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) requires the Council, as a public authority, to appoint a Data Protection Officer (“DPO”) and defines tasks that the person must undertake. These tasks include monitoring and reporting on compliance with the GDPR. The Council’s Data Protection Policy sets out that the DPO will present a report on the Council’s data protection compliance to the Scrutiny and Performance Committee annually or more frequently, if considered necessary. It is the role of the Scrutiny and Performance Committee to consider the DPO’s report in relation to the Council’s compliance and to provide appropriate constructive comment. 3.2 The role of the DPO is defined in the GDPR; the legislation places restrictions on both the DPO and the Council in terms of roles and responsibilities. The DPO, like the other Statutory Officers within the Council, has an independent and autonomous role and the Council cannot instruct the DPO how to undertake the role. It should be noted that legal responsibility for compliance with data protection law lies with the Council as a public body and not the DPO as an individual. The DPO does have a role in providing advice and guidance to support the Council in complying with the legislation and to monitor and report on its performance. Formal advice provided by the DPO, to support the organisation and ensure compliance, is generally accepted. 3.3 The DPO and the Information Rights Team sit within the wider Audit and Governance Team, with the DPO maintaining a separate and distinct reporting line to the Strategic Lead for Legal and Governance Services, who is also the SIRO (Senior Information Risk Owner) for the Council. 3.4 The legislation also provides that adequate resources should be made available to the DPO to enable them to fulfil their role. 3.5 The DPO function does not have a dedicated team but is supported by members of the Information Rights and Information Security teams (referred to as the DPO’s team for the purposes of this report). In terms of skills and expertise, as well as the DPO, there are 3 officers (2.9 FTE) within the Information Rights team who have specialised data protection knowledge. These officers also carry out work relating to the Council’s obligations under freedom of information legislation. Additional support is also provided by a solicitor from within the Council’s Legal service. 3.6 Rapidly increasing volumes of complex, time-sensitive responsive work means that almost all staff time is dedicated to this, with very limited time available for planned, proactive work or staff training. Page 168 of 196
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3.7 There is a requirement for the DPO’s team to advise on the compliance with data protection law of the Council’s use of new technologies which use Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is a swiftly developing and complex area of work which is placing an increasing demand on resources within the DPO’s team. 4. Performance: Data Breaches 4.1 A data breach is defined as an incident involving “a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data”. The term ‘security’ refers to both technical measures and organisational measures such as policy, procedures and practice. 4.2 The Council is required to maintain a register of data breaches and, where appropriate, report them to the Information Commissioner’s office. 4.3 During 2024-25, the Council recorded 138 data breaches, which was a reduction of 18% on the 168 breaches recorded during 2023-24. The number of breaches recorded during 2024-25 is similar to the number recorded during 2020-21 and 21-22, as illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1 4.4 All data breaches which are reported to the DPO are taken seriously, and an assessment of the circumstances made, before appropriate advice about communication with the data subject(s) and avoidance of future breaches is provided to the team responsible, in a constructive and supportive way. Further guidance and training is provided if required. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Number of recorded breaches Page 169 of 196
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4.5 Data breaches recorded during 2024-25 have been categorised as illustrated in Figure 2, below: Figure 2 4.6 A further analysis of breaches which have been categorised as unauthorised disclosures has shown that the largest number relates to email errors (excluding group emails being sent CC, not BCC). Please see Figure 3 below for a breakdown of breaches in this category. As with all data breaches, advice was provided to the teams responsible about contacting and supporting data subjects who have been affected. Figure 3 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Unauthorised disclosure Email error (CC not BCC) Unauthorised access Loss of access (temporary) Number of breaches 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Number of breaches Page 170 of 196
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4.7 The number of data breaches which were reported during 2024-25 needs to be considered in terms of the many millions of interactions involving personal information which Council employees carried out over the course of the year. 4.8 During 2024-25, the DPO determined that 6 of the 138 breaches required to be reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), following a risk- based assessment of the circumstances and the potential impact on data subjects. 4.9 The ICO has not required the Council to take any further action in relation to the 6 breaches reported to it. 4.10 During 2024-25, the DPO began providing monthly reports on data breaches to Strategic Leads and their representatives through the Council’s Policy and Governance Group, to increase awareness of recurring or avoidable issues. 4.11 Breaches will continue to be recorded, with their causes being monitored in order that appropriate advice and training can be provided. 5 Performance: Data Subject Requests 5.1 The GDPR gives data subjects a number of specific rights, such as accessing and receiving a copy of information held about them, and having inaccurate personal data rectified. Requests to exercise these rights must be responded to within 1 month, unless the information requested is particularly complex in nature or the request is from an individual who has made multiple requests; in these cases, an additional two months to respond is permitted by the legislation. The DPO has responsibility for dealing with requests received by the Council. 5.2 During 2024-25, there was a 17% increase in the number of subject access requests (SARs) being made, with 269 being received by the Council (compared to 229 during 2023-24). Forty five requests are currently on hold pending further information, or confirmation that they wish to proceed, from the requestor. During 2024-25, there was an 11% increase in the number of SARs which were responded to (224) when compared to 2023-24 (202). This is illustrated in Figure 4 below. Year SARs received Valid SARs SARs on hold SARs responded to Responded to on time Closure compliance 24-25 269 224 45 224 211 95% 23-24 229 202 27 202 194 96% Figure 4 5.3 It should be noted that the recorded increase in the number of requests received does not reflect the volume of work undertaken in relation to SARs during 2024-25. Page 171 of 196
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An examination over a three-month period (October -December) of the number of individual pages within records prepared for release by the DPO’s team in 2024-25 when compared to 23-24 shows that the volume of information which has required preparation for release increased by 53%. January- March 2025 demonstrated an increase of almost 330% in the number of pages requiring processing in comparison with the same period in 2024. 5.4 The increase in the number of SARs received is partly attributable to people seeking confirmation of their care experience, in order to apply to Scotland’s Redress Scheme for survivors of historical child abuse in care. As with other requests for social work records held by the Council, records processed in relation to this scheme may contain a very large volume of complex and highly sensitive information, which requires extensive preparation before release. 5.5 The rate of compliance with statutory timescales is considered to be very high, particularly as it has been achieved against a background of an increase in the number of requests for information made, and in the size and complexity of records which have been processed. It should be noted that in almost all cases, the delay in complying with permitted timescales was due to difficulties experienced in obtaining information from providers in other areas of the organisation. 5.6 The Council is sometimes unable to provide information requested by survivors of historical child abuse in care, usually because the person in question was placed in an institution not run by local government. Recognising the distress that this may cause applicants, the DPO’s team undertakes research to help identify the location of records and works with other parties to ensure as comprehensive a response as possible can be provided to the requestor. 5.7 Where information held about requestors may cause distress, the Information Rights team provides advance warning of this before issuing their response. Individuals are appropriately signposted to organisations that can provide them with support going through their records. The Information Rights team is continuing to seek ways of providing as much assistance and information as possible to requestors. 5.8 In addition to subject access requests, the DPOs team also processed 25 Verification Requests from Redress Scotland, to enable payments to affected individuals to receive payments and 2 requests for copies of adoption records (these requests were previously dealt with by social workers). 5.9 During 2024-25, the DPO’s team also processed 74 requests for information made under a provision in data protection legislation which permits authorities, such as Police and HMRC, to request personal information to assist with criminal investigations and the assessment and collection of taxes. This is a 45% increase on the number of similar requests made during 2023- 24, when 51 requests were received. Page 172 of 196
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5.10 During 2024-25, the Council received 12 further data subject requests: • 6 requests for rectification (individuals can request that what they consider to be inaccurate personal data is corrected) • 3 requests for erasure rectification (individuals have the right to request their personal data is deleted, although this is only applicable in certain limited circumstances) • 3 objections to processing All 12 requests were responded to appropriately, with requestors being referred to the ICO if they were dissatisfied with the Council’s response. 5.11 In addition, during 2024-25, the Council also received 28 complaints in relation to how the Council had processed their personal information. All complaints have been responded to appropriately. 5.12 The DPO is satisfied that data subject requests are being handled well, with a high rate of compliance with statutory timescales, against a background of rising demand and fixed staffing resources. 6. Surveillance & Interception of Communications 6.1 The Council has powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act to undertake directed surveillance and to utilise covert human intelligence sources. The Council also has powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to obtain information (‘intercept’) about electronic communications. 6.2 Council officers have a duty to report on the use of these powers to Elected Members. 6.3 During 2024/25, no directed surveillance was authorised, no covert human intelligence sources were used, and no electronic communications information was obtained. 6.4 The Council’s policy statement on the use of directed surveillance and the intercept of communications is attached as Appendix 1. 7. Training 7.1 During 2024-25, targeted reminders about the importance of data protection have been communicated to staff using Managers’ Weekly Briefings and the Council’s intranet site. 7.2 The DPO’s team has delivered targeted training sessions and worked closely with colleagues in Information Security in raising awareness the use of products which employ AI. Page 173 of 196
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7.3 Support, and advice is provided to councillors on an ongoing basis, as required. 7.4 A continuing increase in the work of the DPO’s team means that it is not possible to provide more systematic training at present. However, online training is available to all staff, and targeted training is delivered when requested by Strategic Areas. 7.5 The DPO is encouraged by the willingness of staff from all areas of the organisation to seek help and support when required and by the increasing awareness of the importance of data protection. 8. Data Protection Policy and Process 8.1 The DPO is satisfied that the Council has a Data Protection Policy which complies with the requirements of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. 8.2 It is a statutory requirement that the Council be able to always provide evidence of its compliance with the legislation. Compliance is therefore documented and evidenced by the Council’s use of: - • Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) • Data Processing Agreements • Privacy Notices • Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs) 8.3 It is the responsibility of the Council to carry out DPIAs and ensure Data Processing Agreements and Privacy Notices are in place. The role of the DPO is to assist and advise in their creation and to maintain registers of the documentation. 8 The DPO is satisfied that there is some form of privacy notice in place in relation to all processing of personal information carried out by the Council. Processing may be covered by the General Privacy Notice which appears on the Council website, or by more specific short or detailed privacy notices. The DPO continues to monitor, review and provide advice to services as required. Privacy notices are required where we collect personal data. 8.5 Where personal information requires to be shared with other parties (e.g., Police, Health etc) best practice requires that Data Sharing Agreements should be put in place. These are specialised documents which tend to be lengthy and time-consuming pieces of work, often needing extensive consultation with the other organisations involved. The DPO is satisfied that appropriate Data Sharing Agreements are generally in place. 8.6 The Data Use and Access Act, which amends but does not replace existing data protection legislation, became law in June 2025. Relevant changes, which it is not considered will have an extensive impact on the Council’s work, will be phased in over 2025-26. Page 174 of 196
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8.7 Advances in the capabilities and potential use within the Council of AI places significant requirements on the organisation in terms of its obligations under data protection legislation. The DPO recognises the importance of providing the authority with advice that enables it to comply with these obligations. The DPO’s team forms part of the Council’s AI Governance Group and works closely with colleagues in Information Technology and Information Security to ensure compliance with legislation and the Council’s AI Policy. 8.8 During 2024-25, work on updating, simplifying and expanding an internal Data Protection Impact Assessment Checklist form was completed; increased use of this form is intended to reduce the time spent by services on completing lengthy and complex full Data Protection Impact Assessments when it is not a statutory or organisational requirement for this to be done. 9. Improvement Actions 9.1 During 2025-26 The DPO’s team will update existing policies and guidance to ensure compliance with new requirements placed on the Council by legislation, including formalising and publicising the existing procedure for data protection complaints. 9.2 Work on migrating all parts of Data Protection Impact Assessment process to an online portal will continue, streamlining and improving this process. 10. Conclusion 10.1 The DPO considers that the Council is continuing to achieve a reasonable degree of compliance with data protection legislation and considers that there is an improving awareness of its importance across the organisation 10.2 All data breaches the DPO is notified of are taken seriously, and support to prevent repetitions is provided. However, the size and complexity of the Council means that each year it processes an enormous amount of personal information in millions of interactions; the number of reported breaches therefore remains low. 10.3 The Council’s growing use of Artificial Intelligence products will continue increasing substantially the work of the DPO and her team, as she is obliged to inform and advise the Council on its obligations to comply with data protection law while using complex and constantly evolving new technologies. 10.4 The continuing growth in the number of subject access and associated requests for information has impacted on the workload of the DPO’s team, limiting its capacity to undertake other work or training. The DPO is pleased to note that senior leadership has agreed the necessity of a temporary additional administrative resource to help address this issue, and recruitment is now underway. Page 175 of 196
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11. Impact Value Assessment This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. 12. Appendices 12.1 Appendix 1 - The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 Page 176 of 196
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Appendix 1 The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 The Use of Powers to Conduct Directed Surveillance and Interception of Communications Policy Statement The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act gives powers to Local Authorities to undertake directed surveillance and to utilise covert human intelligence sources in prescribed circumstances In prescribed circumstances the Council also has powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to obtain information (Intercept') about electronic communications. Where grounds to exercise such powers are established, the Council will only undertake directed surveillance or the interception of communications when no other reasonable means are available to obtain the necessary information, and then only with the prior approval of the Head of Legal and Governance Services and in accordance with statutory guidance. Reviewed April 2025 8 Page 177 of 196
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality Committee or Board: Scrutiny and Performance Committee Date of Meeting: 17 September 2025 Report Title: Freedom of Information Performance Report 2024-25 Report Number: 25/233 Report Author: Jillian Walker Organisational Lead: Lisa Simpson- Strategic Lead, Legal and Governance 1. Purpose 1.1 This report provides assurance as to the Council’s compliance and performance in relation tots obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) and Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIR) for the year 2024-25. 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation(s) 3. Background/Context 4. Main Issues 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendation(s) It is recommended that the Committee: 2.1 Considers the content of this report and provides constructive comment and feedback 2.2 Notes that there was a 4% reduction in the overall number of FOI requests received during 2024-25, but an increase in terms of length and /or complexity of requests, which impact on internal resources. 9 Page 179 of 196
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2.3 Notes that there was a reduction in compliance with timescales for responding to FOI requests during 2024-25, which has been reversed during the first quarter of 2025-26. 2.4 Notes that the number of requests for review remain a very small percentage of requests received, indicating good levels of customer satisfaction in terms of the quality of responses and the effectiveness of the process. 3. Background/Context 3.1 The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations give anyone the right to ask for information (“FOI requests”) and for it to given, subject to certain exemptions. 3.2 The Council’s target for responding to FOI requests within statutory timescales is 95%. 3.4 FOI requests are increasing in length and /or complexity which is impacting on the internal resources required to respond. 3.5 Alterations to the Council’s organisational structure have meant that there are ongoing changes to internal processes for handling FOI requests. 4. Performance 4.1 During 2024-25 the Council received 1531 FOI requests which constitutes a 4% reduction as compared to the figures for 2023-24. A comparison with the number of requests received in preceding years is provided in Figure 1. Number of Requests 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 2019-20 Number of Requests 1569 2020-21 1188 2021-22 1365 2022-23 1573 2023-24 1594 2024-25 1531 Figure 1 4.2 Of the 1531 requests received during 2024-25, 1163 requests were processed under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and 368 requests were processed under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004. Page 180 of 196
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4.3 92% of requests were responded to on time, compared to 97% during 2023- 24 4.4 Two factors which contributed to this 5% reduction in performance have been identified; • Delays in responses being collated and returned to the Information Rights team by services. This was the biggest contributory factor to delays in the issuing of responses during 2024-25. • An increase in the number of complex requests received during 2024-25, when compared to 2023-24. 4.5 Based on anecdotal evidence, FOI requests have become increasingly more lengthy and/or complex in recent years. The introduction of the new FOI case management system (introduced in August 2023) has now enabled us to evidence this fact. 4.6 Complex requests are ones which may require input from different officers, teams or services. The new system allows us to capture this by breaking each request into discreet service tasks; the more complex the query- the more service tasks are generated. 4.7 A comparison from August to March 2023-24 and 2024-25 demonstrated a 7% increase in the number of service tasks generated by FOI requests. Time period Number of FOI requests received Number of service tasks raised August 2023-March 2024 1070 1610 August 2024-March 2025 1069 1729 Table 1 4.8 To address the 5% drop in compliance, the Information Rights team have implemented a more proactive approach to data gathering including management intervention at an earlier stage when potential difficulties are identified. Examination of first quarter data for 2025-26 shows that the steps being taken are effective, this is illustrated in Table 2. Time period Number of FOI requests received Compliance April-June 2024 344 93% April-June 2025 479 97% Table 2 Page 181 of 196
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These figures demonstrate a 4% increase in compliance rates during the first quarter of the current year, against a backdrop of a 39% increase in the number of FOI received during this period. 4.9 Of the 1531 requests received; • 495 were responded to in full • 680 requests received a partial response (often because only part of the information requested was held) • 323 received no information. In most cases, this was because the Council did not hold the information requested, or because it was publicly available and the requestor was therefore directed to where it could be found. • 14 requests were withdrawn • On 19 occasions clarification of the request was sought but not received. 4.10 The largest single group submitting requests was individuals, who made 638 requests, or 41% of those received. A breakdown of requestors is provided in Figure 4. 0 8 11 15 32 42 91 100 193 200 222 600 500 400 300 279 638 700 Number of requests Figure 4 Reviews and Appeals 4.11 The Council received 38 requests ( as opposed to 24 in 2023-24) to review its original response, or failure to respond within statutory timescales, to a request for information during 2024-25. This equates to 2.5% of the number of FOI requests made to the Council. Page 182 of 196
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4.12 Of the 38 requests for review which were received; • In 12 cases, the original decision taken was upheld. • In 25 cases, the original decision taken was overturned. • In one case, an apology was issued due to a delay in issuing the Council’s response. 4.13 During 2024-25, four appeals were made to the Scottish Information Commissioner, following reviews carried out by the Council. One appeal has been upheld and one remains under consideration. Two appeals were determined to be invalid. 5 Conclusion 5.1 The number of requests in 2024-25 decreased by 4% from the preceding year, although the complexity of these requests has significantly increased. 5.2 Whilst there was a reduction in compliance with statutory timescales in 2024-25, arrangements have been put in place to ensure that performance improves in 2025-26 5.3 The number of requests for review remains a very small percentage of the total number of information requests received. 5.4 The number of appeals to the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner remains very low. 5.5 The Committee can therefore take assurance that our process for handling requests under the Freedom of Information legislation is both robust and effective. Page 183 of 196
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PERTH AND KINROSS COUNCIL Scrutiny and Performance Committee 17 September 2025 Perth and Kinross Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Care and Professional Governance Assurance Report Arun Singh – Chief Social Work Officer, Perth and Kinross Council (Report No.25/234) 1 Purpose Of Report This purpose of this report is to provide assurance on the Care and Professional Governance of the Perth and Kinross HSCP in respect to social work and social care services. 1 Situation 1.1 This report provides assurance on the social work and social care governance arrangements for services delegated within the Perth and Kinross Integration Scheme (approved June 2022) by the Council and delivered by the HSCP. Clinical Governance is a statutory reporting requirement at NHS Board level and our integrated approach enables Perth & Kinross Council to be assured about the standards and quality of social work and social care services. 1.2 The Scrutiny and Performance Committee is asked to scrutinise this report and agree the level of assurance. The timescale for the data within this report are the four months between 1 March 2025 and 30 June 2025. 1.3 The recommended level of assurance is: Reasonable Assurance; due to the following factors: • Recent annual reports received in line with the agreed reporting framework demonstrated reasonable levels of assurance to the Care and Professional Governance Forum. • Reporting and escalation of operational risks which have a bearing on clinical and care governance and associated mitigating actions and an established process for ensuring that the strategic risks to the Perth & Kinross Integration Joint Board take account of this where appropriate. 10 Page 185 of 196
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2 Background The Getting It Right For Everyone (GIRFE) framework is a nationally endorsed, multi-agency approach to health and social care in Scotland, designed to ensure that services are person-centred, coordinated, and responsive across the lifespan. It promotes collaborative working between professionals and organisations to deliver consistent, high-quality support tailored to individual needs. GIRFE has underpinned governance arrangements across Perth and Kinross HSCP and aligns with the Health and Social Care Standards and the Quality of Care Approach, supporting assurance across six evolving domains: Information Governance Professional Regulation and Workforce Development Patient/Service user/Carer and Staff Safety Patient/Service user/Carer and Staff Experience Quality and effectiveness of care Promotion of Equality and Social Justice . In April 2025, NHS Tayside launched its new Clinical Governance Framework which replaces the above noted GIRFE framework. The aim of the new Clinical Governance Framework is to deliver an assurance framework which supports integrated systems of clinical governance for NHS Tayside and HSCPs. Key within the new framework is the use of a Quality Management System (QMS) approach. This is a consistent and coordinated approach to planning, improving, controlling and assuring high quality care. It is applied across all levels of an organisation – from team to board with the ultimate aim of delivering better population health and wellbeing, better care experience, better value and better staff experience. Perth & Kinross HSCP has an established Care and Professional Governance Forum (CPGF). The role of the CPGF is to ensure there are effective and embedded systems for Clinical, Care and Professional Governance and seek assurance from all services within. The co-chairs of the CPGF are transitioning reporting and assurance from GIRFE to ensure it aligns to this new NHS Tayside Clinical Governance Framework. The CPGF Forward Planner is attached in Appendix 1, this provides an overview of Social Work reporting to the forum. There are occasions where scheduled reports are moved to other reporting periods due to circumstances. 3 Assessment 3.1 Care and Professional Risk Management Page 186 of 196
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The operational / team level risk registers for Adult Social Work and Social Care services are discussed monthly at the HSCP CPGF. 3.2 New risks and changes to existing risks are discussed at each meeting. Deeper dives of red and amber risks are undertaken on a quarterly and six monthly basis respectively outwith the CPGF for more detailed discussion with Service leads. 3.3 Our reviewing of risks supports a proportionate approach to assurances, with relevant risks being regularly monitored. Scrutiny of risks ensures measures are put in place to minimise the risk(s) and assess the effectiveness of mitigations in place to minimise the risk. Where the risk affects, or is impacted by, other parts of the health or social care system, or indeed other agency, we are assured that they are fully informed and engaged in the process. 3.4 Ref Risk Exposure – No controls Current Risk Exposure Rating (RER) Risk Trend (↑/→/↓) Please include data from previous four reporting periods Oct 2024 Feb 2025 Apr 2025 Jun 2025 L C RE R L C RE R L C RE R L C RE R L C RE R 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 4 16 → 2 - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 4 20 → 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 4 20 → 3.5 Three new red risks were added to the Risk Register for Social Work and Social Care during the reporting period: Risk 1 – Increase in registrants and impact on Learning and Development (L&D) team to support SVQ’s. Risk of increased registrants on the SSSC register which could result in more staff requiring SVQ qualifications. This has a risk on the ability of the current L&D Team to support the need for increased SVQ’s. To support control of the risk, the L&D are: • Planning and preparing with current SVQ waiting lists • Exploring opportunities for supporting qualifications for registrant, E.G. Practice Development Awards • Working with the Serivces to consider qualification needs • Maintaining connection with SSSC in relation to decisions re registration and connect this with our strategic planning Risk 2 – Variation in supervision practices across services. Due to there being no agreement across the service of standard supervision practice, there is a risk of different practices for supervision across services. To support control of the risk, the L&D: Page 187 of 196
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• Works collaboratively with Teams to support the update of the supervision policy and supervision documents • Provide Supervision PDA and other learning opportunities to enable Line Managers with skills for effective supervision • Are supporting the Prioritisation of Supervision and learning to support wellbeing and enabling environments conducive to implementing improvement Risk 3 – Sustaining a learning culture amongst staff and services Due to capacity issues operationally and staff requiring to prioritise operational work, there is a risk staff may need to cancel or not attend learning sessions. To support control of the risk, the L&D are: • Working with TL's and teams to ensure that if staff cannot attend learning sessions that they cancel • Work with SM's TL's to support learning & development planning for staff booking on sessions, to explore time and space are created within the team for learning and development • Work with strategic planning and business support to consider how the learning culture is supported to enable the workforce with skills, confidence, wellbeing at work Following inclusion of these risks on the Risk Register by service leads, discussions between the Chief Social Work Officer (Co-Chair of the CPGF) and Heads of Integrated Health and Care have led to agreement of withdrawal of these risks from the Risk Register. It was acknowledged that whilst these areas require service improvement and oversight, there are no issues associated with service continuity or safety that would merit a red risk rating. It has been agreed to remit the issues to the Social Work Governance and Assurance Group and consider as part of workforce planning. It was also agreed that future risks added to the Risk Register would be signed off by the Head(s) of Integrated Health and Care. 3.6 Clinical & Care Governance arrangements: As per the Integration Scheme (June 2022) each HSCP in Tayside is a Lead Partner for a number of services that are better planned for and managed by one HSCP but provided for all communities across Tayside. These services report through to the CPGF for that HSCP. At the CPGF the Lead Partner Service reports receive the relevant level of scrutiny as other reports. 3.7 Systems and processes have been established to ensure that all three HSCPs receive copies of reports from other Lead Partner Services to support integration, and effective whole system working. 3.8 All services/localities report exceptions on a two monthly basis, and all service localities reported to the CPGF during this time period. There were no issues highlighted in respect of social work or social care for escalation to Scrutiny and Performance Committee. Page 188 of 196
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3.9 The following services in relation to Council oversight, provided annual reports during the reporting period, and were given assurance levels as follows: South Locality Report (7 March 2025) • Update on the Social Work and Social Care Forum which meets 4 weekly and works to a workplan of improvement including the examination of data/trends • Improved recruitment picture over the reporting picture • Social Work teams involved in ‘growing our own’ social workers, with Practice Educators and Link Workers trained in the locality to support the initiative • Continued challenges with some teams with long term sickness • Demand for Services remain high presenting challenges to wating time targets • Care at Home tendering process has led to several new providers entering the market leading to reduction in waiting times and better choice of SDS options • No waiting list for the Home Assessment and Recovery Team (HART) • Complexity of need continues to increase • Increase in Large Scale Investigations – potentially due to extremely challenging staff retention and recruitment for some care homes in the area Level of Assurance: Reasonable 3.10 Joint Equipment Loan Store (06 June 2025) • It was noted that some data regarding the service is not available due to the changes/upgrade with ELMS2 reporting. • There has been an increase in clients in year-on-year trend • Reduction of items in stock due to better stock management with review of discontinued TEC and slings etc • No significant variances in trend data from previous reporting period • PKC internal audit was undertaken of full service from referrals, delivery to instillation. Audit conclusion ‘ The internal audit review is able to place reasonable assurance on the overall control environment for JELS. The agreed actions, once implemented, should enable internal audit to place substantial assurance on these • Team working on the 6 improvement areas identified as part of internal audit and making good progress. • The service uses Care Opinion but has received no feedback thus far. The benefit of gaining service user feedback was discussed, and it was mentioned that the Handheld scanners will have short codes installed to do a smaller satisfaction survey in the future Assurance level – Limited (due to lack of data being available for the service, Lead Officer requested to provide update once data available) 3.11 Access Team/Social Prescribers/Wellbeing Support Team (06 June 2025) • Access Team has been operational for two years, changes to IT system impacting on flow and time for staff to input into the new system Page 189 of 196
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• Significant waiting lists for the Social Prescribers Team – review of work and processes underway. • The Wellbeing Support Team have a small waiting list due to staffing changes, and controls are in place for this. • With regards to improvement going forward – The Access Team remains subject to review with plans to develop integrated single point of contact. Social Prescribers have a development day planned for July and are implementing new processes to monitor and review practice. Wellbeing Support Team also subject to review and will be involved in the review of the mental health pathways throughout Perth and Kinross. • Recognised the need for service user feedback to support service improvement. Limited Care Opinion responses provide very positive feedback of staff approach and intervention impacting on change. Assurance level - Reasonable 3.12 Community Alarm & Telecare (06 June 2025) • Good use of data to provide assurance of performance • Analogue to digital transfer has been completed • Whilst calls handled by the service appears to have reduced, there were a significant number of test calls in previous reporting period associated with transfer from analogue to digital devices • When changing over from the Jontek platform to Sky Response (Chubb), issues of migration were noted which risked the loss of data that required to be retained for 12 months. An IT solution allows for time limited access which is compliant with retention schedule. • Service user feedback very positive. Assurance level - Reasonable 3.13 Complaint summary: 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March Complaints Closed 2024-2025 Stage 1 Stage 2 Page 190 of 196
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• Total number of complaints received during March - June 2025 = 29 • Stage 1 = 29 • 6 Stage 1 complaints progressed to Stage 2. o Total number of complaints closed during March - June 2025 = 22 • % Stage 2 responded to within timescales = 100% open complaints still within timescale of response. • % Stage 2 not responded to within timescales = 0% o Services the complaints relate to as below • Mental Health Team – 2 • North Locality Social Work Highland - 1 • North Locality Social Work Strathmore – 1 • North Locality Social Work Blairgowrie – 6 • Perth City Locality Social Work North – 1 • Perth City Locality Social Work South - 3 • Occupational Therapy - 3 • Access Team – 3 • Day Opportunities LD (Gleneagles) – 1 • Day Opportunities LD (Blairgowrie) – 2 • South Locality Social Work Crieff -1 • HART – 2 • Contracts and Commissioning – 2 o Top themes ▪ Overall (more than one theme can be applicable per complaint) • Service Provision - 14 • Employees – 14 • Communication - 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March Complaints Closed 2025-2026 Stage 1 Stage 2 Page 191 of 196
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Upheld or Partially Upheld complaints (more than one theme can be applicable per complaint) • There was one upheld complaint in April. 3.14 Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Reports There have been no complaints referred to the SPSO during the time period. 3.15 External Reports & Inspections There were no inspections during the time period. 3.16 Adult Support and Protection (ASP) Each adult protection committee is responsible for submitting national ASP data to the Scottish Government on a quarterly basis. The national ASP data set sets out key quantitative quality indictors from rate of referral and from whom, the numbers of inquiries undertaken and how many of these lead to ASP case conferences. Numbers of new protection orders applied for are also reported as are those granted in Court and the numbers of new large-scale investigations opened in each quarter. It also extends to reporting on how many ASP episodes were opened where the adult had caring responsibilities for either another adult or child at the time of the incident that led to the ASP referral. This is the first time that Perth & Kinross has been able to report on this data set in full. Our move to a new social work recording system (MOSAIC) has allowed us to build this data set into MOSAIC. The quarter 1 data return does come with caution, as the numbers of ASP inquiries appear to be lower than expected. Anecdotal evidence also supports that more inquiries were completed than the data provided by MOSAIC. Therefore, the ASP Lead Officer is working with the MOSAIC team to unpick this so that we can be more assured that the data shared is reliable and therefore shared with confidence. The Adult Protection Committee (APC) - Quality Assurance and Improvement subgroup will review the data on a quarterly basis to give some analysis to the data and provide an update to the APC. An early assessment of this new data shows that ASP referrals from health show an increase. The draft APC annual report for 24/25 gives more insight to this: • Referrals from NHS 24 have increased from 177 in 23/24 to 210 in 2024/25. • Referrals from NHS primary care services have increased from 81 to 164 in 23/24 to 24/25 • Referrals submitted by our Scottish Ambulance colleagues have increased from 24 in 23/24 to 46 in 24/25. These appear to demonstrate the value of the NHS Tayside adult protection team where health services are supported and encouraged to recognise when an adult might be at risk of harm and to report it. We are confident that increases in identification do not necessarily mean an increase in prevalence. Page 192 of 196
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Our use of large-scale investigations in quarter 1 remains comparable with 24/25. We are committed to reviewing our LSI processes following a differing in view with the registration requirements of one of the care homes in Perth & Kinross. 3.17 Local actions to mitigate risks of Drug related deaths in Perth and Kinross include: Implementation and embedding of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards. Current RAG scores as at June 2025 are green apart from MAT Standard 7 which relates to people may choose to receive their medication or support through primary care providers which include GP and community pharmacy. We will be following a NHS Tayside initiative, working with our pharmacy colleagues to implement this standard locally. • National Mission to reduce drug deaths funding utilised to increase IDART staff compliment to reduce waiting times and enhance service provision e.g. – provision of an OT service and the creation of a new psychology assistant post to provide low level psychological interventions. • Creation of a multiagency referral pathway for all new substance use referrals. • Creation of a near fatal overdose pathway and multiagency group to review all reported near fatal overdoses. During the reporting period there were 16 incidents reviewed. • Funding provided to third sector partners to employ assertive outreach workers to actively engage with service users. • Creation of a residential rehabilitation pathway and funding panel to facilitate access to rehabilitation services for service users, with 6 requests approved and none declined during the reporting period. 3.18 Workforce There is one red risk in relation to workforce capacity which is detailed above and the mitigations in place 3.19 Financial The composition of the Senior Management Team allows for a discussion of any financial issues from the perspective of Care & Professional Governance. 3.20 Risk Assessment/Management Key risks and assurance processes are detailed in earlier sections of this report. 3.21 Equality and Diversity, including health inequalities Equality, diversity and health inequalities are core to the Getting it Right Framework and the domains within. Each service provides exception reports which include this aspect. Currently there are no exceptions requiring to be escalated to CGC. 3.22 Communication, involvement, engagement and consultation Page 193 of 196
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All HSCP Staff have been invited to complete the latest iMatter survey, and teams will meet to discuss the results of these and create actions to take forward 4 Recommendation This report is being presented for: • Reasonable Assurance As Chief Social Work Officer for Perth & Kinross Council I would suggest that the level of assurance provided is: Reasonable Assurance Level of Assurance System Adequacy Controls ✓ Substantial Assurance A sound system of governance, risk management and control exists, with internal controls operating effectively and being consistently applied to support the achievement of objectives in the area audited Controls are applied continuously or with only minor lapses. Reasonable Assurance There is a generally sound system of governance, risk management and control in place. Some issues, non-compliance or scope for improvement were identified which may put at risk the achievement of objectives in the area audited. Controls are applied frequently but with evidence of non-compliance. ✓ Limited Assurance Significant gaps, weaknesses or non- compliance were identified. Improvement is required to the system of governance, risk management and control to effectively manage risks to the achievement of objectives in the area audited. Controls are applied but with some significant lapses. No Assurance Immediate action is required to address fundamental gaps, weaknesses or non- compliance identified. The system of governance, risk management and control is inadequate to effectively manage risks to the achievement of objectives in the area audited. Significant breakdown in the application of controls. Page 194 of 196
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Appendix 1 Perth & Kinross Health & Social Care Partnership – Forward Planner Care & Professional Governance Forum Service / Locality Month report required 1 Commissioned & Registered Services (Internal and External Care Jan 2025 Homes, Day Care, Supported Living) – Social Work 2 South Locality inc Social Work February 2025 3 Perth City Locality inc Social Work February 2025 4 Health Reporting March 2025 5 Health Reporting March 2025 6 Health Reporting April 2025 7 North Locality inc Social Work . _ May 2025 8 Access Team – Social Work June 2025 9 Equipment & TEC – Social Work No annual reports - Risk discussion July 2025 10 Health Reporting August 2025 11 Health Reporting August 2025 12 IDART, CMHT's, Mental Health Physio and OT, Therapeutics Team inc Social Work September 2025 13 MHO Team – Social Work September 2025 14 Integrated LD (Community Learning Disabilities, Autism and SCOPE) – Social Work October 2025 15 Health Reporting October 2025 16 Health Reporting November 2025 17 Internal (HART) & External Care at Home and Reablement – Social Work November 2025 18 Commissioned & Registered Services (Internal and External Care Homes, Day Care, Supported living) – Social Work December 2025 10 Page 195 of 196
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