Agenda Document Pack - Council - 29/09/2022
Renfrewshire Council · 29 September 2022
Back to Council — 29 September 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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22/09/2022 Notice of Meeting and Agenda Council Date Time Venue Thursday, 29 September 2022 09:30 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN Membership Provost Lorraine Cameron (Convener): Councillor Iain Nicolson (Leader): Councillor Cathy McEwan (Depute Convener): Councillor Jacqueline Cameron (Depute Leader): Councillor Jennifer Adam: Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson: Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling: Councillor Stephen Burns: Councillor Michelle Campbell: Councillor Graeme Clark: Councillor Carolann Davidson: Councillor Eddie Devine: Councillor Andy Doig: Councillor Audrey Doig: Councillor Chris Gilmour: Councillor Edward Grady: Councillor Gillian Graham: Councillor Neill Graham: Councillor John Gray: Councillor Anne Hannigan: Councillor John Hood: Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes: Councillor Robert Innes: Councillor Alec Leishman: Councillor Bruce MacFarlane: Councillor James MacLaren: Councillor Kenny MacLaren: Councillor Mags MacLaren: Councillor Colin McCulloch: Councillor Janis McDonald: Councillor David McGonigle: Councillor Jamie McGuire: Councillor Marie McGurk: Councillor Iain McMillan: Councillor John McNaughtan: Councillor Kevin Montgomery: Councillor Sam Mullin: Councillor Will Mylet: Councillor Jim Paterson: Councillor Emma Rodden: Councillor John Shaw: Councillor Ben Smith: Councillor Andy Steel: Further Information This is a meeting which is open to members of the public. A copy of the agenda and reports for this meeting will be available for inspection prior to the meeting at the Customer Service Centre, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley and online at http://renfrewshire.cmis.uk.com/renfrewshire/CouncilandBoards.aspx For further information, please either email democratic-services@renfrewshire.gov.uk MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance
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22/09/2022 Members of the Press and Public Members of the press and public wishing to attend the meeting should report to the customer service centre where they will be met and directed to the meeting. Hybrid Meeting Please note that this meeting is scheduled to be held in the Council Chambers. However, it is a hybrid meeting and arrangements have been made for members to join the meeting remotely should they wish. Webcasting of Council Meeting This meeting will be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site – at the start of the meeting the Provost will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed. Generally the public seating areas will not be filmed. The cameras focus on the main participants. If you have any queries regarding this please contact Committee Services on 0141 618 7112. To find the webcast please navigate to http://renfrewshire.cmis.uk.com/renfrewshire/meetings.aspx and select the meeting from the calendar.
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22/09/2022 Items of business Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Apologies Apologies from members. Declarations of Interest Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest. 1 Minutes of Meetings of Council, Boards and Panels (attached separately) Council, 30 June 2022, pages 137-154 Special Regulatory Functions Board, 4 August 2022, pages 155-158 Communities and Housing Policy Board, 16 August 2022, pages 159- 174 Appointments Board, 17 August 2022, pages 175-176 Regulatory Functions Board, 17 August 2022, pages 177-188 Education and Children's Services Policy Board, 18 August 202, pages 189-194 Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board, 22 August 2022, pages 195-200 Economy and Regeneration Policy Board, 23 August 2022, pages 201- 204 Planning and Climate Change Policy Board, 23 August 2022, pages 205-214 Personnel Appeals and Applied Conditions of Service Appeals Panel, 25 August 2022, pages 215-216 Petitions Board, 29 August 2022, pages 217-220 Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, 31 August 2022, pages 221-230 Regulatory Functions Board, 1 September 2022, pages 231-244 Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board, 8 September 2022, pages 245-260 Cross Party Sounding Board, 8 September 2022, pages 261-262 Leadership Board, 14 September 2022, pages 263-274 Special Regulatory Functions Board, 15 September 2022, pages 275- 282 Special Economy and Regeneration Policy Board, 22 September 2022 (copy to follow) 2 Provost's Update Hear from Provost 3 Financial Sustainability and General Fund Financial Outlook 1 - 14
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22/09/2022 Report by Director of Finance & Resources 4 Update on Audited Annual Accounts 2021/22 Report by Director of Finance & Resources 15 - 18 5 Council Plan Report by Chief Executive 19 - 44 6 Community Plan Refresh Report by Chief Executive 45 - 64 7 Chief Social Work Officer Report 2021 – 2022/Update on Fostering and Adoption Panels Report by Chief Social Work Officer 65 - 86 8 Renfrewshire Community Protection Chief Officers Group – Annual Report 2021/22 Report by Chief Executive 87 - 128 9 Community Asset Transfer – Options for Revised Procedure Report by Chief Executive 129 - 134 10 Governance Arrangements Report by Director of Finance & Resources 135 - 186 11 National Care Service Bill Consultation Report by Chief Executive 187 - 204 12 Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board Review of Linking the National Cycle Route 7 with Howwood Report by Lead Officer 205 - 218 13 Notice of Motion 1 by Councillors Campbell and Hughes "Community Welcome Spaces Council notes with grave concern the continuing increase in energy prices, and the significant impact that the cost of living crisis is already having on residents across Renfrewshire. Council notes that the energy price cap is forecast to increase by 81% in January, increasing prices to a completely unsustainable level, causing significant financial strain and harm on the people of Renfrewshire.
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22/09/2022 Pushing those who are already struggling further into poverty. Council believes the UK government should intervene and cap energy prices, and instructs the Chief Executive write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to express our concerns for the serious hardship being inflicted on the people of Renfrewshire due to a lack of serious action by the UK Government to protect people. Council notes the emerging work by councils and their partner culture and leisure trusts across the nation to create Community Warm Banks and Safe Spaces. Council will work with OneRen to create Welcoming Spaces within our civic buildings, leisure facilities and libraries, giving residents the opportunity to be warm throughout winter as well as tackle the impacts of social isolation." 14 Notice of Motion 2 by Councillors MacFarlane and McGurk "Council welcomes the completion of 131 new homes in Glenburn which consists of 109 for social rent and 22 made available through the New Supply Shared Equity scheme (NSSE). Council further welcomes the funding of over £12 million from the Scottish Government through the Scottish Government’s Strategic Housing Investment Programme. (SHIP) Council notes the intent of this administration to continue to expand social housing and affordable homes at every opportunity throughout Renfrewshire and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that everyone within our local authority has access to affordable, high quality housing." 15 Notice of Motion 3 by Councillors J Cameron and Adam "Council notes that the cost-of-living crisis is impacting on all residents of Renfrewshire, but particularly our most vulnerable including older people, children and people with disabilities. With the announcement that the energy cap will increase by 80% in October, fuel and food prices rising exponentially and with the official inflation rate currently sitting at 10.1% (and predicted to rise), few households will manage to make ends meet. Council agrees that this situation is unacceptable and declares this a Cost-of-Living Emergency. Council notes the work of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee in providing financial support, assistance and advice via Scottish Government funding and council budget allocations but understands the limitations in the face of such a dire emergency. Council agrees that the UK government hold the levers of power to address the cost-of-living emergency and calls upon them to: · Cancel the planned energy cap rise · Fund a freeze on energy bills
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22/09/2022 · Reinstate the £20 Universal Credit uplift · Reverse the increase in National Insurance contributions · Reintroduce the triple-lock protection on pensions Council agrees to write to the Prime Minister calling upon them to introduce the above measures with urgency." 16 Notice of Motion 4 by Councillors Ann-Dowling and McMillan "Single Sex Toilet Provision in Renfrewshire Council Funded Organisations Renfrewshire Council recognises that it has an obligation to ensure provision for single-sex toilets for males and females, in the interests of respect for privacy, preserving decency, preventing trauma and/or ensuring health and safety; and to avoid creating what women and girls in particular might perceive and experience as an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. Council agrees that all organisations in receipt of local authority funding, and providing more than one toilet facility for public use in a non-residential building, must ensure single-sex toilet provision is made available." 17 Notice of Motion 5 by Councillors Andy Doig and Hannigan "Prevention of Prostate Cancer Deaths in Renfrewshire “Council notes with concern the fact that there are around 12,000 prostate cancer deaths in the UK every year, and that prostate cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer deaths in men across the UK. “Council believes this is an ongoing major health challenge for men in Renfrewshire and urges both the Scottish and UK Governments to take a more pro-active approach to driving down prostate cancer rates, in particular, by devising a reliable prostate cancer screening test kit for men over 45 yrs old which can be distributed by the NHS as part of a national health screening programme”. 18 Notice of Motion 6 by Councillors Andy Doig and Hannigan "Collection of Grass Cutting at War Memorials and Cemeteries "Council agrees, due to public sensitivity, that council staff will collect grass cuttings in and around war memorials and cemeteries in Renfrewshire whilst undertaking grass maintenance programmes"." 19 Notice of Motion 7 by Councillors Andy Doig and Hannigan
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22/09/2022 "Reconfiguration of the Bowfield Rd/Midton Rd junction, Howwood (B776) “Council welcomes agreed measures by council officers to improve the safety of the Bowfield Rd/Midton Rd junction, Howwood (B776), including increased signage at the Renfrewshire/East Renfrewshire border concerning HGV traffic, and re-lining of the junction. “Council however notes continued concern by Bowfield Rd residents, in particular, over safety for pedestrians at this junction, and instructs council officers to examine options for the re-configuration of the Bowfield Rd/Midton Rd junction to maximise safety, including the option of compulsory purchase”." 20 Notice of Motion 8 by Councillors N Graham and McGonigle "Congratulations Motion, England’s Woman Football Team. Council congratulates the England’s Woman football team on their recent success in lifting the World Cup at Wembley Stadium. This Success has seen a surge in Woman and Girls taking up football as a sport. Council agrees to invest where they can in Woman/Girls football to capitalise on this success. Council instructs our officers to make sure that every girl in schools across Renfrewshire have the same opportunity to play football as boys in their PE classes." 21 Notice of Motion 9 by Councillors G Graham and Gilmour "Child Poverty It is widely recognised that holiday periods add to the stress of family poverty and results in less access to food and social activity for them than their peers. Foodbanks report increased demand during holiday periods. 18% of our children and young people live in relative low income families, whilst a15% live in absolute low income families. The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is hitting these working families the hardest. Renfrewshire Council recognises these facts. To assist local families this Council agrees to establish a Holiday Hunger Fund of £1 million pounds to be utilised over the lifetime of this administration. This fund will be used to increase the provision of meals and social activities for school children over school holiday periods throughout Renfrewshire. The Council will commit £200,000 per annum from this fund to enable 3rd sector groups in our communities to apply for money to establish new provision in areas where there is a currently unmet need." 22 Notice of Motion 10 by Councillors McGonigle and J MacLaren "Closure of Barrochan Road.
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22/09/2022 Council is concerned about the closure of Barrochan Road, Houston, for up to 12 weeks for emergency replacement of gas pipes. Council notes with concern the detrimental impacts on local businesses in Houston and the very real possibility of these businesses closing altogether. Council agrees to work with SGN and local businesses affected to mitigate as much as it can the disruption this will cause."
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance & Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Financial Sustainability and General Fund Financial Outlook ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Council is facing a financial and economic environment characterised by rapidly increasing levels of risk; placing the Council’s financial stability and ongoing sustainability under much greater pressure than that experienced over the past decade. 1.2 Previous financial updates to Council outlined the requirement for the Council to restart transformation activity which would underpin a level of savings which would address sustainability concerns, along with a range of financial sustainability workstreams which would support the delivery of savings at the scale required. 1.3 This report provides an update with regards progress with these workstreams, and also provides an update with regards the current year financial position which has changed markedly since the previous report in June as cost pressures – largely driven by high levels of inflation – continue to build. 1.4 The report outlines a range of measures which the Council will require to consider in the short and medium term, and the use of financial flexibilities including the use of reserve balances to address a timing Item 3 Page 1 of 218
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disconnect between the Council’s ability to generate savings at scale whilst maintaining stability within the organisation and the delivery of services, and the speed at which costs are increasing. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Note the update to the Council’s financial outlook provided in the report 2.2 Note the update provided in relation to service concession accounting arrangements and agree the revised accounting policies outlined in paragraph 3.3 2.3 Note the update provided in section 4 in relation to the financial pressures being forecast in the current financial year and agree the mitigating actions outlined in paragraph 4.6 2.4 Note the capital investment update as outlined in section 6 and agree to delegate authority to the Director of Finance & Resources to implement the proposed amendments to the Council’s capital planning and borrowing arrangements (noting that these may require to be adjusted should the current proposals for Scottish Government funding change). _________________________________________________________ 3. Revenue Update 3.1 The financial update report to Council in June outlined a medium term financial position which was informed by the publication of the Scottish Government Resource Spending Review (RSR) and the likely level of the local government revenue grant settlement, along with the spending pressures the Council is likely to face over the medium term. This updated outlook forecast that over the next three year period the Council would require to deliver savings within a range of £29m – 61m, with a central forecast of a deficit of £44m over this period, before any decisions on council tax. Assuming a 3% council tax increase in each year, this central deficit forecast would reduce to £31m. Item 3 Page 2 of 218
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3.2 The June report also highlighted that this gap – while not significantly differing from previous forecasts – had a different context in that the main drivers related to increasing near-term spend pressures with grant levels being relatively more certain. The profile of the gap was also highlighted as being more immediate, and Council agreed a range of financial sustainability measures be developed with a savings level of £35m being targeted over the next three years. Updates are provided later in this report with regards the work progressed on the financial sustainability workstreams over the summer months. Since the June report however, and underlining the very volatile financial and economic environment within which the Council is operating, there have been further updates in the forecast spend pressures facing the Council. These are outlined in section 4 below. 3.3 The RSR had also committed to potentially greater financial flexibility for local government with a range of options being outlined, including further exploring discretionary revenue raising and alternative accounting proposals for service concession arrangements, contingent on a full review of capital accounting. Progress has been made since the June report on these issues in that an independent chair for the capital accounting review has been appointed and the terms of reference for the review have been consulted upon. In addition, a finance circular has been issued which will enable the flexibility in terms of accounting for service concessions arrangements to be put in place. It is proposed that the Council would seek to adopt the flexibility outlined in the 22/23 financial year, with Council agreeing to amend its accounting policy with regards service concessions; the flexibilities possible then being incorporated into the Council long term capital accounting, borrowing and debt management strategies which remain a key element of the Council’s financial position over the medium term. 3.4 The Council’s financial strategy remains dynamic and is constantly updated to reflect emerging new pressures or changing levels of existing pressure. Even in the short period since June, the medium term outlook has deteriorated somewhat, with the central forecast extending to a deficit of £35 million over three years from the £31 million outlined in the previous report. Section 4 below outlines the main reasons for this movement, relating to immediate financial pressures and now widely accepted forecast that UK inflation will remain higher for longer; and the possibility of an economic recession in 2023 now all but “baked-in” to the current economic environment. 3.5 This position underlines the necessity for the Council to take steps to address the immediate financial position, while also prioritising the Item 3 Page 3 of 218
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development and implementation at pace of the financial sustainability measures outlined later in this report. 3.6 The pressures the Council is facing are mirrored in the Scottish Government financial position, with in-year savings requiring to be found to offset increased inflationary costs and additional costs of public sector pay awards. The Scottish Government has committed to an Emergency Budget within two weeks of any UK Government fiscal announcement – possibly to be expected later in September. The measures taken by the Scottish Government to date include securing savings from a range of public services, including resource set aside to support employability. The precise impact of this on resource the Council may have been anticipating is yet to be determined. In addition, the Scottish Government has outlined a capital reprioritisation programme across multiple portfolios. 4 Current Financial Position 4.1 Members will be aware of the current very high levels of inflation being experienced in the economy, driven in large part by the dramatic increase in energy costs. These costs increases are impacting on families and household finances, as well as the Council, community organisations and businesses. The Bank of England has forecast CPI inflation will hit 13% by the end of 2022, with other economic forecaster suggesting this could be an underestimate. Citigroup, EY, Goldman Sachs and other financial institutions forecast UK inflation in 2023 could range from 14% to 18% - driven predominantly by surging gas costs as supply constraints force prices higher. This is obviously manifesting itself in a cost of living crisis for many households with many already in or facing the prospect of fuel poverty. 4.2 The Council is equally facing a surge in supplies costs – energy costs obviously - but also food, transportation and diesel costs. Vehicle parts costs are increasingly an issue, while building and construction cost pressures are outlined in more detail in section 6 below. This volatile cost environment, while undoubtedly driven by soaring energy costs, is also affected by supply constraints. It is now increasingly impractical to discern and disentangle which cost increases are related to which driver – the Russian invasion of Ukraine and resulting impact on gas supplies, supply issues from China as Covid measures continue to constrain output, longer term pandemic-related issues within the UK and Europe, Brexit and potential impact on labour supply, or more pay- linked price increases as higher inflation understandably drives up wages. Item 3 Page 4 of 218
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4.3 In addition to cost increases, the council is also experiencing higher demand for some services – most pressingly in children and families’ social care. During the pandemic period the stress on some families has increased significantly. The pressures for some families and children have been in relation to stress on family relationships and some young people experiencing serious mental health concerns. Children and families’ social workers have readily provided support for families including intensive support. Despite the intensive social work intervention, there has been an increase in the level of risk for some children resulting in children being placed in kinship care, accommodated in foster care or residential accommodation. For some, this entails highly-intensive care packages which are increasingly expensive. This position has been building over the past 12-18 months with an overspend being incurred in 2021/22 which was offset to some degree by the availability of Covid-related resource. However, in 2022/23, the service is – based on current levels of demand – forecasting an overspend of £4-5 million. Council will require to consider the position moving forward given the spend pressure in this area, and the fact that increased social care funding has in recent years been passed in full to the HSCP as a specific condition of the local government settlement, as to whether this position is sustainable. Council will continue to work through COSLA to emphasise the restrictive financial impact of such conditions. There remain other Covid-related pressures, with parking income still well below pre- pandemic levels and household waste levels remaining high but beginning to reduce. 4.4 The Council Overview finance report to the recent Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board outlined a 2022/23 projected overspend (removing the underspend projected in adult social care) of £7.7 million. This projection is exclusive of a number of other risks to the 2022/23 financial position: • The 2022/23 pay award (at the time of writing) remains to be formally accepted by trades unions, although it is anticipated that in balloting their members, the trades unions will recommend acceptance of the offer. The offer tabled by COSLA is a combination of a core pay increase of 5% with further consolidated elements to support the lowest paid in the workforce who will receive a maximum £2,000 increase (equivalent to a 10.2% increase for the lowest paid), and a £3,000 cap for those on salaries in excess of £60,000. An additional day of annual leave was also offered to all staff. The Council agreed in setting the 2022/23 pay provision for this to be Item 3 Page 5 of 218
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based on the Scottish public sector pay policy, which broadly equates to a 2% level of provision. While additional Scottish Government funding has been provided to support the current pay offer (this is explored in section 6 below), this will be insufficient to meet the expected total cost, requiring the Council to fund the differential in 22/23 from reserve balances, and to build this substantial deficit in to future base budgets. • As outlined above, energy costs are surging and while the Council made some provision for increased costs in 2022/23, it is unlikely that this will now be sufficient to meet the anticipated costs given spiralling gas prices. • The projection does not include any variance relating to the collection of Council Tax. Current forecasts suggest a slightly lower yield than 2021/22; however, it is recognised that the full impact of the cost-of-living crisis is yet to materialise which could have significant effect on yield. 4.5 Directors and management teams are closely monitoring their costs and are aiming to mitigate increases where possible, however further corporate action to limit spending will be required in the coming weeks and months. Even assuming these actions, given all the above pressures it is all but guaranteed that the Council will require to utilise reserve balances to fund the projected overspend and support a break even position at year end. 4.6 In order to try and mitigate the scale of required use of reserve balances in 2022/23 a number of actions are proposed including Directors and management teams being restricted to essential spend only and pausing recruitment to posts which are not essential. It is acknowledged these measures may impact on service responsiveness more widely. It is now of the utmost importance that the financial sustainability measures and workstreams outlined in the June report are progressed at pace to underpin both short term financial stability and financial sustainability over the medium term. 5 Financial Sustainability Workstreams 5.1 The Council’s main transformation programme – branded Right for Renfrewshire (RFR) most recently – is the main route for the Council to transform services and release efficiencies, thereby supporting the delivery of recurring savings over the medium term. Members will however be aware that, at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, a decision was taken to formally pause the programme, recognising the capacity of the Council was required to be fully diverted to support the emergency response. As has been outlined in previous update reports, Item 3 Page 6 of 218
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the longer term impact of this decision is that the Council’s pipeline of associated savings has now fallen behind the requirements to secure overall financial sustainability. Members agreed in June that a revised savings target of £15 million be set for the remaining phases of the existing medium term transformation programme, and that the programme be revised to clearly align with the financial sustainability portfolio. 5.2 Where management capacity has allowed, service reviews have taken place in discrete areas of the Council – corporate finance and ICT services have been reviewed utilising the RFR approach and recurring savings have been generated. In addition, reviews of the operations and infrastructure service within Environment and Infrastructure has also commenced with a view to savings being generated over the course of 22/23 to 24/25. Remaining areas of the Council where reviews will be undertaken include legal and committee services, events and communications, policy and commissioning and people and organisational development. Further consideration will also be required in terms of Children’s Services; however it is acknowledged that the current pressures being faced by elements of this service and wider obligations in terms of specific funding streams will make the delivery of recurring savings particularly challenging. 5.3 The combined measures from accounting flexibilities outlined in section 3 and transformation are together insufficient to close the forecast financial gap the Council is facing, meaning a range of other financial sustainability measures require to be explored, and Council agreed in June to develop a portfolio of additional measures over the summer period. Updates on each of these workstreams is provided below: a. Strategic Property Review and new ways of working o In the context of the financial outlook the Council can no longer support maintaining, servicing and sustaining the scale and breadth of the property estate it currently carries. Baseline data in relation to all Council owned and leased properties has been collated, including running costs, condition, occupancy and energy efficiency. This will be further assessed to determine opportunities for estate consolidation and rationalisation which will allow scarce resource to be better directed to key facilities in communities, support the Council’s net zero ambitions and facilitate the sustainability and in some cases improvement in service availability within communities. A number of building management principles will be Item 3 Page 7 of 218
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developed including a presumption against leasing buildings and exiting from currently leased properties. Plans for improved working environments and opportunities from new ways of working continue to be developed, with particular focus on new technology and ways this can be exploited to further enable efficient ways of working and employee wellbeing. Further work is ongoing in relation the management and maintenance of property assets, including charging proposals. b. Charging, fees and commercialisation o Work to assess and benchmark the current level of fees and charges relative to peer councils and cost of service delivery is progressing and options for member consideration are being developed. Early analysis suggests that in some areas the level of fees is not reflective of costs, resulting in increasing levels of subsidy being provided by the Council and which are out of step with the position in other local authorities. Members may consider whether this is a position they wish to continue in relation to supporting key Council priorities, however this decision should be based on sound evidence of the subsidy being offered. Internal charging levels and inter- company charges will progress at the same pace as the wider work on fees and charges, with the aim that revised levels will be incorporated into 2023/24 base budgets. It is likely that development of further commercialisation opportunities to generate new income streams for the Council will take longer to produce given the business case for each proposal will require to be tested before being presented to members. c. Review of Council risk tolerance o Early work across a range of areas including an examination of insurance arrangements would suggest this workstream will have limited opportunities to deliver recurring savings; however where opportunities arise these will be examined. It is suggested staff resource is re-prioritised to other reviews which have better savings generation potential. Item 3 Page 8 of 218
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d. Strategic review of procurement o Initial work to progress the collation of baseline data regarding purchasing processes, preferences and compliance with preferred catalogues is underway. This is largely work which can be undertaken in house without the need for external support, but may involve some limited engagement and support from Scotland Excel, in particular with regards to exploring optimal use of national contracts. It is also proposed, linking with the digital strategy work, to implement the full purchase to pay (P2P) functionality within Business World - this work is currently being scoped. e. Review of local policy position o An assessment of current policy positions is ongoing with a view to collating a clear view of where local policy or service levels may be adapted to potentially deliver savings or increased income. Options for member consideration will be developed in the near future with a view to implementation where possible in the current or next financial year. f. Review of management grades and structures o Work carried out so far has focussed on the establishment and the development of principles based on industry best practice from which to assess existing management structures that are in place eg spans of control and differentials between management grades as well as considering the Council’s future medium term strategic agenda. This work has highlighted a number of areas that merit further review which may result in some structure and team redesign. However, the work to date has confirmed that there is likely to be limited opportunities for significant savings to be generated with the Council’s existing structure being broadly consistent with the key design principles, likely linked to recent or ongoing redesigns of many areas of the Council under the RFR programme. Nonetheless, and where Item 3 Page 9 of 218
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appropriate, the targeted use of agreed VR/VER processes will continue to be used. g. Connected communities o Collation of data in relation to all grant streams currently in operation is nearing completion at which point consideration of options for future redesign in the context of the work the Council is progressing in relation to both Connected Communities as well as expanding the role of Participatory Budgeting with our communities will begin. Initial work suggests there are in excess of 25 varying grant streams currently operating and there may be opportunities to better coordinate how these are managed while still supporting the delivery of Council and community objectives. There is also work underway to examine the range of advice and support services offered to communities and families which are delivered from various council services in order to again assess and ensure these are appropriately coordinated, or whether there are alternative configurations which could better deliver services to individuals and communities. h. Digital strategy o The Digital Board has agreed a new operating methodology, with a focus and prioritisation of resource on digital projects which will deliver efficiencies over the medium to longer term, a focus on fully exploiting the functionality of systems already in operation within the Council as opposed to introducing further systems, and a requirement to ensure future investment decisions are underpinned by a sound business case. The prioritisation of current projects is ongoing; with timescales for developments and projects being clarified. While it is not expected that immediate savings will be delivered, some initial work has identified some early wins such as a revised print strategy for the Council which has the potential to both secure efficiencies and support the Council’s net zero agenda. Item 3 Page 10 of 218
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i. Council tax and tax policy o Council tax base projections are being updated with a view to assessing whether further income could prudently be budgeted for in 2023/24; however the cost of living crisis has tempered increased yield prospects. While income levels held up well over the course of the pandemic the pressure on household finances in the coming months is potentially going to have a more significant impact and risks offsetting any financial benefit from better than planned completion of new build properties. In relation to other taxation options the requirement for secondary legislation to be laid is a restraining factor in the development of future proposals, however it should be noted that the recently published Programme for Government outlined a plan to introduce a bill in relation to the Local Visitor Levy. 5.4 From the above updates it can be seen that while work is well underway, it is not currently possible to determine whether the £20 million savings target for the above reviews (over and above the £15 million targeted from the transformation programme) will be fully achieved, or in what timescale. In many cases the potential for savings is realistic but may have practical limitations which will influence the speed at which savings may be realised. Members have been advised previously and in the sections above that spend pressures are emerging more immediately, therefore there is a timing disconnect between the speed at which the financial gap is expected to emerge and the ability to generate and secure recurring savings to sustainably close it. This context will require the Council to carefully utilise reserve balances in the near term to temporarily provide financial support to bridge this shortfall. 5.5 This position of increased financial risk reinforces the need for the Council to be decisive, and to make prioritisation decisions at a greater scale and pace than over recent years in order to fully commit to the delivery of the material change and transformation required over the medium term. As has been reported previously, this is likely to require the lower level of real terms resources and spending capacity at the Council’s disposal to be focused on those areas of greatest need and priority. Item 3 Page 11 of 218
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6 Capital investment and borrowing 6.1 The effects of inflation on both service and supplies costs have been outlined earlier in this report, however inflationary concerns are particularly prevalent with regards construction materials. The financial outlook report from June highlighted cost pressures in relation to steel, timber and copper which is resulting in additional costs being experienced across capital projects, including lifecycle maintenance of existing council buildings. 6.2 The continuing surge in gas prices feeding in to higher levels of inflation will potentially result in a second wave of inflationary rises as higher inflation feeds through into higher wages, transportation costs and manufacturing costs of building materials. There is therefore an increasing likelihood that construction and refurbishment schemes in progress as part of the Council’s current investment programme will come under increasing financial pressure, and this is indeed beginning to manifest itself in reducing levels of contingency funds being available on some projects. Equally, tender prices being received for planned projects are in some cases significantly higher than what had been anticipated – even based on relatively recent plans and incorporating inflationary indexation in to projected costs. 6.3 Council previously agreed to set aside £10 million of reserve balances to support the capital programme, with £4 million of this balance being specifically held in relation to the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside project. This total reserve has been set aside from revenue resources as at the end of the 2021/22 financial year. There remains a risk that this additional funding coverage may not be sufficient to relieve inflationary pressures on the capital programme which may necessitate further decision at a later date and which could involve reconsidering the deliverability and or deferring elements of the existing programme. 6.4 In an effort to support COSLA and councils reach agreement with trades unions in relation to the 2022/23 pay settlement, the Scottish Government has agreed that additional resource will be contributed through the local government settlement. The structure of this additional resource is understood to be £140 million in recurring revenue resource, with a further £120 million in 2022/23 (and £120 million in 2023/24) funded from capital resources; which councils would then use to substitute for planned revenue funding to capital programmes, thereby releasing one-off revenue resource to contribute to the funding of pay settlement costs in year. It is proposed to amend the capital plan and associated funding accordingly to facilitate this approach. Item 3 Page 12 of 218
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6.5 Given the acute revenue pressure in 2022/23 outlined elsewhere in this report, it is further proposed that any remaining balance of the construction recovery fund be substituted within the council’s revenue and capital financial plans for borrowing in order to release these revenue resources to address revenue costs. While this approach will incur higher borrowing costs over the very long term, it will provide greater short to medium term flexibility and will be appropriately reflected in the Council’s capital investment and borrowing plans; with the consequential impact being incorporated into the Council’s longer term debt management strategy. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - the report highlights the scale and shape of the short and medium term financial challenge facing the Council. The development and implementation of the transformation programme and other financial sustainability workstreams as outlined in the report are critical to ultimately supporting the Council secure a financially sustainable position. 2. HR & Organisational Development - the medium term financial position and associated plans require to align with workforce and service plans to ensure the size and composition of the Council workforce remains appropriate and affordable. 3. Community/Council Planning – the Council requires to remain financially sustainable in order to deliver on its priorities as outlined in the Council and Community Plans; and these revised Plans will in turn require to inform the financial strategy. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - the report outlines a proposal to undertake a strategic review of property which will aim to ensure the Council’s asset base remain effective and efficient 6. Information Technology - the report outlines the need to ensure the Council Digital strategy support ongoing financial sustainability; with any digital developments being underpinned by a robust business case Item 3 Page 13 of 218
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7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - none 9. Procurement – the report outlines a proposal for a strategic review of procurement practice in order to support the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability. 10. Risk - as outlined in the report, the Council’s financial risk exposure is increasing in the immediate term and over the medium term remains high. The report outlines increasing financial risks as well as a range of key measures to be implemented as part of the medium term financial planning arrangements to protect the Council’s immediate financial stability and resilience but also continue to progress toward medium term financial sustainability. 11. Privacy Impact - none. 12. Cosla Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – none ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Alastair MacArthur, Director of Finance & Resources Item 3 Page 14 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance & Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Update on Audited Annual Accounts 2021/22 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Council’s unaudited Annual Accounts for 2021/22 were presented to the Council and submitted for audit by the statutory deadline of 30 June 2022. 1.2 An extension to the statutory deadline for approval of the audited annual accounts has been provided in Local Government Finance Circular 6/2022, as detailed in section 3. 1.3 The audited Annual Accounts 2021/22 are required to be completed for approval by 30 November 2022. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Council is asked to: (a) note the revised deadline for the Council’s audited accounts; (b) agree that the meeting of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee scheduled for 31 October 2022 be rescheduled to 14 November 2022; and (c) note that a special meeting of the Council will be called on or before 30 November 2022 to approve the audited accounts. _________________________________________________________ Item 4 Page 15 of 218
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3. Background 3.1 On 18 May 2022, the Scottish Government published Local Government Finance Circular 6/2022: Extension to Accounts Approval and Publication Dates for 2021-22. Indicating that the Council must aim to approve the 2021/22 audited accounts for signature no later than 30 November 2022. 3.2 This timescale also applies to the Common Good Funds and Coats Observatory Trust audited accounts and report. 3.3 Under the Council’s scheme of delegation, the audited accounts are normally presented to the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board prior to being presented to Council. In order to allow the Council to comply with the revised audit dates, it is proposed that the meeting of the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board scheduled on 31 October 2022 is rescheduled to 14 November 2022 in order to allow sufficient time for completion of the audit process. 3.4 Thereafter, it is proposed that a special meeting of the Council is called on an appropriate date, but no later than 30 November 2022, for the purpose of approving the audited accounts. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – timely approval of the audited accounts is a key step in evidencing good financial governance and allows the Council to comply with national financial regulations. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – none arising from this report. 4. Legal – the recommendations in the report will allow the Council to comply with the relevant regulations governing the annual accounts approval process. 5. Property/Assets – none arising from this report. 6. Information Technology – none arising from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights – none arising from this report. 8. Health & Safety – none arising from this report. 9. Procurement – none arising from this report. 10. Risk – none arising from this report. 11. Privacy Impact – none arising from this report. 12. Cosla Policy Position – none arising from this report. Item 4 Page 16 of 218
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13. Climate Risk – none arising from this report. __________________________________________________________________ Author: Alastair MacArthur, Director of Finance and Resources Background Papers: Local government finance circular 6/2022 - accounting guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) Item 4 Page 17 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Council Plan 2022 to 2027 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Council Plan is a key strategic document for Council employees, local people, businesses, partner organisations and voluntary organisations, setting out what the Council is aiming to achieve over the next 5 years. 1.2 Alongside Renfrewshire’s Community Plan, the Council Plan provides organisational direction, ensuring that the key strategic priorities of the Council translate into specific actions within service improvement plans. This provides a ‘golden thread’, illustrating the role all Council services play in delivering these objectives. 1.3 The new Council Plan 2022-2027 has been developed during summer 2022 in tandem with the refresh of the Renfrewshire Community Plan, which covers the longer period of 2017-2027. Both plans were considered and developed through the Cross Party Sounding Board on 8 September 2022. 1.4 As outlined in the Council Plan, the Council is facing a period of unprecedented change and challenge. Significant financial pressures will continue to be managed by the organisation, whilst at the same time the Council will seek to address the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, the ongoing recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing needs of local people, communities and businesses. 1.5 Despite this challenging context, the Council Plan is ambitious and flexible, supporting the organisation to remain agile and to address new challenges and opportunities over the period as required. 1.6 The Council Plan and Community Plan have been developed through an extensive programme of work: Item 5 Page 19 of 218
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• Analysing the information and data the Council and partners have about our communities, businesses and services, identifying potential challenges and opportunities for Renfrewshire • Learning from a range of consultation and engagement opportunities with local people • Identifying key themes and priorities through discussions with strategic partners, community planning governance structures and Elected Members 1.7 A key stage in the development of the Council Plan and refresh of the Community Plan was a joint session of the Cross Party Sounding Board earlier this month. At the session, Elected Members discussed the priorities emerging from the consultation and engagement process and gave direction on the focus of both Plans as they were finalised. 1.8 The Council Plan 2022-2027 is attached as Appendix 1 of this report and sets out the following vision: “Creating a fairer Renfrewshire built on innovation, wellbeing and opportunity” 1.9 The Plan is high level in nature and sets out how the Council will work with partners, communities and businesses to progress 5 strategic outcomes: • Place – working together to enhance wellbeing across communities • Economy – building an inclusive, green and resilient economy • Fair – nurturing bright, happy and healthy futures for all • Green – leading Renfrewshire to Net Zero • Living our values – making a difference together 1.10 The Plan also describes a cross-cutting theme – improving outcomes for children and families. Every one of the 5 strategic outcomes should directly contribute to this outcome and demonstrate that services are working together to get it right for children, families and communities. 1.11 Detailed actions, performance and data measures relating to these outcomes will be taken forward through Service Improvement Plans. This will ensure that the organisation can evidence progress made towards delivering the Council Plan, and that progress is regularly reported to Elected Members, members of the public and other interested stakeholders. 1.12 A performance framework for the Council Plan will be developed, ensuring that 6-monthly updates on implementation can be provided to Elected Members. The performance framework will be finalised and reported to the Leadership Board in November 2022. 1.13 Regular updates will also continue to be provided through our public performance reporting mechanisms such as our annual report – ‘It’s All About You’. Item 5 Page 20 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members: • approve the Council Plan 2022-2027 attached as Appendix 1; • note that the Council Plan was considered by the Cross Party Sounding Board on 8 September 2022; • agree that a performance scorecard for the Council Plan will be developed and reported to the Leadership Board in November 2022; and • agree that 6-monthly updates on progress will be reported to the Leadership Board. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Council Plan is one of three important sets of documents that, taken together, describe what the Council is trying to achieve over the coming years and how it will do this: • The Council Plan summarises the Council's priority objectives over a period of usually 5 years and the actions it will take to deliver these objectives. • The Community Plan summarises the priorities for Renfrewshire that the Council and its community planning partners (the other public bodies and third sector organisations that deliver services within Renfrewshire), have identified and agreed that can best be achieved by working closely together. The Community Plan usually covers a longer period of time than the Council Plan and the current plan runs for ten years from 2017 to 2027. • Service Plans detail the activity that each Council service will be undertaking to contribute to the successful delivery of the Council Plan and the Community Plan. These plans also identify the activity that each Service will be carrying out to improve the services they provide. 3.2 The development of the Council Plan 2022-2027 and the refresh of Renfrewshire’s Community Plan has taken place in tandem, representing a valuable opportunity for both plans to be aligned, and for the Council and partners to jointly agree the strategic outcomes which will be targeted. 3.3 A significant programme of work has been undertaken over the summer for both plans including: • Analysing the information and data the Council and partners have about our communities, businesses and services, identifying potential challenges and opportunities for Renfrewshire • Learning from a range of consultation and engagement opportunities with local people Item 5 Page 21 of 218
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• Identifying key themes and priorities through discussions with strategic partners, community planning governance structures and Elected Members 3.4 The priorities which were identified through this process for both the Community Plan and the Council Plan were scrutinised by the Cross Party Sounding Board at its meeting on 8 September 2022. Elected Members had the opportunity to discuss the emerging themes and priorities and to inform the final stages of development of both plans. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Strategic outcomes 4.1 The Council Plan is a key strategic document for Council employees, local people, businesses, partner organisations and voluntary organisations, setting out what the Council is aiming to achieve over the next 5 years. The Plan is focused on delivering change across 5 outcomes: • Place – working together to enhance wellbeing across communities • Economy – building an inclusive, green and resilient economy • Fair – nurturing bright, happy and healthy futures for all • Green – leading Renfrewshire to Net Zero • Living our values – making a difference together 4.2 The organisation remains focused on improving outcomes and tackling inequalities - outcomes which align to the Community Plan 2017-2027. The Council Plan sets out the organisation’s role in working towards those partnership outcomes. 4.3 The Plan provides a flexible framework which will guide strategic planning and policy development across the Council. Given the scale and pace of the challenges facing the Council, there is a need for the organisation to remain alert to opportunities and to ensure that the benefits of these opportunities are felt widely. The current framework for the Council Plan will allow the organisation to address new challenges and opportunities and report on these as they emerge over the period of the plan. 4.4 The Plan is also a key tool for our workforce over a period of significant change – closely aligned to Our Values and communicating the organisation’s vision, priorities and, crucially, Council employees’ role in delivering these. It is hoped that the tone, whilst being clear about the scale of the challenge ahead, also strikes the right note of pride in Renfrewshire and ambition for the future. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 5 Page 22 of 218
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5. Next steps 5.1 The Council Plan sets out the key priorities for the Council and it is important that regular updates are provided on performance against these priorities to provide assurance and confidence about progress made. It is proposed that a performance framework of key actions and measures is developed and submitted for approval to the Leadership Board in November 2022. 5.2 In addition it is proposed that the Council continues to: • Find out what local people think about priorities and performance through consultation and engagement including the Public Services Panel • Detail performance through the annual performance report – ‘It’s All About You’ • Develop initiatives to support this Plan which will be detailed within Service Improvement Plans ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The key outcomes targeted through the Council Plan and associated initiatives will require to be managed within existing resources, with additional investment secured where appropriate. 2. HR & Organisational Development – The Council Plan highlights how the organisation will continue to develop its approaches to workforce planning, organisational development and the support which is offered to employees, aligned to the Council’s Values. 3. Community/Council Planning – The Council Plan is closely aligned to Renfrewshire’s Community Plan 2017-2027, with the Council Plan clearly demonstrating the organisation’s contribution to progressing the key priorities highlighted within the Community Plan. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations Item 5 Page 23 of 218
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and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – strategic outcome 4 directly relates to the climate emergency and the Council’s related activity at a local level. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Pauline Moss, Strategy, Policy and Insight Manager Item 5 Page 24 of 218
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Renfrewshire Council Plan 2022 – 2027: Creating a fairer Renfrewshire built on innovation, wellbeing and opportunity Contents: Introduction from CE/Leader About Renfrewshire About our organisation Overview of outcomes Place Economy Fair Green Living our Values How the plan works Item 5 Page 25 of 218
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Introduction from Leader/CE Renfrewshire in 2022 feels very different to the Renfrewshire of just 5 short years ago when our last Council Plan was developed. Since then, we’ve experienced a huge shift in our ways of living, working and learning through the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the impacts still felt even now as we navigate our recovery. At the time of developing this Plan, we are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis right across the country, hitting households and businesses, alongside a tragic humanitarian emergency with the war in Ukraine. The world we’re living in is changing at a significant pace. But what we hope for - for Renfrewshire’s people and our place – these ambitions are constant and strong, guiding our decisions and our focusing our action. Our Council Plan sets out the Council’s priorities for the next 5 years, it describes the actions we will take to deliver change across Renfrewshire within the themes that need our focus. This Plan remains ambitious even though we know that we face huge hurdles. Whilst still in recovery from the pandemic, we face renewed financial challenges for Renfrewshire Council and likely structural changes through the proposed development of the National Care Services - both will lead to fundamental changes in the way we work and deliver services. As a Council, we have so many positives to build on, we have passion and creativity, and we remain committed to delivering strong universal services that people in Renfrewshire need every day to live their lives well. We will encourage kind and connected communities - where our citizens take pride in their place, all across Renfrewshire, and where others are excited to move here and share in the opportunities Renfrewshire has to offer. We will support a strong and flexible local economy - with Renfrewshire able to recover and adapt after the pandemic, building up resilience to support good green jobs and skills for all local people to enjoy the benefits of both living and working here. We want Renfrewshire to be a fair place – where all our people have the best chances to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives, to feel safe, supported and empowered to unlock the strength of our collective potential. We are working towards a greener future - taking responsibility for our impact on our planet and taking brave, bold steps to protect the natural environment that supports and benefits us all. As an organisation, we want our employees to feel proud to work for Renfrewshire Council because we are a values-driven organisation, where we all understand and value our contributions, and we are passionate about making a difference for Renfrewshire. We must work smarter and in fundamentally different ways, sharpening the focus of our organisation to meet the significant financial challenges we face. We want to continue to improve our services and meet the changing needs of local people, but we must balance this within the resources that are available to us. We will tackle this together and with our values at the heart of our approach. Most of all, across all of our work and all of our efforts, we hope for loving and happy lives for Renfrewshire’s children – working together to get it right for children, families and communities – protecting, learning, achieving and nurturing. Every priority of this Council Plan will contribute to improving the lives of Renfrewshire’s children and their families. It is our fundamental duty as an organisation and our shared responsibility as citizens of this place to ensure that our children inherit a Renfrewshire where their wellbeing is nurtured, their futures are bright, and their environment is safe and healthy. Item 5 Page 27 of 218
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Our vision is clear, and this Council Plan sets out the priorities we will focus on to deliver this future for Renfrewshire. Alongside Renfrewshire’s Community Plan, this Council Plan sets our intentions for the next five years and is the ‘go to guide’ for our partners, our colleagues across the Council, and most of all, our citizens to understand where we want our journey to lead and how we can all get there, together. Item 5 Page 28 of 218
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About Renfrewshire Renfrewshire is located in west central Scotland and is the 10th largest Council in Scotland by head of population but covering a relatively small land mass of 270 square kilometres. Just under 180,000 people live in Renfrewshire, with our population projected to continue to grow over the next ten years, particularly our older population aged 60 and over. We also expect the number of households to increase to over 90,000 by 2028, predominantly driven by an increasing number of single adult or two-adult households without children. While Renfrewshire is less ethnically diverse than Scotland as a whole, we know it is a place of growing ethnic diversity, with our primary school rolls particularly reflecting this increase. The people who live here know what a fantastic place Renfrewshire is. With its history and heritage, our culture and creativity, and our innovation and inventiveness, Renfrewshire has always been a place worth watching. Our location is second to none – connected nationally and internationally through road, river, rail and air, but equally filled with tranquil natural spaces to reconnect and recharge. Renfrewshire is at the heart of exciting new leaps forward for Scotland’s economy as home to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland. We’re right at the forefront of this developing sector and will enjoy the boost to employment, skills and economic growth this will bring to Renfrewshire and have positioned ourselves to attract more industries who recognise our potential. Across all of Renfrewshire, we are lucky to have a wealth of cultural and heritage assets. We’re investing £100m in these well-loved places, creating world-class, modern facilities, securing their future and ensuring they continue to inspire our people and encourage visitors to celebrate our history and support our thriving arts sector. Renfrewshire also boasts beautiful green attractions across our whole geographical area – coastal, woodland, moorland, and wetlands – with opportunities to walk, wheel or cycle and enjoy our stunning natural environment, diverse range of wildlife and striking views across the Clyde Valley and beyond. However, Renfrewshire faces a range of challenges, many of which existed before the COVID-19 pandemic but have since been deepened by both the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Child poverty in Renfrewshire has been rising steadily, with the most recent figures telling us that around one in five children in Renfrewshire are living in poverty. This is below the national rate but is rising faster than the overall Scottish picture. Significant work has been undertaken to raise attainment for all while closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children and young people. Renfrewshire’s pupils perform above the national level for literacy and numeracy even though our levels of deprivation are higher than average. More Renfrewshire school leavers enter positive destinations than the national average, but we know we have work to do to help care experienced children and young people to build positive futures as they move on from school. Whilst Renfrewshire’s unemployment rate is broadly the same as Scotland’s, we have far more people in Renfrewshire working in low paid jobs compared to both the Scottish and the regional picture. We also have a much higher percentage of people who are not working due to having long- term health conditions in Renfrewshire compared to the national average. Around a quarter of Renfrewshire residents live in a datazone within the 20% most deprived in Scotland. Item 5 Page 29 of 218
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The impact can be seen in our health and wellbeing – Renfrewshire’s life expectancy is lower than Scotland’s average life expectancy, for both males and females. Similarly, the ‘healthy life expectancy’, which describes living in good health, is also lower than the national rate for both males and females. The rate of drug-related death in Renfrewshire is regularly above the Scottish rate and has been consistently higher since 2017. Renfrewshire’s alcohol specific death rate was more than 4 times higher in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived. Local engagement we’ve undertaken to understand experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic has also shown health worries to be a concern for our citizens. People also told us that they felt more anxious than they had before the pandemic and had experienced issues around loneliness and isolation. Item 5 Page 30 of 218
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Our Organisation Renfrewshire Council is committed to getting things right. We’re ambitious for our excellent schools, our hard-working and innovative businesses, our communities and the environment. There are five services across Renfrewshire Council - Chief Executive’s, Children’s Services, Communities and Housing, Environment and Infrastructure, and Finance and Resources. We also work alongside our key partners Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and One Ren as well as our community planning partners such as Engage Renfrewshire, the NHS, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, University of West of Scotland and West College Scotland. We also work closely with organisations across the third and private sectors in Renfrewshire, to provide the best services in the best ways for our communities. As an organisation, we procure goods and services for Renfrewshire worth around £200m each year and we work hard to keep many of the benefits of this buying-power local. We’re proud of our team who work 24/7 to care for those who most need our support – at every stage of life – helping to make this a safe, welcoming and fair place for everyone. We provide universal services, these are the things that touch on all of our day to day lives, like street lighting, safe pavements and roads, waste and recycling. We also provide more targeted services at times where people need a bit more support, like social work and social care services. We’ve worked hard to support our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, work which continues as part of our recovery – particularly through the actions outlined in Renfrewshire’s Social Renewal Plan and Economic Recovery Plan. We care about getting it right so that we can give young people the chances they deserve to take Renfrewshire forward and benefit future generations. Item 5 Page 31 of 218
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Key facts about Renfrewshire Council in 2022 Item 5 Page 32 of 218
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PLACE •Working together to maximise our collective impact and influence (placeshaping) •Ensuring right supply of good quality, green, affordable homes in the right places •Working together to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe, vibrant, and attractive places to live •Demonstrating that Renfrewshire is a great place to live, work and visit •Developing our relationship with and working alongside communities on the decisions that affect them •Developing our approach to locality working •Delivering strong universal services for everyone •Creating a digitally capable and connected Renfrewshire ECONOMY •Securing wellbeing through a stronger, inclusive and sustainable economy •Linking opportunities to enhance economic benefits for Renfrewshire •Creating sustainable employment opportunities •Supporting businesses to thrive •Ensuring that all people can benefit from the inclusive growth in Renfrewshire •Supporting people into fair work •Matching skills and opportunities across Renfrewshire •Equipping all children and young people to achieve success in life FAIR •Reducing inequalities •Working with partners to increase financial security •Reducing child poverty •Supporting improved health and wellbeing for our citizens •Empowering people with lived experience to influence service delivery •Supporting recovery and championing trauma-informed practice •Protecting vulnerable people •Supporting and nurturing children and families through whole family support •Working with partners to support unpaid carers •Creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for children and young people •Embedding children’s rights in our decision making processes GREEN •Working with partners and communities towards a net zero Renfrewshire •Ensuring a just transition towards net zero, with fairness at the heart •Empowering people and organisations to make informed green choices •Integrating climate impacts into our long term strategic and financial planning •Boosting our green economy, creating good, green and sustainable jobs •Planning for future climate adaptations, particularly for our most vulnerable citizens •Protecting, enhancing and supporting equal access to nature across all our communities LIVING OUR VALUES •Ensuring our organisation is financially sustainable •Leading positively through transition and change •Responding flexibly to structural and policy changes emerging through national legislation •Delivering transformation programmes to improve our organisation and ensure financial resilience •Delivering Best Value for our citizens and customers •Positioning the Council as an employer of choice •Recognising and valuing our people •Caring for employee health and wellbeing Cross cutting theme: Improving outcomes for children and families These are the 5 strategic outcomes for this Council Plan – place, economy, fair, green and living our values. Improving outcomes for children and families runs through all 5 areas and underpins all that we do. Grouped under each outcome area are the high-level priorities we will focus on. Throughout the rest of this Plan you can read more about what we mean by our outcome areas, with more detail about our priorities and the actions we will undertake to achieve lasting positive change across all our strategic outcomes. Item 5 Page 33 of 218
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Place – working together to enhance wellbeing across communities The pandemic showed just how caring and resilient our communities are – quickly acting to support our vulnerable neighbours and friends. We want to continue to harness that power of kindness and work together with our citizens to deliver the positive futures that all our children deserve. Fundamental to our sense of place are our homes. We want to ensure there are high quality homes in the right places which support modern ways of living and are energy efficient - helping us to meet our climate ambitions and supporting families to reduce their energy bills and live happy, safe, connected and fulfilled lives. We want everyone to have access to nature, transport links, good shops and places to eat, exercise, healthcare and cultural, play and learning opportunities within their local communities – sometimes referred to as ’20-minute neighbourhoods’. Creating these connected communities helps cut down on unnecessary journeys, supports our local economy and also fosters that sense of belonging to the place around us. We want children to grow up excited, inspired and encouraged to fulfil their potential in Renfrewshire and want to continue to stay here. We want families to move into this area for the great schools and stay for the great opportunities. We will continue to celebrate the arts, culture and our heritage in Renfrewshire, increasingly recognising culture as a central pillar of wellness, flowing through local approaches to health, social care, education and skills development as well as our regeneration and economic development plans and strategies for Renfrewshire. We want people from our youngest to our oldest residents to have a say in the decisions that matter to them, from playparks to healthcare, from investment decisions to the cultural opportunities that bring a smile to all our faces - we want people to feel like their voices have been heard and that we’re creating Renfrewshire’s future together. Our priorities Adopting a ‘placeshaping’ approach to developing our communities – working together to maximise our collective impact and influence across economic, social, physical, cultural and environmental policies and practices Demonstrating that Renfrewshire is a great place to grow up, it’s a place of opportunity for those that live and work here, and it’s a brilliant place for a day out Ensuring Renfrewshire has the supply of green, high-quality, affordable, cross-tenure homes in the right places to meet current and future demands Working with partners to ensure our neighbourhoods are safe, vibrant and attractive places to live Developing our relationship with, listening to and involving our communities in the shaping of their future, particularly around the Council’s investment and budgeting decisions, and ensuring that a wide range of voices and views are heard Creating a Renfrewshire where those who live, work, visit and invest are digitally capable and connected Delivering those strong universal services we all receive and all rely on - like safe roads, clean and well-lit streets, efficient waste and recycling – making Renfrewshire a great place to live Item 5 Page 34 of 218
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Our actions Delivering our housing-led regeneration programme, working with key stakeholders to deliver visible change in our communities Delivering Renfrewshire’s Strategic Housing Investment Programme in partnership with other housing providers in Renfrewshire to secure the supply of affordable housing that meets the current and future housing needs of our communities Delivering our Local Housing Strategy, with specific actions to prevent and address homelessness and to support people to live independently, ensuring the different housing needs of Renfrewshire’s citizens are met Delivering our ambitious regeneration programme, enhancing our culture and heritage assets, using these as a catalyst for growth and renewal across our towns, villages and communities Providing opportunities to work in partnership with our communities and to direct local investment towards the priorities that matter most to the people who live here and make the biggest difference to their happiness and wellbeing Developing local plans that reflect the voices of our communities, alongside strengthening our local partnerships, working together to deliver local priorities Progressing our locality model of working, building on our experiences of working together through the pandemic, and acting as a bridge between local communities, local partnerships and Council services Positioning Renfrewshire as a destination of choice, through visitor and investor marketing and major events, building on our cultural infrastructure investment and the opportunities this will bring to Renfrewshire Delivering Future Paisley, our far-reaching cultural regeneration programme, harnessing the power of the arts, heritage and culture for social and economic change Delivering our digital strategy through strong digital foundations, leadership and learning – driving forward from the progress achieved during the pandemic and prioritising the next steps to continue our journey Item 5 Page 35 of 218
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Economy – building an inclusive, green and resilient economy (matching people, skills and opportunities) Renfrewshire’s economy remains strong despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, with thousands of businesses making Renfrewshire their home and a wide range of local, national and global organisations choosing to invest here. We want to encourage this, nurturing new businesses and supporting existing businesses to thrive. The growing manufacturing industry is Renfrewshire’s largest sector for GVA (or Gross Value Added), adding £771m of value to our economy and expected to rise by another £100m by 2030. Renfrewshire is home to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS), our sector-leading flagship development establishing Renfrewshire as the place to be for excellence in manufacturing research, development and innovation. Together with Renfrewshire’s City Deal and Levelling Up projects - Glasgow Airport Investment Area and AMIDS South providing the enabling infrastructure for AMIDS including new roads and cycleways, bridges and utility provision; and Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside delivering an opening bridge over the Clyde – these projects are already bringing employment, skills and economic growth opportunities to Renfrewshire. AMIDS is a great example of how we’re already working to ensure our economic ambitions support our climate ambitions with the district designed with sustainability at its core, including a state of the art, low carbon heating network. Renfrewshire faces a number of challenges – we need to boost our working age population and ensure the people who live here can also work here in well-paid, skilled jobs and don’t need to travel outside Renfrewshire for employment. We know that many of our residents are working hard but in jobs that are low paid, jobs that don’t support them to live well and jobs that mean they still experience poverty. Employers tell us they are finding it difficult to fill job vacancies and we know there are some skills gaps too. We want to be well positioned to make the most of the green economy and develop the right skills at the right time to make sure people in Renfrewshire can work in jobs that are well paid, fulfilling and protect the environment. Our priorities Improving lives and securing wellbeing through a stronger, inclusive and sustainable economy, being creative, imaginative and linking opportunities to enhance the benefits for Renfrewshire Creating sustainable employment opportunities for people who live in Renfrewshire, attracting good employers to the area and encouraging growth of businesses already operating here, ensuring that all people can benefit from the inclusive growth in Renfrewshire Supporting our citizens, particularly those furthest from the jobs market, into fair work - well paid, fulfilling employment Matching the skills developed in Renfrewshire with the opportunities available in Renfrewshire and equipping all children and young people to achieve success in life Our actions Progressing Renfrewshire’s ten-year Economic Strategy across the 6 strategic ambitions, investing in innovation, economic infrastructure and skills Item 5 Page 36 of 218
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Delivering the large-scale infrastructure projects which come under the scope of the City Deal and Infrastructure Programme, boosting employment and earnings and driving innovation and growth Delivering a Community Wealth Building approach to a wellbeing economy in Renfrewshire – supporting local enterprises and the development of local assets, ensuring how we spend our money benefits Renfrewshire’s communities and supports just labour markets and the progressive procurement of goods and services Continuing to maximise the opportunities from large investment programmes from the UK and Scottish Governments, ensuring Renfrewshire is well positioned to attract funding for projects that will enhance our economy and benefit our communities Delivering employability programmes for Renfrewshire to support our citizens into employment, with targeted approaches for parents, people experiencing inequalities and young people Delivering improvements in skills and sustained, positive school-leaver destinations for all young people Item 5 Page 37 of 218
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Fair – nurturing bright, happy and healthy futures for all Fairness is at the heart of everything we do – it’s a core value of Renfrewshire Council. Our colleagues and our communities have told us that fairness matters. What we’ve learned is that difficult times don’t treat everyone the same. The covid pandemic hit disadvantaged people hardest - those already with health conditions, those already in poorly paid jobs, those already struggling. It is the same for the cost-of-living crisis and for the climate emergency. Time and time again, when there are major impacts across society, these are not felt equally. We also know that some children and young people don’t have the same opportunities to thrive as others, such as care experienced young people, and we know that families living in more deprived communities in Renfrewshire don’t always have the same chances to do well in life than others. Renfrewshire has a difficult relationship with alcohol and drugs - we recognise the harms caused to our people and our communities and we also recognise the deep traumas that can lead people to use substances in ways which are harmful for them. As a Council, we work closely with our key partners to provide care, support and to protect our most vulnerable citizens - our children and young people, our older people and people with particular needs. Together we help them live their best possible lives, free from harm and able to thrive. Nobody should be scared about their futures, their safety, their health or their wellbeing. Where you live shouldn’t determine how long you live. This is unfair and we want this to change. Our priorities Reducing inequalities in Renfrewshire, focusing on supporting our communities through the cost-of- living crisis with dignity and empowering people to live fulfilled lives Reducing child poverty in Renfrewshire and improving outcomes for children and families currently living in poverty Empowering people with lived experience of poverty and inequalities to influence decision making and service delivery Working with a range of partners to support the improved health and wellbeing of our citizens, including for people experiencing loneliness and isolation Protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities, including children and young people who are at risk Supporting and nurturing children and families, with particular focus on early intervention and mental health and wellbeing, to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people Placing the rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of our decision making and service delivery Promoting a shared vision and refreshed understanding of inclusion for our children and young people Raising educational attainment while ensuring equity for all our children and young people Item 5 Page 38 of 218
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Our actions Developing and implementing the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme, the umbrella programme to tackle issues relating to poverty and inequalities in Renfrewshire Challenging health inequalities across our communities through early intervention and preventative programmes working with Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Delivering our Local Child Poverty Action Plan, in partnership with Renfrewshire’s HSCP and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, supporting families with issues such as low income, insecure employment, caring responsibilities and disabilities Progressing work to ensure Renfrewshire ‘Keeps the Promise’ and delivers improved outcomes for individuals who are care experienced, wherever possible keeping children within their families Delivering whole family wellbeing support to enhance and maximise our programmes in relation to child poverty, educational attainment, mental health and substance use Delivering actions related to the recommendations of the Alcohol and Drugs Commission to tackle the harms that local people experience in relation to alcohol and drug use and support the health and wellbeing of individuals and their families Ensuring person-centred and trauma informed practice through the delivery of all our programmes, building trust and respect with the people we engage with, listen to and support Equipping parents and carers with the information, skills and support they need to ensure positive outcomes for children and young people in their care, whilst providing opportunities for parents and carers to shape the services that impact them Enhancing supports around mental health and wellbeing, including school-based mental health and wellbeing programmes and the provision of early help services to those in need Supporting carers, unpaid carers and young carers (including our own employees who have caring responsibilities), ensuring they are able to access good advice, that our services are shaped to make their lives easier, and that they are able to look after their own health and wellbeing as well as the person they care for Ensuring our children and young people experience inclusive learning environments and supportive relationships which lead to improved positive and sustained outcomes Enhancing learning and teaching, delivering a meaningful, relevant, progressive curriculum that supports a wide range of learner pathways for Renfrewshire’s children and young people Item 5 Page 39 of 218
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Green – leading Renfrewshire to Net Zero We want to end Renfrewshire’s contribution to climate change within a generation. We are committed to working towards net zero by 2030 for the whole of Renfrewshire to ensure a safer, healthier, greener and fairer place for everyone to live, work and spend time in. Net zero means reducing carbon emissions as much as we possibly can and then ‘offsetting’ any leftover emissions that can’t be reduced through methods such as tree planting, restoring peat bogs and carbon capture schemes. We have developed a Plan for Net Zero for the whole of Renfrewshire – the Council, our partners, the business sector and communities. The Council will seek to lead by example, use our influence, our assets, our purchasing power and our people to show how we can make a real difference and leave a lasting positive legacy for future generations through our creativity and boldness now. Renfrewshire’s net zero journey has fairness at the heart, ensuring that people who are already struggling are not impacted further by changes we make in our services or ways of working to tackle the climate crisis. We also want to ensure that all people can benefit from changes we make towards a greener way of life, such as through reduced energy bills, new green skills and jobs, and improvements in our transport infrastructure to make employment opportunities easier to travel to. We will also incorporate resilience and adaptation into our net zero planning - identifying risks to help us prepare, respond and recover from the severe weather and climate change impacts that are being felt now. We will have a particular focus on our most vulnerable communities and our most vulnerable citizens, alongside considering the resilience of our organization, our supply chain and Renfrewshire’s local economy and infrastructure. Alongside our ambitions for tackling the climate crisis, as a signatory to the Edinburgh Declaration on Biodiversity, the Council has committed to tackling the nature crisis. We will do this through protecting and enhancing our local ecosystems, considering nature-based solutions and promoting and championing our fantastic natural environment in Renfrewshire, recognising the health and wellbeing benefits of enjoying nature. Our priorities Working across partners and communities to deliver the priority areas highlighted in our Plan for Net Zero, working towards a net zero Renfrewshire by 2030 Ensuring our journey to net zero is a just transition with climate justice and fairness at the heart, finding opportunities to challenge inequalities in new green ways as we tackle the climate crisis Empowering colleagues, organisations, businesses and communities to access the information they need to make informed and positive green choices Integrating climate considerations into our long term strategic and financial planning as an organisation Planning for future climate adaptations when designing our services and our developing our place, particularly considering the impacts for our most vulnerable citizens Boosting our green economy, creating good green jobs that are sustainable for the future Item 5 Page 40 of 218
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Protecting and enhancing nature in Renfrewshire and encouraging equal access to opportunities to enjoy nature across all people and communities Our actions Developing costed, targeted interventions and actions to support our net zero journey within the Council and working in partnership with key stakeholders Engaging with colleagues across our organisation to embed net zero thinking into our practice and integrating a net zero approach across our strategic and financial planning Developing a funding strategy to support the resourcing of actions to deliver net zero, with a range of pathfinder projects ready to be scaled up to maximise national funding opportunities Establishing a carbon budget for Renfrewshire Council, ensuring we place an equal focus on our carbon footprint as we do on our financial budgets and keeping us on track to achieve our net zero ambitions Considering the Council’s supply chains, activities and operations to identify areas where we can reduce carbon in the products and services we buy through innovative procurement practices Seeking out employment opportunities and developing a green skills pipeline linked to the Council’s own major investment programmes such as the Housing-led Regeneration Programme and the City Deal and Infrastructure Programme Identifying opportunities to protect and enhance nature, encouraging communities to enjoy the range of benefits from spending time in natural spaces and support our children’s love for the natural world. Item 5 Page 41 of 218
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Living our values – making a difference together There are big changes and challenges ahead for Renfrewshire Council. Our organisation faces an unprecedented financial challenge to make significant savings after many years of already delivering substantial efficiencies and reduction in our spending. Alongside this, our communities are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis and the demand for our services is higher than ever before. Also, much like households across Renfrewshire, the costs the Council has to meet, such as for energy and food, are also at an all-time high. We have difficult decisions to make each year about what services we deliver, how we deliver them and where we may need to shift our focus elsewhere. We have to work in this way in order to ensure Renfrewshire Council can continue to deliver services for those that need it most now and in the future. We are also fundamentally remodelling how (and where!) we work as part of our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, to capture the benefits of our new ways of working for our communities and for our colleagues. We are working to understand what the establishment of the new National Care Service and other major national legislative changes will mean for Renfrewshire Council, for the very shape of what our organisation will look like in the future and what we deliver across our communities. We know we must continue to deliver an ambitious and cross-cutting transformation programme to ensure our organisation is resilient to meet future challenges and continues to deliver our key priorities in ways that provide good value for money and the best possible experience for our customers and citizens. Working for Renfrewshire Council means making a difference, big or small, for Renfrewshire’s residents. As we’ve outlined, parts of our organisation will change and our ways of working will evolve over time, but our core purpose remains the same – serving Renfrewshire, making this a safe and happy place to live, learn and visit. Being part of the Renfrewshire Council team means demonstrating our values in how we deliver services, how we interact with communities and our colleagues, and how we all live our day to day working lives. We want our communities to trust us and for anyone who interacts with us to know that they will be treated with respect, compassion and dignity – working here, we are fair and inclusive to each other and to those we meet in our working day. We are proud to work for Renfrewshire Council and we are passionate about making a difference – working here, we are helpful, we go the extra mile to make things work and make connections to deliver better services and outcomes. We care about Renfrewshire, and we know that we can achieve more together – working here, we are great collaborators, working together across different teams, services, and with different organisations, partners and our communities to make Renfrewshire the best it can be. We want to continue to attract the brightest and best people to work here and we want to keep pace with new and emerging technology and ideas and understand the benefits this can bring us and our customers – working here, we value learning, from each other and from other places and organisations. It is only through the people who work for Renfrewshire Council that we can deliver the priorities described throughout this Plan. Each and every one of us has a part to play. Item 5 Page 42 of 218
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Our priorities Sharpening the focus of our organisation to ensure future financial sustainability Demonstrating sound leadership and vision, taking difficult decisions around the shape of our organisation in order to safeguard our future resilience and leading and supporting our people through these changes Responding flexibly to structural and policy changes emerging through national legislation, such as the establishment of the National Care Service, to ensure Renfrewshire’s people continue to receive good quality services Ensuring Renfrewshire Council delivers Best Value for our citizens and customers, that we are a well governed, effective organisation Positioning Renfrewshire Council as an employer of choice, with our ways of working, our culture and our values attracting the best people to join our team Recognising and celebrating the efforts of all our workforce in ways that make people feel valued and encouraged to build a career in Renfrewshire Council. Caring for the health and wellbeing of all our workforce, supporting us to work well and deliver great services Our actions Delivering our financial strategy and transformation programmes in order to maintain sustainable, effective and efficient services and within our challenging financial environment Engaging at all levels in the opportunities to influence national policy direction, understand the implications of application locally and mitigate against any possible disruption for our communities where we are able to do so Adjusting the shape and focus of our organisation in response to national legislation (such as the National Care Service) Transitioning to new ways of working that best meet the needs of our customers, our organisation and the people who work here and match the assets we have as an organisation Ensuring we understand our service delivery, gaps in our approaches and have plans for improvement through ongoing self-assessment and evaluation of our strengths and weaknesses as an organisation Building Renfrewshire Council’s brand and driving the implementation of the Council Values, so that people know and trust Renfrewshire Council as an organisation and understand what it means to be part of ‘Team Renfrewshire’ Delivering a refreshed suite of workforce strategies and policies for a modern workplace, including a wellbeing strategy; a revised approach to recruitment and talent management; and an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Item 5 Page 43 of 218
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About the Council Plan • How this plan was developed This Council Plan was developed through a process of research and engagement in tandem with its sister plan – the Community Plan. Together, the two plans describe the vision for Renfrewshire and how we want to get there. The Council Plan identifies what Renfrewshire Council will focus on, and the Community Plan is for all Renfrewshire’s Community Planning Partners (including the Council) to focus on areas where we can make a difference by working together. A key starting point was to understand what Renfrewshire looked like now and what had changed since the previous Plans were developed in 2017. A Strategic Needs Assessment (SNA) was carried out, building on the Community Impact Assessment developed as part of the Social Renewal Plan. The SNA looked at all different aspects of life in Renfrewshire, a range of different datasets – both national and local - and even looked at surveys we’d carried out over the past few years with our citizens, particularly through Renfrewshire’s Public Services Panel. This work helped us to understand the challenges Renfrewshire faces and the areas where we should best focus our attention. Alongside this research, we also considered the policy context for Renfrewshire, both at a local and national level – what activity had we committed to carrying out, what duties we needed to carry out based on national funding or legislation changes, and what projects and programmes we wanted to be a part of in the coming years. Finally, we engaged with colleagues, Elected Members, and (in the case of the Community Plan) our communities and community planning partners and made sure the content made sense, the direction of travel met with their vision and aspiration and that they felt this well represented what Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire as a place are all about. • How will the plan work? This Council Plan describes the place we are going to become over the next 5 years. It describes who we are as an organisation and where our focus will be to achieve our ambitions. The Plan will sit alongside a suite of SMART actions to show the specific activity required across Council Services to deliver our vision and a basket of performance indicators and data which will help us measure our impact. Six-monthly updates on Council Plan progress will be reported to the Council’s Leadership Board, which is made available online. Across Renfrewshire Council, each Service develops a Service Improvement Plan (SIP) on an annual basis – these SIPs sit under the Council Plan and describe the activities that each Service will undertake in order to support the delivery of the Council Plan. • How can I give feedback or ask a question about the Council Plan? Please email policycefar@renfrewshire.gov.uk with any feedback or queries and we’ll be happy to hear from you. • How can I get this Plan in other formats? Again, please email policycefar@renfrewshire.gov.uk to request a copy of this plan in another format, language or large print. Item 5 Page 44 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Community Plan refresh ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 In 2017, full Council approved a new Community Plan for Renfrewshire which would run from 2017-2027. The plan has now been reviewed at the mid term, in light of the significant changes to the context in which the Council and its partners are operating as a result of issues such as climate change, COVID 19 and the emerging cost of living crisis. The timing of this refresh has been particularly important in order to assess the impact of these issues on local businesses, communities and residents. 1.2 In reviewing the community Plan, the Community Planning Partnership has agreed that the original outcomes and aims set out within the 2017-2027 plan remain robust, but that there is a need to focus much more strongly on where collective action by partners can make the most difference. 3 specific areas of focus have been identified by partners to guide their programme of work over the remaining 5 years of the plan, which will be delivered through 12 priority actions. 1.3 The refreshed plan is attached as Appendix 1 of this report. Elected members will note that the plan, which has been drafted by partners, is deliberately short and focused. It does not provide an overview of all of the activities that partners are progressing as part of “business as usual”, but instead very much focuses on how partners will focus on: Supporting low income families Tackling health inequalities and Addressing the climate emergency Item 6 Page 45 of 218
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1.4 The refreshed Plan has been developed in tandem with a new Council Plan for the organisation, providing an opportunity to align the priorities of the Council and the wider Community Planning Partnership. 1.5 Section 6 of the report sets out proposed minor changes to existing Community Planning Partnership governance arrangements which have been identified by partners to support the delivery of the refreshed Plan, and to ensure greater transparency and scrutiny of its activities. 1.6 Subject to approval of the Plan by full Council, a performance framework will be developed for the Community Plan, in order that partners can report progress on the outcomes that are being collectively targeted. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members: approve the Community Plan 2022-2027 attached as Appendix 1; note that the Community Plan was considered by the Cross Party Sounding Board on 8 September 2022; agree to proposed changes to Community Planning governance arrangements at section 6. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Renfrewshire Council has a robust strategic planning framework, which ensures that the Council works effectively at partnership, organisational and service level to plan and deliver services, and improve outcomes for local people, businesses and communities. 3.2 The Community Plan is one of three important sets of documents that, taken together, describe what the Council is trying to achieve over the coming years and how it is going to do this: The Council Plan summarises the Council's priority objectives over a period of usually 3-5 years and the actions it will take to deliver these objectives The Community Plan summarises the priorities for Renfrewshire that the Council and its community planning partners (the other public bodies and third sector organisations that deliver services within Renfrewshire) have identified and agreed that can best be achieved by working closely together. Service plans detail the activity that each Council service will be undertaking to contribute to the successful delivery of the Council Plan and the Community Plan. 3.2 Officers have been working with partners to refresh the current Community Plan, which is now 5 years into its 10 year term. Item 6 Page 46 of 218
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4. Refresh of the Community Plan 4.1 In line with the provisions of the Community Empowerment Act, local partners are required to produce a Local Outcomes Improvement Plan, which outlines the strategic priorities of all stakeholders within a local authority area, and with a particular focus on tackling inequality. In 2017, partners agreed a 10 year Local Outcomes Improvement Plan, which is locally referred to as the Community Plan. 4.2 During the last two years partners have come together regularly to review shared priorities, particularly in relation to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was agreed earlier in 2022, that a refresh of the existing Community Plan should be undertaken, providing an opportunity for partners to refocus and restate priorities at the mid term stage of the Plan. 4.3 It is worth noting that the refreshed Community Plan provides an opportunity for partners to really hone in and focus on areas of activity where collective action will make a difference in terms of the outcomes being targeted for local people and communities. The refreshed Community Plan does not therefore describe all of the activities and partnership initiatives that are already being delivered as business as usual. 4.4. On the agenda for full Council, elected members are also being asked to approve a new Council Plan for the organisation. The development of the Council Plan 2022-2027 and the refresh of Renfrewshire’s Community Plan have taken place in tandem, representing a valuable opportunity for both plans to be aligned, and for the Council and partners to jointly agree the strategic outcomes which will be targeted. The Council paper on this agenda provides an overview of a Strategic Needs Assessment Exercise which has been undertaken to analyse all of the information that the Council and partners have in relation to the needs of local businesses, communities and residents. In terms of the Community Plan, this has also been informed by engagement with local community groups and organisations. 4.5 The priorities which were identified through this process for both the Community Plan and the Council Plan were scrutinised by the Cross Party Sounding Board at its meeting on 8 September 2022. Elected Members had the opportunity to discuss the emerging themes and priorities and to inform the final stages of development of both plans. 5. Key outcomes and priorities 5.1 Based on the engagement undertaken to date, community planning partners have agreed, that the key outcomes being targeted through the existing community plan remain sound, but recognised that the focus of the partnership requires to shift to ensure there is greater collective action in relation to certain priorities. As elected members will recall, the current themes are: Item 6 Page 47 of 218
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5.2 Partners have agreed 3 key areas of focus for the remainder of the Plan, and have identified 12 priority actions to be progressed in relation to these 3 areas: 5.3 Partners believe that the 3 areas of focus and 12 priority actions, will allow them to focus much more strongly on the difference that they can make collectively in terms of improving outcomes for local people. Given the complexity of the current environment in which all partners are operating, partners recognise that there is a need to remain flexible in their approach, and be ready to respond to needs as these emerge over time. 6. Community Planning Governance arrangements 6.1 The current Community Planning governance arrangements have been in place since 2016 and have recently been reviewed to consider opportunities Item 6 Page 48 of 218
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to support greater transparency of the work of the Community Planning Partnership and to support the delivery of the 3 key areas of focus which will guide the work of the Partnership over the remaining term of the plan. 6.2 In light of the establishment of the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme by Council in March 2022, and the strong focus which will be required to respond to the emerging cost of living crisis, it is recommended that the existing Improving Life Chances Group is replaced by a Fairer Renfrewshire Partnership Group. The Group will be chaired by a senior officer within the Council and the membership and terms of reference for the group will be reviewed, with a view to the Group being established by December 2022. 6.3 In order to further strengthen opportunities for elected members to have oversight of the work of the community planning partnership, it is proposed that six-monthly updates are provided to the Leadership Board going forward. This would ensure enhanced scrutiny of activities could be undertaken by all elected members represented on the Board, and would allow the Community Planning Partnership Oversight Board to be discontinued. 7. Next steps 7.1 Subject to the approval of Council, the refreshed Community Plan and linked governance changes will be progressed with partners with immediate effect. 7.2 A performance framework will be developed for the Community Plan with partners, with key indicators and actions identified to be agreed by partners. Six monthly reports on progress will be reported to the Leadership Board, as set out within this paper. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The key outcomes targeted through the Community Plan and associated initiatives will require to be managed within existing resources, with additional investment secured where appropriate. 2. HR & Organisational Development – a key Council value is the focus of the organisation and our people on collaboration. The Community Plan exemplifies our approach to collaboration locally. 3. Community/Council Planning – as per the content of this report. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology - none Item 6 Page 49 of 218
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7. Equality and Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – Addressing the climate emergency on a partnership basis, is a key area of focus identified within the refreshed Community Plan. Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Commissioning Item 6 Page 50 of 218
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1 Renfrewshire’s Community Plan 2022 – 2027 Item 6 Page 51 of 218
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2 Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Our approach ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Our Areas of Focus – 2022-27 ................................................................................................................. 7 1) Supporting low income families ................................................................................................ 7 2) Tackling health inequalities ....................................................................................................... 7 3) Addressing the climate emergency ........................................................................................... 8 Renfrewshire’s Community Plan 2017-2027 ......................................................................................... 9 Our Renfrewshire is thriving: Maximising economic growth, which is inclusive and sustainable .. 9 Our Renfrewshire is well: Supporting the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Our Renfrewshire is fair: Addressing the inequalities which limit life chances ............................. 11 Our Renfrewshire is safe: Protecting vulnerable people, and working together to manage the risk of harm ....................................................................................................................................... 12 How we will work ................................................................................................................................. 13 Structure and Governance ................................................................................................................... 14 Performance ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Item 6 Page 52 of 218
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3 Introduction Renfrewshire has clear ambitions for our people and place. These ambitions are shared across partners and sectors, and strong partnerships are in place already delivering on these ambitions. The period since the last Community Plan was produced in 2017 has been marked by globally significant economic and political challenges which have impacted every organisation, business, household and person in Renfrewshire. What we know is that while we’ve made good progress in the last 5 years and there is much to celebrate for our people and place, inequalities for local people are persisting and for too many people, worsening. The last five years have shown us how quickly things can change, with challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis having a significant immediate impact for our communities. We anticipate these challenges will also have a lasting and long-term impact locally, and the extent of this is not yet clear. Real and significant challenges lie ahead for our organisations too. As partners, we all face constraints in finances as well as increasing demand, which will mean focussed and flexible partnership working has never been more important to make sure we deliver for local people. Our vision for Renfrewshire remains the same, but we’re not the same. This refreshed plan provides a sharper emphasis on the areas where we require collaboration and collective action to deliver on our vision, by building on our strengths and providing renewed focus on emerging challenges. Working together to make Renfrewshire a fairer, more inclusive place where all our people, communities and businesses thrive The vision for our Community Plan Item 6 Page 53 of 218
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4 Our approach Our Renfrewshire: Renfrewshire’s Community Plan 2017-2027 provides a detailed overview of Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership’s vision and priorities. We’ve refreshed our Strategic Needs Assessment for Renfrewshire, looking at the local evidence to tell us where we need to focus our efforts. We’ve looked closely at what local people have told us through a range of methods, such as our Public Services Panel which gets direct feedback from a panel of over 1,500 residents, the priorities of our Local Partnerships and targeted engagement with equalities groups as part of our COVID-19 Community Impact Assessment. We’ve also held stakeholder sessions with partners as we’ve developed the plan to talk about what we’ve learnt and gather wider views on what the Community Planning Partnership’s focus should be moving forward. We’ve also reflected the priorities from other national and local strategic plans, such as the National Covid Recovery Strategy and our own local economic and social recovery plans. We think the previous themes of the Community Plan remain appropriate but have agreed the Community Plan needs sharper focus on the actions where a collective partnership effort is required specifically. Item 6 Page 54 of 218
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5 The themes of the Community Plan are: We’ve identified three Areas of Focus for the next five years: Using the four themes of the plan, we’ve developed twelve action areas which will be the focus of the Community Plan. Moving forward, our emphasis will be on how we collectively deliver on these action areas. Item 6 Page 55 of 218
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6 Supporting low- income families Tackling health inequalities Addressing the climate emergency Thriving Provide opportunities and support to parents to enter, sustain and progress at work Tackle the barriers to work for people with disabilities and health conditions Create good, green jobs and a green skills pipeline everyone can access Well Join up support for families within communities and across partners Provide a network of community mental health and wellbeing supports Make sure there are local spaces and nature that support health and wellbeing Fair Provide support that allows families to live dignified lives and respond to the cost of living crisis Reduce the impact of alcohol and drugs and support recovery Deliver a ‘just transition’ towards net zero with fairness at its core Safe Work together to support children and young people at risk of trauma and harm Make sure people can live safely and independently at home and in the community Develop adaptations to climate impacts for vulnerable people Item 6 Page 56 of 218
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7 Our Areas of Focus – 2022-27 1) Supporting low income families Child poverty is unacceptable, and not inevitable. One in five children in Renfrewshire are living in poverty. The first years of someone’s life have a huge influence on their future. Children who grow up in poverty face greater disadvantages and fewer opportunities in childhood, and this can have a lasting impact on life chances. We do not know the impact of the pandemic on child poverty levels, particularly long term effects on families and the economy. We do know the impacts have been felt most acutely by the most disadvantaged in our society – and also that some groups of people have much higher risk of living in poverty. Fundamentally, poverty is about money. Boosting the household income of families is key, by making sure they can access quality work which supports them to move out of poverty. It is commonly said that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. We need to work together to make sure our services and resources support families to raise happy, healthy children, and remove the barriers that stop them being able to do so. In particular, we need to work alongside low-income families to ensure we reach and respond to their needs. Child poverty is a challenge that cannot be met by any single organisation. We will need to work collectively to deliver the change needed for children and families. 2) Tackling health inequalities Significant health inequalities persist in Renfrewshire. These inequalities disadvantage people and limit their chance to live longer, healthier lives. In some areas of Renfrewshire, male life expectancy is 18 years lower than more affluent areas. The unequal effects of the pandemic will have health implications, particularly in the longer term, and will have contributed to health inequalities further. Mental health and wellbeing is a rising priority in Renfrewshire. The link between mental ill health and deprivation locally is well-known, but the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of local people is an additional concern. Communities tell us that they are worried about loneliness and isolation. We want to improve how many years people can live a healthy life, and a key part of this is supporting people to stay active and connected to others as they get older. We recognise that health inequalities can be a product of wider inequalities in income, power and wealth across our society. It is a shared challenge and cannot be an issue for ‘health’ partners Item 6 Page 57 of 218
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8 alone to address, nor is the impact limited to health services. For example, long term health conditions are increasingly keeping people out of work, which is a challenge for the economy more broadly, as well as individuals themselves. Health inequalities limit the people of Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire’s outcomes as a place. We need to co-ordinate our resources at a local level to ensure they are reaching the individuals within our communities that need it the most. A key part of our approach needs to focus on how we empower communities to be involved and heard in the design of public services that affect them. 3) Addressing the climate emergency Climate change is happening in Scotland, is happening in Renfrewshire, and we’re already seeing the impacts locally. The impact of climate change can slowed, and we can avoid or limit some of the worst impacts. We are committed to working towards net zero by 2030 for the whole of Renfrewshire. We need to work collectively to reduce emissions to as low a level as possible, leaving as little as possible to be offset. Renfrewshire’s net zero journey has fairness at its heart, ensuring that people who are already struggling are not impacted further by changes we make in our services or ways of working to tackle the climate crisis. We also want to ensure that all people can benefit from the opportunities this presents, such as gaining new skills and jobs, or enjoying the improved natural environment. Our children and young people are increasingly passionate in demanding climate action, and so it’s particularly important that they access the opportunities to shape our future green economy and preserve the local green spaces and places they love. The change needed to reach net zero is unprecedented. The scale of the challenge means that this must be a collaborative effort across partners and beyond. Item 6 Page 58 of 218
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9 Renfrewshire’s Community Plan 2017-2027 The four themes of the Community Plan are: We have reviewed the strategic priorities within each theme, and have reduced these to better reflect the areas where we think additional collective action is required. The following section outlines each theme of the plan, the key findings of our Strategic Needs Assessment, our strategic priorities for 2022-2027 and the action areas we will focus on. Our Renfrewshire is thriving: Maximising economic growth, which is inclusive and sustainable Economic growth continues to be a key priority for Renfrewshire, and we have ambitious plans to achieve sustained, inclusive growth of the Renfrewshire economy laid out in Renfrewshire’s Economic Strategy 2020-2030. Renfrewshire also has an Economic Recovery Plan, which provides a blueprint for Renfrewshire’s economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the Community Plan was first produced in 2017: Renfrewshire’s population has shown promising growth. Previously forecast to be static, the population has increased in recent years with predicted future growth above Scottish level There has been strong recovery of employment rates following the pandemic. The unemployment rate is 4.2%, as of September 2021, which is the same as the Scottish rate Employment inequality persists locally. Renfrewshire has a higher proportion of people who are in low-paid work, or underemployed, compared to national averages The percentage of people in low paid work in Renfrewshire has increased by 4.4% since 2016 and was 37.2% in 2019 compared to Scotland at 29.6% and Glasgow City Region at 30.8% Renfrewshire has the 4th highest gender pay gap in Scotland at 18.6%, which is 8.4 percentage points higher than the Scottish average Item 6 Page 59 of 218
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10 The proportion of the economically inactive population that is not working due to being long-term sick reached a 5 year high in 2021 of 42% compared to 29.4% Scottish average Our Priorities for 2022-27 Achieving inclusive growth by making sure Renfrewshire’s investment and opportunities deliver for all Equipping people with the skills and pathways to access opportunities Making sure people can access work which affords them an acceptable standard of living Our Areas of Focus: Provide opportunities and support to parents to enter, sustain and progress at work One of the most effective ways to address levels of child poverty locally is to provide support to parents and carers to access quality work which affords an acceptable standard of living. A key focus of our Local Employability Partnership, we will work together to target support to parents and carers and to enter, sustain and progress at work and work together to remove the barriers that prevent this. This includes access to further education and training. Tackle the barriers to work for people with disabilities and health conditions We recognise people with disabilities and health conditions face significant employment inequalities, with barriers in place preventing people from accessing fair work. Long term health conditions are increasingly keeping people out of work, which is a challenge for the economy more broadly, as well as individuals themselves. Create good, green jobs and a green skills pipeline everyone can access The transition to net zero will create good, green jobs and we will work together to make sure that every person is able to reskill and upskill to participate in a just transition to net zero. This will require action at both a national and local level. Our Renfrewshire is well: Supporting the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities We want people in Renfrewshire to feel well, both physically and mentally. Although most people locally consider themselves in good health, significant health inequalities persist in Renfrewshire. The pandemic exposed the extent of these inequalities, and will likely have widened those gaps. We know that feeling well and being well can prevent issues developing for people in the future. Since the Community Plan was first produced in 2017: Healthy life expectancy is lower than national average - males can expect to have 60.6 years of good health and females 61.6 Male life expectancy has fallen by 0.9%, with a larger fall than national life expectancy The population is ageing, with an increasing population of over 75s. There is a projected 21% increase in over 75s between 2018-2028 Item 6 Page 60 of 218
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11 Mental health and wellbeing continues to be a key concern, and a driver of deprivation rates locally Our Public Services Panel also shows that loneliness has increased despite the easing of lockdown restrictions Our Priorities for 2022-27 Promoting wellbeing and good mental health, particularly in our children and young people Tackling isolation and loneliness, by connecting people to their communities, and to services Promoting lifestyles that help people live healthier for longer Our Areas of Focus: Joined up support for families within communities and across partners We want to join up the support we provide for families to make sure that when they need a little help, or a lot, that they can access that support quickly and easily. We believe that these kinds of early supports mean that many families won’t develop more complex needs. Provide a network of community mental health and wellbeing supports We want to provide a visible, enhanced network of community mental health and wellbeing supports across Renfrewshire. This includes supporting people to connect to each other and their communities, recognising loneliness and isolation is a key concern of our communities. Make sure there are local spaces and nature that support health and wellbeing Communities tell us about the importance of local spaces and places that can support health and wellbeing, in particular green spaces and nature. Working together to protect and enhance Renfrewshire’s natural environment will have a positive impact on both climate and community. Our Renfrewshire is fair: Addressing the inequalities which limit life chances Renfrewshire has a long-term commitment to tackling poverty and inequalities. Renfrewshire’s Social Renewal Plan sets out the high-level actions that partners will take as we move forward from the pandemic, with a clear focus on tackling inequality and improving wellbeing. Moving forward, our Fairer Renfrewshire programme will bring together partners to tackle inequality and other issues facing local communities in the wake of the pandemic. Our local Childrens Services Partnership have produced a plan which sets out the specific actions that will be targeted to support children and families. Since the Community Plan was first produced in 2017: 19.5% of children in Renfrewshire are living in poverty. The child poverty rate has been rising steadily since 2014, but has fallen in 2020/21. However, the current cost of living Item 6 Page 61 of 218
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12 crisis is a significant threat to financial security of households in Renfrewshire, and will have a grave and disproportionate impact on people living on a low-income Our pupils perform above the national level for literacy and numeracy, even though our SIMD profile is below the national average Renfrewshire has the joint 4th highest percentage of school-leavers going on to positive destinations Looked after children going to positive destinations after school has improved but compared to the general cohort there is still a significant gap (86% compared to 97% in 2020/21) The rate of drug-related death in Renfrewshire is regularly above the Scottish rate and has been higher consistently since 2017. Drug-related deaths increased by 49% between 2019 and 2020, and since 2010 it has risen by 163% Our Priorities for 2022-27 Tackling and mitigating poverty, and ensuring financial security for all Reducing the number of people who use drugs and alcohol in our communities Addressing inequalities in outcomes for children and young people Our Areas of Focus: Provide support that allows families to live dignified lives and respond to the cost-of-living crisis We want to work together to maximise the support available for families to lead dignified lives, and this will require renewed focus in the context of the current cost-of-living crisis. We need to support families to maximise their income and minimise expenditure wherever possible. Reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs Renfrewshire’s Alcohol and Drug Commission sets out the work that needs to happen in Renfrewshire in the next five years to improve the lives of people and families who have been impacted by drugs. This programme of work needs to be prioritised across the partnership to reduce the harm alcohol and drugs causes for our communities. Deliver a ‘just transition’ towards net zero with fairness at its core We will use the opportunities to tackle inequality, but putting the benefits of our approaches in the hands of local people, and designing local solutions which mean communities are not excluded or left behind. Our Renfrewshire is safe: Protecting vulnerable people, and working together to manage the risk of harm Renfrewshire is a safe place to live for the great majority of people, with falls in recorded crime and anti-social behaviour. We recognise that one of our most important roles as a partnership is to reduce harm and protect vulnerable people. Since the Community Plan was first produced in 2017: Item 6 Page 62 of 218
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13 There has been a 20% reduction in recorded crime since April 2019, with a 24% reduction in the number of incidents of antisocial behaviour over the last 3 years In Scotland, recorded domestic abuse incidents rose for the fifth year in a row, increasing by almost 12% between 2014/15 and 2020/21. In Renfrewshire over the same timeframe reported incidents have reduced by 2% In 2020/21, 88% of all child concern referrals came from Police Scotland. The largest single reason was domestic abuse The 2020/21 figure for adult welfare concern and adult protection referrals was higher than in any previous years In 2019, 1.7% of Renfrewshire’s under 17 population was looked after, compared to 1.3% of Scotland’s population Our Priorities for 2022-27 Protecting children and young people from the risk of trauma and harm Protecting vulnerable adults, ensuring they can live safely and independently Tackling domestic abuse and gender-based violence Our Areas of Focus: Work together to support children and young people at risk of trauma and harm We want to work together to make sure recognising and responding to trauma is part of every service we deliver. This is particularly important for those partners with a role in protecting children and young people from harms such as alcohol and drugs and domestic abuse, recognising the lasting impacts this can have on children’s futures. Make sure people can live safely and independently at home and in the community In order to support people to live safely and independently at home, we need to work together to provide person-centred services that support people to live life on their own terms, and in particular protect vulnerable people from harm. Develop adaptations to climate impacts for vulnerable people The impacts of the climate emergency are already being experienced locally, and we recognise that some groups of people are particularly vulnerable to these impacts, such as severe weather events. We will work together to develop and deliver Renfrewshire’s climate adaptation plan, which keeps these disproportionate impacts in mind. How we will work Renfrewshire’s Community Plan 2017-27 identified four key ways the Community Planning Partnership would work across all of its themes. • Fair - we are alert to where inequalities exist, able to respond to differing perspectives and needs within communities Item 6 Page 63 of 218
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14 • Sustainable – we act in a way which minimises the adverse impact on climate • Digital – we maximise opportunities for digital, while making sure everyone possible is connected and has the skills to use it • Involved – we listen and respond to the needs of communities, recognising people are experts in their own lives These continue to be the key principles by which we will work at all times, even though what we do will likely change and develop over time. Structure and Governance In 2016, the Community Planning Partnership reviewed our governance arrangements to improve oversight, reduce duplication and better reflect the partnership working arrangements that were in place across Renfrewshire. There are many partnership groups operating all across Renfrewshire where partnership working really comes to life. In the diagram below, we have highlighted the groups who primarily set direction, drive the activities of the partnership and provide oversight and scrutiny where necessary. We have made minor changes to the structure and governance of the Community Planning Partnership for the remaining 5 years of the Community Plan. This includes replacing the Improving Life Chances Group with a new Fairer Renfrewshire Partnership as well as reflecting key partnership groups such as the Local Employability Partnership and Children’s Services Partnership which have a key role in delivering the priorities of the Community Plan. Performance The detailed indicators and targets that support the Community Plan will be developed alongside the detailed action plans, in consultation with partners and communities to make sure they are meaningful. We will evaluate and report on our progress on a regular basis. Item 6 Page 64 of 218
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1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Social Work Officer ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Chief Social Work Officer Report 2021 – 2022/Update on Fostering and Adoption Panels ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Chief Social Work Officer provides an annual update report to Council in Autumn each year. The requirement for every local authority in Scotland to appoint a professionally qualified Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) is set out within Section 3 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The particular qualifications are set down in regulations and this is one of a number of statutory requirements which local authorities must comply with. In Renfrewshire Council the role of Chief Social Work Officer is held by the Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice. 1.2 The annual reports of all CSWOs are submitted to the Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor at the Scottish Government in order that a national overview report can be produced. The annual report from the Renfrewshire Chief Social Work Officer provides a summary of activity relating to the role of the Chief Social Work Officer during 2021/22 and is attached at appendix 1. 1.3 At the meeting of Council held on 19 May 2022 Council agreed that consideration of appointment of members to the Adoption and Fostering Panel would be continued and instructed the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice to bring a report back to Council in respect of these appointments. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 7 Page 65 of 218
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2 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Elected Members: • Note the key activities outlined in the Chief Social Work Officer Annual Report; • Acknowledge the commitment of social work staff in the consistent delivery of quality frontline services; • Note that the report will be submitted to the Office of the Chief Social Work Advisor at the Scottish Government: • Agree that the next annual report from the Chief Social Work Officer will be presented in Autumn 2023; and • Note the information in relation to the membership of the Adoption and Fostering Panels, agree that council doesn’t make appointment to these panels and any elected member who is interested in being a member contact the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice for further information. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The principal role and purpose of the Social Work Service is contained within the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, which gave local authorities the responsibility of “promoting social welfare”. The Social Work Service has a statutory duty to provide care and protection to the most vulnerable people across Renfrewshire, often meaning that many of our service users do not engage with us on a voluntary basis. The role of Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) is critical in terms of achieving this purpose. 3.2 The CSWO is a ‘proper officer’ in relation to social work function: an officer given particular responsibility on behalf of a local authority, where the law requires the function to be discharged by a specified post holder. 3.3 The qualifications of the CSWO are set down in the regulations and stipulate that the postholder must be a qualified social worker registered with the Scottish Social Services Council. The CSWO must be able to demonstrate extensive experience of operational and strategic management at a senior level within social work or social care services. 3.4 The overall objective of the CSWO is to provide professional advice on the provision of social work services to elected members and officers; advice which assists authorities understanding of the many complexities which are inherent across social work services. The CSWO should also assist authorities in understanding the key role that social work plays in contributing to the achievement of national and local outcomes, to improving local performance and in terms of management of corporate risks. 3.5 The annual report to Council, along with CSWO reports from other local authorities, are now being used nationally to create an overview report. Item 7 Page 66 of 218
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3 3.6 The scope of the CSWO role coves all social work and social care services, whether provided directly by the local authority, or in partnership with others. Where these services are purchased or commissioned from external providers, the CSWO has responsibility to advise on the specification, quality and standards of service commissioned. Current guidance for the role reflects the strategic nature and the particular function in relation to Integration Joint Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships. 3.7 The CSWO has a range of other strategic responsibilities including oversight of professional standards in social work services, as well as undertaking the leadership of the profession through the Chief Social Work Officer function through promotion of the values and standards. 3.8 Social work services have a statutory duty to provide care and protection to the most vulnerable people across their local authority area. Access to the majority of services is assessed on the basis of need, and social work staff in partnership with individuals, carers, families and communities to meet the need within the resources available to the service and partner agencies. 4. Local Governance Arrangements 4.1 Within Renfrewshire Council the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice also acts as Chief Social Work Officer. As well as the responsibilities associated within the directorship, as CSWO he retains professional leadership for adult social work and social care services delivery by Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). 4.2 The CSWO has a number of general and specific duties, including: (i) Providing regular reports to Elected Members on the key activities and role of the Chief Social Work Officer. (ii) Leading for Social Work on the Renfrewshire HSCP Executive Governance Group and the Integration Joint Board (IJB). (iii) Reporting directly to the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board and Renfrewshire Council. (iv) Member of the Council’s Corporate Management Team and Chief Officer’s Group and reporting directly to the Chief Executive and senior Elected Members. (v) The CSWO is accountable to the Chief Executive, the Corporate Management Team and the Council as part of the Chief Officers’ Group which manages public protection risks on a partnership basis. Heads of Service have responsibility for the management of risk within their respective service areas. (vi) Representing Renfrewshire Council at local, regional and national level. (vii) Chairing the bi-annual meeting of all social work managers from both Children’s Services and the HSCP. (viii) Management of risk. (ix) Specifics Duties associated with the position, the CSWO within Renfrewshire Council acts as: Item 7 Page 67 of 218
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4 • Final point of appeal in relation to Adoption and Fostering decisions: • Recipient of all Mental Health and Adults with Incapacity Orders and Guardianship cases; and • Decision maker in relation to Secure Care application for children. 5. Activities of the Chief Social Work Officer 2021/22 5.1 The report attaches as Appendix 1 summarises the key activities of the Head of Child Care & Criminal Justice in his capacity as Chief Social Work Officer in Renfrewshire during 2021/22. It does not provide an exhaustive description of the full range of duties and responsibilities undertaken but seeks to provide a broad overview of the CSWO role. The report and its appendices will be submitted to the Office of the Chief Social Work Officer to inform a national overview report. 5.2 The next report on the activities of the CSWO will be submitted to Council in Autumn 2023. 6. Overview Social Work services 6.1 The CSWO has a range of statutory duties which are detailed in Appendix 1 to this report, this also includes detail of demand and provision in those areas. 6.2 The Chief Social Work Officer Annual Report 2021/22 describes services which are performing well with many areas evidencing innovative practice; both inspired by the creativity of teams with the aim of improving service delivery, or in direct response to existing or predicted challenges. Services continued to operate and transition through recovery, whilst following public health measures governing national and local restrictions. 6.3 Social work and social care services are delivered by a substantial number of staff from statutory, third and independent sector organisations. Across all sectors involved in the delivery of social work and social care services, workforce remains a key focus, both in terms of recruitment and retention. Key Priorities in 2022/23 6.4 Based on an assessment of internal and external factors the CWSO has identified key priorities for the year ahead: • Continue to effectively discharge our public protection role and working closely with partners to ensure that vulnerable children and adults live as safely as possible within local communities; • Strengthen the approach to supporting children and families in the community through the development of the Children’s Services Partnership Plan; • Support the delivery of The Promise in Renfrewshire; • Supporting the Council to deliver on the corporate and community priorities; • Continue to ensure strong and positive links between Children’s Services and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership; • The new social work case management system within Justice Social Work; Item 7 Page 68 of 218
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5 • Ensure that the voice of local social work staff influences the development of the National Care Service. 7 Adoption and Fostering Panel Membership 7.1 At the meeting of Council held on 19 May 2022 Council agreed that consideration of appointment of members to the Adoption and Fostering Panel was continued to allow this report to be considered. 7.2 For many years Council appointed elected members to the Fostering and Adoption Panels at the statutory meeting immediately following the local authority election. During 2020 children’s services reviewed and updated the constitutions of the Fostering and Adoption Panels. The revised constitution was considered and approved at the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board on 21 January 2021. The new constitution removed the provision that council make appointments to the Fostering and Adoption Panel. 7.3 The constitution sets the panel membership as “….no less than six persons, including at least one man and at least one woman, representing the local community it serves. The Panel shall include a qualified Medical Practitioner, preferably a Paediatrician, who will act as a Medical Adviser; and a Solicitor or Advocate who will act as Legal Adviser. Other members should, where possible, include a permanent foster carer or adopter, a current or previous child care manager from Children’s Services, an education officer such as a head teacher, a psychologist, an independent representative from a relevant child care agency and a manager of the fostering and adoption team who will act as Panel adviser and who will be a non-voting member.” 7.4 The updated constitution set a new approach to terms of office which are different to the term of office of elected members. The term of office for the Fostering and Adoption Panels is three years compared to the five-year term of elected members. 7.5 The Fostering and Adoption Panels meet monthly, and members are expected to attend at least 50% of the meetings. Not all elected members who were appointed by the Council were able to meet the 50% target of attendance at meetings. In addition, the preparation for meeting is significant with members having to review a substantial number of reports on those applying to be foster carers or adoptive carers and in relation to the long-term planning of children. 7.6 Over the years the involvement of elected members has been welcomed and recognised as of benefit to the Fostering and Adoption Panels. Some elected members have made significant contribution to the Panels and there should continue to be an opportunity for them to do so. To facilitate this any elected member who wishes to be a member of the Fostering and Adoption Panel should contact the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice for further information and they would then be appointed in line with the constitution. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 7 Page 69 of 218
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6 Implications of the Report 1. Financial - None 2. HR & Organisational Development – None 3. Community/Council Planning – this report details the progress made by the service to protect vulnerable children and adults, reduce offending behaviour, increase community safety, and promote early intervention, independent living and wider health improvement. It highlights partnership working, details the measure which ensure the workforce is skilled and effective and highlights achievements in relation to support to the communities, customer service and consultation. 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets – None 6. Information Technology – None 7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report have no negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’’ human rights because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council website. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk - Risks related to the management and delivery of social work services are closely monitored and are included within both the Children’s Services and, where appropriate, the Corporate Risk Register. 11. Privacy Impact – None 12. Cosla Policy Position – None 13. Climate Change – None _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) The Role of the Chief Social Work Officer – Guidance Issues by Scottish Ministers (b) Chief Social Work Officers Annual Report Summary 2020-2021 (c) Annual report of the Fostering and Adoption Service 2019/20 Update on developments for Looked After Children and Fostering Service – Education and Children’s Services Policy Board 21 January 2021 Item 7 Page 70 of 218
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7 _________________________________________________________ Author: John Trainer, Head of Child Care & Criminal Justice/Chief Social Work Officer Contact Officer within the department is Linda Butler, Service Planning & Policy Development Manager. Linda.butler@renfrewshire.gov.uk Item 7 Page 71 of 218
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1 Annual Report of the Chief Social Work Officer 2021/22 Item 7 Page 72 of 218
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2 “Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledge, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing. The above definition may be amplified at national and/or regional levels.” Definition of social work agreed by the International Federation of Social Workers, 2014 Item 7 Page 73 of 218
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3 Chief Social Work Officer – Renfrewshire Introduction I’m pleased to present the annual Chief Social Work Officer report for Renfrewshire for the period April 2021 to March 2022. The Chief Social Work Officer is a “proper officer” in relation to the social work function of the local authority. As such, the Chief Social Work Officer is given particular responsibility on behalf of the local authority in respect of social work functions and also the authority to discharge some functions in law on an individual basis. This report provides an overview of social work and care activity during a period where the whole country continued to be impacted for by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this annual report I attempt to demonstrate the commitment of social work and care staff to ensure that those who were most vulnerable to the challenges posed by the pandemic were supported and the care they required was delivered and the learning considered and informed the service recovery planning. The delivery of care was impacted by the changing restrictions of the pandemic however staff from social work and care remained on the front line throughout. Scottish Government has set out the vision for a new National Care Service which will be accountable to Ministers, with services designed and delivered locally. This is an evolving landscape, which we will continue to participate in and contribute to this significant national agenda. I want to take the opportunity to express my thanks to social work and care staff for their ongoing commitment to those who required support over the past year. In discharging my role as Chief Social Work Officer, I’m supported in Children’s Services by the Director, the Social Work Children’s Services Manager and the Criminal Justice Services Manager. Within the Health and Social Care Partnership I’m supported by the Chief Officer and the Heads of Service. I want to acknowledge their support in helping me address the delivery of social work and care services in Renfrewshire. This report doesn’t detail all of the social work and care activity within Renfrewshire, but rather serves to provide an overview of services. John Trainer Chief Social Work Officer August 2022 Item 7 Page 74 of 218
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4 Governance and Accountability In Renfrewshire, social work services for children and families and criminal justice social work services are delivered by Children’s Services. Social work and care services for adults are delegated to and delivered by Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. Each local authority is required to appoint a Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO), an officer with an appropriate social work qualification, to oversee the functions of social work. As social work and care services for adults are delegated, as Chief Social Work Officer I have oversight of how the delegated functions are delivered and I’m active in the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care governance arrangements. As the Chief Social Worker in Renfrewshire, I have operational responsibilities in my post as Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice and line managed in that post by the Director of Children’s Services. In the role of Chief Social Work Officer, I provide professional advice on social work functions to the Chief Executive, the Corporate Management Team and Elected Members. I also provide professional advice on adult social work and care to the Chief Officer and Senior Management Team of Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and to the Integrated Joint Board. The table below illustrates further the range of structures in which the CSWO participates to inform the delivery of the role Structure Role Council • Corporate Management Team • Head of Service Meetings Children’s Services • Children’s Services Management Team • Education and Children’s Service Policy Board Integrated Joint Board • Executive Governance Group • Standing member of IJB • Clinical and Care Governance Board Public Protection • Chief Officer Group for Public Protection • Child Protection Committee • Adult Protection Committee Duty of Candour Statement for 2021/22 All social work and social care services in Scotland have a duty of candour. This is a legal requirement which means that when unintended, or unexpected, events happen that result in death or harm as defined in Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016, the people affected understand what has happened, receive an apology, and that organisations learn from the experience and put in place improvements. An important part of this duty is the requirement for organisations to provide an annual statement detailing how the duty of candour is implemented across services. This brief statement describes how Renfrewshire Council has operated the duty of candour during the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. During this period, there were no incidents where the duty of candour applied. (These are unintended or unexpected incidents that result in death or harm as defined in the Act, and do not relate directly to the natural course of someone’s illness or underlying condition). Item 7 Page 75 of 218
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5 Role of Chief Social Work Officer The role of CSWO was originally designed to provide professional advice on social work services to Elected Members and council officers, in order to assist local authorities in understanding the complexities inherent in social work and social care services. The growing incidence of strategic partnerships across the public sector, whether legislated for or developed through good local joint working, adds a level of complexity to the role of Chief Social Work Officer. As CSWO I’m a member of the Council’s Corporate Management Team and of the Chief Officers Group. I have a key role in multi-agency public protection arrangements and as such I’m a member of the Child and Adult Protection Committees, I co-chair the Gender- Based Violence Strategic Group and a member of the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership. As Chief Social Work Officer I report to Elected Members, primarily through two Policy Boards and the Integration Joint Board. The Education and Children’s Services Policy Board has the remit for matters relating to Children and Families Social Work and the Communities and Housing Policy Board has the remit for Justice Social Work as part of its overall responsibility for community justice in Renfrewshire. All matters pertaining to Adult Social Work and Social Care are dealt with by the Integration Joint Board, which has representation from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Board as well as Elected Members. In assessing and supporting the social work and care staff to deliver the best services possible and to make the biggest difference for those who need social work and care support I regularly meet with managers and front-line staff to discuss their work. In addition, regular performance reports are considered at strategic meetings to allow the identification of challenges in delivery and to find solutions to unblocking these for staff and those who need access to services. In addition to supporting business as usual and Covid recovery work, a priority for me will be ongoing engagement with the Scottish Government’s on the National Care Service. The vision set out by Scottish Government would have a considerable impact on the social work and social care workforce as well as on people who use these services and will need to be a focus for ongoing consideration, engagement and participation in this significant national agenda. I will also be focusing on progress towards our commitment to Keep the Promise, providing additional support for its delivery through collaboration and driving change. Service Quality and Performance As a statutory service, social work provision continued throughout the various phases of restriction, and as we transition out of Covid-19, we continued to deliver services and develop strong foundations. Many of the social work services are delivered by locality teams in Renfrewshire or by one of the specialist services. In addition to the locality and specialist services the council and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership operates 23 services registered with the Care Inspectorate – four children’s houses, three care homes for older adults, five day services for older adults, five day services for adults with learning disabilities, one day service for adults with physical disabilities, one residential respite service for adults with Item 7 Page 76 of 218
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6 learning disabilities, Care at Home Service, Fostering Services, Adoption Services, and a housing support service for care leavers. The Care Inspectorate undertakes regular inspections of all registered services and indicates a formal assessment of the standard on a graded scale. The Care Inspectorate grades are: • Unsatisfactory – major weaknesses • Weak – important weaknesses • Adequate – strengths just outweigh weaknesses • Good – important strengths with some areas for improvement • Very Good – major strengths • Excellent – sector leading The Care Inspectorate generally reviews the following areas when undertaking inspections by assessing: • How well people’s wellbeing is supported? • How good is the leadership of the service? • How good is the staff team? • How good is the environment? • How well are care and support planned? During the period covered by this report the Care Inspectorate was continuing to operate a reduced programme of inspections. As a result, only one of the Renfrewshire registered services were inspected over the past twelve months. The service was graded in two areas as good and two areas as adequate. The service took immediate action to address the two areas graded as adequate and has an improvement plan in place to increase grades for future inspections. Looking back at the most recent inspection for those services not inspected in period overed by this report almost all have been graded as good or very good. As Chief Social Work Officer I have procedures are in place for reporting to Elected Members should any care service receive an assessment of Weak or Unsatisfactory for any element. None of the most recent Renfrewshire inspections have required these procedures to be initiated as no service has been graded weak or unsatisfactory. Given the Care Inspectorate are returning to full operation it is expected that there will be an increase in the number of Renfrewshire’s registered services being subject to inspection in the next twelve months. The following pages set out the performance of each of the three main areas of social work practice in Renfrewshire during 2021/22. This includes information about how the service recovers from Covid-19 and the incorporates learning which arose from delivering services through a pandemic. Item 7 Page 77 of 218
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7 Statutory Service Provision: Adult Social Work and Social Care In Renfrewshire, the delivery of adult social work and social care services is delegated to Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. Mainstream social work services are delivered on a locality basis by two teams – one covering Paisley and the other covering the rest of the local authority area. As Chief Social Work Officer I provide professional leadership and advice to senior officers in RHSCP and to the wider social work and social care staff in adult services. Throughout the period covered by this report social work and care staff in Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership continued to deliver services to those most in need. There were, as a result of the restrictions required by the pandemic, some changes to how some services were delivered. The three care homes, Hunterhill, Montrose and Renfrew continued to operate throughout the pandemic with staff having to work to ensure that those who live in the homes had as close to a normal experience as possible whilst managing the risks and restrictions in place. The care staff worked closely with staff from environment and infrastructure to deliver care and support to the residents. Staff from other areas also supported the operation of the care homes. Although our Care at Home services faced significant challenges, the HSCP were able to continue to support existing vulnerable service users whilst remaining responsive to the safe and timely discharge of patients from hospital. The volume of adult protection work continues to increase, and in 2021/22 Renfrewshire received 4,263 adult welfare concern and adult protection referrals. Of these, 1,444 were adult protection concerns and 2,819 were adult welfare concerns. The total referral number for 2021/22 reflects a 22% increase in the referral rate as compared to the 2020/21 financial year, which was a 12% rise on the previous year. Following initial inquiries, 88 adult protection investigations were conducted, a decrease from 112 the previous year. 29 of these investigations resulted in an Initial Adult Protection Case Conference, a decrease from 51 in 2020/21. To ensure that people using our services were kept safe from harm during the pandemic, the Renfrewshire Adult Protection Committee (RAPC) met on a regular basis to consider adult support and protection governance from both operational and strategic perspectives, including: the impact of COVID-19 and associated risks and national guidance; specific adult support and protection concerns; and an analysis of data and identification of any actions required. During the year, four large-scale investigations were carried out in private sector care homes across Renfrewshire, as a response to concerns raised by HSCP staff and by the Item 7 Page 78 of 218
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8 Care Inspectorate. Enhanced governance arrangements and safeguards were put in place in these four establishments. Adults with Incapacity work remains a significant demand pressure, and the situation in Renfrewshire reflects the national picture of having to manage an increasing number of guardianships and supervise private guardianships. Orders where the Chief Social Work Officer is appointed Welfare Guardian rose in recent years, from 79 in March 2015 to 125 in March 2022 (up from 115 in March 2021). Each order requires a qualified social worker to act as the “nominated officer” on behalf of the CSWO for day-to-day management of the case. In addition, there are in excess of approximately 485 private welfare guardianship orders running throughout Renfrewshire. These require a minimum of one statutory visit by a guardianship supervisor after being granted. The MHO Service continued to deal with a high volume of work under both the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000. Demands for MHO consent to detention under the act has risen by approximately 25-30% since the pandemic and shows no sign of slowing, this picture is reflected nationally. Work under Adult with Incapacity and the provision of MHO reports for applications for guardianships is also up by 25% and like the mental health act work demand continues to remain high. The pressures on the service for reports where a hospital delayed discharge is involved also creates additional pressures for the service. The total number of MHO’s in the authority has reduced since last year as result of staff moving to other employment. There remains a constant challenge of recruiting sufficient MHO’s to maintain the service capacity and also for existing social workers to undertake training to gain the MHO qualification in order to fulfil the duties of an MHO. As of 31st March 2022, approximately 1600 individuals had an open involvement with Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Recovery Service. The Renfrewshire area has welcomed a reduction in the number of drug related deaths but there has been an increase in the number of alcohol related deaths. Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is committed to continuing to work collaboratively to prevent and reduce alcohol and drug- related harms within communities with a number of key actions and developments currently underway. Item 7 Page 79 of 218
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9 Statutory Service Provision: Children and Families Social Work The service operates a locality-based model for mainstream children & families social work, with four teams based across the three largest towns in Renfrewshire. Specialist teams provide focused support in the areas of Fostering and Adoption, Kinship Care, Residential Services, Pre and Post Birth, Throughcare, Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children, Children with Disabilities, and the Whole Systems Team who support children and young people involved in the justice system. Throughout 2021/22 the service continued to adapt to the needs of children and families as the longer-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic became apparent. Securing office accommodation that satisfied safe working guidance was a particular challenge, with teams such as Whole Systems, Renfrewshire Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Resource and the Women and Children’s First Service impacted most severely by this disruption. As accommodation became available, locality teams quickly made use of this to deliver their duty service and facilitate family contact time. Child protection case conferences were provided via a hybrid model, with parents, social work staff and other professionals accessing from offices and through video calls. An increasing number of children’s hearings took place on a face-to-face basis, progressing work previously delayed because of the pandemic. Children’s houses continued to operate to meet the needs of the young people who live there. The children’s houses have maintained a high-quality support for young people throughout and the period following the pandemic. The emotional and mental wellbeing of our children and young people was previously identified as a risk factor prior to the pandemic, and significant work was undertaken throughout 2021/22 to address their immediate needs and develop a sustainable approach that embeds this provision in the longer term A new multi-agency service called Ren10 was launched to improve families’ access to health and wellbeing support, by providing appropriate and proportionate help at the time it’s needed most. Ren10 seeks to bridge the gap between universal services that deal broadly with wellbeing and the highly special support for more severe mental health conditions. Ren10 is part way through implementation, and key activity has included the development of Non-violence Resistance Approaches, Child Psychology Parent Drop Ins, inter-agency training and extensive digital supports. Interventions are framed within a context of open access to ensure families who believe they will benefit can seek support timeously. Over 1000 children and young people have been directly supported by a Ren10 resource, 125 of whom were care experienced. The added value of the partner collaboration has been critical to Ren10’s success, and previously distinct services and teams are more integrated and benefit from enhanced communication. Very good progress has been made in supporting the implementation of The Promise in Renfrewshire and raising its profile amongst key partners. A Promise Ambassador was recruited in July 2021 to support the implementation of The Promise across the local authority and drive forward the key recommendations of The Independent Care Review. A large component of this role has been to raise the profile of The Promise through engaging with a wide range of staff teams and partners. Through awareness raising sessions, points of interest and relevance are highlighted to ensure all partners understand what role they play in ensuring that care experienced children and young people are appropriately Item 7 Page 80 of 218
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10 supported. To support this work further, a set of values have been developed for professionals to #KeepthePromise. Promise Keepers are formally recruited and are responsible for acting as a champion for The Promise, ensuring that the recommendations and priorities remain at the forefront of discussions around service delivery and design. Good progress has been made to establish The Promise Self-Evaluation tool, which will be used to identify areas of best practice that can be shared to encourage partnership learning between staff teams and identify where services require further support to fully implement The Promise. Information on referrals, investigations, conferences and registrations continued to be monitored by the Child Protection Committee. During 2021/22 there were 111 new registrations and 121 deregistration’s, roughly in line with that reported in 2020/21. A total of 61 children were the register as of 31 March 2022, fewer than the 71 reported as at the 31st March 2021. The biggest areas of concern pertaining to child protection registration continued to be domestic violence, neglect, parental mental health problems and parental drug misuse. There were 21 Child Protection Orders granted during the year, slightly higher than the previous year’s figure of 15. Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee and its subgroups continue to meet to discuss key trends and emerging areas of focus. The rate of children in care in Renfrewshire when measured as at 31st July 2021 was 1.7%. Although this remains higher than the Scottish average figure of 1.3%, the rate reflects the long-term efforts of the service to reduce the number of children in care, particularly those in foster care and residential provision. The number of looked after children in Renfrewshire who are cared for in kinship, foster or residential care has reduced from 517 in 2012 to 427 in 2021. The number of children in independent sector foster care has reduced by 56.3% over a ten-year period. By comparison, internal foster care numbers have reduced by 21.4% and kinship care has increased by 12.9% over the same period. Item 7 Page 81 of 218
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11 Statutory Service Provision: Justice Social Work Throughout 2021-22 Justice Social Work has continued to adapt and respond creatively to the challenges stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. This approach enabled the service to meet its statutory obligations and provide support and interventions for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. The volume of work generated by court and tribunal services increased throughout the year. This reflects measures that came into effect to address the significant backlog stemming from the pandemic. Provisional information shows the service completed 693 Criminal Justice Social Work Reports (CJSW reports) 2021/22 compared to 472 in 2020/21. Though this is not at pre-Covid levels (966 in 2019/20) it demonstrates a significant uplift in year-on year work. This is also evidenced in the number of new Community Payback Orders, which has increased from 218 in 2020/21 to 369 in 2021/22. This shows recovery towards pre-Covid figure of 561 recorded in 2019/20. Renfrewshire’s Justice Social Work service has worked hard to respond to these increasing demands by reviewing and prioritising workloads to ensure resources are in place to support people with convictions, on community orders and on release from custody. This maintains focus on those with high levels of need and those who present a risk to the community. Working practice has adapted in accordance with safe working requirements to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff and clients. Creative solutions such as home-based unpaid work activity brought in during the height of the pandemic have continued, allowing clients to progress their orders safely within required timeframes. Groupwork activity continues to be prioritised where safe to do so, with group sizes increasing when restrictions have allowed. The service remains committed to overcoming challenges relating to client accommodation and transport, particularly in terms of capacity constraints. Efforts continue to identify safe and appropriate venues that allow provision to be delivered at an appropriate pace. The service has also taken steps to meet the increased demand for weekend provision, owing to a higher number of clients in weekday employment. Throughout 2021/11 Justice Social Work provided a Voluntary Throughcare service to support people with the transition from custody to our communities. This support has helped ensure such individuals have the means to access vital services that facilitate reintegration and provide the best possible chance of going on to attain positive outcomes. This service is offered to all individuals in Renfrewshire released from short custodial sentences. A temporary post, established through CORRA foundation funding and as agreed through the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, has yielded an analysis of pathways between justice social work and addiction services in relation to information sharing and standardisation. This will be developed further over the coming year, with learning used to improve the interface between these areas of work. Preparation has commenced in relation to alternatives for demand (electronic monitoring assessments, provision of bail supervision, alternatives to custody such as Structured Deferred Sentences) to ensure the service is aligned and appropriately resourced to support government requirements. Item 7 Page 82 of 218
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12 Resources The chart below shows the breakdown of expenditure on social work by Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire in 2021/22. As in previous years, the largest area of expenditure is on services for older people, followed by services for children and families. Funding for Justice Social Work comes directly from the Scottish Government by means of a grant. There have been significant pressures on services during 2021/22 and Renfrewshire Council has ensured that appropriate funding has been allocated to children and justice social work. A substantial overspend is anticipated within Children & Families relating to external Residential Accommodation placements, the number of which is currently around 80% higher than it had been in 2020/21. This is due to the complexity of cases arising in recent months coupled with the additional number of placements required, this presents a significant cost pressure to the service. The cost pressures relating to external Residential Accommodation placements have continued to build since the latter part of 2021 22, and in that financial year the impact was mitigated through the application of COVID 19 funding where appropriate. We are currently modelling the coming year financial planning in terms of overall cost/service pressure. In addition, other financial pressures related to inflation, particularly fuel and food prices and also workforce pay inflation will also be factored into this modelling. Physical/ Sensory Impairment, £10,380,000 Mental Health, £4,236,362 Learning Disabilities, £18,005,000 Addiction Services , £942,000 Children & Families, £31,742,453 COVID 19, £45,000 Older People, £45,794,000 Justice, £3,088,357 Item 7 Page 83 of 218
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13 Workforce The challenges stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic have continued to impact the delivery of social work throughout 2021/22. Whilst operational solutions have been identified to meet the needs of our communities, cognisance has also been given to the associated impact on social work staff and the measures required to ensure their wellbeing and development needs are satisfied. The service has consolidated this work into a Covid Recovery Plan which seeks to address the following areas: • Return to office accommodation • Revisions to Social Work Policy and Procedure Manual • Staff training and development programme • Targeted capacity enhancements at critical points of service • Development of a new collaborative, community-based early intervention model, and • Improved recruitment process The service has made significant progress in returning to office-based delivery from a largely home-based working approach in 2020/21. This change – delivered at a pace in accordance with safe working guidance - has increased the opportunities for in-person contact between individual social work colleagues and teams, and fostered the associated benefits of peer learning, reflection, and general professional and personal support. This is invaluable for all staff, and particularly those new to the profession who benefit from the advice and support from more experienced colleagues. Whilst home-working by arrangement will continue to provide flexibility to staff who require it, it is anticipated at least 80% of the workforce will attend the office on any given day. The service has revised its Work Policies and Procedures manual to improve the relevance and legibility of practice expectations to social work staff. The new manual forms the basis of quality improvement activity and complements the wider training and development programme. New and inexperienced staff will be a training priority over the coming months, with the structure, format and content of these sessions shaped by a series of planned engagement events to establish the challenges, lessons learned and opportunities relevant to this staff group. All training and development will reflect our core competency framework, ensuring staff have the knowledge, skills and confidence around the key practice areas of risk, vulnerability, recording and home visiting. More experienced staff will be invited to contribute their insight to these sessions, adopting a mentoring role which it is aimed will prompt practice reflection. Additional work is underway align resources to known operational pressure points to make best use of available capacity, both in house and that available through our local partners. An emerging partnership approach with Barnardo’s will aim to support families on the edge of social work involvement to mitigate the need for subsequent social worker involvement. This community-based model of time-limited assessment and intervention has shown itself to work well in other areas by reducing social work referrals. This local pilot will be a key learning opportunity that will inform local workforce planning. Item 7 Page 84 of 218
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14 Recruitment to vacant posts remains a key challenge across social work and social care in Renfrewshire. We experienced a high number of social work vacancies throughout 2021/22, compounded by a national shortage of social workers. Work in partnership with colleagues in HR to ensure that critical front-line posts are filled as quickly as possible is progressing. A new process has been agreed on a trial basis with a named officer to support each social worker recruitment. Weekly progress reports on recruitment are being provided to the relevant senior manager to ensure appropriate actions are taken timeously. Item 7 Page 85 of 218
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15 “There will never be a paradise with people like angels Walking and singing through forests of music, But let us have the decency of a society That helps those who cannot help themselves. It can be done; it must be done; so do it.” From Brothers and Keepers by Edwin Morgan Item 7 Page 86 of 218
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________________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 Report by: Chief Executive Heading: Renfrewshire Community Protection Chief Officers Group – Annual Report 2021/22 ________________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Renfrewshire Community Protection Chief Officers Group (COG) is responsible for leadership, strategic oversight and scrutiny of multi-agency public protection activity and practice in Renfrewshire, including in relation to child protection, adult protection, community safety, the management of offenders and community justice, alcohol and drugs, and gender-based violence. 1.2 The group is chaired by the Chief Executive of Renfrewshire Council with core representation from the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Police Scotland, and wider membership drawn from other partners agencies and services. 1.3 This is the seventh annual report of the Community Protection Chief Officers Group. It provides an overview of the key areas of work of in relation to public protection during 2021/22. It also highlights the ongoing key benefits of excellent partnership working. 1.4 As we emerge from COVID-19 pandemic, partners recognise that this and subsequent restrictions have had a significant impact on Renfrewshire’s most vulnerable residents and that its effects will continue to be seen in the short, medium and longer term. With a focus now on recovery, partners are working together to support individuals, families and communities across Renfrewshire. The impact of the cost of living crisis will also continue to exacerbate issues being experienced across local communities. 1.5 The annual report attached at Appendix 1 to this report provides detailed information on the activities which have been undertaken over the 12 month period to March 2022, whilst section 7 of the report highlights the key priorities which partners have identified for collective focus and action during 2022/23. Item 8 Page 87 of 218
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1.6 The Chief Officers Group provides regular reports to the Member Officer Group which is comprised of elected members on a cross party basis, and key officers from the Council and partners . The Member Officer Group Terms of Reference set out that the group will be chaired by “a senior member of the administration”. The Administration have nominated Councillor Jacqueline Cameron as Chair of the group. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that elected members : • note the content of the report; • note that Councillor Jacqueline Cameron will Chair the Member Officer Group. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Renfrewshire Chief Officers Group was established to provide leadership, governance, direction and oversight to ensure local accountability for all aspects of public protection. Chief officers are responsible for ensuring that their respective agencies, individually and collectively reflect national guidance, which directs local services to work in partnership to achieve public protection measures. The arrangements are comparable to Chief Officer Group arrangements in other local authority areas throughout Scotland. 3.2 The key area of activity overseen by the Renfrewshire Chief Officers Group are: • child protection; • adult protection; • offender management (MAPPA processes for sexual and violent offenders); • community protection; • Alcohol and Drug Partnership; and • Gender Based Violence Strategy 3.3 The Chief Officers Group provides regular reports to the Member Officer Group which is comprised of elected members on a cross party basis, and key officers from the Council and partners. The purpose of the Member Officer Group is to provide senior elected members with the opportunity to formally and regularly discharge their strategic independent scrutiny and assurance role in relation to key activity and significant developments which have implications for public protection matters in Renfrewshire. 3.4 This is the seventh annual report of the Chief Officers Group. It provides an overview of the key areas of work in relation to public protection in Renfrewshire over the course of 2021/22, and in doing so highlights the ongoing importance of partnership working. Item 8 Page 88 of 218
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3.5 The annual report is provided against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is now recognised as being the most significant challenge to have faced the international community in modern times. As the vaccination programme progressed throughout 2021, restrictions were slowly eased and on 9 August 2021 Scotland moved beyond level 0 with the legal requirement for physical distancing and limits on gatherings removed. However, some restrictions had to be reintroduced for a period in December 2021 as cases of the Omicron variant spread rapidly in the community. 3.6 During these unprecedented times public services continue to be under significant pressure and it is widely acknowledged that many vulnerable individuals will have been impacted significantly and for a considerable time by the pandemic and the unintended consequences of actions taken to control it. While those most vulnerable are likely to have been most disproportionately affected, new vulnerabilities have been created amongst individuals and families as a result of a range of factors such as, loss of employment and other health conditions such as long COVID. 3.7 During the pandemic, the strength of partnership working within the Chief Officers Group has been evident and our approach has adapted and flexed in order to jointly address and respond to emerging issues. The introduction of special meetings of the Chief Officers Group provided a platform for short notice meetings to be arranged to tackle the most imminent issues and threats. 3.8 Despite the challenges of the pandemic, good progress has been made collectively at a local level to drive improvements to joint working and practice across Renfrewshire. A summary of key activities is provided for elected members within the annual report attached at Appendix 1 to this report. ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Strategic focus for 2022/23 4.1 Moving forward the Chief Officers Group have identified a number of specific priorities to be progressed during 2022/23 in addition to ongoing activity. These are: • Collectively monitor continued impact of COVID-19 and the deepening cost of living crisis on our most vulnerable citizens, particularly in relation to child and adult protection and wider community protection; • Monitor and address the impact of Gender Based Violence across Renfrewshire and support the development of the refreshed strategy; • Focus on new and emerging adult protection concerns including financial harm through bogus callers, rogue traders and scams which may have become more prevalent through the pandemic; • Provide scrutiny, support and oversight of activity in relation to care homes, with a particular focus on the wellbeing of residents and staff; • Have oversight of how as a partnership we are tackling alcohol and drug related harm across Renfrewshire through the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, with a particular focus on drug related deaths / implementation of new MAT standards • Support positive mental health and wellbeing with a focus on suicide prevention and people presenting to agencies in distress; Item 8 Page 89 of 218
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• Support the development of trauma informed and responsive services; • Undertake an analysis of cybercrime activity within Renfrewshire and agree preventative actions; • Monitor and review the impact of local work to support the resettlement of Ukrainian nationals in Renfrewshire, and asylum dispersal locally, with a particular focus on safeguarding issues and service response; • Engage with the Scottish Government to consider the implications of the proposed transfer of functions to the National Care Service and the implications for the Chief Officer Group; • Support the work of the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry. 4.2 The Chief Officers Group will continue to seek to ensure that performance and practice are scrutinised at a strategic level, to identify what works well, to highlight any areas for improvement, and to consider where further opportunities for early intervention and prevention activity would achieve improved outcomes for local people. 4.3 The group will also continue to review on an ongoing basis the implementation of relevant policies and legislation which relate to public protection, including Bail and Release from Custody Bill, Covid Recovery Bill, and the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Bill. ________________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – the Community Protection Chief Officers is embedded within the wider approach to community planning in Renfrewshire. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none Item 8 Page 90 of 218
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13. Climate Risk – none ________________________________________________________________________ Report Author: Nicola Canavan, Senior Planning and Policy Development Officer Email: nicola.canavan@renfrewshire.gov.uk Appendix 1 Item 8 Page 91 of 218
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Renfrewshire Community Protection Chief Officers Group Annual Report 2021/22 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Renfrewshire Profile Item 8 Page 92 of 218
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3. Analysis of Current Trends 4. Chief Officers Group 5. Member Officers Group 6. Strategic Partnerships Activities 7. Strategic Focus for 2022/23 1. Introduction 1.1 Renfrewshire Community Protection Chief Officers Group (COG) is responsible for leadership, strategic oversight and scrutiny in relation to multi agency public protection activity and practice in Renfrewshire. The group oversees the work of seven strategic partnerships which examine performance and ensure the provision of quality services in relation to child protection, adult protection, wider public protection, offender management, community justice, alcohol and drugs, and gender-based violence. 1.2 As elsewhere in the country, Renfrewshire continues to face challenges in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing a range of local protection issues, however the Chief Officers Group and the local multi-agency partnerships, continue to recognise, alongside scrutiny and reflection, the value of a proactive focus on awareness raising and preventative Item 8 Page 93 of 218
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approaches to protect people in the community. This has been evident in the work of those groups, agencies and partnerships involved in public protection. 1.3 This is the seventh annual report of the Chief Officers Group. It provides an overview of the key areas of work in relation to public protection in Renfrewshire over the course of 2021/22, and in doing so highlights the ongoing importance of partnership working. Impact of the Pandemic 1.4 The annual report is provided against the backdrop of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, which is now recognised as being the most significant challenge to have faced the international community in modern times. As the vaccination programme progressed throughout 2021, restrictions were slowly eased and on 9 August Scotland moved beyond level 0 with the legal requirement for physical distancing and limits on gatherings removed. However, some restrictions had to be reintroduced for a period in December 2021 as cases of the Omicron variant spread rapidly in the community. 1.5 The virus and associated restrictions continued to impact on service provision throughout 2020/21 and at the appropriate points during the pandemic, services worked to restart impacted services in line with Scottish Government guidance and have been required on an ongoing basis to respond flexibly to the changing needs of service users and communities as a result. 1.6 Since the crisis unfolded, many local people, including our most vulnerable citizens, communities and businesses have been impacted, through for example bereavement, loss of income and isolation and loneliness and physical and mental health and wellbeing. Sadly, since the beginning of the pandemic until 28 March 2022, 665 Renfrewshire residents died where COVID-19 was confirmed or suspected, 29% of these deaths occurred in a care home setting. 1.7 During these unprecedented times public services continue to be under significant pressure and it is widely acknowledged that many vulnerable individuals will have been impacted significantly and for a considerable time by the pandemic and the unintended consequences of actions taken to control it. While those most vulnerable are likely to have been most disproportionately affected, new vulnerabilities have been created amongst individuals and families as a result of a range of factors such as, loss of employment and other health conditions such as long COVID. 1.8 During the pandemic, the strength of partnership working within the Chief Officers Group has been evident and our approach has adapted and flexed in order to jointly address and respond to emerging issues. The introduction of special meetings of the Chief Officers Group provided a platform for short notice meetings to be arrange to tackle the most imminent issues and threats. 2. Renfrewshire Profile Item 8 Page 94 of 218
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2.1 Covering an area of some 270 square kilometres, the Renfrewshire area hosts major towns such as Paisley, Renfrew and Johnstone, and a number of attractive villages and settlements. 2.2 In terms of population, Renfrewshire is the 10th biggest local authority area in Scotland with a population of around 179,940. Over the 15-year period to 2010 the population did decline but has in recent years increased and is projected to increase steadily over the next 10 years. This brings challenges with a projected decline in the population under 16 in the region of 6% over the next 20 years coupled with 25% increase in the number of pension aged people over the same period. 2.3 Renfrewshire has lots to offer and many strengths and assets to build on. One of the most critical challenges for partners is addressing the gap that has emerged between different communities in Renfrewshire, with the life chances of some being negatively impacted by poverty, poor health, and unemployment. More than 1 in 5 children in Renfrewshire are growing up in poverty. According to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, 12 areas (or datazones) are within the 5% most deprived in Scotland. 2.4 Alcohol and drug use are major elements of ill health in Renfrewshire, contributing to the sixth highest rate of drug related deaths in Scotland and the ninth highest rate in Scotland of hospital stays related to alcohol use. Parental neglect and harmful substance use have a significant impact on Renfrewshire’s children. In 2021, there was 587 children in Renfrewshire are looked after by the authority - the sixth highest in population terms in Scotland. 2.5 Renfrewshire is a thriving area for business and economic activity, with Glasgow Airport within its boundaries and excellent transport links across the West of Scotland, nationally and internationally. Employment levels in Renfrewshire had returned to levels experienced before the crash of 2008, with key sectors of employment being in the health and care sectors, transportation and manufacturing. Renfrewshire, as with all areas across the country, now faces the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic and is putting in place strategies to address the effect on jobs and investment, with a particular focus on supporting those in low paid/low skilled work to progress to better paid employment . 3. Analysis of current trends 3.1 Child Protection There were 4,308 child concern referrals received between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. This is an increase from 4,020 received from April 2020 to March 2021 and can be attributed to the easing of restrictions following the pandemic and a return to agencies being able to see children and families face to face. It should be noted that these are distinct referrals and not the number of children who were the subject of a referral. 86% of these came from Police Scotland. Domestic abuse was the largest single reason for a referral, with 1,476 concern reports over the 12-month period. Other regularly cited referral reasons included: • Missing person reports – 602 • Youth offending – 402 • Mental health issues (carer) – 255 • Alcohol and/or drugs use by a child – 250 • Child/parent relationship – 157 • Alcohol and/or drugs use by a carer – 126 Item 8 Page 95 of 218
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There were 333 Inter-agency Referral Discussions (IRD) between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, relating to 481 children. Of these, 192 proceeded to a child protection investigation, and 30 to a child protection pre-birth investigation. The number of children on the child protection register has continued to reduce. This reflects the trend nationally and no reason has been determined for this at local or national level. Child protection registrations varied from 65 to 71 throughout the year. One young person was placed in secure care between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. 3.2 Adult Support and Protection Between April 2021 and March 2022, 4,263 adult welfare concern and adult protection referrals were received by Renfrewshire. Of these, 1,444 were adult protection concerns and 2,819 were adult welfare concerns. Of these referrals, 1,286 progressed to a section 4 inquiry. Following initial inquiries, 88 adult protection investigations were conducted, a decrease from 112 the previous year. 29 of these investigations resulted in an Initial Adult Protection Case Conference. The table below highlights that this is the largest number of adult welfare concerns and adult protection referrals since 2016/17. 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2,578 2,829 2,719 3,106 3,488 4,263 The total referral number for 2021/2022 reflects a 22% increase in the referral rate as compared to the 2020/21 financial year, which was a 12% rise on the previous year. The 2021/22 figure is higher than in any previous years which is as a result of of an increased community awareness of Adult Support and Protection due to both national and local campaigns. In addition, agencies are accessing the available ILearn modules which provides a basic Adult Support and Protection module as well as more in-depth training. This training and knowledge better equips professionals in understanding Adult Support and Protection and when to make a referral into Social Work Services. Across the year Police Scotland made 61% of all referrals. There is a long-term trend of a decrease in the ratio of referrals received by Police, though this figure has been unchanged over the past two years. The table below provides an overview of the percentage of referrals that were made by Police Scotland since 2016/17. 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 77% 70% 66% 61% 61% 61% This reflects an increase in referrals from other sources (Scottish Fire and Rescue Services; care homes; Housing; HSCP Health and Social Work staff; and GPs) throughout the year, leading to the proportion from Police Scotland remaining stable. 3.3 Adults with Incapacity (AWI) Item 8 Page 96 of 218
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Demand for AWI reports, which require to be completed by a qualified Mental Health Officer (MHO), had risen steadily over recent years (mirroring increases across Scotland), and this year saw another increase in such requests locally. The complexity of cases has increased; the demand of such reports subsequently has an impact on the service. Some such complexity includes cases referred following financial harm risks identified through adult support and protection processes. The local authority may become involved to pursue the removal of a financial proxy and to pursue alternative financial arrangements to safeguard an adult at risk of harm. The pressure on request for AWI reports where a delayed hospital discharge is involved has risen sharply and this places further pressure on a limited capacity within the MHO Service. In 2021/2022 Renfrewshire received 238 requests for AWI mental health officer reports. In the previous year there were 176 such requests. 3.4 Welfare Guardianships Orders where the Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) is appointed Welfare Guardian rose in the last year, from 115 in 2020/21 to 125 in 2021/22. Each order requires a qualified social worker to act as the “nominated officer” on behalf of the CSWO for day-to-day management of the case. In addition, there are in excess of approximately 485 private welfare guardianship orders running throughout Renfrewshire. These require a minimum of one statutory visit by a guardianship supervisor after being granted. 3.5 Gender Based Violence A Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a multi-agency victim-focussed meeting where information is shared on the highest risk cases of domestic abuse between different statutory and voluntary sector agencies such as local Police, health, child protection, housing practitioners, Independent Domestic Abuse Advocates (IDAA’s), probation and other specialists. There has been a slight decrease in MARAC referrals over the preceding year, however 2019/2020 was notably the highest referral rate from the 6 years MARAC data has been recorded in Renfrewshire. In terms of repeat referrals in Renfrewshire these have decreased quite significantly which indicates those discussed at MARAC are less likely to present again with a further incident. Our repeat referrals are also less than the national rate. Cases Discussed at MARAC March 2019 to March 2020 157 March 2020 to March 2021 146 March 2021 to March 2022 134 The number of domestic abuse incidents reported to Police Scotland reduced by 7.1% in 2021/22 compared to the previous year. Period Number of IVPD’s concern reports raised for Domestic Abuse 1st April 2019 – 31st March 2020 2,281 1st April 2020 – 31st March 2021 2,080 1st April 2021 – 31st March 2022 2,011 Referrals to Women and Children First: Item 8 Page 97 of 218
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Support and Advocacy Reconnections Total 1st April 2020 – 31st March 2021 185 78 263 1st April 2021 – 31st March 2022 196 62 258 In the table above, referrals to Support and Advocacy relate to adult women. Referrals to the Reconnections part of the service are for children and/or mothers and their children. There has been a slight increase in referrals for support for adult women, however this is broadly in line with the usual annual fluctuations. The lower rate of referrals to Reconnections may be linked to wider services having less contact with families during the pandemic but is returning to normal. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the delivery of services, in particular the group CEDAR (Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery) programmes and as such the service is working through the back log of families awaiting this support. Similarly, in terms of support to adult women during the pandemic, priority was given to women (and their children) at immediate risk of harm. Accordingly, there continues to be a waiting list for support for adults in relation to historical experiences of gender-based violence. 3.6 Serious Organised Crime Targeting serious and organised crime continues to be a priority in Renfrewshire. In the reporting period (1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022), there were 143 detections for drug supply, production and cultivation offences—an increase of 14% on the previous five-year average. Meanwhile, the detection rate for all recorded drug supply offences was 92.3%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points on the five-year average. Commodity seizures included etizolam, heroin, cocaine and cannabis. Proactive work is carried out on a daily basis by teams based within Renfrewshire, supported by Divisional teams, which specifically target the Serious and Organised Crime groups, one of which predominantly impacts on Renfrewshire. Enforcement activity is intelligence led to ensure the right people are being targeted in the right places. Police Scotland continue to gather intelligence for further enforcement action in Renfrewshire and it remains a priority for officers to carry out intelligence led patrols ensuring that individuals involved in the possession and supply of controlled drugs are proactively engaged, subsequently leading to obtaining and executing search warrants. 3.7 Missing Person There were 649 recorded missing persons incidents over 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, an increase of 63.1% on the previous year. Over 11% of the total number of incidents relating to the top five most frequent missing persons within Renfrewshire, all of whom were young people aged under 19 years. Overall, around 81% of all missing persons in Renfrewshire belonged in this age category. Young Persons’ Units continue to feature predominantly amongst the most common locations for missing persons incidents (37%). Nearly 70% of all missing people were traced within 24 hours. Less than five percent of incidents involved people being missing for over one week. 3.8 Cyber Crime There continues to be indications of an increasing trend in relation to cybercrime. Analysis identified a minimum of 713 cybercrimes in the reporting period in Renfrewshire. 42% of Item 8 Page 98 of 218
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these involved threatening or abusive communications offences, while a further 36% related to online fraud and other financially motivated crimes. 3.9 Violence and Disorder Overall, between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, recorded violent crime has fallen by 3.5% on the five-year average, although a rise of 8.2% has been recorded on the previous year. It should be noted that violence in the previous year declined on previous years, almost certainly due to COVID -19 restrictions which limited opportunities for interpersonal violence to occur. Over the longer term, however, crimes of serious violence are down by 3.5%, while common assaults (including on police officers and other emergency workers) have fallen by 1.3%. Meanwhile, public complaints of disorder have fallen by 26.1% on the previous year— highly likely due to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the associated drop in public reporting of breaches of these. 3.10 Sexual Crime Reported sexual crimes increased by 19.2% on the previous five-year average, to a total of 448 crimes. The detection rate for sexual crime is 56.7%, a drop of 2.2 percentage points on the five-year average. 45% of these crimes involved non-recent reporting—with a large proportion of non-recent reports involving child victims. 13% of recorded sexual crimes were cyber enabled in nature. 3.11 Accidental Dwelling Fire The most recent data from Q4 2021/22 on Accidental Dwelling Fires show a decrease of 9% (3 incidents) from this period last year. Cooking remains the most common source of ignition within Renfrewshire accounting for 16 of the accidental dwelling fires. 35% (11) of the incidents required no firefighting action, 26% (8) were due to distraction and 10% (3) were due to alcohol/drug impairment. 28 of the 31 incidents had detection installed and 86% (27) of them operated and raised the alarm. 3.12 Unintentional Injury or Harm Non-fire casualties remain static from this period last year with a total of 17 casualties. Of the 17 casualties 9 were as a result of Road Traffic Collisions (53%). Incidents involving Assisting Other Agencies accounted for 41% (7 incidents) of all the activity within this indicator. Tragically, 2 fatalities were recorded this period. The first incident was effecting entry for multi-agency partners. The second was a recovery operation from the Black Cart Water. 3.13 Deliberate Fire Setting Deliberate fire setting shows an increase of 3% (4) incidents from Q4 last year. Secondary fires accounted for 82% (106) of the incidents within this indicator. Refuse fires was the main area of activity within this metric. 3.14 SFRS Six Areas of Key Demand Item 8 Page 99 of 218
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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 The table below highlights the most recent available provisional data provided by Scottish Fire and Rescue in relation to the six areas of key demand reduction for the period 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2022. 3.15 Alcohol and Drugs In Renfrewshire, there were 50 drug-related deaths in 2021 which represents a decrease of 25% from 67 in 2020, which was the highest in the last decade. Chart 1 : Drug misuse deaths in Renfrewshire, 2010 to 2021 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 19 24 26 13 30 19 42 38 50 45 67 50 Renfrewshire had the seventh highest rate of deaths per 100,000 population (2017-2021) at 29 and above the Scottish average of 22.9. This is an improvement on the previous 5-year rate where we had the sixth highest rate of deaths at 28. Item 8 Page 100 of 218
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Chart 2: Drug misuse deaths for selected council areas, age-standardised death rates per 100,000 population, 2017-2021 Initial analysis undertaken across NHSGGC has highlighted deaths are more common in males (68.4%) aged between 45-54 (37.5%). In 2021, there was an overall 9% decrease in male deaths whilst there was a 10% increase in female deaths. This means that the ratio of Male:Female deaths was 2:1. Opiates or Opioids continued to be present in 82% of all drug related deaths in NHSGGC, with Heroin / Morphine implicated in 33%. Methadone was implicated in 51% of all deaths, a decrease of 5% compared with 2020. In 2021 there was a slight fall in the incidence of benzodiazepines implicated but it is still one of the most commonly found family of drugs implicated in drug-related deaths (70%), which is usually due to the drug Etizolam (67%). Area 2020 2021 % Change Renfrewshire 67 50 -25% East Dunbartonshire 14 16 +14% East Renfrewshire 10 6 -40% Glasgow City 291 311 +7% Inverclyde 33 16 -52% West Dunbartonshire 29 28 -3% NHSGGC 444 427 -4% Scotland 1339 1330 -1% Item 8 Page 101 of 218
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In Renfrewshire, there were 53 alcohol-specific deaths in 2021 which represents an increase of 20.5% from 44 in 2020, and is the highest number of deaths since 2009. Chart 3: Alcohol- specific deaths in Renfrewshire, 2010-21 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 44 40 47 36 44 37 40 44 50 36 44 53 The alcohol-specific deaths rate for Renfrewshire for 2017-2021 was 24.7. At council area level in the last five years, Inverclyde, Glasgow City, West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, Dundee City, North Ayrshire and Renfrewshire all had alcohol-specific death rates higher than the Scottish average. Chart 4: Alcohol-specific death rate in council areas, 2017-2021 In 2020/21 the rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions to general acute hospitals was 667 per 100,000 populations. lower than the rate recorded during 2019/20 (786 per 100,000). The COVID-19 pandemic and measures put in place to respond to the pandemic are likely to have contributed to the decrease observed in 2020/21. 3.16 Probable Suicides 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Item 8 Page 102 of 218
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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 In Renfrewshire, there were 25 probable suicides in 2021 an increase from 22 in 2020. In the same period, there were 753 probable suicides registered in Scotland, a decrease of 52 (6%) from the previous year and the lowest number of suicides registered in a year since 2017. Chart 5: Probable Suicides in Renfrewshire, 2010 to 2021 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 27 38 27 27 24 21 16 23 13 16 22 25 For the period 2017-2021, Renfrewshire had the fifth lowest rate of deaths per 100,000 population at 10.9. This was below the Scottish average of 14.1. Between 2017 and 2021 there were 99 probable suicides (72 males and 27 females). In the previous 5-year period (2016-2020) Renfrewshire had the third lowest rate at 9.9 deaths per 100,000 population, again below the Scottish average of 14.1. Chart 6: Probable suicide death rate in council areas, 2017-2021 In Scotland, three-quarters of people who died by suicide in 2021 were male (565 males, 188 females). The highest crude rate of suicide for both males and females occurred in the 45-54 age group in 2021. There is a known link between deprivation and suicide. The probable suicide rate (both crude and age-sex standardised) in the period 2017-2021 was over three times higher in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas. Item 8 Page 103 of 218
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4 Chief Officers Group 4.1 Renfrewshire Chief Officers Group (COG) was established to provide leadership, governance, direction and oversight to ensure local accountability for all aspects of public protection. Chief officers are responsible for ensuring that their respective agencies, individually and collectively reflect national guidance, which directs local services to work in partnership to achieve public protection measures. These arrangements are comparable to chief officer group arrangements in other local authority areas throughout Scotland and have been subject to an independent review. 4.2 The key areas that are overseen by the Renfrewshire COG are: • child protection; • adult protection; • offender management (MAPPA processes for sexual and violent offenders); • community public protection; • Alcohol and Drug Partnership; and • Gender Based Violence Strategy Group. 4.3 It is recognised that these areas of protection are often inter-linked and can impact on each other. The COG aims to provide demonstrable consistency and coherence in terms of leadership and direction in all these areas. The COG also combines efforts in individual areas to ensure that decisions taken in one area have a positive impact on public protection and are not counter-productive to any other high-risk area of business. 4.4 The COG takes an overview approach to ensure that the needs of vulnerable people at risk are being met and that services are improving outcomes for vulnerable people in both the short and longer term. During the pandemic the has been greater flexibility with the COG, particularly in relation to the enhanced scrutiny arrangements for clinical and care governance of care homes and to consider a number of Large-Scale Investigations and Initial Case Reviews etc. 4.5 The remit of the COG is to provide strategic leadership and oversight, and to scrutinise the work of the protection business areas on behalf of their respective agencies; to identify successes and areas for improvement, and in doing so learn from experience, monitor trends and examine local and national comparisons and take appropriate action in response to unsatisfactory performance. 4.6 The core membership of the Renfrewshire Chief Officers Group comprises of the following: • Chief Executive of Renfrewshire Council or appropriate senior named depute; • Chief Executive of NHS or appropriate senior named depute; and • Chief Constable Police Scotland or appropriate senior named depute (note in practice this will be the Chief Superintendent Divisional Commander for Renfrewshire. Those who will be in attendance includes: • Chief Social Work Officer, Renfrewshire Council or appropriate senior nominee; • Chief Officer of the Integration Joint Board or the appropriate senior nominee; • Independent Chair of Renfrewshire Child and Adult Protection Committees; • Child Protection Committee lead officer • Adult Protection Committee lead officer • Head of Policy and Commission • NSCJA SOG or appropriate senior nominee. Item 8 Page 104 of 218
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• Head of Public Protection or Director of Communities and Housing • Scottish Fire and Rescue Service • Chair of the Gender Based Violence Strategy Group or appropriate senior nominee; and • Chair of the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership or senior nominee. 5. Member Officer Group 5.1 The purpose of the Member Officer Group is to provide senior elected members with the opportunity to formally and regularly discharge their strategic independent scrutiny and assurance role in relation to key activity and significant developments which have implications for public protection matters in Renfrewshire as they relate to: • Adult Protection; • Child Protection; • MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements); and • Wider Community Safety and Public Protection matters including the Alcohol and Drug Partnership and Gender Based Violence Strategy Group. The group is comprised of elected members on a cross party basis and key officers of the council as follows. • Three senior members of the administration • Two members of the main opposition group • One other opposition member • Director of Children’s Services • Chief Social Work Officer • Director of Communities and Housing • Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership • Health and Social Care Partnership (operational head of service) • Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice • Head of Communities and Public Protection • Child Protection Lead Officer • Adult Support and Protection Officer • Head of Policy and Commissioning, Chief Executive’s Service • Service Planning and Policy Development Manager, Chief Executive’s Service Also in attendance as required: • Independent Chair of the Child Protection and Adult Protection Committees • Divisional Commander, Police Scotland or appropriate senior nominee The group will also invite the participation of other key individuals or agencies involved in the areas of concern of the Member Officer Group as required. 6. Strategic Partnership Activities 6.1 Child Protection 6.1.1 RCPC activity Item 8 Page 105 of 218
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RCPC activity has returned to normal, with quarterly meetings of RCPC and its subgroups having resumed from the first quarter of 2021/22. More regular meetings of subgroups have been convened when necessary – including to support the implementation of the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021. The Committee continues to monitor local and national data and intelligence and remains alert to issues impacting children and families – including the ongoing longer-term impact of the pandemic and restrictions. Meetings have continued to take place online. It is anticipated that the RCPC meeting scheduled for September 2022 will take place face-to-face or utilising a hybrid approach, with some RCPC members attending in person and others remotely. Some of the subgroups have already moved to a hybrid approach and it is hoped that face-to-face meetings can be resumed for all groups from late 2022. 6.1.2 National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland The national guidance for Child Protection in Scotland was published in September 2021 with an eighteen to twenty four month implementation period. The implementation of the guidance locally is being overseen by RCPC’s Policies and Procedures subgroup. A number of the changes required by the guidance have been implemented at pace within Renfrewshire, while some of were already reflected in existing practice. The key changes which have been implemented to date are: • Child Protection Case Conferences are now known as Child Protection Planning Meetings. • The first initial planning meeting for born children can now take place after a period of up to 6 months rather than the previous three months (however, for pre-birth this remains at 3 months). • Core groups can be held up to every eight weeks. • Initial and Significant case reviews have now been replaced with Learning Reviews. Renfrewshire is working collaboratively with neighbouring authorities to update the local child protection guidance to reflect the new national guidance and are in the process of commissioning an independent consultant to develop the guidance. It is anticipated that the new guidance will be available by early 2023. 6.1.3 Learning Reviews In line with the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021, Initial and Significant Case Reviews have now been replaced with Learning Reviews. From 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, RCPC commissioned two Learning Reviews which are now complete. These were undertaken by independent reviewers. The main themes emerging from the reviews are: • the use of parental capacity assessments; • GIRFEC; • trauma informed practice; and • thresholds. A new Learning Review procedure has been implemented within Renfrewshire and the Care Inspectorate are attending RCPC in June 2022 to discuss what is expected from RCPC when undertaking Learning Reviews. Item 8 Page 106 of 218
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6.1.4 Network Lunches RCPC agreed to undertake a series of network lunches in May and June of 2022. Networking lunches were undertaken by RCPC in the past and evaluated positively. The purpose of the lunches is to: • promote the role of RCPC; • provide workers with an opportunity to meet the independent Chair of RCPC and committee members; • share information about the new inspection model; • provide practitioners and managers with the opportunity to network and meet with colleagues from partner agencies; • disseminate information; and • discuss learning reviews. A further programme of lunches will be rolled out in Autumn 2022. Each of these lunches will focus on a particular theme, with themes based on feedback provided by staff attending the lunches in May and June. 6.1.5 Newsletter At the March 2020 meeting of RCPC, it was agreed that a regular newsletter would be developed to provide practitioners and managers with information about the work of RCPC and about key updates in child protection both locally and nationally. The first newsletter was circulated following the meeting of RCPC in March. Feedback from those receiving the newsletter has been positive. It was agreed that a newsletter will be produced and circulated quarterly following each RCPC meeting. 6.1.6 Training Training has continued to be delivered mainly online as we emerge from the pandemic. There has been some piloting of face-to-face events, both as single and interagency courses. Learning from the past two years has enabled the training team to prioritise which learning events are best delivered face-to-face and which will continue to be delivered online or digitally. Frontline services have largely welcomed more interactive face-to-face courses, although there are practical and logistical reasons why some online courses are more effective. The interagency calendar for 2022 was designed mainly for online delivery but is under review for delivery in person from the summer of 2022 onwards. There are clear and specific areas of practice that continue to be core learning, including: • Understanding Neglect; • CAPADU; • Children Affected by Adult Mental Health; • Child Exploitation/Contextual Safeguarding; and • Chronologies/recording These are likely to be given priority for face-to-face training going forward. Additionally, we have recognised the need for staff reflection on: how practice has functioned throughout the pandemic; the new National Guidance for Child Protection 2021; and learning from SCRs/Learning Reviews, all of which are being delivered across services or are in development for a future learning event. Delivery of the implementation plan (Safe and Together model) for working with domestic abuse is also ongoing. Item 8 Page 107 of 218
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Work is ongoing to embed trauma informed practice throughout all training delivered in Renfrewshire. It has been highlighted through Learning Reviews as an area for consideration and, where this is not already the case, it is being embedded in all single and inter agency training. RCPC’s biennial Child Protection Conference was deferred from September 2021 to September 2022 and planning for this is now well under way. It will be a hybrid model of both in person attendance and remote access for a total of 200 people across all partner agencies. The overarching theme this year will be ‘What Do Children Need from Us?’ 6.2 Trauma informed and responsive Renfrewshire Recognising the fundamental issue of trauma that local people and families told the Alcohol and Drug Commission members they had experienced, work has commenced on a partnership programme of work to ensure that recognising and responding to trauma is part of every service we deliver. A coordinator post has been created to lead this programme of work going forward, with recruitment currently underway. The Trauma steering group has been established, and engagement with the Improvement Service and other local authorities has taken place. An action plan is currently being developed, and awareness sessions at a leadership level are already underway. It is anticipated that actions will include: • Reviewing current training and development programmes • Reviewing HR and recruitment policies through a trauma informed lens, • Deliver awareness sessions to highlight what becoming more trauma informed can mean for services and partnership • Linking this work to existing and emerging priorities such as The Promise, Our Values, etc. 6.3 Adult Support and Protection (ASP) 6.3.1 Audit activity The Renfrewshire Adult Protection committee has taken a very proactive approach to the quality assurance and audit activity. Every quarter there is small scale audits completed based on an identified theme. There are 30 cases audited in the quarterly small-scale audits. The theme’s these audits have been based on are as follows – • ASP protection plans • Engagement of service users at inquiry stage • Leadership/management in ASP • The quality of reports submitted to Case Conferences for those invited and those who attended • Review frequency of invitations and decisions sent to GPs for Case Conferences • Service user engagement in Case Conferences • Outcomes of ASP investigation In addition to our quarterly audits, we are conducting a large-scale audit in August 2022. The theme for this audit is people who have high levels of interagency referrals. This is a multi- agency audit involving Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Public Protection, Housing Services, Health representation and Adult social work services. There will be 10 cases audited and a report will be produced to committee to examine the findings of this audit. Item 8 Page 108 of 218
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6.3.2 ASP National Minimum Dataset – Learning Partner with Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) IRISS has been commissioned by the Scottish Government to work with all Adult Protection Committees and other members of the sector to develop a new National Minimum Dataset for Adult Support and Protection. Renfrewshire RAPC were selected as a learning partner to co-design, test and refine a National Minimum Dataset for quarterly indicators and support package. The RAPC convenor, RAPC lead officer, ASP officer and Data Analyst manager participated in the online workshops. In addition, we have provided IRISS with information on what data we currently collate and why to inform the National Dataset. Feedback has also been given to IRISS on the prototype of the dataset. The RAPC are proud to be involved in this work and to be part of the trialling of the dataset before it is rolled out across the sector. 6.3.3 Missing Persons Protocol Renfrewshire RAPC submitted an Expression of Interest to participate in the National Missing Persons Framework Implementation Project. The submission involved collaboration with a number of partners, including the Renfrewshire HSCP, Renfrewshire Communities, Housing and Planning, Public Protection, Renfrewshire Children Services, the community safety partnership and Police Scotland. This submission of interest was successful, and we began working with Missing People to develop a Missing Persons Protocol. A working group was formed, and we began working on the project focusing on the following points – • Reviewing the response to missing episodes through mapping and understanding current policies, guidance and practice relating to missing persons • Consulting on and developing policies and protocols around Return Discussions and information sharing • Delivering free, tailored training sessions to local professionals • Sharing best practice and learning related to the implementation of The National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland • Building awareness of support services available to Missing People which can allow our partners to focus resources on the operational response to missing persons • The launch of a best practice protocol for professional to use when supporting people at risk of a missing episode and people who have returned from a missing episode The project reached a conclusion in September 2021. The identified aims were successfully achieved. The Renfrewshire Missing Persons Protocol is now being used in practice across the sector. In terms of launching the protocol partner agencies have been able to enrol in training provided by Missing People focusing on return discussions. The RAPC Lead officer has also met with all the adult services teams to provide an overview of the protocol and how this should be used in practice. 6.3.4 Renfrewshire Partnership Hoarding Policy A multi-agency Hoarding policy is in the process of being developed. The guidance will describe what is meant by hoarding; the types of behaviour exhibited and what impact it may be to the individual and those around them. The policy will include a risk assessment to identify the level of risk to the individual and others. In addition, there will be clear guidance on what intervention practitioners should consider to try to mitigate risk. The supports available will also be detailed within the policy. Appended to the guidance will be a Item 8 Page 109 of 218
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procedure which provides further details on the practical steps that should be taken once a person who hoards has been identified. 6.3.5 Development of the Care Homes, Extra Care Housing and Supported Living ASP subgroup The Renfrewshire Adult Protection Committee’s data scorecard has shown increasing ASP referral from Care Homes. There was also a noted increase in the number of large-scale inquiries over the subsequent 12-month period. Therefore, it was decided there would be much benefit in implementing a subgroup which focused on ASP referrals from residential care facilities. The subgroups aim is to take an early intervention approach to try to minimise potential increasing risk within residential establishments. The group is operational in nature with the membership including representatives from • Operational adult services • Contracts and commissioning • Clinical director (NHS) • Community pharmacy • Care Inspectorate • Community Nursing • Scottish Fire and Rescue Service • Police Scotland The terms of reference for the group have been formed and agreed at committee with the first meeting due to take place in August 2022. There will be data collated for each care setting looking at a number of key elements. The data will then be discussed with the subgroup and a RAG status will be appointed to each care establishment. The log from the meeting will also be shared with operational staff, it is felt this will better equip teams to identify care establishments with potential increasing risk which could result in a Large-Scale Inquiry. It is envisioned this will support the operational teams to intervene and support at an earlier stage. The anticipated benefits of the subgroup are as follows – • Enhanced quality of life and dignity for adults residing in care settings in Renfrewshire • Lower risk of harm in care settings • Increased confidence for care staff and positive expectations of users and care in receipt of care 6.3.6 Procedure for Large Scale Investigation of Adults at Risk of Harm Renfrewshire have conducted 4 Large-Scale Investigations (LSI) during the reporting period. All the LSI’s have been in independent sector care homes. Comprehensive and collaborative reports were completed for every individual included in the LSI. The reports were shared within the relevant LSI’s meetings and directly contributed towards risk assessments on both an individual and setting wide basis. The LSIs continue to demonstrate an exemplary multi- disciplinary and multi-agency cooperation. Contributions from colleagues across the health service, Police Scotland, the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, Care Item 8 Page 110 of 218
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Home Liaison nurses, commissioning staff, social work services and the third sector led to holistic assessments of risks and strengths within a care setting. The coordinated response to shared concerns enhances the efficiency and efficacy of safeguarding measures undertaken. We have now produced and implemented the procedure for Large-Scale Investigations of Adults at risk of harm. This procedure allows for a consistent and coordinated response to LSI’s. In terms of training the learning and development subcommittee have now created staff’s briefings on the procedure. The briefings have initially been targeted at key staff groups who are likely to be involved in LSI’s. Once these staff groups have attended the briefings, we will aim for a wider reach to increase agencies understanding and knowledge of LSI’s and what this would involve. We anticipate that the briefings will further enhance professionals’ ability to notice issues and risks which may warrant an LSI. 6.4 Oversight of Care Homes and Care at Home Services On 17 May 2020, the Scottish Government published national statutory COVID-19 guidance to provide granular scrutiny, support and oversight of care home and care at home services. The guidance required that from 18 May 2020, clinical and care professionals at NHS boards and local authorities will have a leading role in the oversight for care homes in their area. The enhanced multidisciplinary arrangements will continue to be in place, with some adaptations as the oversight arrangements evolve until the end of March 2023. This includes the joint Chief Social Work Officer/ Nurse Director oversight roles. The following governance arrangements continue to be implemented to strengthen clinical and care oversight of care homes across Renfrewshire: • Renfrewshire Clinical and Care Oversight Group weekly multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting: the group is responsible for analysing all aspects of COVID-19, infection control, testing, training and support; classifying each care home using the Scottish Government agreed rating and completing the local return to the Director of Public Health, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. There is also a requirement for the MDT to escalate issues via the Chief Officer / Director Nursing to the Chief Executives of the Council and NHS respectively. • Care Home Peer Support Meeting every 6 to 8 weeks (initially held weekly): this meeting provides a forum for clinical and care advice and support to all registered homes in Renfrewshire. This meeting is well attended by all care homes and has been so successful that it is intended this meeting is continued beyond the pandemic. Local strategic oversight of these arrangements continues to be provided by the COG who regular monitored performance, scrutinised reports and established special meetings of the grouped as and when required. 6.5 Gender Based Violence 6.5.1 Equally Safe Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls was published in 2014 and updated in 2016. The aim of the strategy is to ensure partnership working across the public, private and third sector in order to create a ‘strong and flourishing Scotland where all individuals are equally safe and protected, and where Item 8 Page 111 of 218
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women and girls live free from all forms of violence and abuse – and the attitudes which perpetuate them.’ Scottish Government and COSLA will publish a new short-life Equally Safe delivery plan early next year. This plan will consolidate and build on the existing priorities and commitments contained in the current Equally Safe Delivery Plan and consider what needs to be achieved for the sector to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The implementation of Equally Safe is the responsibility of local Violence Against Women Partnerships. In Renfrewshire the local multi-agency Gender Based Violence (GVB) Strategy Group is jointly chaired by the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice for Renfrewshire Council and the Head of Health and Social Care for Renfrewshire HSCP and meets quarterly. Renfrewshire GBV Strategy Group provide an annual assessment to the Scottish Government against the Equally Safe Quality Standards and Performance Framework. 6.5.2 Renfrewshire Gender Based Violence Strategy To support the implementation of Equally Safe, the Renfrewshire GBV Strategy Group published its first strategy in November 2018. The vision of Renfrewshire’s Gender Based Violence Strategy (2018–2021) is that ‘Renfrewshire is a place where GBV is not tolerated and where victims, perpetrators and communities are supported to address its causes and consequences.’ Considering the challenges posed by the pandemic, Renfrewshire GBV Strategy Group agreed that rather than publish a full updated strategy as planned this year, that we will spend time planning and preparing for an updated strategy for 2023–2026. This is in line with the national refresh of the Equally Safe Delivery Plan, recognising the impact of the pandemic and allowing us to reflect on the successes achieved and identifying the local priorities and actions required for the next period. A key area for development is how to embed the survivor voice in local service planning and delivery. A development session will take place before the end of the year. The strategic priorities will remain unchanged: 1. Ensure strong partnership working of Renfrewshire’s GBV Strategy Group. 2. Provide high quality services which meet the needs of victims and perpetrators. 3. Improve the knowledge, skills and behaviour of local workers. 4. Improve the knowledge, skills and behaviour of the wider community. The performance of the Renfrewshire GBV Strategy Group continues to be assessed against the Equally Safe Quality Standards and Performance Framework. Work has begun with partners to gather the information for the 2022 return which is due to be submitted in August. Renfrewshire GBV Strategy Group has continued to develop a strong partnership approach to addressing GBV. The group has continued to meet regularly during the last year via Microsoft Teams. The membership has increased to include representatives from the voluntary sector (Kairos+) and Renfrewshire Council Youth Services. 6.5.3 Reclaim the Night Item 8 Page 112 of 218
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The annual Reclaim the Night March was postponed however a silent vigil was held in Orr Square where community members were invited to add white ribbons of remembrance to a memorial wreath at any point during the 16 days of Activism. GBV training also moved online and much of the core basic GBV training has been provided free of charge by national services such as the Safe Lives DAART awareness raising tool and Equally Safe in Practice, a joint initiative between Scottish Government Improvement Services and Scottish Women’s Aid. 6.5.4 Local Service Updates Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) is a peer mentoring leadership programme for young people. It gives young people the chance to explore and challenge the attitudes, beliefs and cultural norms that underpin gender-based violence, bullying and other forms of violence. The MVP Programme in Renfrewshire has now been expanded to include 16 local schools and 170 school staff have accessed training on the Whole School Approach. Renfrewshire Council Children’s Services and Youth Services were successful in a bid for funding from the Delivering Equally Safe Fund to deliver the Young and Equally Safe in Renfrewshire project which aims to develop the existing Mentors in Violence Prevention school-based programme into community settings. Youth Services will work in partnership with Children’s Services and the Renfrewshire Youth Work Network to provide safe and brave spaces for young people to explore gender-based violence issues and campaign work to bring about a challenge to norms by promoting a positive social action model through youth work engagement. This project will be developed and delivered in partnership with young people, creating opportunity to increase and broaden representation on Renfrewshire Youth Voice, will seeking to inform strategic planning. Multi-agency forums such as MARAC (Multi-agency Risk Assessment Conference), MATAC (Multi-agency Tasking and Co-ordination) and MAPPA (Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements) adapted to remote working by use of Microsoft Teams for video meetings. The delays in the court process due to the pandemic have brought additional challenges from both the perspective of support to victims and in progressing work with perpetrators. Women and children in refuge accommodation are experiencing longer than usual waits for housing provision due to the pandemic. The GBV Strategy Group will continue to work with key stakeholders to prepare a post COVID-19 plan to address some of these challenges. The Up2U perpetrator programme continues to be delivered by the Children’s Services Justice team. Justice Social Workers routinely assess a service user’s suitability to undertake Up2U modules when a Criminal Justice Social Work Report has been requested in relation to domestic abuse offences. The Justice team have 31 service users at present with whom they are attempting to undertake Up2U modules. Portsmouth Council continue offer ongoing support to workers trained in Up2U and provide access to support groups the workers can tap into to discuss their practice. There are weekly support groups and monthly masterclasses available. Workers are encouraged to use this support when required. 6.5.5 Renfrewshire Women’s Aid Renfrewshire Women’s Aid have been awarded a three-year contract with Renfrewshire Council to continue to provide specialised services in supported accommodation and related support services for women and their children affected by domestic abuse. The Own My Life Item 8 Page 113 of 218
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course will be running an evening programme during the summer for survivors who are unable to attend during the day. 6.5.6 Women and Children First Renfrewshire Council’s Women and Children First service have returned to full face-to-face delivery of service. Due to the limited access to accommodation during the pandemic and the lockdown restrictions that were at times in place, group work programmes could not be delivered. The service is now working on resuming CEDAR (Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery) groups as part of the Reconnections service and to work through the backlog of referrals for this service. There is also a high demand for counselling services, particularly in relation to historical experiences of abuse. Any woman or family group at risk of further harm, fleeing violence or struggling financially is allocated immediately for short term intervention and support. During the pandemic the service saw a marked increase in the need for applications to be made to the Buttle Trust, Victim Fund and NatWest Circle Fund for items including food, ring doorbells and other safety equipment, white goods and other household items. The Safe and Together model was introduced to Renfrewshire during its 2016 Child Protection Conference, by the model’s pioneer, David Mandel. Safe and Together is a perpetrator pattern based, child-centred, survivor strengths approach to working with domestic abuse. The model argues that the focus should be on the children’s interests while also maintaining that the perpetrator parent be held to the same parenting standards as the parent who is the victim of the abuse. Safe and Together was originally developed for use in child welfare systems, but it also has implications for domestic abuse advocates, family services and courts, amongst others. The long-term aim is for this model to be embedded as an approach to GBV across all services in Renfrewshire and this process is currently underway, with the initial focus on Children’s Service Social Work staff. Children’s Services now have two staff trained as trainers in the Safe and Together model. The four-day Safe and Together training was delivered online to 20 Children’s Services Social Workers/Senior Social Workers in February with positive feedback received. As part of the implementation plan, those staff are champions of the model within their own teams. A further four-day training is planned for early September with a view to a one-day overview course being delivered to a wider staff group. Renfrewshire is now a participant in the Safe and Together National Implementation Forum and is in discussion with Scottish Government’s Improvement Services to plan a self-evaluation. 6.6 Community Safety and Public Protection 6.6.1 CONTEST Prevent Strategy The Renfrewshire Community Protection (PREVENT) Steering Group co-ordinates work in Renfrewshire in support of the national Prevent strategy aimed at stopping people becoming or supporting terrorists or violent extremists. A specific part of its role is to ensure that relevant arrangements are in place to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and to Item 8 Page 114 of 218
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ensure that those at risk of this are given appropriate advice and support – including oversight of the PMAP process in Renfrewshire. The Renfrewshire Prevent Strategy – referrals and PMAP process (2022-2025) was updated during 2021/22 and agreed at the Communities and Housing Policy Board in June 2022. The updated strategy has a clear focus on key processes and referral mechanisms including NOTICE-CHECK-SHARE and the process required to be followed and the key partners involved in conducting Prevent Multi Agency Partnership (PMAP) meetings. PMAP process Awareness, vigilance, and early intervention are all key to the success of the Prevent strategy and process. Safeguarding is central to the ethos and helps bring confidence to the process, providing reassurance that reporting concerns will lead to support for individuals to fully disengage from radicalisation. In Renfrewshire it is understood that the vulnerabilities that may lead to people becoming involved in terrorism or supporting terrorist activities may also result in a range of other negative outcomes – becoming involved in crime either as a victim or perpetrator, going missing, becoming involved in exploitation such as slavery, trafficking or sexual exploitation or otherwise becoming involved in or a victim of coercion or control. All referrals will initially be checked against other information to see if the individual referred is considered to pose a risk to themselves or the wider community which would require immediate action. A referral will not progress to management under the full PMAP process if it is considered malicious or misguided or it is clear the person is not vulnerable to potentially violent extremism / ideologies. PMAP considers individual cases and will develop a support package based on the risk assessment, the needs of the individual and any risks posed to potential support providers. Individuals can only be managed and supported through the PREVENT process with their agreement and consent. If the individual is under 18 their guardians’ permission is also required. 6.6.2 NOTICE-CHECK-SHARE Training Increasing the awareness of frontline officers and the wider community about how to identify potentially vulnerable people and how to share concerns is a key element in improving resilience around the Prevent process. NOTICE-CHECK-SHARE training has been rolled out throughout 2021/22 to not only Renfrewshire Council front-line staff including Housing Officers/EHOs but also to a range of public and third sector partners – even University of West of Scotland Criminology students. It is a key priority of the Community Protection (PREVENT) Steering Group in 2022/23 to continue to roll out the training as it has been well received by everyone undertaking it to date and increased awareness amongst third sector partners will be a focus for the roll out programme. 6.6.3 Serious Organised Crime Item 8 Page 115 of 218
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Counter Fraud and Operation Aidant The Renfrewshire Deter/Disrupt Sub-Group has been established over the past year to allow Renfrewshire Council and partners to work together to assist Police Scotland in deterring and disrupting people entering into and taking part in Serious and Organised Crime. An action plan has been drafted with quarterly meetings in place to action how this can be delivered. As part of Operation Aidant, Officers have assisted with joint visits to Nail Bars in Renfrewshire to assess for Health and Safety violations which Police Scotland and colleagues from Immigration have looked at the potential for Human Trafficking offences. More recently the group has been further strengthened through the involvement of SEPA with a focus on disrupting groups that contribute to illegal landfill sites abuse waste licenses or fly tip aligning with the investment from Renfrewshire Council in an Environmental Task Force pilot. Shut Out Scammers/Interlinked Smoke Alarms The Renfrewshire Divert Disrupt Sub-Group has been established to maximise opportunities to work in partnership to disrupt opportunities for criminal gain and divert people away from crime or from being a victim of crime. Focused work has been undertaken by Police Scotland and Renfrewshire Council (Trading Standards) to try to raise awareness and tackle scams and bogus callers. In particular, the Community Safety Partnership has issued a leaflet on ways to identify scams/bogus callers and highlighting the costs and implications of installing Interlinked Smoke Alarms to every household in Renfrewshire when people were sent Council Tax bills. This partnership working aimed at combating the opportunity for criminal groups to use the new legislation, introduced by the Scottish Government and requiring interlinked smoke/heat alarms to target vulnerable people and charge above the market rate to install devices. 6.6.4 Financial Harm Strategy In March 2022, the Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board approved the Renfrewshire Financial Harm Strategy. This strategy ensures that partners and agencies work collaboratively and efficiently to tackle financial harm in all its guises and wherever it occurs throughout our communities. It is led on by the Financial Harm Sub-Group and has a clear focus on what it wants to achieve under the 5 ‘E’s’: • Early Intervention and Prevention • Education • Engagement • Engineering • Enforcement 6.6.5 Community Protection Impact of COVID-19 A significant focus of the work of the Renfrewshire Community Protection (Prevent) Steering Group continued to relate to COVID and in particular, consideration of the recovery and the effects that COVID has had and continues to have on communities across Renfrewshire. Ongoing work included supporting Test and Protect, Community Testing and the Local Item 8 Page 116 of 218
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Assistance Teams across Renfrewshire to ensure workers and residents were safe and had access to everything they needed e.g., food/grants etc. Needs and the focus of this work changed significantly several times with new waves and different variants e.g., Omicron being detected and the public health landscape changing. Most staff across Communities and Public Protection continued to deliver front-line services to assist vulnerable residents throughout the pandemic including CCTV Operators monitoring public space CCTV, Renfrewshire Wardens dealing with anti-social behaviour, Pest Control Operatives and EHOs/TSOs liaising and working with businesses to ensure they were COVID compliant. Whilst not at the same level as 2020/21, Environmental Health and Trading Standards continued to work on COVID related work including assisting businesses to comply with the ever-changing landscape of legislation and guidance. This was mainly proactive e-mails to assist businesses and as highlighted last year, Renfrewshire remains one of only a few local authorities to have assisted businesses in this way. Community Testing remained in place until April 2022 before being decommissioned. Officers from Communities and Public Protection remained at the forefront, including weekly meetings with the health board to ensuring testing was available, especially when the Omicron variant hit Scotland in December 2021. Regulatory Services – recovery from Covid The development of significant new areas of work of regulatory governance and compliance that was required to be undertaken throughout the pandemic period to protect public health by both Trading Standards and Environmental Health Officers had a significant impact on normal day to day regulatory activities. Consequently, a number of areas of work were deferred by national organisations and require a recovery plan. Food Law inspections have now commenced again, however, the statutory food inspection regime and plan has changed several times due to the changing public health challenges e.g., the new Omicron variant being discovered in December 2021. As inspections have resumed it has been clear that due to Officers not routinely being in premises some standards have slipped – partly due to changes in business operation or due to the replacement of key staff in businesses with less experience of the regulatory framework. In addition, there are a significant number of entirely new businesses that are now being inspected for the first time. This has led to Council Officers spending more time than usual on what would previously have been routine inspections to support businesses back to a suitable level of compliance and means that the recovery period for the normal inspection plan will take longer than originally anticipated. The Lead Food Officer and Environmental Health - Business Regulation Manager has been liaising with Food Standards Scotland to agree an 18-month plan to get inspections back on a more normal footing. 6.6.6 Community Safety Partnership Hub Daily Tasking To ensure early intervention with regards to Community Protection, Daily Tasking has continued on-line with partners to ensure that all issues from the previous 24/48 hours are still being discussed/raised/disposed. Partners meet virtually at 9.30am (Mon – Fri) to allow Item 8 Page 117 of 218
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discussion and action to be taken. Meetings will continue to be held in this format as experience has shown that there can be increased participation and attendance from a wider group of agencies and officers than was previously possible when in face-to-face meetings. Monthly Tasking Monthly Tasking was established in October 2020 to address cases that recur at daily tasking regularly within a 1-month period. These are taken to Monthly Tasking for a more in- depth discussion and a multi-agency response plan is created to deal with escalating concerns regarding risk. The group identify the most effective intervention and prevention options to protect vulnerable individuals from being repeatedly drawn into criminal behaviour and activities. In line with the principles of Prevent, the focus of monthly tasking is to ensure vulnerable people are not on a path towards extremism or criminality and to respond quickly and effectively to support those who may be at greater risk of coercion, radicalisation, violence or ongoing criminal behaviour. There are 5 key areas of concern raised at daily tasking that feed into Monthly Tasking: • Concerns for persons • Concerns for children • Noise / Neighbour complaints • Youth disorder • Deliberate fire raising The first annual review was completed in 2021 and noted that the process and monthly tasking is well established and delivering positive benefits. 6.6.7 Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy Throughout 2021 and 2022, an updated Anti-Social Behaviour strategy was drafted and approved at the Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board in March 2022. This included extensive consultation with Elected Members and other partners/forums to ensure all practices and policies were up to date. A key strength of the updated strategy has been to formalise links and build on already effective working with Housing services and RSL’s. The strategy was well received, and an action plan has been developed to ensure appropriate actions are delivered with updates being provided on a yearly basis. 6.6.8 Overdose response team within Renfrewshire Turning Point Scotland were awarded funding to extend the Overdose Response Team that was in place in Glasgow City into Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and East Renfrewshire – this is now in place. The response team now work within Renfrewshire 7 days per week working in teams of 2 outreach workers and 1 coordinator based in the Community Safety Partnership Hub. This has been a great addition for Renfrewshire with staff attending Daily and Monthly tasking to maximise participation and input from partners. 6.6.9 Water Safety Item 8 Page 118 of 218
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Due to the death of a 13-year-old youth in the River Gryfe in June 2021, Renfrewshire Council formalised a lot of the work that had been on-going in previous years. In particular, this focused on setting up a Renfrewshire Water Safety Working Group with partners including Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service, Civil Contingencies Service, OneRen, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and Open Water Rescue. In addition to the above, a strategic review of Public Rescue Equipment (PRE) was undertaken with new equipment being placed along the River Gryfe. A new Renfrewshire Water Safety Policy was drafted and approved at the Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board in January 2022. 6.6.10 Avian Influenza Highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and in particular H5N1 has been within the UK for quite some time. In November 2021, an influenza prevention zone was put in place across Great Britain which required birds to be kept indoors and increased the reporting of dead wild birds. In March 2021, Renfrewshire was part of a surveillance zone due to confirmation of an outbreak of avian influenza in a flock of birds on a farm in Beith, Ayrshire (there was a tighter protection zone within Ayrshire). This led to weekly oversight and meetings with Scottish Government and APHA to ensure bird owners in the zone were made aware of the risk and were actively monitoring their flock for signs of avian influenza. The zones have now been lifted and only one bird has been noted to have Avian Influenza in Renfrewshire which was not linked to the above and deemed to be an isolated incident in December 2021. 6.6.11 Homes for Ukraine (Private Sponsorship and Super Sponsorship scheme) Due to the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Scottish Government, alongside the UK Government, established a Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship scheme. As this report relates to work done in 2021/22 – the scheme was still in its infancy at the end of March 2022, however, Communities and Public Protection are once again at the forefront of ensuring communities remain safe. This includes oversight and inspections from Environmental Health to ensure properties meet the expected/required standard. More importantly, a Multi-Agency Panel (Police Scotland, Social Work, HR and Communities and Public Protection) was set up and chaired by the Head of Communities and Public Protection to discuss contentious applications to ensure the safety of the vulnerable refugees fleeing war torn Ukraine. 6.7 Community Justice Responding to the pandemic has meant that some planned actions within the Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan 2018-21 have been delayed, with focus diverting to maintaining services, and adapting to national changes. The Renfrewshire Community Justice Outcomes Improvement Plan 2018-2021 was due to be updated by 1 April 2021, however in recognition of the impact of the pandemic on taking forward actions, it was agreed by Community Justice Scotland (CJS) that these could continue until 31 December 2021. Item 8 Page 119 of 218
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In May 2021, the Scottish Government and CJS issued a joint statement in relation to the review of the National Strategy for Community Justice and Review of the Outcomes, Performance, and Improvement Framework, advising that this is due in early 2022. Given that local authorities must review their Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan after the publication, they have advised that it is pragmatic for local authorities in this position to delay publication. As such it was agreed that the plan would be extended until the end of 2022. The continued impact of the pandemic on the capacity of services to take forward improvement actions means that consideration is currently being given to extending our CJOIP by a further year, enabling greater capacity to move forward on previous actions, whilst allowing time to gain a full understanding of current issues to inform a new plan. 6.7.1 Extension to Just Recovery Invest in Renfrewshire provided continued funding for this initiative. This ensures specific support is in place for individuals with convictions in overcoming specific barriers to education, employment and training. In recognition of some of the challenges of meeting the demand for service users subject to Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements funding was recently gained through the LEP grants programme for APEX for an 18-month period to support these individuals. Renfrewshire Community Justice remain active partners in the Renfrewshire Local employability Partnership. 6.7.2 Development of Pathways/processes for justice service users with addiction issues The Scottish Government’s Challenge Fund, managed by the CORRA Foundation, was made resources available to support activities that tackle harmful alcohol and drug use. Community Justice Renfrewshire was awarded £35,000 from the “Getting ready for Change” category, following the proposal of a project, Just Recovery, to carry out a mapping review of pathways into addiction services for people involved in the criminal justice system living in or returning to Renfrewshire. This includes young people and those who have committed serious and high-risk offences. A Community Justice Development Worker was employed within addiction services from March 2021 to March 2022. Challenges regarding information sharing, and joint working were examined with some overcome, and ongoing areas identified to take forward across justice and addiction services. 6.8 Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) Renfrewshire ADP is a multi-agency strategic partnership, including membership from Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Prison Service and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The ADP is tasked with implementing the national strategic frameworks ensuring that we improve the health of our local population and to prevent and reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs. Recent times have seen significant changes in the alcohol and drug landscape as a result of the Scottish Government’s new National Mission on Drugs, the work of the Drug Deaths Taskforce and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of these changes, the ADP recognised that it would benefit from an independent review which has just been completed. This work will prepare the ADP to move to an ‘independent chair’ model of operation and to Item 8 Page 120 of 218
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identify potential development needs to improve the outcomes for people who use our services when they experience problems from alcohol and/or drug use. The provision of timely, evidence-based treatment and support to individuals attending Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Recovery Service (ADRS) and other key services including the third sector continues to be a priority. Working collaboratively with our key partners has also culminated in a number of key action areas: - 6.8.1 Preventing Drug Related Deaths As part of the ADP’s Drug Deaths Prevention Action Plan, there is a range of work currently underway with partners to prevent and reduce drug related deaths in Renfrewshire. The appointment of the ADP Drug Death Prevention Lead Officer has also provided dedicated support to this area of work. 6.8.2 Targeted Distribution of Naloxone A local multi-agency Naloxone Delivery Group has been established with the key responsibility of driving forward work regarding targeted distribution of Naloxone. A work- plan has been created focussing on reducing barriers, improving education on overdose and Naloxone, and expanding supply networks across Renfrewshire. The development of a training calendar is also underway aimed at health and social care workers and other key stakeholders. Work continues in ensuring that ADRS staff are well trained and confident in the supply of Naloxone. This includes Recovery Peer Workers and Navigators from CIRCLE, the peer led recovery hub service. Additional Naloxone training has been provided, and regular communications have taken place for staff regarding the recording of Naloxone, along with tools to assist delivery (e.g., training checklist, brief intervention tip sheet). Staff were also part of an awareness raising campaign – Naloxone November, to encourage the uptake of Naloxone to those at risk. The campaign included recipients receiving comfort packages alongside kits and pop-up awareness raising sites within the local community. 6.8.3 Assertive Outreach Services The Greater Glasgow & Clyde Overdose Response Team (GORT) was launched in September 2021 in Renfrewshire. The Service was set up to provide a rapid response to near fatal overdoses by providing short, focused periods of support to each person and assertively engage with mainstream alcohol and drug services. Please see section 6.9 for more information on assertive outreach 6.8.4 Implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards The implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards established by the National Drug Deaths Task Force. The Standards have a focus on introducing same day prescribing and treatment of choice and have been developed to address issues related to treatment access, retention, and quality of services across Scotland. There are ten standards in total which aim to address change in the service delivery landscape and the culture of services, both over the short and longer term. ADRS is currently implementing the MAT Standards with a focus on introducing same day prescribing and choice of treatment. Item 8 Page 121 of 218
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The ADRS will aim to offer ‘same day’ provision for hard-to-reach individuals using rapid access assessment to opiate substitute therapy. In addition to this, the ADRS is currently in the process of training all staff on administering Buvidal, a new, long-acting injectable formulation of Buprenorphine available in weekly and monthly depot-type preparations. Negotiations are underway with a local pharmacy and a standard operating procedure to assist in implementation is currently being developed for Renfrewshire. What data is captured and how it is used is currently being explored to enable the ADP to monitor progress. The ADRS is committed to optimising the use of the MAT Standards in Renfrewshire to ensure individuals who use the service have immediate access to support and treatment and the same range of options as other parts of Greater Glasgow and Clyde. 6.8.5 Access to Residential Rehabilitation Providing enhanced access to residential rehabilitation placements has been introduced as part of the choice of treatment options. A scoping exercise has been carried out to identify abstinence-based services as suitable providers. A standard operating procedure has been developed to ensure consistency of assessment, reinforce roles/responsibilities and aftercare provision. Plans are also underway to address the gaps in stabilisation and crisis service provision. The development of a pathway is also underway to ensure the process of accessing residential rehabilitation services is clear and easy to navigate for staff and service users. 6.9 Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme Following the Alcohol and Drugs Commission’s final report in December 2020, partners have prioritised a range of actions in response to the key recommendations, as well as establishing a Programme Board to drive the local response, ensuring that all partners work together, join up service developments, and maximise the resources available. Key developments which have been progressed include the following projects, under the themes of the Commission’s final report: Risk of Harm Assertive Outreach (Harm Reduction Response Team – HaRRT) - A Harm Reduction Response Team (HaRRT) is currently being established in Renfrewshire, aiming to deliver harm reduction services to individuals on an outreach, flexible, and accessible manner, to reduce the risk of overdose and other drug related harms, and to proactively link individuals into treatment and support services. The Service will be provided outwith traditional core hours, on a dynamic and responsive basis across local communities in Renfrewshire – this is informed by the review of drug related deaths data, together with ongoing feedback from service users. The mobile unit to deliver this service has been procured and stocked with supplies, and recruitment of staff has taken place, with all necessary training complete. Services provided include the provision of injecting equipment to reduce the incidence of blood-borne viruses (BBV) as well as BBV testing in the community and wound care management. The Mobile Unit distributes Naloxone and engages with individuals that would not typically access support and care services into treatment. An initial steering group has been set up, and engagement with wider partners has taken place including Community Safety, Homelessness services, Police Scotland and GPs. A soft launch of the service is planned for early Summer 2022, with a more formal launch taking place shortly after. Work is currently underway with the HSCP and Council Communications teams to plan the launch and promotion of the service. Item 8 Page 122 of 218
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Holistic Support Model (MYLA – MyLifeAhead) – This housing-led project which provides holistic wraparound support, using many of the elements of Housing First. The project will support any household in Renfrewshire, regardless of tenure, whose life is being affected by alcohol/drugs, and builds on the concept that in order to have good health, you need to have a good, settled home. A specialist support provider (Turning Point Scotland) has been appointed to provide this bespoke support intervention via experienced staff, who will deploy a therapeutic and trauma informed approach, with support being centred and tailored around the individual, to help sustain their settled housing and stabilise their lives. A coordinator in Communities and Housing Services has also been appointed. The project formally launched on 16 May 2022, with a steering group also being established, involving partners such as Renfrewshire HSCP, social registered landlords, and third sector support providers. Crisis Based Mental Health Services - The project involves extending the current out of hours crisis support service provided by RAMH to include support in relation to alcohol and drugs. Recruitment has been completed and staff are undergoing training and induction, including shadowing Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services colleagues. The service is anticipated to formally launch by the end of June 2022. Building Based Services - The Alcohol and Drugs Commission and the HSCP Whole Systems Review of the Alcohol and Drugs Services, identified issues with stigma and the environment at the Back Sneddon Street service. As a result, the HSCP are currently undertaking a property review through a trauma-informed lens, the findings will used to inform a Property Strategy. Currently services are utilising space at Back Sneddon Street, Torley Unit (Dykebar Hospital) and New Sneddon Street. The HSCP are also considering expanding the use of space in other buildings across Renfrewshire to support a shift to a more community-based model. Hidden Harm - It is important that partners across Renfrewshire better understand the level of hidden harm in Renfrewshire, recognising that local drug and alcohol services will not engage with all people experiencing issues with alcohol and drugs locally. This is important to understanding how services can better reach out to support people at an early stage. Independent research was commissioned and completed by We are With You and the findings from this research are currently being shared and discussed with partners. Mental Health Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire Programme - please see section 6.2 for details Youth Health and Wellbeing Service - Service proposals are being progressed for a Youth Health and Wellbeing Service, which will provide drop-in facilities for young people who require to immediately access to mental health support. The service is currently being developed by the HSCP in collaboration with Children’s Services but will work in partnership with clinicians and the third sector whilst complimenting the REN10 programme. Prevention and Early Intervention Alcohol Policy - A partnership officer has been recruited to drive policy change across Renfrewshire, focusing on issues such as alcohol availability, supply and promotion and how employers across Renfrewshire can identify and respond to support people and their families who are affected by alcohol use. Actions over the last six months include: the partnership officer is now the chair of the Licensing Forum and has commenced a review of activity and development of an action plan, as well as looking to recruit new young person’s representatives to the group; and, working with Council HR colleagues to develop a Workplace Alcohol and Substance Policy, as well as colleagues in West College Scotland to update similar policies. £50,000 was initially allocated to support the development of this project, with a further £20k agreed by the Programme Board to allow the project to be extended to 2 years. Approval is requested Item 8 Page 123 of 218
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from the Leadership Board to allocate this additional funding as recommended by the Programme Board. Young People and Families Enhanced Education and Training Across Educational Establishments - Children’s Services in partnership with I Am Me Scotland have developed a digital, interactive and progressive curricular programme in substance use for early years to senior phase aligned to the principles of Curriculum for Excellence and reflecting the context of drug use within Renfrewshire. A steering group comprising key partners including representatives from the emergency services and those with lived experience being was established and were involved in the development of the programme. Consultation with pupil steering groups across various primary schools has been very successful, and pupils have contributed to animation scripts, provided voiceovers for animations, and been consulted on lesson plan content. The model is now being replicated at secondary level. Lessons come in the form of engaging interactive PowerPoint presentations for use on class whiteboard, including videos (biteables), animations, discussion points and quizzes. A book for early years has also been developed and copies printed for all early years establishments. The resources will formally launch in August 2022, and links will be explored around the developing stigma and language workstream. Recovery, Relationships and Connections Peer Worker Model - The Commission heard that often people who use drugs and alcohol would benefit from peer support as they worked towards recovery. A Peer Coordinator and two peer workers have been recruited and are actively promoting recovery within Continuing in Recovery Changes Lives Entirely (CIRCLE) and within wider communities. CIRCLE is a Recovery Hub in Renfrewshire for individuals affected by mental health and/or alcohol and drugs, based on a peer-led model that involves people with lived and living experience in all aspects of service planning. The model delivers a core programme of activities and is developing links for future implementation. Current service provision includes activities such as a book group, gardening group, focus group, football, drama etc. The coordinator and workers have been hugely involved in the development of the Connected and Caring Renfrewshire proposal, as well as its ongoing development with the Scottish Recovery Consortium and wider recovery network. Recovery Change Fund - The aim of the Recovery Change Fund is to support the development of local groups and organisations which provide social connection and support recovery in Renfrewshire. The Fund is also intended to provide opportunities to support piloting new ideas and projects in relation to mental health, recovery, stigma, and social isolation - gaps in provision identified through the extensive engagement during the work of the Commission. Connected and Caring Renfrewshire – Details of this proposal are included at Section 5 below for approval. The proposal, developed by the Scottish Recovery Consortium, involves a programme of events and activities to take place throughout 2022 in Renfrewshire, to highlight and deliver: recovery development support; active Citizenship/Lived Experience Representation; Stigma & Discrimination Reduction; amplification of compassion; and connectedness and community wellbeing across Renfrewshire. The proposal includes an Art of Recovery Festival, as well as the Recovery Walk Scotland to be held in Paisley in September 2022. Stigma/Language Matters - Partners are currently developing a Language Matters initiative, which will support them to challenge preconceptions and stigma around drug and alcohol use and promote positive conversations about recovery in Renfrewshire. Preliminary work has included developing a marketing and communications activity plan, with the following objectives: Item 8 Page 124 of 218
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• demonstrating leadership by ensuring that we do not use language that stigmatises people in public or in our communications; • supporting staff to understand the power of language, be confident in their use of language and to challenge stigma by speaking up when people make negative or wrong comments; and • supporting national campaigns to help people in Renfrewshire understand the power of language. Work on the evaluation framework for the Programme is currently being developed, aligning the projects to the themes and outcomes. The Programme outcomes currently include: • Outcome 1: Strengthen partnership working and adopt a whole system approach • Outcome 2: Increase understanding of trauma and ensure it’s reflected in the way staff work across the partnership; • Outcome 3: Value and further involve those with lived and living experience; and, • Outcome 4: Increase understanding, and strengthen local data, and service insight available relating to alcohol and drugs. The delivery of this programme of work remains a key priority for all partners and it is important that it continues to be delivered at pace given the significant harm that local people are currently experiencing in relation to alcohol and drug use. Key priorities over the next six- months include continuing to progress the existing projects, identifying further actions and funding proposals and consider how best to articulate Renfrewshire’s overall approach to tackling the impact of alcohol and drugs to Commission members, partners and members of the public. 6.10 Suicide Prevention Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the implementation of Renfrewshire’s suicide prevention action plan has continued. The action plan focuses on: • developing a wide range of services and practical support; • raising awareness; and • undertaking research to improve knowledge about suicide. As part of this, suicide prevention training has continued to be rolled out to significant numbers. Renfrewshire’s Choose Life Service Coordinator has developed a suite of “A Conversation About” sessions which are delivered remotely online via MS Teams. This has enabled training to be delivered despite the current pause on face-to-face in person training. Topics covered within the workshops include Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression, Psychosis, Suicide & Staying Safe, Self-Harm and ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). A third cycle of the programme is expected to be rolled out over the summer months The HSCP has invested in purchasing specific suicide prevention awareness training from Living Works in the Autumn of 2021. Living Works START is an online interactive video, described by Living Works as an “entry level” course that is suitable for anyone age 13 and over that has an interest in suicide prevention. The Choose Life Service Coordinator has also developed a follow up session titled “Beyond START”, which is a reflective session to Item 8 Page 125 of 218
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reinforce learning from START and to offer the opportunity for discussion and to answer any questions raised during START. The Scottish Government and COSLA are due to launch a new Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan by the end of September 2022. It will take a long-term view and should include key commitments made by the Scottish Government to look at the wider impact of societal inequalities such as poverty. 7. Strategic Focus 7.1 Renfrewshire Community Protection Chief Officers Group is responsible for leadership, strategic oversight and scrutiny in relation to multi-agency public protection activity and practice in Renfrewshire. During the pandemic, it has had an enhanced role in terms of the scrutiny of care homes and ensuring our most vulnerable citizens are cared for and protected. This will continue as we move forward and plan for recovery and renewal. COG will continue to regularly scrutinise and monitor performance across all areas of community protection activity, focusing in on areas where there are ratings are poor, there’s changes in referrals, incidents or concerns reported, or where national research or legislation suggests improvements or change to practice or multi agency working. The Chief Officers Group will seek to ensure that performance and practice are scrutinised at a strategic level, to identify what works well, to highlight any areas for improvement, and to consider where further opportunities for early intervention and prevention activity would achieve improved outcomes for local people. The strategic focus for the Chief Officers Group and the Member Officers Group for 2022/23 will be discussed and agreed at this meeting of COG, however the following areas are recommended: • Collectively monitor continued impact of COVID-19 on our most vulnerable citizens, particularly in relation to child and adult protection and the wider community protection; • Monitor and address the impact of Gender Based Violence across Renfrewshire and support the development of the refreshed strategy; • Focus on new and emerging adult protection concerns including financial harm through bogus callers, rogue traders and scams which may have become more prevalent through the pandemic; • Provide scrutiny, support and oversight of activity in relation to care homes, with a particular focus on the wellbeing of residents and staff; • Have oversight of how as a partnership we are tackling alcohol and drug related harm across Renfrewshire through the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, with a particular focus on drug related deaths / implementation of new MAT standards • Support positive mental health and wellbeing with a focus on suicide prevention and people presenting to agencies in distress; • Support the development of trauma informed and responsive services; • Undertake an analysis of cybercrime activity within Renfrewshire and agree preventative actions; • Consider and implement the relevant Scottish Government priorities and policy and legislative changes e.g., Bail and Release from Custody Bill, Covid Recovery Bill, Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Bill, Gender Recognition Bill; • Monitor and review the impact of local work to support the resettlement of Ukrainian nationals in Renfrewshire, and asylum dispersal locally, with a particular focus on safeguarding issues and service response; Item 8 Page 126 of 218
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• Engage with the Scottish Government to consider the implications of the transfer of functions to the National Care Service and the implications for the Chief Officer Group; • Support the work of the Scottish Covid-19 Enquiry. Item 8 Page 127 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Community Asset Transfer – options for revised procedure ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to meet a commitment offered at the ILE Board in August 2022 to set out a series of options for members to consider in terms of revising the Council’s current approach to reaching decisions on applications for asset transfer from community bodies (a process known as Community Asset Transfer; CAT). 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Council: i) Consider and agree a preferred option for determining future Community Asset Transfer applications to Renfrewshire Council; ii) Authorise the Head of Corporate Governance to make changes to the Council’s governance documents necessary to give effect to the Council’s decision; _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 In August 2022 the ILE Board considered a report on clarifications to the procedure for dealing with Community Asset Transfer (CAT) applications received by the Council. Item 9 Page 129 of 218
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A commitment was given in that report to bring a report back to the next meeting of the Full Council outlining some options for members to consider in terms of how future applications are dealt with. 3.2 At its meeting on 23 February 2017 Council established a process for dealing with decisions on CAT applications. It was agreed that the decision on such applications would be delegated to the Head of Property Services to determine. It was further agreed that the Community Asset Transfer Review Sub- committee of the ILE Board would be established to consider any application for a review of such an application. 3.3 Following an internal restructure, the delegation to determine such applications passed to the Head of Economy and Development. 3.4 The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 makes clear that applicants to local authorities for CAT must have the ability to request a review of any decision on their application. This review must be undertaken by the local authority within 6 months of receiving such a request. 3.5 The Act provides a further level of appeal to the Scottish Ministers if they remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the review process. 3.6 As set out above, the Council’s Scheme of Delegation provides that such a review will be undertaken by the Community Asset Transfer Review Sub- committee. This Sub-committee comprises any 5 members of the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, provided 3 are from the Administration and 2 from the opposition groups or parties. The Sub-committee is chaired by either the Convener or Depute Convener of the ILE Board. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Options for future CAT applications 4.1 In recent months several elected members have raised questions as to whether the delegation of decisions on CAT applications to officers is the optimum approach for the Council. The existing arrangements having been in place for more than five years, it is now appropriate to review the CAT application decision making process. 4.2 Council could choose to retain the existing arrangements whereby officers make the decision on applications under delegated powers (Option 1 set out below). Alternatively, Council could choose to remove the delegation to officers and have all CAT applications considered by Elected Members. Should this be the view of Council, it would be necessary to decide the forum where such decisions would be taken and where the internal review decision required by the Act would be taken. Option 2 below sets out a proposed decision making process. Item 9 Page 130 of 218
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Option 1 4.3 Council retains the existing process with decisions continuing to be delegated to officers, with any reviews sought by applicants being considered by Elected Members at the Community Asset Transfer Review Sub-committee. This is the approach the Council has adopted for the last 6+ years since the CAT legislation was enacted in Scotland. Option 2 4.4 Council removes the existing delegation to officers and all CAT applications are considered by Elected Members. The terms of reference of the existing Sub- Committee of the ILE Board would be amended to become the decision making forum for CAT applications. The Sub-committee would retain its existing membership. 4.5 Applications would continue to be received and subject to an initial assessment process by Council officers. Officers would then submit a report on the application to the Sub-Committee who would make the final determination of the application. 4.6 In line with the legislative requirements set out above, the reviews by any applicant wishing to challenge the Sub-committee’s decision would be considered by the Council’s established Appeals Board which operates appeals for a variety of circumstances. The members of such panels are drawn from a pool of all 43 Members. The membership of panel would exclude any Members of the ILE Sub-Committee involved in reaching a decision on the same application. 4.7 Any Member considering an application at either the Sub-Committee or Appeals Board should have regard to the Code of Conduct for Councillors and the guidance of quasi-judicial decision making. ___________________________________________________________________ 5. Existing CAT applications 5.1 Should members decide to revise the Scheme of Delegation it is suggested that the new process would apply to CAT applications submitted to Renfrewshire Council after the date at which the Scheme is revised. 5.2 Applications for Community Asset Transfer already under consideration by the Council, as well as any applications where decisions have already been published, would continue to be dealt with under the present process. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None. Community Asset Transfer applications will continue to be assessed and dealt with within existing Directorate budgets. Item 9 Page 131 of 218
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2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community Planning – The intention will be that the community bodies will be actively encouraged to consider the CAT process for assets they wish to run on behalf of that community. 4. Legal – The Council’s Legal Team will be involved in any CAT application recommended for approval and associated leases or sales of assets. Any process adopted by the Council must comply with the terms of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 5. Property/Assets – The Council will consider each CAT request / application in line with the relevant legislation and against its own operational requirements and plans 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. Required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Cosla Policy Position – Not applicable. 13. Climate Risk – All Council property assets have an assigned energy rating which is fully considered and communicated to the relevant bodies in any CAT application process _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Community Asset Transfer policy – procedure update; ILE Board report; 31 August 2022; (b) Community Asset Transfer Policy and Procedures; ILE Board report; 15 June 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Item 9 Page 132 of 218
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Authors Alasdair Morrison; Head of Economy and Development tel: 07979700472 Mark Conaghan; Head of Corporate Governance tel: 07983 851 997 Item 9 Page 133 of 218
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_________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 _________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources _________________________________________________________ Heading: Governance Arrangements _________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 At the meeting of Council held on 19 May 2022 Council approved the composition of its Boards. It was agreed the Head of Corporate Governance would conduct a full review of the terms of reference and remit of all boards and that a report be submitted to this meeting of Council. Proposed revised terms of reference are set out in Appendix 1 to this report. 1.2 At the meeting of Council held on 30 June 2022 Council agreed that a timetable of meetings to December 2024 would be submitted to this meeting of Council. The proposed timetable is set out in Appendix 2 to this report. 1.3 Correspondence has been received from CoSLA seeking nominations to its four Policy Boards (formerly Executive Groups). CoSLA has indicated that it is important that every member Council is represented at these meetings. The Boards meet six times annually. The Administration has indicated that Renfrewshire Council’s nominees are as detailed below: Health and Social Care Board – Councillor Adam Community Wellbeing Board – Councillor McGurk Children and Young People Board – Councillor Rodden Environment and Economy Board – Councillor Shaw Item 10 Page 135 of 218
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1.4 The Labour group have intimated that that they wish Councillor Smith to replace Councillor Davidson on the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board. 1.5 The report also proposes amendments to the Scheme of Delegated Functions. 1.6 At the Council’s Meeting of 17 December 2009, in respect of the development of the former Arnotts site in Paisley, it was agreed that Alan Russell, the Council’s then Head of Corporate Finance, would be appointed as one of the Council’s representatives on the Board of the Park Lane Developments (Renfrewshire) LLP. Given his appointment as Chief Executive, Alan Russell will be resigning this appointment. It is proposed that Alastair MacArthur, as Director of Finance and Resources, be appointed as his replacement. _________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 That Council agrees the revised terms of reference of its boards as detailed in Appendix 1 to this report; 2.2 That the Council determines the timetable for meetings of the Council and its Boards, including the dates during which there are to be recesses until December 2024; 2.3 That a report be submitted to the September 2024 meeting of the Council relative to the timetable from January 2025 onwards; 2.4 That it be noted that the meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub- committee to be held on 25 October 2022 would now be held on 26 October 2022; 2.5 That it be agreed that meetings of the Appeals and Local Review Body, although timetabled, be cancelled if there is no substantive business; 2.6 That the Council agrees its nominees to each of CoSLA’s four Policy Boards as follows: Health and Social Care Board, Councillor Adam; Community Wellbeing Board, Councillor McGurk; Children and Young People Board, Councillor Rodden; and Environment and Economy Board, Councillor Shaw 2.7 That Council notes that Councillor Smith will replace Councillor Davidson on the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board; 2.8 That Council approves the changes to the Scheme of Delegated Functions as set out in section 5 of this report. Item 10 Page 136 of 218
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2.9 That Council Approve Alastair MacArthur’s appointment as director of the Park Lane Developments (Renfrewshire) LLP. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background – Board Terms of Reference 3.1 At the meeting of Council held on 19 May 2022 Council approved the composition of its Boards. It was agreed the Head of Corporate Governance would conduct a full review of the terms of reference and remit of all boards and that a report be submitted to this meeting of Council. 3.2 The review identified a small number of inconsistencies between boards in terms of what had been categorised as general and specific delegations. The revised terms of reference standardise that categorisation. A number of minor changes to wording have been made to update the language to reflect existing services. 3.3 It was also noted that in the existing terms of reference matters in respect of food safety and food control; control of pollution, animal welfare and the control of animals, insects and rodent pests, health and safety at work, public health, the abatement of statutory nuisances, the control of communicable diseases, consumer advice and protection, and trading standards all lie under the remit of the Regulatory Functions Board. Historically such matters have not been reported to that board. It is proposed that these matters should be included in the remit of the Communities and Housing Board. 3.4 Building Standards currently sits within the remit of the Communities and Housing Board. However, there are no specific delegations in respect of that service list under the board’s remit. The Council’s Building Standards Service sits under the Chief Planning Officer. It is suggested that Building Standards should therefore be transferred to the remit of the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board. 3.5 Reports in respect of Clyde Muirshiel Park have been considered by the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board given its general remit in respect of parks. It is suggested that, given Clyde Murishiel Park’s unique nature, it should be transferred to the remit of the Leadership Board. 3.6 Given the ongoing services reviews under the Council’s transformation programme, it is anticipated that further changes may be appropriate once those reviews are concluded. A further report will be brought back to Council for consideration should such matters be identified. 3.7 The proposed revised terms of reference are set out in Appendix 1 to this report. Item 10 Page 137 of 218
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_________________________________________________________ 4. Timetable of Meetings 4.1 A proposed timetable, as set out at Appendix 2 this report, for meetings of the Council and its Boards, has been drawn up until the December 2024 recess, on the basis of the Council’s current decision making structure. The timetable is again based on five cycles per annum and is broadly similar to the previous timetable operated by the Council. The usual four recess periods have been incorporated: Summer – 8 weeks (starting after the June Council meeting and allowing for the Paisley Fair) October - 2 weeks Christmas - 2 weeks Spring – 2 weeks As previously, meetings of the Appeals Board and Local Review Body have been timetabled. However, it may be that these meetings are not required and will be cancelled as appropriate. 4.2 Dates for meetings of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee were included in the report submitted to the meeting of Renfrewshire council held on 30 June 2022. Following the approval of the report a number of external bodies have now set their meeting dates and this has resulted in a clash of dates with the meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub- committee to be held on 25 October 2022. It is proposed that this meeting now be held on 26 October 2022. _________________________________________________________ 5 Amendment to Scheme of Delegated Functions 5.1 At the meeting of Council held on 27 September 2018 it was agreed “That a Lead Officer be appointed by the Council to each Local Partnership. The Lead Officer would be a Head of Service to be appointed by the Chief Executive”. Accordingly, a delegation was added to the Scheme of Delegated Functions for all Heads of Service ‘to act as Lead Officers for the Local Area Partnerships, where appointed to do so, and to undertake any powers delegated to Lead Officers’. 5.2 The report on the Nomination and Appointment of Elected Members and Officers to Joint Committees, Boards other Bodies and Positions submitted to the statutory meeting of Renfrewshire Council held on 19 May 2022 advised that each Local Partnership would be supported by a Lead Officer, who would generally be a senior officer within the Council. Item 10 Page 138 of 218
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Lead Officer appointments would be made by the Chief Executive. This reflects the appointment of senior officers who were not Heads of Service as Lead Officers to a number of the Local Partnerships. 5.3 Accordingly, paragraph B47 of Section 5 of the Scheme of Delegated Functions – Powers Delegated to Officers – requires to be amended to: “Heads of Service and Senior Officers 47. To act as Lead Officer for the Local Partnerships, where appointed to do so, and to undertake any powers delegated to Lead Officers.” 5.4 The title of that section which will also require to be amended to read:- “Chief Executive, all Directors (including the Programme Director – City Deal & Infrastructure) and the Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership), and Heads of Service and other Senior Officers” _________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - none 2. HR & Organisational Development - none 3. Community/Council Planning – none 4. Legal – none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because for example it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. (Report author to arrange this). 8. Health & Safety - none Item 10 Page 139 of 218
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9. Procurement – none 10. Risk - none 11. Privacy Impact - none 12. Cosla Policy Position – none. 13. Climate Risk – none. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Mark Conaghan Head of Corporate Governance 0141 618 7177 mark.conaghan@renfrewshire.gov.uk Item 10 Page 140 of 218
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Appendix 1 Renfrewshire Council Scheme of Delegated Functions Section 2 Terms of Reference and Delegations to Boards Item 10 Page 141 of 218
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Adoption & Fostering Panels Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Adoption & Fostering Panel: As an adoption panel- 1. To consider and recommend to the Agency Decision Maker whether adoption is in the best interests of a particular child and, if so, whether an application should be made for a permanence order granting authority for the child to be adopted in terms of section 80 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland ) Act 2007 2. To consider proposals for adoption of children and make recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker all in accordance with the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 and any Regulations made thereunder. 3. To consider and recommend to the Agency Decision Maker whether a prospective adopter is suitable or continues to be suitable to be an adoptive parent. 4. To consider and recommend to the Agency Decision Maker whether a prospective adopter would be a suitable adoptive parent for a particular child. 5. To consider and make recommendations to the Agency Decision maker on any other matter referred to the adoption panel which is relevant to the adoption agency’s functions under the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 6. To monitor the reasons for applicants withdrawing following a formal application having been made. 7. To review on an annual basis or as required approved applicants who have not been matched with a suitable child. 8 To consider reports on the disruption of any placement recommended by the panel or involving applicants approved by the panel. 9. To consider and make recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker on matters relating to financial assistance for adopters in terms of any scheme of approved adoption allowances which the Council has, or in relation to the payment of legal expenses incurred by the adopters in obtaining an adoption order. 10. The panel in making its recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker must be aware of the duties imposed on the adoption agency by section 14 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 As a fostering panel - 11. To consider and make recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker on the following matters- (a) Whether a prospective foster carer is suitable or continues to be suitable to be a foster carer; Item 10 Page 142 of 218
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(b) whether a prospective foster carer would be a suitable foster carer for- (i) a particular child or children; (ii) any child; (iii) certain categories of child; (c) the maximum number of children a particular foster carer may have in their care at any one time 12. To consider and make recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker as to whether an application for a permanence order (without authority to adopt) in terms of section 80 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland ) Act 2007, should be made in respect of a particular child applications to the Sheriff for Parental Responsibilities Orders in terms of section 86 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. 13. The panel in making its recommendations to the Agency Decision Maker must have regard to the duties imposed on the local authority by section 17(1) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 Item 10 Page 143 of 218
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Appeals Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Appeals Board: I. Personnel Appeals and Applied Conditions of Service 1. To determine any appeals referred to it in terms of the Council’s disciplinary and grievance procedures policies. 2. To determine appeals arising from termination of service on the grounds of ill health or lack of capability. 3. To consider and make recommendations to the Finance, Resources & Customer Services Policy Board regarding submissions made by the trade unions concerning the personnel policies of the Council. II. Bursaries and Endowments Appeals 4. To determine appeals relating to higher school bursaries and education maintenance allowances. 5. To determine appeals relating to education endowments. III. Placing Requests and Exclusions 6. To determine appeals relating to: (a) placing requests; and (b) exclusions. IV. Non-Domestic Rates Appeals 7. To determine appeals against the application of the Council's policy relating to the discretionary relief of rates. 8. To determine appeals under section 238 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947. Item 10 Page 144 of 218
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Appointment Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Appointment Board to be established for vacant posts at Chief Executive, Director and Head of Service level: 1. To consider applications for the post and short leet candidates. 2. To interview candidates and select the successful candidate. Item 10 Page 145 of 218
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Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board: General Delegations 1. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 2. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. Audit 3. To act as the Council’s Audit Committee. 4. To consider reports by the Accounts Commission, Audit Scotland and other similar organisations and to make recommendations where appropriate to the Council. 5. To consider reports by the Council's external auditors including those relating to the Council’s annual accounts and to submit recommendations to the Council. 6. To approve the Council's internal audit charter and annual plans. 7. To consider internal audit performance and progress reports and the main findings of the internal audit work and the Chief Auditor’s annual report. 8. To consider and monitor reports regarding compliance by services with recommendations made by both Internal and External Audit. 9. To consider Corporate Counter Fraud Outcomes. Corporate Governance 10. To consider the Council’s code of corporate governance. Risk Management 11. To approve the risk management policy and strategy. 12. To consider the effectiveness of the risk management arrangements through consideration of the annual risk management report. 13. To oversee the Council’s risks and associated actions through consideration of six- monthly risk reports. Item 10 Page 146 of 218
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Monitoring and Reviewing Service Delivery Performance, Policies and Practices 14. To review performance management arrangements across all services and to submit recommendations to the Council. 15. To consider reports by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman in terms of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002. 16. To review service delivery and performance across all services and to submit recommendations to the Council. 17. To conduct reviews into particular issues and/or policies at the request of the Leadership Board and/or Council. Such reviews shall only occur after a period of not less than 6 months has elapsed from the date of implementation of the policy. 18. To review decisions taken by the Policy Boards (other than those concerning quasi- judicial functions) and how they are implementing Council policy and to submit recommendations to the Leadership Board. Such reviews shall only occur after a period of not less than 6 months has elapsed from the date of implementation of the policy. Community Leadership through Monitoring of Other Public Bodies Etc 19. To conduct reviews of issues of significance and/or concern to Renfrewshire which are not necessarily matters which are the responsibility of the Council. 20. To conduct reviews of the activities of other public bodies, including Joint Boards and Joint Committees in so far as they impact on Renfrewshire. Standards and Ethics 21. To consider matters of policy relating to standards and ethics in relation to elected members, including the promotion of codes of conduct, but excluding consideration of allegations against a councillor, as this will be dealt with by the Chief Investigating Officer and Standards Commission appointed by Scottish Ministers. 22. To consider guidance issued by the Standards Commission under section 6 of the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 and to ensure the application of such guidance. Written Intimations 23. To determine requests submitted by individual Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board members for a particular matter to be considered which is within the terms of reference of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board. Item 10 Page 147 of 218
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Communities & Housing Policy Board Terms of Reference A. Remit Housing Police Fire & Rescue Civil Contingencies Community Learning & Community Safety & Development Public Protection Community Justice Community Councils Consumer Protection B. General Delegations in relation to matters relevant to this Board's remit: 1. To monitor the capital and revenue expenditure programmes and approve remedial action. 2. To determine property requirements. 3. To determine requests for financial assistance. 4. To approve and oversee the annual service and/or business plan for the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 5. To oversee the organisation and management of the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 6. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 7. To write off deficiencies or bring into charge surplus stocks and stores. 8. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. C. Specific Delegations Housing 9. To determine charges for services and, where appropriate, letting policies 10. To monitor the performance expenditure reports and trading statements of the Building Services Trading Operation and to approve remedial action 11. To develop, determine and monitor the Council's policies in relation to housing, and community safety. 12. To exercise the functions of the Council as Housing Authority. 13. To determine housing needs within the Council area. Item 10 Page 148 of 218
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14. To oversee the letting, maintenance, management and improvement of the Council’s housing stock, including associated properties. 15. To approve new initiatives in housing tenure and investment. 16. To approve policies and procedures for the allocation of Council housing. 17. To oversee liaison with other agencies in relation to meeting the needs and priorities of the Council and the provision of resources for housing. 18. To determine the rent structure. 19. To approve the housing plan and annual policy statements. 20. To approve and oversee strategies for the management of and investment in the Council’s housing stock. 21. To approve and oversee schemes of financial assistance, whether by way of grant or loan or otherwise to assist in the improvement of the quality of housing. 22. To approve and oversee policies in relation to participation by Council tenants in the activities of the Council as housing authority. 23. To approve and oversee policies, procedures and investment to meet special housing needs. 24. To approve and oversee policies and procedures in relation to housing conditions, substandard housing and houses in multiple occupation or other shared accommodation. 25. To oversee the sale or transfer of housing stock, land and assets held within the Housing Revenue Account. 26. To oversee matters relating to social housing providers. Emergency planning and Civil Contingencies 27. To exercise the functions of the Council in relation to planning for emergencies, including the preparation and review of the Council's emergency plan. 28. To oversee and monitor the Council’s civil contingency arrangements. Community Safety and Public Protection 29. To approve and oversee policy and procedures for consumer protection. To oversee the Council’s policies and functions in relation to community safety. 30. To consider and oversee the Council’s policies and functions in relation to CCTV. 31. Oversight and monitoring of the Council’s Public Protection partnership working, including in relation to serious and organised crime and counter-terrorism. Item 10 Page 149 of 218
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32. To approve and oversee policy relating to health education and home safety. 33. To exercise the functions of the Council in relation to matters of: (a) food safety and food control; (b) control of pollution, including provisions in relation to clean air, noise abatement and the monitoring of water quality; (c) animal welfare and the control of animals and the control of insects and rodent pests; (d) health and safety at work including occupational health, safety and welfare; (e) public health, the abatement of statutory nuisances and the control of communicable diseases; and (f) consumer advice and protection, and trading standards. Community Justice 34. To consider matters relating to Community Justice and to exercise the functions of the Council in relation to Criminal Justice social work services. Community Learning & Development 35. To approve and oversee the provision of services in relation to community learning and development. 36. To develop and review the adoption of a community development approach to service delivery. Community Councils 37. To approve and oversee arrangements for Community Councils. Community Empowerment Fund 38. To consider and where appropriate approve applications for funding from the Community Empowerment Fund. Item 10 Page 150 of 218
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Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny Sub-Committee Terms of Reference Police 1. To consider matters relating to the police service including the Council’s involvement with the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Police Service, and arrangements for local policing including the Council’s contribution to the development and implementation of the Local Policing Plan. Fire & Rescue 2. To consider matters relating to the fire & rescue service including the Council’s involvement with the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and arrangements for local fire and rescue services including the Council’s contribution to the development and implementation of the Local Fire & Rescue Plan. Item 10 Page 151 of 218
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Cross-Party Sounding Board Terms of Reference 1. To act as a sounding board and discussion forum with no decision making powers. 2. To provide an opportunity to discuss matters of common interest or of Council-wide relevance. 3. To provide for cross-party discussion on non-partisan/non-political issues raised by each political party or group on Renfrewshire Council. Item 10 Page 152 of 218
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Economy and Regeneration Policy Board Terms of Reference A. Remit: Economy Employment Regeneration and Strategic Place-shaping Renewal Town Centres Management B. General Delegations in relation to matters relevant to this Board's remit: 1. To monitor the capital and revenue expenditure programmes and approve remedial action. 2. To determine property requirements. 3. To determine charges for services. 4. To determine requests for financial assistance. 5. To approve and oversee the annual service and/or business plan for the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 6. To oversee the organisation, performance and management of the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 7. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 8. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. C. Specific Delegations 9. To approve and oversee the Council's physical programmes for area regeneration, strategic place-shaping and renewal. 10. To oversee the setting of the Council’s priorities for employment generation and economic development in Renfrewshire. 11. To provide strategic direction for the activity of the Council and partner organisations engaged in promoting employment and economic growth in Renfrewshire. 12. Overseeing the development and delivery of an Employment and Economic Strategy for Renfrewshire. 13. To exercise the functions of the Council in relation to economic development. 14. To approve and oversee policies and operational arrangements in relation to the industrial and economic development of Renfrewshire. 15. To approve the provision of financial assistance under Council Business Development and Training Programmes and other grant aid schemes. Item 10 Page 153 of 218
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16. To oversee the Council's participation with Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Government, SDS, Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce and other organisations concerned with economic and business development. 17. To oversee liaison with agencies and organisations which can assist in the development or implementation of Council policies in relation to industrial and economic development or assist in minimising levels of unemployment. 18. To monitor economic and social activity levels in the Council’s area. 19. To oversee the activities of the Council in securing funding for Council objectives from all relevant external funding bodies and to initiate such action as may be required to maximise such funding. 20. To determine proposals for establishing agreements, memoranda, and links of any substantive nature with bodies, institutions, regions, groupings of regions or countries overseas, and to approve any visits to and from the Council's area. 21. To identify specific project opportunities for the benefit of the Council and to develop marketing initiatives to promote the profile of Renfrewshire. 22. To promote Renfrewshire’s case to the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and other agencies operating at a national level and European level that could assist in promoting growth in Renfrewshire’s economy. Item 10 Page 154 of 218
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Education and Children’s Services Policy Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board: A. Remit Education Early Years Children’s and Families Social Work B. General Delegations in relation to matters relevant to this Board's remit: 1. To monitor the capital and revenue expenditure programmes and approve remedial action. 2. To determine property requirements. 3. To determine charges for services. 4. To determine requests for financial assistance. 5. To approve and oversee the annual service and/or business plan for the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 6. To oversee the organisation, performance and management of the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 7. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 8. To write off deficiencies or bring into charge surplus stocks and stores. 9. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. C. Specific Delegations Education 10. To develop, determine and monitor the Council's policies in relation to education. 11. To exercise the functions of the Council as Education Authority, and to oversee the establishment and management of the education service. 12. To approve and oversee the provision of services in relation to pre-five, primary, special and secondary education. 13. To approve and oversee the provision of an educational development service. 14. To approve and oversee arrangements to meet special educational needs. Item 10 Page 155 of 218
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15. To approve and oversee the provision of a Council educational psychology service. 16. To approve and oversee the provision of educational resource support for schools. 17. To liaise with other agencies in the provision of education support services, e.g. the careers service. 18. To approve and oversee the management and development of services which provide activities of a kind suitable for pre-school children. 19. To determine policy and priorities in all appropriate matters relating to children, young people and their parents. 20. To promote the interests of children, young people and their parents with all appropriate agencies on matters affecting these interests. Children’s and Families Social Care 21. To develop, determine and monitor the Council’s policies in relation to family well-being. 22. To exercise the functions of the Council as Social Work Authority to the extent of its functions in relation to children and families and child protection. 23. To approve commissioning and contract strategies and grants to other agencies. 24. To exercise the functions of the Council relating to child care. 25. To develop and review services relating to children and young people. 26. To determine policy matters relating to adoption, fostering and children with special needs. 27. To develop and review plans, policies and services in respect of the needs of children and young people. 28. To determine the future residential provision in respect of children and young people. 29. To oversee matters relating to voluntary homes and residential schools maintained in respect of children and young people. 30. To exercise the functions of the Council in respect of the transfer of parental responsibilities and rights to the authority. 31. To consider matters relating to the Council’s role as corporate parent. Item 10 Page 156 of 218
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Emergencies Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Emergencies Board: 1. To oversee the activities of the Council, including the deployment of resources, in the event of any emergency, such as may be defined by the Chief Executive. Item 10 Page 157 of 218
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Finance, Resources & Customer Services Policy Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Finance, Resources & Customer Services Policy Board: A. Remit Corporate Asset Management Civic Functions Customer and Business Services Finance and Resources Human Resources and Organisational Development ICT Corporate Risk Arrangements Procurement Renfrewshire Licensing Forum Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board Scotland Excel Council service transformation programmes Building Services B. General Delegations in relation to matters relevant to this Board's remit: 1. To monitor the capital and revenue expenditure programmes and approve remedial action. 2. To determine property requirements. 3. To determine charges for services. 4. To determine requests for financial assistance. 5. To approve and oversee the annual service and/or business plans for the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 6. To oversee the organisation and management of the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 7. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 8. To write off deficiencies or bring into charge surplus stocks and stores. 9. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. C. Specific Delegations 10. To approve the allocation of common good funds 11. To oversee the Council’s establishment and training of employees and to make such adjustments as are necessary within the Council’s personnel policies and subject to nationally agreed terms and conditions of employment. Item 10 Page 158 of 218
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12. To provide responses on behalf of the Council to consultations in relation to pay levels and conditions of service of Council employees. 13. To provide oversight and review of the Council’s workforce planning, organisational development and human resource strategies and plans. 14. Within the approved corporate framework, to decide on service packaging, service specifications, selection of tenderers, awarding of contracts, monitoring of contract performance and to undertake any other task relevant to filling the client role within the responsibility of this Board. 15. To accept tenders for previously approved projects. 16. To make and review byelaws or management rules. Civic functions 17. To determine all matters in relation to civic hospitality and civic receptions. 18. To determine all matters in relation to the civic and ceremonial arrangements of the Council. Finance and Resources 19. To oversee all arrangements concerning the Coat of Arms. 20. To approve and oversee town twinning links. 21. To oversee arrangements for the provision of resources for elected members, whether by way of accommodation, equipment or otherwise. 22. To approve all arrangements in relation to public and statutory holidays. 23. To exercise the functions of the Council in relation to staffing, accommodation and associated matters under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005. 24. To exercise the functions of the Council in relation to the registration of births, deaths and marriages. 25. To oversee arrangements for compliance with the requirements of data protection legislation and freedom of information legislation and information governance and management issues in general. 26. To determine matters associated with the Council's policies and practices in relation to the Council's employees, including their pay and conditions of service, and matters associated with sick pay schemes, pension, and accident insurance. 27. To approve and oversee policies in relation to health, safety and welfare of Council employees and service users for whom they are responsible. 28. To approve and oversee policies in relation to training and development of Council employees. Item 10 Page 159 of 218
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29. To oversee the promotion of good employment relations between the Council and its employees. 30. To oversee the operation of the Council's disciplinary and grievance procedures. 31. To oversee the Council's employment responsibilities as defined by the Equality Act 2010 (General Duty) requiring it to pay due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. 32. To oversee the Council's employment responsibilities as defined by the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). 33. To oversee electoral arrangements, other than matters reserved to the Council. 34. To oversee the Council's financial and budgetary arrangements including: (a) monitoring the capital and revenue budgets of the Council; (b) the making of recommendations in relation to the borrowing of money; (c) the supervision of arrangements for the recovery of money due to the Council; (d) approving the arrangements for authorising all loan, leasing and investment documents; (e) the writing off of accounts due to the Council; (f) banking arrangements; (g) overseeing the Council's treasury management arrangements, including the Council’s treasury management and investment strategy and approval of any amendments to the said strategy between annual strategies being approved by Council; (h) the control and allocation of trust funds within the responsibility of the Council; (i) accounting arrangements relating to salary and wages and associated arrangements for payment of Council paid employees and elected members; and (j) matters relating to financial provision for the undertaking of Council activities and projects including expenditure consents. 35. To determine the operation of a housing benefits/ Council tax reduction scheme in terms of the relevant legislation. 36. To determine matters associated with the Council’s policies and practices in relation to the management and delivery of customer services and business services across the Council. 37. To develop and review the provision of information and advice about money matters. 38. To approve and oversee matters relating to allowances for members. 39. To approve and oversee the Council's insurance arrangements. 40. To oversee all matters relating to central purchasing of goods and services. Item 10 Page 160 of 218
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41. To approve policy in relation to the management and investment of Common Good funds, and to receive reports from the Investment Review Board on the performance of Common Good investments. 42. To determine applications for grants and donations not within the area of responsibility of other Boards or the Local Partnerships. 43. To approve and oversee the delivery of the Council's corporate digital strategy. 44. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation in relation to pay levels and conditions of service of Council employees. Corporate Governance 45. To approve and oversee the Council’s governance arrangements other than matters reserved for the Council Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board 46. To consider matters relating to the operation of the Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board. Scotland Excel 47. To consider matters relating to the operation of Scotland Excel. Renfrewshire Local Licensing Forum 48. To oversee matters relating to the Renfrewshire Local Licensing Forum. Human Resources and Organisational Development 49. To provide oversight and review of the council’s workforce planning, organisational development and human resources strategies and plans. Facilities Management (repairs and maintenance, compliance and soft facilities management 50. To oversee the management of catering services, including school meals service, in relation to all functions of the Council. 51. To oversee the organisation and management of repairs and maintenance and compliance, soft facilities management and related services in relation to all functions of the Council. Item 10 Page 161 of 218
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52. To oversee facilities management of Renfrewshire House. Procurement 53. To authorise the award of contracts in accordance with the Council's Standing Orders Relating to Contracts. 54. To provide oversight of the Council's participation in collaborative procurement arrangements. 55. To note updates, and, where appropriate, to approve responses on the Council's behalf on matters such as legislation, case law and policy changes, procurement reform and corporate and social responsibility initiatives. 55. To approve the Council’s procurement strategy as required by national guidelines and/or review performance of procurement function through the annual procurement report. 57. Any other matter delegated by the Finance and Resources Policy Board relating to procurement. Corporate Asset Management 58. To oversee the Council’s corporate arrangements, plans and strategies of the management of its assets. Property Services 59. To oversee the management of the register of land and buildings owned or occupied by the Council, incorporating information on location, size, use, condition, occupation, leases, rentals and reviews. Council Service Transformation Programme 60. To oversee the Council Service Transformation Programme. PPP Contract 61. To consider matters relative to, and oversee the operation of, the Council’s PPP contract, including contract monitoring and compliance and reporting. Item 10 Page 162 of 218
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Employees Joint Consultative Board (non - teaching) Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Employees Joint Consultative Board (non-teaching): Functions The functions of the Employees’ JCB will be: 1. To act as a forum for consultation between the Council and the trade unions representing all non-teaching employees on employment/service conditions matters which are not specifically determined by their respective national negotiating bodies. 2. To secure the greatest possible measures of joint action between the Council and the trade unions for the development and improvement of the work of the Council. 3. To consider any reference from the Council or the trade union side on matters affecting the mutual interests of the Council and its employees and to make recommendations thereon to the appropriate Board of the Council. 4. To consider measures for safeguarding the health and welfare of the Council's employees. 5. The Employees’ JCB will not consider questions of individual appointment or other matters which are more properly the province of the Council's grievance or disciplinary procedures. Item 10 Page 163 of 218
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Investment Review Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Investment Review Board: 1. To determine the discretionary agreement and any amendments in relation to the investment of the Common Good funds, which are managed by the Council’s Investment Manager appointed by the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board. 2. To meet at least annually with the Investment Manager to review the performance and strategy relating to the invested funds for the Common Good funds and to report their findings to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board. Item 10 Page 164 of 218
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Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board: A. Remit Environmental Issues Clyde Valley Waste Initiative Water and Sewerage Strathclyde Partnership for Transport Waste Management Flood Prevention Land Roads and Transportation Fleet and Infrastructure Sustainability Parks and Cemeteries B. General Delegations in relation to matters relevant to this Board's remit: 1. To monitor the capital and revenue expenditure programmes and approve remedial action. 2. To determine property requirements. 3. To determine charges for services. 4. To determine requests for financial assistance. 5. To approve and oversee the annual service and/or business plan for the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 6. To oversee the organisation and management of the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 7. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 8. To write off deficiencies or bring into charge surplus stocks and stores. 9. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. C. Specific Delegations 10. To monitor the performance, expenditure reports and trading statements of the trading operations within the Board’s remit and to approve remedial action. 11. To develop, determine and monitor the Council’s policies in relation to the environment and on infrastructure matters. Item 10 Page 165 of 218
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Environmental issues 12. To approve and oversee policy and procedures for the protection and enhancement of the environment, and for environmental safety including nuclear issues. 13. To approve and oversee arrangements and facilities in relation to general waste and recycling. 14. To approve and oversee arrangements and facilities for Streetscene activities (street cleansing and grounds maintenance). 15. To oversee matters regarding strategic waste management including strategies, policies, plans and waste treatment and disposal arrangements. 16. To approve and oversee the Council's physical programmes for improvement of the environment. 17. To consider matters relative to, and oversee the operation of, the Council’s Clyde Valley Waste Contract, including contract monitoring and compliance and reporting Roads and Transport 18. To exercise the functions of the Council as Roads Authority. 19. To exercise the functions of the Council in relation to road traffic regulations. 20. To approve traffic management proposals in terms of the Roads Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and all associated legislation and regulations. 21. To oversee the organisation and management of roads infrastructure and transportation, the infrastructure of bridges and other structures. 22. To oversee the organisation and management of fleet, vehicle maintenance and transport services in relation to the functions of the Council including internal transport arrangements. 23. To consider issues relating to road safety and accident prevention. 24. To oversee the organisation and management of school crossing patrol services. 25. To oversee the functions of the Council in relation to the naming of streets and numbering of premises. 26. To oversee matters relevant to the operation of the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority and the Strathclyde Concessionary Travel Scheme Joint Committee. 27. To consider matters relative to the operation of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Item 10 Page 166 of 218
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Parks, play areas and cemeteries 28. To oversee the strategic provision, organisation, management and maintenance of parks, play areas, and public open spaces. 29. To oversee the strategic provision, organisation, management and maintenance of cemeteries. Flood prevention, reservoirs and navigation 30. To exercise the functions of the Council in relation to flood prevention, land drainage, reservoirs and navigation. Water and sewerage 31. To consider matters relating to water and sewerage and the relationship with the Water Authority. Sustainability 32. To oversee matters in relation to sustainability and promote reductions in waste and pollution and contamination. 33. To oversee matters in relation to air quality management. 34. To oversee matters in relation to carbon reduction targets. 35. To oversee and promote biodiversity. Land 36. To determine the allocation or disposal of property, other than Council houses or lock- ups, whether by way of sale or lease. 37. To determine terms for the acquisition or disposal of property and land whether by way of sale, purchase, lease or otherwise. 38. To oversee the Council's activities in relation to energy conservation in the Council’s public buildings and non Housing Revenue Account (HRA) properties. 39. To consider any property issues arising from the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. 40. To consider any matters arising from Part 9 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 relating to allotments, including consideration of the Council's food growing strategy and allotment site regulations. Item 10 Page 167 of 218
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Community Asset Transfer Sub-Committee Terms of Reference 1. To consider and determine reviews of decisions or failures to take decisions on Asset Transfer Requests made in terms of Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. Item 10 Page 168 of 218
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Leadership Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Leadership Board: A. Remit Adult Social Care and Health Integration Best Value and Performance Management Clyde Muirshiel Park Corporate Communications and Marketing Corporate Performance Management Corporate Planning and Community Empowerment Digital Inclusion Future Paisley Glasgow City Region City Deal Project Leisure and Culture Trust Public Service Reform Strategic Leadership and Oversight Tackling Inequality, Poverty and Social Renewal Tourism and Events B. General Delegations in relation to matters relevant to this Board's remit: 1. To approve the Council’s response to consultation papers except where these fall within the responsibility of a Policy Board. 2. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 3. To determine requests for financial assistance C. Specific Delegations 4. To provide strategic leadership for the Council and ensure consistency across the Council's policy objectives. 5. To provide strategic oversight of the Council’s corporate strategy and key policy priorities, including the Council plan. 6. To provide strategic oversight of the Council’s approach to Tackling Inequality, Poverty and Social Renewal 7. To provide strategic leadership and oversight of community planning and policy development within the Council, and to liaise with partner organisations in relation to issues within the overarching themes of the Community Plan, Council Plan, and Local Outcome Improvement Plan, including oversight, promotion and development of effective partnership and multi-agency arrangements. 8. To provide oversight, leadership and development of the public service reform agenda in Renfrewshire. Item 10 Page 169 of 218
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9. To provide oversight and continuous improvement of the Council’s corporate performance management and quality assurance framework and the Council’s arrangements and systems for achieving best value. 10. To provide oversight of the Council’s strategic approach to the use of arm’s length external organisations and arrangements. 11. To provide oversight of and to determine matters concerning Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership. 12. To provide oversight of the policy, development and performance of One Ren 13. To act as the Council’s lead in corporate advocacy and campaigning. 14. To provide strategic oversight of the Council’s approach to community empowerment and engagement including the development of community cohesiveness and capacity. 15. To provide oversight and monitoring of the effectiveness of the Council’s corporate communications and marketing. 16. To determine matters concerned with the structure and organisation of local government generally, including arrangements concerning relations with the Scottish and UK Governments, CoSLA and other relevant bodies, except where these fall within the responsibility of a Policy Board. 17. To provide strategic leadership for the Council in liaising and consultation with the Scottish and UK Governments and other relevant bodies. 18. To call-in decisions by the other Boards in circumstances where the Leadership Board considers that a matter requires to be reconsidered either in terms of the correctness of the decision in relation to the specific theme(s) concerned, or because of the importance or impact of the decision on the Council. (The Leadership Board will however have no power to call in decisions made by Boards in the exercise of a judicial, quasi-judicial or similar function, which includes the determination of licensing and planning applications and personnel or other appeals). 19. To monitor the capital and revenue expenditure programmes and approve remedial action? Best Value and Performance Management 20. To approve and oversee the procedures for examining the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of all Council services. 21. To oversee the Council’s management systems for all aspects of service delivery including best value and quality systems. 22. To request that the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board conduct reviews into particular issues and/or policies, after a period of not less than 6 months has elapsed from the date of implementation of the policy. Item 10 Page 170 of 218
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23. To determine proposals for establishing agreements, memoranda, and links of any substantive nature with bodies, institutions, regions, groupings of regions or countries overseas, and to approve any visits to and from the Council's area. 24. To determine invitations by overseas aid agencies for inputs to new projects. 25. To provide oversight of the Glasgow City Region City Deal and the individual projects for which the Council is responsible. 26. To provide oversight and to determine matters concerning Future Paisley Tourism and Events 27. To approve and oversee the development of policies and arrangements designed to promote tourism and conference activities within Renfrewshire including liaison with other agencies for this purpose. 28. To oversee the Council’s arrangements for organising or participating in events. Paisley Museum Reimagined Limited 29. To provide oversight and determination of matters concerning the Company. Item 10 Page 171 of 218
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Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee Terms of Reference To consider matters relating to:- 1. Poverty and financial insecurity and the cost of living crisis. 2. Food and fuel insecurity. 3. Inequalities across Renfrewshire. 4. The Council’s response to the Alcohol and Drug Commission report. 5. Oversight of the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme; and to make recommendations to the Council and the Leadership Board regarding those matters. Item 10 Page 172 of 218
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Petitions Board Terms of Reference 1. To consider petitions in accordance with the procedures agreed by the Council. Item 10 Page 173 of 218
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Planning and Climate Change Policy Board Terms of Reference A. Remit Building Standards Climate Change Development Management Development Planning Planning Strategic Development Plan B. General Delegations in relation to matters relevant to this Board's remit: 1. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. 2. To monitor the capital and revenue expenditure programmes and approve remedial action. 3. To determine property requirements. 4. To determine charges for services. 5. To determine requests for financial assistance. 6. To approve and oversee the annual service and/or business plan for the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 7. To oversee the organisation, performance and management of the services whose functions are covered by the remit and delegations of the Board. 8. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. 9. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. C. Specific Delegations Climate Change 10. To consider matters relating to Climate Change and the Council’s response to the Climate Emergency including its progress towards achieving the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030, the development of an adaptation plan for the Council in order to achieve this target. Planning 11. To develop, determine and monitor the Council's policies in relation to planning and development. Item 10 Page 174 of 218
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12. To exercise the functions of the Council as Planning Authority. 13. To determine planning applications where the appointed officer has declined to exercise his delegated powers or where the Board decides itself to determine applications which would otherwise fall to be determined by a person appointed to do so under the scheme of delegated functions. 14. To determine applications for major developments as set out in Schedule 1 to the Town and Country Planning (Hierarchy of Developments) (Scotland) Regulations 2009. 15. To determine applications for listed building consent for demolition of listed buildings and conservation area consent for demolition of a building in a conservation area. 16. To determine applications involving residential development of 10 or more units on greenfield or undeveloped land; or on a site greater than 0.5 hectare which is greenfield or undeveloped land. 17. To determine applications involving residential development of five or more units on sites within the greenbelt; or on a site greater than 0.3 hectare which is within the greenbelt. 18. To determine applications which, if approved, are considered to be significantly contrary to the Local Development Plan and also those applications which, if approved, would be significantly contrary to the overall objectives, and would undermine the aims and strategic priorities, of the Local Development Plan. 19. To determine any application which the Convener, within 21 days of the application appearing on the weekly list, receives a letter signed by three members, setting outreasons why the matter should go before the Board, in consultation with the Head of Planning and Housing, has agreed should go before the Board. 20. To determine applications under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 made by the Planning Authority; where the application falls into the category of ‘major development’. 21. To determine applications under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 which relate to land in the ownership of the Planning Authority or to land in which the planning authority have a financial interest where the application falls into the category of ‘major development’. 22. To exercise the functions of the Council as Building Control Authority. 23. To oversee the development and implementation of the Local Transport Strategy. 24. To oversee matters regarding strategic planning, including the operation of the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Development Planning Authority Joint Committee. Item 10 Page 175 of 218
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Local Review Body Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Local Review Body: 1. In relation to local planning applications as specified in the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 to review and determine: i. Appeals against decisions by officers to refuse planning permission. ii. Appeals against the nature of the conditions set by officers in respect of a planning permission. iii. Failure by officers to make a decision in respect of a planning application within the statutory timescale. Item 10 Page 176 of 218
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Regulatory Functions Board Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Regulatory Functions Board: 1. To determine applications submitted to the Council for licences, permits, permissions, exemptions and/or registrations which are not specifically allocated to another Policy Board, including those made under the following enactments, and associated or ancillary requests: The Hypnotism Act 1952 The Theatres Act 1968 The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 The Cinemas Act 1985 The Equality Act 2010 The Fire Safety and Places of Sport Act 1987 The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 (Part 5) Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 The Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 2. To develop and review the Council's policies, and to exercise the functions of the Council in relation to applications for licences, permits, permissions, and or registrations or other matters arising out of the above Acts which are not otherwise specifically allocated to another Policy Board. 3. To determine charges for licences, permits, permissions and registrations. 4. To approve where required the Council’s response to consultation papers which are within the Board’s terms of reference. 5. To grant authority to members to attend seminars, conferences and other visits. Item 10 Page 177 of 218
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Renfrewshire Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff Terms of Reference The following shall comprise the areas of responsibility of the Renfrewshire Joint Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff: Functions 1. To determine relevant conditions of service for all teaching staff, music instructors, education advisers and educational psychologists. 2. Consultation on other relevant matters. Item 10 Page 178 of 218
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January 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 public holiday 3 public holiday 4 public holiday 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 – 1/3 16 17 ‐ 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 18 ‐ 9.30am: Regulatory Functions 19 ‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 20 21 22 – 2/3 23 – 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 21 – 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 25 – 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 26 ‐ 9.30am Appeals 27 28 29 – 3/3 30 ‐ 2pm: Petitions 31 ‐ 2pm: Local Review Body February 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 ‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 2 ‐10 am – Regulatory Functions 3 4 5 – 4/3 6 7‐ 2pm: JNC 8 9 ‐ 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 10 11 12 – 5/3 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 – 6/3 20 21 22‐ 1pm: Leadership 23 24 25 26– 7/3 27 28 March 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2‐ 9.30am: Council 3 4 5 – 1/4 6 7‐ 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 8‐ 9.30am: Regulatory Functions 9‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 10 11 12 – 2/4 13‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 14– 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 15‐ 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 16‐ 9.30am Appeals 17 18 19 ‐3/4 20‐ 2pm: Petitions 21‐ 2pm: JNC 22‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 23‐10 am – Regulatory Functions 24 25 26 – 4/4 27 28‐ 2pm: Local Review Body 29 30‐ 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 31 1 April 2023 Appendix 2 Item 10 Page 179 of 218
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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 – 3 recess 4 recess 5 recess 6 recess 7 public holiday 8 9 – 10 public holiday 11 recess 12 recess 13 recess 14 recess 15 16 – 5/4 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 – 6/4 24 25‐ 2pm: JNC 26 ‐ 1pm: Leadership 27 28 29 30 May 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 7/4 1 Public holiday 2 3 4‐ 9.30am: Council 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 – 1/5 15 16 ‐ 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 17 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 18 ‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 19 20 21 – 2/5 22 –‐ 2pm: Petitions 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 23 ‐ 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 24 ‐ 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 25 ‐ 9.30am: Appeals 26 27 28 ‐3/5 29 Public Holiday 30‐ 2pm: Local Review Body 31‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee June 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 2 3 4 – 4/5 5 6 ‐ 2pm: JNC 7 ‐ 11am: Investment Review Board 8 – 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 9 10 11 – 5/5 12 13 14 ‐ 1pm: Leadership 15 16 17 18 – 6/5 19 20 21 22 ‐ 9.30am: Council 23 24 25 26 recess 27 recess 28 recess 29 recess 30 recess July recess July recess July recess July recess August 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 recess 2 recess 3 recess 4 recess 5 6 7 public holiday 8 recess 9 recess 10 recess 11 recess 12 13 14 recess 15 recess 16 recess 17 recess 18 recess 19 Item 10 Page 180 of 218
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20 – 1/1 21‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 22 – 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 23 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 24 – 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 25 26 27 – 2/1 28 – Likely Bank holiday 29 – 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 30 ‐ 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 31 – 9.30am: Appeals 1 2 September 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 3 ‐ 3/1 4 – 2pm: Petitions 5 – 2pm: JNC 6 ‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 7 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 8 9 10 ‐4/1 11 12 – 2pm: Local Review Body 13 14– 10 am : Finance, Resources & Customer Services 15 16 17 – 5/1 18 – 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 19 20 – 1pm: Leadership 21 22 Public Holiday 23 24 – 6/1 25 Public Holiday 26 27 28 ‐ 9.30 am: Council 29 30 October 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 recess 10 recess 11 recess 12 recess 13 recess 14 15 16 recess 17 recess 18 recess 19 recess 20 recess 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 – 1/2 30 31‐ 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny November 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 2 ‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 3 4 5 – 2/2 6 ‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 7 – 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 8 ‐ 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 9 ‐ 9.30am Appeals 10 11 12 ‐ 3/2 13 ‐ 2pm: Petitions 14 ‐ 2pm: JNC 15 ‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 16 – 10am: Regulatory Functions 17 18 Item 10 Page 181 of 218
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19 – 4/2 20 21 ‐ 2pm: Local Review Body 22 ‐ 11am: Investment Review Board 23‐ 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 24 25 26 – 5/2 27 28 29 30 1 2 December 2023 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 3 – 6/2 4 5 6 ‐ 1pm: Leadership 7 8 9 10 – 7/2 11 12 13 14 ‐ 9.30am: Council 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 recess 26 recess 27 public holiday 28 public holiday 29 30 31 January 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 public holiday 4 public holiday 5 public holiday 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 – 1/3 15 16 ‐ 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 17 ‐ 9.30am: Regulatory Functions 18 ‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 19 20 21 – 2/3 22 ‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 23 – 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 24 ‐ 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 25 ‐ 9.30am Appeals 26 27 28 – 3/3 29 ‐ 2pm: Petitions 30 ‐ 2pm: Local Review Body 31‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee February 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1‐ 10am Regulatory Functions 2 3 4 – 4/3 5 6‐ 2pm: JNC 7 8 – 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 9 10 11 – 5/3 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 – 6/3 19 20 21 ‐ 1pm: Leadership 22 23 24 25 – 7/3 26 27 28 29‐ 9.30am: Council March 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Item 10 Page 182 of 218
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 – 1/4 11 12‐ 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 13‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 14‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 15 16 17 – 2/4 18‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 19 – 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 20‐ 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 21‐ 9.30am: Appeals 22 23 24 – 3/4 25‐ 2pm: Petitions 26‐ 2pm: Local Review Body ‐ 2pm: JNC 27‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 28‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 29 Public Holiday 30 31 April 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 – Public Holiday 2 recess 3 recess 4 recess 5 recess 6 7 8 recess 9 recess 10 recess 11 recess 12 public holiday 13 14 ‐ 4/4 15 16 17 18 – 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 19 20 21 ‐ 5/4 22 23 ‐ 2pm: JNC 24 25 26 27 28 ‐ 6/4 29 30 May 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 ‐ 1pm: Leadership 2 3 4 5 ‐ 7/4 6 Public holiday 7 8 9 ‐ 9.30am: Council 10 11 12 13 14 ‐ 2pm: JNC 15 16 17 18 19 ‐ 1/5 20‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 21 ‐ 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 22 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 23 ‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 24 25 26‐ 2/5 27 Public Holiday 28 – 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 29 ‐ 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 30 ‐ 9.30am: Appeals 31 1 Item 10 Page 183 of 218
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1pm – Planning and Climate Change June 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2 – 3/5 3 ‐ 2pm: Petitions 4 ‐ 2pm: Local Review Body 5‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 6 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 7 8 9 ‐ 4/5 10 11 ‐ 2pm: JNC 12 ‐ 11am: Investment Review Board 13– 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 14 15 16 ‐ 5/5 17 18 19 ‐ 1pm: Leadership 20 21 22 23 ‐ 6/5 24 25 26 27 ‐ 9.30am: Council 28 29 30 July recess July recess July recess July recess August 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 Public Holiday 6 recess 7 recess 8 recess 9 recess 10 11 12 recess 13 recess 14 recess 15 recess 16 recess 17 18 ‐ 1/1 19– 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 20– 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 21 – 10am: Regulatory Functions 22 ‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 23 24 25 ‐ 2/1 26 – Likely public holiday 27– 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 28 – 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 29 ‐ 9.30am: Appeals 30 31 September 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 – 2pm: Petitions 3 – 2pm: JNC 4 ‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 5 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 6 7 8 ‐ 4/1 9 10 – 2pm: Local Review Body 11 12 13 14 15 ‐ 5/1 16 17 18 – 1pm: Leadership 19– 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 20 21 22 ‐ 6/1 23 ‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 24 25 26 – 9.30 am Council 27 Public Holiday 28 29 ‐ 7/1 30 Public Holiday October 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1‐ 2 3 4 5 6 7 recess 8 recess 9 recess 10 recess 11 recess 12 Item 10 Page 184 of 218
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13 14 recess 15 recess 16 recess 17 recess 18 recess 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 – 1/2 28 29– 1pm: Communities & Housing 3pm: ‐ Police and Fire & Rescue Scrutiny 30 ‐ 10am: Regulatory Functions 31 ‐ 1pm: Education & Children’s Services 1 2 November 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 3 ‐ 2/2 4 ‐ 3pm: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny 5– 10 am: Economy and Regeneration 1pm – Planning and Climate Change 6 – 10 am: Infrastructure, Land & Environment 7 – 9.30am: Appeals 8 9 10 ‐ 3/2 11 – 2pm: Petitions 12 – 2pm: JNC 13‐ 10 am – Fairer Renfrewshire Sub‐ committee 14 – 10am: Regulatory Functions 15 16 17 ‐ 4/2 18 19 – 2pm: Local Review Body 20 – 11am: Investment Review Board 21– 10 am: Finance, Resources & Customer Services 22 23 24 ‐ 5/2 25 26 27 28 29 30 December 2024 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 – 1pm: Leadership 5 6 7 8 ‐ 7/2 9 10 11 12 – 9.30 am: Council 13 14 15 ‐ 8/2 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 recess 24 recess 25 recess 26 recess 27 public holiday 28 29 30 public holiday 31 recess Item 10 Page 185 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: National Care Service Bill Consultation ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This paper provides an update for elected members on the proposed development of a National Care Service (NCS) in Scotland. 1.2 As elected members are aware, the Scottish Government has been working to develop proposals for a National Care Service, following the publication of Independent Review of Adult Social Care Services led by Derek Feeley in 2021, which identified a number of improvements that needed to be progressed to improve the quality and accessibility of adult social care services in Scotland. 1.3 Scottish Government have identified the National Care Service as the mechanism by which these improvements can be delivered, and undertook a consultation on the proposed establishment of the National Care model in late 2021. The consultation sought the views of all stakeholders on its establishment, including the possible extension of the scope of a new service to include childrens and criminal justice social work. The Council submitted a formal response to the consultation in November 2021, following its approval at the full Council on 30 September 2021. 1.4 In March 2022 the Scottish Government published independent analysis of the consultation responses received, and indicated that it intended to bring forward legislation to establish a National Care Service in Summer 2022. 1.5 The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill was subsequently introduced to Parliament on 20 June and its accompanying documents were published on 21 June 2022. The Bill sets out provisions to enable Ministers to transfer social care responsibility from local authorities to local care boards. The Bill establishes a Item 11 Page 187 of 218
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National Care Service; sets out provision for the processing of health and social care information; and sets out provision for the delivery and regulation of social care. 1.6 The Bill itself should be considered as enabling legislation that will facilitate the transfer of accountability for adult social work and social care services to Scottish Ministers by 2026. Much of the required detail in relation to the establishment of the NCS itself, including the establishment of local care boards to replace Integration Joint Boards, has not yet been developed, and the Bill and associated documentation proposes that this is implemented through secondary legislation. The Bill also facilitates the possible transfer of additional services such as children and families and criminal justice to the NCS at a later stage through this secondary legislation, subject to further consultation. 1.7 The lack of detail provided within the Bill, makes it particularly difficult to comment on the potential impact of the proposed NCS, and to assess the likely implications for service users and carers, the workforce and the organisation as a whole. This is a deeply concerning position for the local authority to be in, and officers have worked with professional organisations such as COSLA, SOLACE and SOLAR to assess the proposed legislation and identify a range of issues which require further clarity. 1.8 The Bill is now progressing through various Scottish Parliamentary committees, with a recent consultation exercise on the Bill and its provisions launched by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 8 July 2022, with all responses to be submitted by 2nd September 2022. A draft consultation response was submitted by Renfrewshire Council to the Committee subject to approval of full Council in order to comply with this deadline. 1.9 The draft response reiterated the position of the Council, as submitted to Scottish Government through the national consultation exercise in 2021, whilst reflecting a number of key points and issues which were identified though professional networks. 1.10 Elected members are asked to consider the response and homologate its submission to Scottish Government in order to meet the 2 September deadline set by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. 1.11 Further updates on the consultation and any agreed next steps, will be provided to elected members as soon as this information becomes available. _________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Council is asked to: Item 11 Page 188 of 218
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• Homologate the response to the National Care Service Bill consultation, which was submitted as a draft and subject to Council approval, to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 2 September 2022. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 In September 2020 the Scottish Government announced that it intended to commission an independent review of adult social care in Scotland. The review was identified as a key element of the 2020 Programme for Government, and was expedited in order that key findings could be published in early 2021. 3.2 The review was led by Derek Feeley, a former Scottish Government Director General for Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, who was supported by an Advisory Panel comprising of a range of experts. The principal aim of the review was to recommend improvements to adult social care in Scotland, particularly as the country moves forward from the pandemic. 3.3 Following a process of engagement and consultation, the final report from the independent review was published on 3 February 2021. The key findings were considered in a report to full Council on 4 March 2021, which noted the potentially significant implications that the recommendations could have for the Council if implemented. 3.4 Following the publication of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, the Scottish Government made a commitment to implement key recommendations, including the creation of a National Care Service. On 9 August 2021, the Scottish Government published “A National Care Service for Scotland” consultation document, which sets out proposals to change the way in which social care is delivered in Scotland through the establishment of a National Care Service. The scope of the proposals were much broader than initially set out in the Feeley review, extending beyond adult care services to potentially include all care and social work services. 3.5 Council approved its submission to the national consultation in September 2021, with the overarching position stated as follows: Renfrewshire Council does not support proposals to create a National Care Service and to transfer accountability of adult social care from the local authority. There is no evidence that the structural changes proposed within the consultation would deliver on the outcomes local people, carers and social care workers want to see change now. Like the NHS, social care services need to rebuild and recover from the response to the pandemic and focus on tackling widening inequalities and levels of harm across communities – this needs to be the primary focus of local health and social services and not the distraction and disruption of unnecessary structural reform. Item 11 Page 189 of 218
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3.6 In March 2022 the Scottish Government published independent analysis of the consultation responses received, and indicated that it intended to bring forward legislation to establish a National Care Service in Summer 2022. _________________________________________________________________ 4. National Care Service Bill 4.1 The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill was subsequently introduced to Parliament on 20 June and its accompanying documents were published on 21 June 2022. The Bill sets out provisions to enable Ministers to transfer social care responsibility from local authorities to local care boards. The Bill establishes a National Care Service; sets out provision for the processing of health and social care information; and sets out provision for the delivery and regulation of social care. 4.2 Overall the Bill provides very limited detail on the operation of the National Care Service, which makes it impossible to assess the impact of its establishment for service users and carers, the Council’s workforce or for the organisation as a whole. It is reasonable to suggest that the level of detail that has available has not moved on at all from that which was provided almost a year ago. 4.3 The proposed structural change which is being proposed is the most significant to impact local authorities for decades, and it is therefore increasingly concerning that this detail has not yet been developed. 4.4 The Bill is now progressing through various Scottish Parliamentary committees, with a recent consultation exercise on the Bill and its provisions launched by the Health, Social Care and Sport committee on 8 July 2022, with all responses to be submitted by 2nd September 2022. A draft consultation response was submitted by Renfrewshire Council to the Committee subject to approval of full Council in order to comply with this deadline. 4.5 The draft consultation response is attached as Appendix 1 to this report for consideration by elected members. The response reflects the key concerns and points of clarity which have been raised by professional organisations including COSLA, SOLACE, SOLAR, Directors of Finance and Social Work Scotland. The key messages can be summarised as follows: In terms of commenting on the Bill specifically, the lack of detail within the associated documents make it impossible to meaningfully assess the proposals contained therein. The lack of detail suggests that the plan to develop the National Care Service is underdeveloped, and that the scale and complexity in terms of implementing this national model is not fully understood. Given the number of service users, carers and employees potentially impacted by the establishment of the proposed new arrangements, and the significant proportion of the local authority budget that is used to fund these services, the proposed enabling primary legislation and use of secondary legislation to implement change is not appropriate. Full scrutiny of the Item 11 Page 190 of 218
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detail of any proposed changes to governance, budgets and service delivery should be undertaken by the Scottish Parliament. Following discussions through representative professional organisations such as COSLA, SOLACE, CIPFA, it is important to highlight the following high-level points: • There remains a lack of evidence to support that a National Care Service as currently proposed will do anything to deliver better and improved outcomes for service users and carers. It is widely accepted and acknowledged that there are many aspects of social care where improvements and better outcomes can be achieved, however this position is reflective of a lack of investment and current systems, service levels and outcomes being achieved have been necessarily aligned to the existing resources levels that are widely recognised as been inadequate to support delivery of the shared outcomes and improvements envisaged for social care in Scotland. • The structural change proposed is immensely complex and will take many years to implement and fully embed, and indeed has been promoted as the most significant change to the public sector in Scotland since the creation of the NHS. Consequently, it will be highly disruptive and necessarily demand and consume very significant levels of expert resource and capacity across our social care and public sector systems. It is inevitable that during this period capacity and focus will be diverted from progressing the improvement agenda at pace, and indeed risks creating a long period of stagnation in terms of delivering improvement and better outcomes. It would be better for all partners to continue to work together to build on what has been achieved to date, particularly over the pandemic period, with new investment redirected to support improvements and reform through existing structural mechanisms. • Additional investment in local services should be supported through more formalised national working arrangements in relation to issues such as standards and quality of care, workforce planning, professional development and scrutiny and oversight – this may provide a role for a national body. • The impact of this proposed structural change, alongside the ongoing lack of certainty around what this will mean on the ground, is highly disruptive for the local government workforce, which is unacceptable given the challenges which already exist. The scale of potential change and associated uncertainty over future arrangements has the potential to further unsettle existing workforces in both local government but also across commissioned partners and risks adding to the reason for people to leave rather than stay within the social care workforce over the long term, as well as inhibiting ongoing programmes to attract new entrants into a career in social care. • The loss of accountability for the planning and delivery of care services at a local level is not supported – local care services should be designed to meet local needs, with holistic support being provided in conjunction with wider local authority services such as housing, advice and employability services amongst others – the proposals as set out in the limited detail they are, would risk breaking these critically important links. • The proposed commissioning arrangements indicate that many years of progress to develop closer working with social care providers, national commissioning and expertise, made in particular by Scotland Excel over recent years in what is an increasingly complex market, is at risk of being unpicked, unwound and taking backwards steps that could be damaging for what is already a fragile market, particularly following the pandemic. • It is suggested that the proposed costs for the National Care Service, as set out in the Financial Memorandum wholly underestimate the recurring investment required to deliver the services concerned, with no guarantee of improvement in outcomes – the Item 11 Page 191 of 218
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previous estimate provided via COSLA and professional groups suggest that the required investment to deliver the envisaged scale of improvement in outcomes is beyond £1 billion. Additionally, delivering the scale and complexity of structural change outlined will inevitably require significant financial investment both to implement the change but also to service the new national arrangements – both of which will arguably divert scarce resources from investment in front line services and delivering better outcomes. • Additionally, the financial memorandum and wider proposals are broadly silent on a range of significant financial and legal issues such as VAT, treatment of assets, liabilities, pensions arrangements etc. Although technical in nature, such issues are complex and can present some very significant legal and financial considerations. 4.6 As the consultation response was submitted as a draft in order to meet the consultation response deadline of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, elected members are asked to homologate its submission. _________________________________________________________________ 5. Next steps 5.1 Council officers will continue to engage through professional organisations as the Bill progresses through the parliamentary process. Work is also continuing at a national level to develop workforce planning arrangements in relation to social care and social work, and around other improvement activities which will seek to improve the quality and consistency of care at local authority level. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The Bill, if implemented, could have a significant impact on the financial resources available to the Council, with funding flowing directly from Scottish Government to Community Health and Social Care boards. As set out in the Council’s response to the consultation at Appendix 1, there is limited detail within the Bill and associated documentation to assess the potential implications for the Council. 2. HR & Organisational Development – If implemented, the Bill would have significant implications for the Council’s workforce. As set out in the Council’s response to the consultation at Appendix 1, there is limited detail within the Bill and associated documentation to assess the potential implications for the Council. 3. Community/Council Planning – none 4. Legal – The Bill and its associated documentation indicate that an NCS would have significant governance implications for the Council. As set Item 11 Page 192 of 218
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out in the Council’s response to the consultation at Appendix 1, there is limited detail within the Bill and associated documentation to assess the potential implications for the Council. 5. Property/Assets - As set out in the Council’s response to the consultation at Appendix 1, there is limited detail within the Bill and associated documentation to assess the potential implications for the Council. 6. Information Technology – it is proposed as part of the establishment of a National Service that a single health and social care record would be created. 7. Equality & Human Rights – (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. (b) The Bill includes a number of impact assessments within associated documentation that was published in June 2022. As set out in the Council’s response to the consultation at Appendix 1, there is limited detail within the Bill and associated documentation to assess the potential equality implications. 8. Health & Safety - None 9. Procurement –The Council’s draft response highlights concerns in relation to the development of new national commissioning arrangements through the establishment of an NCS, with little reference to the development and improvement that has been achieved through Scotland Excel. 10. Risk – As set out in the Council’s response to the consultation at Appendix 1, there is limited detail within the Bill and associated documentation to assess the potential implications for the Council. 11. Privacy Impact – Not applicable 12. COSLA Policy Position – The Council’s draft consultation response reflects the key points agreed by COSLA Leaders in August 2022. Item 11 Page 193 of 218
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_________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) n/a ___________________________________________________________________ Author Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Commissioning Item 11 Page 194 of 218
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National Care Service Bill – draft consultation response subject to Council approval on 29 September 2022 The overall position of Renfrewshire Council on the National Care Service Bill and its associated documentation, remains that which was submitted as part of the national consultation exercise in November 2021. For ease of reference: Renfrewshire Council does not support proposals to create a National Care Service and to transfer accountability of adult social care from the local authority. There is no evidence that the structural changes proposed would deliver on the outcomes local people, carers and social care workers want to see change now. Like the NHS, social care services need to rebuild and recover from the response to the pandemic and focus on tackling widening inequalities and levels of harm across communities – this needs to be the primary focus of local health and social services and not the distraction and disruption of unnecessary structural reform. Renfrewshire Council is disappointed that the national consultation focuses on structural integration as the only solution by which improvements to adult social care services can be made. Whilst there is support for the national co-ordination of particular aspects of social care such as assessment, eligibility criteria and workforce planning, more engagement is required with local partners on the options to improve outcomes at a local level. There is also no evidence base which supports the transfer of children and families, and justice social work to a national care service. In terms of commenting on the Bill specifically, the lack of detail within the associated documents makes it impossible to meaningfully assess the proposals contained therein. The lack of detail suggests that the plan to develop the National Care Service is underdeveloped, and that the scale and complexity in terms of implementing this national model is not fully understood. Given the number of service users, carers and employees potentially impacted by the establishment of the proposed new arrangements, and the significant proportion of the local authority budget that is used to fund these services, the proposed enabling primary legislation and use of secondary legislation to implement change is not appropriate. Full scrutiny of the detail of any proposed changes to governance, budgets and service delivery should be undertaken by the Scottish Parliament. Following discussions through representative professional organisations such as COSLA, SOLACE, CIPFA, it is important to highlight the following high-level points: • There remains a lack of evidence to support that a National Care Service as currently proposed will do anything to deliver better and improved outcomes for service users and carers. It is widely accepted and acknowledged that there are many aspects of social care where improvements and better outcomes can be achieved, however this position is reflective of a lack of investment and current systems, service levels and outcomes being achieved have been necessarily aligned to the existing resources levels that are widely recognised as been inadequate to support delivery of the shared outcomes and improvements envisaged for social care in Scotland. • The structural change proposed is immensely complex and will take many years to implement and fully embed, and indeed has been promoted as the most significant change to the public sector in Scotland since the creation of the NHS. Consequently, it will Item 11 Page 195 of 218
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be highly disruptive and necessarily demand and consume very significant levels of expert resource and capacity across our social care and public sector systems. It is inevitable that during this period capacity and focus will be diverted from progressing the improvement agenda at pace, and indeed risks creating a long period of stagnation in terms of delivering improvement and better outcomes. It would be better for all partners to continue to work together to build on what has been achieved to date, particularly over the pandemic period, with new investment redirected to support improvements and reform through existing structural mechanisms. • Additional investment in local services should be supported through more formalised national working arrangements in relation to issues such as standards and quality of care, workforce planning, professional development and scrutiny and oversight – this may provide a role for a national body. • The impact of this proposed structural change, alongside the ongoing lack of certainty around what this will mean on the ground, is highly disruptive for the local government workforce, which is unacceptable given the challenges which already exist. The scale of potential change and associated uncertainty over future arrangements has the potential to further unsettle existing workforces in both local government but also across commissioned partners and risks adding to the reason for people to leave rather than stay within the social care workforce over the long term, as well as inhibiting ongoing programmes to attract new entrants into a career in social care. • The loss of accountability for the planning and delivery of care services at a local level is not supported – local care services should be designed to meet local needs, with holistic support being provided in conjunction with wider local authority services such as housing, advice and employability services amongst others – the proposals as set out in the limited detail they are, would risk breaking these critically important links. • The proposed commissioning arrangements indicate that many years of progress to develop closer working with social care providers, national commissioning and expertise, made in particular by Scotland Excel over recent years in what is an increasingly complex market, is at risk of being unpicked, unwound and taking backwards steps that could be damaging for what is already a fragile market, particularly following the pandemic. • It is suggested that the proposed costs for the National Care Service, as set out in the Financial Memorandum wholly underestimate the recurring investment required to deliver the services concerned, with no guarantee of improvement in outcomes – the previous estimate provided via COSLA and professional groups suggest that the required investment to deliver the envisaged scale of improvement in outcomes is beyond £1 billion. Additionally, delivering the scale and complexity of structural change outlined will inevitably require significant financial investment both to implement the change but also to service the new national arrangements – both of which will arguably divert scarce resources from investment in front line services and delivering better outcomes. • Additionally, the financial memorandum and wider proposals are broadly silent on a range of significant financial and legal issues such as VAT, treatment of assets, liabilities, pensions arrangements etc. Although technical in nature, such issues are complex and can present some very significant legal and financial considerations. The Policy Memorandum accompanying the Bill describes its purpose as being “to improve the quality and consistency of social work and social care services in Scotland”. Will the Bill, as introduced, be successful in achieving this purpose? If not, why not? Item 11 Page 196 of 218
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As above, it is the position of Renfrewshire Council that structural reform through the establishment of a National Care Service is not required to improve the quality and consistency of social work and social care services in Scotland. It remains the view that improved outcomes for people accessing social care across Scotland, can be achieved through significant additional investment in existing services, supported by national standards, enhanced training and development and investment in social work and social care employees, and more appropriate scrutiny of standards and practice through national improvement bodies. Improvements could be achieved much more quickly at a local level, without the significant diversion of focus, capacity and funding to deliver a national agency. Indeed local authorities and HSCPs, are already working in partnership with COSLA and other national bodies to progress at pace the development of the social work and social care workforce. The Policy Memorandum does not provide any detail on how the quality and consistency of social work and social care services will be achieved in practice through a National Care Service, with the model of delivery yet to be developed through further engagement and research, and implemented through secondary legislation without the involvement of local government and with limited scrutiny within Parliament. The policy intent of the National Care Service fails to recognise that national and arrangements delivered through the NHS do not and have not historically guaranteed improved quality and consistency across all areas of Scotland on a geographical basis, and there is no other material sources of evidence to that are drawn on to support that the creation of a national body will necessarily lead to or create the conditions to deliver better outcomes than investing in current service arrangements and structures. The value of local government in the provision of care and social work across all care groups, is the improved outcomes that can be achieved with individuals and carers through person centred approaches. Support can be wrapped around a person – wider support beyond social care including income advice, employability services, housing and homelessness and parenting and family support. Removing care and social work services from the local authority role, will significantly impact on the ability of all partners working across all sectors in Renfrewshire, to take this holistic approach. The provision of care is not homogenous – creative approaches and differences in service delivery should be welcomed at the local level, as long as the core needs of local service users and carers are met. Keeping care local, supported by significant additional investment, would provide the best opportunity to deliver the improvements that service users and carers want to see now – as they told both the Feeley review and the National Care Service Consultation. Is the Bill the best way to improve the quality and consistency of social work and social care services? If not, what alternative approach should be taken? As per response to the previous question, the Council has previously responded to formal consultations on the establishment of a National Care Service and firmly stated that all social work and social care services (including children’s and criminal justice social work) should not transfer to the National Care Service, and accountability for the delivery of these services, should not transfer to Scottish Ministers. Item 11 Page 197 of 218
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Whilst the Feeley review reinforced that significant investment and improvements were required to deliver adult care services, it remains deeply disappointing that the only solution to these issues identified by the Scottish Government (and not by local authorities who deliver these services) was to deliver adult social care and social work through a National Care Service. This was the only model of delivery that the Scottish Government consulted on last year, the consultation structure was set out in a way which encouraged affirmative responses and therefore the Bill reflects a strategic direction of travel that sets out the very significant redrawing of social care arrangements in Scotland in the absence of any form of robust option appraisal or evidence based considerations of what is required to improve adult social care and social work services in Scotland. A fundamental issue to note, is that the Bill and its associated policy memorandum, contain no information on how the National Care Service and care boards will work. It is therefore not possible to provide detailed commentary through this consultation as a local authority, and it is not clear what the implications will be for service users and carers, employees or indeed the local authority itself. The complexity of the structural change proposed is not reflected within the detail of the policy memorandum. In addition to the significant legislative development process required to enact the powers and functions of the National Care Service and local care boards, there is very limited commentary on the financial implications for local authority assets and liabilities, employee terms and conditions including pay and pensions, VAT and other duties or for the ongoing sustainability of services and functions that will remain within the scope of local authority provision. The lack of detail on the delivery of this proposed model creates additional uncertainty for the care sector, the care workforce and on service users and carers, at a time when all organisations that provide care and support are still dealing with the current and longer term impacts of COVID. This uncertainty risks undermining the work being progressed to support workforce retention and recruitment and indeed risks making the problem significantly worse if uncertainty encourages more to leave the caring profession or act as a disincentive for those to enter the profession. It is also disappointing that the NHS workforce has been given commitments in relation to terms and conditions that have not been provided for local authority staff. This inequity means that any employees transferred to a National Care Service will not all start on the same footing, which will not promote a positive workforce culture. It is vital that some of the urgent recommendations flowing from the Feeley review are progressed quickly, without risk of being deprioritised as highly complex and resource intensive structural reform is progressed. This includes the development of the social work and social care workforce, attracting people to careers in these sectors, and improving standards and accessibility of care and support to service users and carers. Are there any specific aspects of the Bill which you disagree with or that you would like to see amended? As outlined in the responses above, the Council does not support the establishment of a National Care Service or the potential option set out in the Bill for children and justice social work services to transfer these services into the NCS at a later date, subject to further consultation and engagement. Item 11 Page 198 of 218
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As highlighted in previous question responses, the lack of detail within the Policy Memorandum, Financial Memorandum and the Bill itself on the “how and “what” of the National Care Service and associated care boards is a significant issue, as it is unclear at this stage what the very specific implications are for local authority services, employees and budgets, and what the delivery of assessment and care services would look like on the ground. It is deeply concerning that much of this detail will be implemented through secondary legislation with limited scrutiny at a Scottish Parliament level. Given the number of service users, carers and employees potentially impacted by the establishment of the proposed new arrangements, and the significant proportion of the local authority budget that is used to fund these services, it is inconceivable that a more comprehensive process of scrutiny and legislation development will not take place. A particular issue to highlight as a concern, is that the Policy memorandum refers in several places to the development of care boards which will act as the local delivery arm of the National Care Service, and which may or may not be co-terminous with existing local authority boundaries. Service users and carers want to receive care and support at a local level, not at a regional or other determined level. Local services, buildings and centres have been funded and developed from local resources and are core facilities within communities. Local democratic accountability would also be diminished if care board boundaries were not co-terminous with that of the Council, and there would be dilution of local influence and input into the way in which representative organisations and community groups could be involved in planning and delivering services. The provisions within the Bill surrounding the reserved right to participate in certain contracts also require greater clarity and explanation. As written, it is not explicitly clear whether Local Government would qualify under the reserved criteria and greater detail is required as to the tender process following the end of a contract secured under the reserved criteria. Is there anything additional you would like to see included in the Bill and is anything missing? It is disappointing that legislation of this magnitude is accompanied by a Financial Memorandum which lacks detail across all key financial considerations. Investment in Scotland’s future care model needs to be set at an ambitious and realistic level to deliver on the commitments made to service users and carers around improvements in the quality and accessibility of care. The Financial Memorandum appears to set funding requirements based on existing levels of activity, with no commentary on investment in early intervention or preventative approaches. As highlighted in previous responses, the lack of detail in terms of the impact on the social work and social care workforce is concerning for people working across local authorities, including support staff, for whom the implications are very unclear. There is also no consideration of the statutory role of the Chief Social Work Officer within the documentation. Item 11 Page 199 of 218
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The Scottish Government proposes that the details of many aspects of the proposed National Care Service will be outlined in future secondary legislation rather than being included in the Bill itself. Do you have any comments on this approach? Are there any aspects of the Bill where you would like to have seen more detail in the Bill itself? As outlined in previous responses, the Council does not support the practice of using secondary legislation to implement structural change of this magnitude. The Bill itself is very limited in terms of its content and provides very little detail on the way in which the National Care Service model will work. The Bill proposes to give Scottish Ministers powers to transfer a broad range of social care, social work and community health functions to the National Care Service using future secondary legislation. Do you have any views about the services that may or may not be included in the National Care Service, either now or in the future? As highlighted within responses to previous questions, it is the position of the Council that the transfer of adult social care and social work services is not supported. The potential transfer of childrens social work and justice services, and many other aspects of care and support, would also not be supported. It is the view of the Council that these services need to be delivered through holistic, person centred approaches by local authorities at a community level. The focus of these local models should be on early intervention and prevention and working creatively and flexibly at a local level to tailor the supports that service users and carers need. National approaches to workforce planning and standards, could be developed to enhance existing and strengthen local arrangements, which with additional investment, could achieve improved outcomes for service users and carers and support the development of the social work and social care workforce. Do you have any general comments on financial implications of the Bill and the proposed creation of a National Care Service for the long-term funding of social care, social work and community healthcare? It is impossible to provide informed commentary with regards financial implications given the lack of detail provided in the Bill and memorandums; other than it is reasonable to infer that the costs involved (both one off and ongoing) in setting up the NCS will vastly outweigh any potential efficiencies. In line with the Council’s response to the National Care Service consultation in 2021, it is suggested that a better option would be to provide the funding identified directly to those organisations currently involved in delivering social care to address the severe underfunding which has been experienced over many years. Item 11 Page 200 of 218
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Do you have any comments on the contents and conclusions of these impact assessments or about the potential impact of the Bill on specific groups or sectors? Given the level of detail that is available on the National Care Service and how it will operate within the Bill and associated documentation, it is not possible to comment on impact assessments and whether these are appropriate. The impact on service users and carers and on the social work and social care workforce is a critical element of the development of the National Care Service and extensive consultation and engagement must inform these impact assessments, based on a full and complete picture of the model and how it will work. There is likely to be merit in engaging with external auditors / organisations to undertake these assessments in an independent fashion. It is also suggested that full analysis and engagement on the impact of the proposed model, should be scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament in detail. Financial Memorandum questions Did you take part in any consultation exercise preceding the Bill and, if so, did you comment on the financial assumptions made? The Council participated in the National Care consultation undertaken by the Scottish Government in 2021 and included initial commentary on various financial considerations. If applicable, do you believe your comments on the financial assumptions have been accurately reflected in the financial memorandum (FM)? n/a Did you have sufficient time to contribute to the consultation exercise? n/a If the Bill has any financial implications for you or your organisation, do you believe that they have been accurately reflected in the FM? If not, please provide details. As mentioned above, there is a disappointing lack of detail or clarity with fundamental aspects of the potential financial implications of the proposals both in terms of new costs and risks; and costs and risks for local authorities. It is impossible to tell from the information provided in the Bill and accompanying memorandums what the financial impact for councils may be. The FM at paragraph 53 commits to identifying financial implications for councils but in essence the proposals are being progressed with no assessment of the costs involved. Item 11 Page 201 of 218
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From the limited detail provided however, it is apparent that there will be significant costs in setting up the proposed NCS and severe demands will be placed on councils in terms of supporting the establishment of a national service. The management of staff transfers, budget agreement, assessment and agreement of assets and liabilities associated with services currently delivered by councils, data transfer and sharing - all of these issues will take significant resource to work through, potentially detracting from the quality of care being provided in the interim. Simply collating the costs involved would be a very significant exercise in its own right; and these are not costs which councils could or should bear. Do you consider that the estimated costs and savings set out in the FM are reasonable and accurate? No. To reiterate, there is a fundamental lack of detail or confirmation as to key costs and financial issues which make it impossible to tell whether any of the limited cost information is reasonable – it is certainly not complete. The financial data presented in the Financial Memorandum is confusing in that it conflates actual costs with funding (Table 2), makes unfounded inflationary assumptions, lacks any detail as to how fixed assets and associated debt will be dealt with; and the cost projections for staff transfers (and associated pay/grading/T&Cs/pension issues) need substantial further work before they could be relied upon. If applicable, are you content that your organisation can meet any financial costs that it might incur as a result of the Bill? If not, how do you think these costs should be met? As outlined above, it is impossible to tell at this point from the information in the documentation what the costs to councils may be. However, the costs involved should not and cannot be met from within existing council resource. Does the FM accurately reflect the margins of uncertainty associated with the Bill’s estimated costs and with the timescales over which they would be expected to arise? The Financial Memorandum somewhat outlines a number of risks and areas where further work is required and makes vague commitments that further rigorous assessment and business cases will be developed. This is an unacceptable low level of due diligence given the scale of the potential costs and risks involved in the proposals. Examples are the VAT status of the new service which if care boards are not able to reclaim would immediately add (at least) tens of millions of cost annually which is not included in the costs within the financial memorandum. Nor are any costs associated with the major systems, data and records management aspirations outlined from para 57 onwards included in the set up costs – again there is the potential for very significant cost to emerge. Fundamental questions with regards the financial governance of the new service remain unanswered – one has to assume for example that given the direct accountability to Scottish Ministers that the local authority accounting regime would not apply – immediately removing the ability to carry reserves from one year to another in order to maximise financial flexibility. Given the current reserve balances held by IJBs, it is unclear what the proposals for the management of these on the winding up of IJBs would be. Owing to the constraints placed on local government Item 11 Page 202 of 218
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over a long period and the obligation to pass funding allocated through the local government settlement to IJBs, much of this resource arguably should return to local government. Questions on specific provisions There is also the option to give your views on specific provisions in the Bill. There is no obligation to complete this section of the call for views and respondents can choose to restrict their comments to certain sections of the Bill. In providing comments on specific sections of the Bill, please consider: • Whether you agree with provisions being proposed? • Whether there is anything important missing from these sections of the Bill? • Whether there is anything you would disagree with or there are amendments you would wish to propose to these sections of the Bill? • Whether an alternative approach would be preferable? Item 11 Page 203 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 29 September 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Lead Officer ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Review of Linking the National Cycle Route 7 with Howwood Review ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 At its meeting held on 15 November 2021, the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board as part of its annual programme of reviews, to undertake a review of linking the National Cycle Route 7 to Howwood. 1.2 The attached report summarises the evidence presented in relation to the review and makes a number of recommendations. The report was approved by the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board at its meeting held on 26th October, 2009. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1. That the report and its recommendations be approved; and 2.2. That the Council’s thanks be conveyed to those persons who contributed to the review. ________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none Item 12 Page 205 of 218
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2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community Planning – none 4. Legal – none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology – none 7. Equality & Human Rights – none (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position - not applicable 13. Climate Risk Supporting and enhancing opportunities for active travel is an area being explored as part of Renfrewshire’s planning for net zero. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Annual Programme approved 23/08/2021 The foregoing background papers will be retained within Finance and Resources for inspection by the public for the prescribed period of four years from the date of the meeting. _____________________________________________________________ Author: Kevin Waters Programme Manager (City Deal & Infrastructure) Left Council on 14/07/22 Catriona Halliday (Technical Manager – City Deal & Infrastructure) will present the paper. Item 12 Page 206 of 218
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board On: 22 August 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Lead Officer ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Linking the National Cycle Route 7 with Howwood Review 1 Summary 1.1 At its meeting on 15 November 2021, members of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board agreed to a request to include a review which would look into linking the National Cycle Route 7 to Howwood was included in the annual programme of activity for the Board for 2021/2022. 1.2 At its meeting on 24 January 2022, members of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board agreed the purpose, scope and timescales of this review. 1.3 At its meeting on 21 March 2022, members of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board noted the update report outlining progress of the review since the previous board meeting on 24 January 2022. This included updates on; • Contact made with Elected Members and stakeholders including Council officers; • A site visit; and • Other complementary reports and studies relating to the subject of this review. 2 Recommendations 2.1 The Board is asked to: Item 12 Page 207 of 218
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Page 2 of 12 • Note the key findings and accept the recommendations noted in section 5 of this report; • Approve the report for submission to the Council meeting to be held on 29 September 2022; and • Notes that the Lead Officer is grateful to all stakeholders who participated in the review. _________________________________________________________ 3 Background 3.1 National Cycle Network Route 7 connects Balloch on the southern banks of Loch Lomond with Aberfoyle, Strathyre, Callander, Lochearnhead and Killin. It forms the southern section of the long- distance Lochs and Glens Way route. 3.2 The route is described by Sustrans as having a mixture of traffic-free paths and quiet road sections and being reachable throughout the route via traffic-free paths and also by regular train connections. 3.3 From Lochwinnoch it is accessible from an on-road route (not part of the National Cycle Network) from the Main Street (via Church Street / Lochhead Avenue) on the east and also from a mixture of traffic- free route and on road route (not part of the National Cycle Network) from Lochwinnoch Train Station on the west. Item 12 Page 208 of 218
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Page 3 of 12 3.4 In the request for this review into linking the National Cycle Route 7 to Howwood, it was noted that it could also facilitate access to The Whithorn Way; a newly mapped 143-mile walking and cycling route, which follows much of the westerly pilgrimage route to Whithorn, which was travelled by pilgrims over centuries. 3.5 The route follows established paths and cycleways where possible, including extensive use of the National Cycle & Path Route 7. 3.6 To aid users, the route is split into several sections in available guides. Lochwinnoch connects two sections; Paisley to Lochwinnoch and Lochwinnoch to Kilwinning. 3.7 There are currently no published dedicated active travel (pedestrian and cycling) routes from Howwood to Lochwinnoch. 4 Update on the Review 4.1 As set out in the Scoping paper (which was approved by the Board on 24 January 2022), the scope of the review into linking walking and cycling from the National Cycle Route 7 at Lochwinnoch to and from Howwood was to: • understand the demand; • set out the current provision; and • identify any other mitigations. 4.2 Progress on the review since the last report to Board includes; Item 12 Page 209 of 218
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Page 4 of 12 • Contacted all current elected members from affected ward (Ward 9) and adjacent ward (Ward 8) and Howwood Community Council to make them aware of the review and to ask for any additional information that could be considered as part of the review. • Ongoing discussions with officers from relevant services across the Council to ascertain current and planned provisions to help inform the review. • Further site visit with stakeholders to the National Cycle Route 7 at the locale, the existing core path connecting Station Road to the NCR 7 and the route into Howwood from Station Road. Photographs were also taken at this site visit. 4.3 These early discussions have proved valuable and inform recommendations in this review. The Lead Officer also liaised with relevant officers and services responsible for other works / reviews to ensure that the scope of this review was considered in other items of work to maximise outputs for the relevant review, including this review whilst also minimising duplicate work and costs. These include; • Awareness that the new Core Paths Plan was approved at Board in January and identifies an aspirational route between NCR7 and Howwood (HOW16). • Awareness that a feasibility study was commissioned to investigate options for possible Traffic Calming in Kilbarchan, Howwood and Houston which includes recommendations for traffic calming measures in Howwood and a gateway feature within the proposed link from Howwood to NCR7. See paragraph 4.4.11 to 4.4.15 in Key Findings section below. • Council officers have aspirations to make a funding application for a feasibility study for walking and cycling from the National Cycle Route 7 at Lochwinnoch to and from Howwood. See paragraph 4.4.16 in Key Findings section below. 4.4 Key findings; Item 12 Page 210 of 218
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Page 5 of 12 4.4.1 Active travel, including walking and cycling, is widely acknowledged to help improve health and wellbeing1. 4.4.2 The footway currently terminates on the way out of Howwood on Station Road at the bridge over the A737 meaning that there is currently no dedicated and segregated route for safe walking and cycling between Howwood and the National Cycle Route 7 via the most direct route (Station Road). See Figure 3 at Appendix 2. 4.4.3 The lack of footway, together with a National Speed limit in this area, make it unattractive for active travel including pedestrians in particular. 4.4.4 There appears to be demand for a pedestrian route with desire lines2 being evident on the roadside verges along this route. See Figure 3 at Appendix 2. 4.4.5 There is an existing core path (LOCH/1 and LOCH/2) some 300m from Howwood Train Station. The section of Station Road which links with the Core Paths has limited pedestrian facilities with no footway in part. The existing core path provides access to the National Cycle Route 7. See Figure 4 and Figure 5 at Appendix 2. 4.4.6 The core path (LOCH/1 and LOCH/2) is primarily a leisure orientated route and a track made up of predominantly unbound surface and contains steep incline / declines making it unsuitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. It has also been suggested that it is known to flood. 4.4.7 Whilst this core path is a well-used existing route for pedestrians, with access to the Kenmure Hill Temple and links to the National Cycle Route 7, at approximately 2.5km in length, with uneven surfaces and inclines, it is more circuitous at approximately 1.8km longer than the more direct route along Station Road. 1 https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/research/all-themes/all/active-travel-toolkit-the-role-of-active-travel- in-improving-health 2 A desire lines describes a path created as a consequence of erosion caused by human or animal traffic. The path usually represents the shortest or most easily navigated route between an origin and destination. Item 12 Page 211 of 218
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Page 6 of 12 4.4.8 There has been a long-term aspiration for a more direct active travel route which would connect Howwood to the National Cycle Route 7 via Station Road, utilising existing road infrastructure. A route (HOW/16), has been identified as an Aspirational Core Path in the Core Path Plan since 2009 and remains within ‘Renfrewshire Core Paths Plan 2022’ which was approved by Council in 20223. It is however recognised that land ownership and technical matters would require to be considered in detail to facilitate any future route. 4.4.9 The Core Paths Plan, which included significant public consultation, demonstrates public and policy support for this aspiration Core Path. 4.4.10 A more direct active travel route from Howwood to NCR7, using station road, would also benefit and provide improved access to other existing routes including the Semple Trail4 and The Whithorn Way5. In addition to the well-publicised benefits of active travel routes, discussions with representatives from The Whithorn Way suggested the following additional benefits from improved access to and from these mapped routes, including; • Additional footfall and spend in the Community, particularly in accommodation and hospitality; • Opportunities to grow accommodation offer due to growing demand from users; • Interactions between the Community and users of the routes; 4.4.11 Howwood is also particularly appealing to users of these routes due to the presence of the Train Station which allows users to start and/or finish their walk / cycle at Howwood then use the train for their onward journey. 4.4.12 Renfrewshire Council commissioned consultants to review the feasibility and options for introducing traffic calming measures in Renfrewshire villages including Howwood. 4.4.13 At the time of writing, the outputs from this traffic calming review were still being finalised and will require consultation with Community Councils, Ward Councillors and other relevant stakeholders for review/consultation before final plans are designed. 3 www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/corepaths 4 clydemuirshiel.co.uk/visit/things-to-do/walking/routes/semple-trail/ 5 www.whithorn.com/walk-the-whithorn-way/ Item 12 Page 212 of 218
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Page 7 of 12 4.4.14 The interim outputs recommend gateway features at village entry points (including Howwood). Whilst these have not been defined at this point, they usually consist of a combination of signage, change of road markings, physical changes (traffic buildouts or rumble strips) with an aim to reduce the speed of vehicle traffic through villages by building traffic calming measures in the road. See Figure 6 at Appendix 2. 4.4.15 The consultant carrying out the traffic calming review carried out a high-level review of a possible connection to NCR7 from Howwood. This included a potential route which indicated a segregated active travel route could be possible. To be explored in further detail, a feasibility study would be required. Council officers have indicated aspirations to apply to Sustrans ‘Places for Everyone’ for funding to allow this feasibility study to be commissioned. 4.4.16 The aim of Sustran’s ‘Places for Everyone’ is to create safe, attractive, healthier places by increasing the number of trips made by walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys. The scheme is funded by the Scottish Government through Transport Scotland and is administered by Sustrans. 4.4.17 Places for Everyone contributes to the Scottish Government’s aim for a healthier, environmentally sustainable nation with a strong economy and communities, as laid out in the National Performance Framework. 4.4.18 Sustran’s Places for Everyone programme opened to new applications at Stage 0-2 on 25th July 2022, with the deadline for submissions being 23 August 2022. The Decision Making Panel will be held on 31 October 2022 with the aim to make awards within 4 weeks of this date. We are advise that colleagues within Environment & Infrastructure are submitting an application to Sustrans to meet these deadlines. 5 Recommendations 5.1 There is evidence of demand and policy support for a safe active travel link between the village of Howwood and the National Cycle Route 7. Item 12 Page 213 of 218
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Page 8 of 12 It is proposed that opportunities to fund a feasibility study to investigate options for implementing this link should be explored including Sustran’s ‘Places for Everyone’ funding as outlined in paragraphs 4.4.16 to 4.4.18, noting the timescales and deadlines involved (which precede the date of this board meeting). 5.2 The feasibility study should take cognisance of the requirement for land acquisition, road safety concerns at the narrow Black Cart Water bridge and other existing information including, but not limited to, ‘Renfrewshire Core Paths Plan 2022’, ‘Villages – Traffic Calming Measures’ report and outcomes. 5.3 If the funding application is successful, the outcomes from the feasibility study would be consulted with the public including local communities as well as Community Councils and Elected Members. The next phase after feasibility study is detailed design and this would require a further application to secure funding support. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - none 2. HR & Organisational Development - none 3. Community Planning - none 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality & Human Rights - none (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - none 9. Procurement - none Item 12 Page 214 of 218
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Page 9 of 12 10. Risk - none 11. Privacy Impact - none 12. COSLA Policy Position - not applicable 13. Climate Risk Supporting and enhancing opportunities for active travel is an area being explored as part of Renfrewshire’s planning for net zero. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers (a) Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Annual Programme approved 23/08/2021 The foregoing background papers will be retained within Finance and Resources for inspection by the public for the prescribed period of four years from the date of the meeting. ______________________________________________________________ Author: Kevin Waters Programme Manager (City Deal & Infrastructure) Left Council on 14/07/22 Catriona Halliday (Technical Manager – City Deal & Infrastructure) will present the paper. Item 12 Page 215 of 218
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Page 10 of 12 Appendix 1 Timetable for Linking the National Cycle Route 7 with Howwood Review Date of Board Meeting Stage of Review Monday 24 January 2022 Commencement of review - Complete Monday 21 March 2022 Continuation of review – Complete Monday 13 May 2022 No update presented Monday 22 August 2022 Continuation of review Tuesday 27 September 2022 Draft report to Board Thursday 29 September 2022 Final report to Council Item 12 Page 216 of 218
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Page 11 of 12 Appendix 2 – Photographs NCR7 Entrance Station Road Figure 1 - Approximate Route of direct link from Howwood to NCR7 Figure 3 - Current provision on route out of Howwood Figure 4 - Entrance to core path (LOCH/1 and LOCH/2)at Howwood end. Figure 2 - Current provision at NCR7 entrance Figure 5 - Entrance to core path (LOCH/1 and LOCH/2)at NCr7 end. Item 12 Page 217 of 218
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Page 12 of 12 Figure 6 - Proposed location of 'Gateway' traffic calming features from draft ‘Villages – Traffic Calming’ report. Item 12 Page 218 of 218