Agenda Document Pack - Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum - 28/05/2025
South Lanarkshire Council · 28 May 2025
Back to Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum — 28 May 2025 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 20 May 2025 Dear Councillor Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Forum to be held as follows:- Date: Wednesday, 28 May 2025 Time: 14:00 Venue: Hybrid - Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Paul Manning Chief Executive Members Walter Brogan, Janine Calikes, Ross Clark, Margaret Cowie, Grant Ferguson, Ross Lambie, Catherine McClymont, Mark McGeever, Mo Razzaq, Kirsten Robb Substitutes Mathew Buchanan, Poppy Corbett, Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Gavin Keatt, Katy Loudon, Norman Rae 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum held on 12 March 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 3 - 6 Item(s) for Consideration 3 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring - 1 January to 31 March 2025 Report dated 24 April 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 7 - 28 4 Social Work Resources - Workforce Monitoring - 1 January to 31 March 2025 Joint report dated 29 April 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) and Director, Health and Social Care. (Copy attached) 29 - 36 5 Annual Report on Mainstreaming Equalities and Diversity – Social Work Resources 2023/2024 Report dated 5 March 2025 by the Director, Health and Social Care. (Copy attached) 37 - 52 6 Technology Enabled Care Joint presentation by J O'Boyle, Technology Enabled Care Service Manager, K Glancey, Telehealth Programme Lead and A Brown, Telecare Programme Lead, South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership 7 Mainstreaming Equality - Equality Outcome One: Increase Ethnic Minority Representation Action Plan 2025 to 2029 53 - 56 Urgent Business 8 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Ishara Opatha Clerk Telephone: 07385 370069 Clerk Email: ishara.opatha@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 2
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EMPLOYEE, EQUALITIES, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION FORUM Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 12 March 2025 Chair: Councillor Margaret Cowie (Depute) Councillors Present: Councillor Walter Brogan, Councillor Ross Clark, Councillor Grant Ferguson, Councillor Mo Razzaq (Chair) Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Janine Calikes, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Mark McGeever, Councillor Kirsten Robb Attending: Finance and Corporate Resources T Ferguson, Learning, Organisational Development and Diversity Manager; B Hall, Administration Officer; S Jessup, Administration Assistant; E McPake, HR Business Manager; T Slater, Administration Adviser Housing and Technical Resources A McCallum, Strategy and Policy Manager; L Pearson, Strategy Co-Ordinator Chairing the Meeting Due to potential technical difficulties, Councillor Razzaq asked that the Depute chair the meeting. 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Employee, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum held on 11 December 2024 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Forum decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – October to December 2024 A report dated 6 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the following Council-wide employee information for the period October to December 2024:- attendance statistics occupational health statistics accident/incident statistics disciplinary hearings, grievances and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews recruitment monitoring staffing watch as at 14 December 2024 2 3
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The Forum decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 11 December 2024 (Paragraph 4)] Councillor Ferguson joined the meeting during this item of business 4 Housing and Technical Resources’ Workforce Monitoring – October to December 2024 A joint report dated 4 February 2025 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Housing and Technical Resources) was submitted on the following employee information for Housing and Technical Resources for the period October to December 2024:- attendance statistics occupational health statistics accident/incident statistics disciplinary hearings, grievances and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews staffing watch as at 14 December 2024 The Forum decided: that the report be noted [Reference: Minutes of the Employee Issues Forum of 14 November 2023 (Paragraph 4)] 5 Annual Report on Mainstreaming Equalities and Diversity Within Housing and Technical Resources A report dated 25 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) was submitted:- providing an overview of progress made in relation to mainstreaming equalities within Housing and Technical Resources during 2023/2024 highlighting the key actions being progressed during 2024/2025 The Resource Equality and Diversity Co-ordination Group (EDCG) was responsible for ensuring progress had been made in relation to the Equality and Diversity work plan and that a consistent approach was taken to mainstreaming equality and diversity across the Resource. Details were provided on key areas of progress by the Resource during 2023/2024 under the following headings:- New Housing Bill for Scotland A Human Rights Bill for Scotland Public Sector Equality Duty Equality Impact Assessment and the Fairer Scotland Duty Development of South Lanarkshire Progressive Housing Framework The Resource EDCG would continue to oversee the work in relation to mainstreaming across the Resource during 2024/2025, with the key priorities fully detailed at paragraph 10.2 of the report. 4
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The Forum decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 2 October 2024 (Paragraph 10) and 2 June 2023 (Paragraph 11)], and Minutes of the Equal Opportunities Forum of 22 November 2023 (Paragraph 4)] 6 Home and Health Assessment Service A McCallum, Strategy and Policy Officer, Housing and Technical Resources gave a presentation on the Home and Health Assessment Service. Information was provided on:- the requirement of a new service model for medical assessments for housing applications implementation of the new service model comparison on volumes of assessments and outcomes findings from the new service case studies The Chair thanked the Strategy and Policy Manager for her informative presentation. The Forum decided: that the presentation be noted 7 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 5
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum Date of Meeting: 28 May 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – 1 January to 31 March 2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information relating to the Council for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Forum is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following employment information for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025 relating to the Council be noted:- attendance statistics occupational health accident/incident statistics discipline, grievance and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews recruitment monitoring staffing watch as at 8 March 2025 [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. As part of the Council’s performance management arrangements, regular workforce monitoring reports are submitted to the Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum. This report for the Council provides information on the position for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025. 4. Attendance Statistics 4.1. Information on absence statistics for the Council and each Resource, as analysed for March 2025, is provided in appendices 1 to 8. Points to note are:- The Council’s absence rate for March 2025, shown in Appendix 1, is 6.8% which represents a decrease of 0.2% when compared to the previous month and an increase of 0.5% when compared to March 2024. When compared to March 2024, the APT&C absence rate has increased by 0.7%, the teachers’ figure has increased by 0.4% and the manual workers’ figure has increased by 0.3%. 3 7
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Based on annual trends and the absence rate to March 2025, the average absence rate for the Council for the financial year 2024/2025 is 5.9%. In comparison to March 2024 (Appendix 8):- psychological and musculoskeletal conditions are the main reasons for absence total days lost due to psychological conditions have increased by 523 days total days lost due to musculoskeletal conditions have increased by 513 days Managers follow the procedures outlined in the Maximising Attendance Policy to support employees to remain at work, or to return to work after a sickness absence. There are comprehensive employee supports in place and additionally, Personnel Services work in close partnership with line managers and Resource Management Teams on a case management basis to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. 5. Occupational Health 5.1. Information on Occupational Health for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025 is provided in Appendix 9. during the period there were 528 employees referred for a medical examination, which is an increase of 16 when compared to the same period last year. Both musculoskeletal and psychological conditions continue to be the main reason for medical referrals a total of 496 employees attended physiotherapy treatment, showing a decrease of 72 when compared to the same period last year. Of the 496 employees referred, 70% remained at work whilst undertaking treatment during this period 589 employees were referred to the Employee Support Officer, showing an increase of 38 when compared with the same period last year. Of the referrals made this period, 90% related to personal reasons 222 employees were referred to the PAM Assist counselling service this period, showing a decrease of 23 when compared with the same period last year. All the referrals made this period were made directly by employees. Personal reasons accounted for 20% of the referrals made, 48% were for work related reasons and 32% was for other reasons 55 employees were referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy this period, an increase of 44 when compared to the same period last year 6. Accidents/Incidents 6.1. The accident/incident report for 1 January to 31 March 2025 is contained in Appendix 10. the number of accidents/incidents recorded was 379 of those, 164 have been investigated and categorised 215 are still in process of being investigated of those investigated, no specified injuries were recorded of those investigated there were 157 minor accidents/incidents of those investigated there was 1 accident that resulted in an absence lasting over 3 days of those investigated there were 6 accidents that resulted in an absence lasting over 7 days 8
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7. Discipline, Grievance, Dignity at Work Hearings and Mediation Referrals 7.1. Information on Disciplinary, Grievance Hearings, Dignity at Work and Mediation Referrals for 1 January to 31 March 2025 is contained in appendices 11, 12a and 12b. During the period:- a total of 49 disciplinary hearings were held across Resources within the Council, this figure has increased by 11 when compared to the same period last year action was taken in 47 of these cases. Five appeals were raised against the outcomes, of which 2 were not upheld and 3 were in process of being scheduled our target is to convene disciplinary hearings within 6 weeks, 69% of hearings met this target 2 appeals were heard by the Appeals Panel and were not upheld 4 grievances were raised, 1 was resolved and 3 were still in process 12 Dignity at Work complaints were raised, all of which are currently being investigated 2 referrals for mediation were submitted 8. Analysis of Leavers and Exit Interviews 8.1. Information on the number of leavers and exit interviews for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025 is contained in Appendix 13. Exit interviews are conducted with employees who leave voluntarily. Labour Turnover Using information compiled from Resources and Staffing Watch information as at 8 March 2025, the Council’s turnover figure for 1 January to 31 March 2025 is as follows:- 100 leavers eligible for exit interviews/15,619 employees in post = Labour Turnover of 0.6%. Based on the figure at March 2025, the annual labour turnover figure for the financial year 2024/2025 for the Council is 3.9%. 8.2. Analysis of Leavers and Exit Interviews 100 employees left the Council that were eligible for an exit interview, this is a decrease of 72 when compared with the same period last year a total of 15 exit interviews were conducted which is a decrease of 38 when compared with same period last year 9. Recruitment Monitoring 9.1. Information on Recruitment Monitoring for 1 January to 31 March 2025 is contained within Appendix 14. From an analysis of Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms, the main points to note are:- overall, 3,216 applications and 3,214 completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms were received of those applicants who declared themselves as disabled (191), 103 were shortleeted for interview and 9 were appointed 9
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of those applicants of a black/ethnic minority background (1010), 406 were shortleeted for interview and 69 were appointed of those applicants who are veterans (14), 1 was shortleeted for interview and no one was appointed 10. Staffing Watch 10.1 There has been a decrease of 97 in the number of employees in post from 14 December 2024 to 8 March 2025. Details of the staffing watch are contained in Appendix 15. 11. Employee Implications 11.1. There are no implications for employees arising from the information presented in this report. 12. Financial Implications 12.1. All financial implications are accommodated within existing budgets. 13. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 13.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications arising from the information presented in this report. 14. Other Implications 14.1. There are no implications for risk in terms of the information contained within this report. 15. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 15.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 15.2. There was no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 24 April 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Ambitious, self-aware and improving Excellent employer Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Previous References Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum – 12 March 2025 List of Background Papers Monitoring information provided by Resources 10
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Elaine Maxwell, HR Business Manager Ext: 4647 (Tel: 01698 454647) E-mail: Elaine.Maxwell@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 11
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 5.2 5.2 5.2 April 2.7 2.8 2.9 April 8.8 7.0 7.3 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 5.0 5.1 5.4 May 3.6 3.2 3.0 May 7.6 6.2 7.1 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 5.0 4.9 5.3 June 2.6 2.2 2.8 June 8.1 6.5 7.2 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 4.5 4.0 4.3 July 1.4 1.1 1.0 July 7.4 5.8 6.3 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 4.3 4.2 4.6 August 1.4 1.3 1.9 August 7.4 6.2 7.5 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 5.2 5.2 6.2 September 2.8 2.9 3.5 September 8.0 7.6 8.3 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 5.7 5.2 6.3 October 3.4 2.7 3.8 October 8.1 7.1 7.7 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 6.3 6.1 7.0 November 4.7 4.3 5.0 November 8.6 8.1 8.4 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 6.7 6.7 7.1 December 5.3 4.8 5.4 December 8.9 7.8 8.5 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 5.2 5.8 6.8 January 4.3 4.8 4.9 January 8.0 7.8 8.3 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 February 5.7 6.3 7.0 February 4.1 4.9 4.9 February 7.9 8.0 9.0 February 5.9 6.4 7.0 March 6.2 6.3 7.0 March 4.6 4.1 4.5 March 8.3 8.1 8.4 March 6.4 6.3 6.8 Annual Average 5.4 5.4 6.0 Annual Average 3.4 3.3 3.6 Annual Average 8.1 7.2 7.8 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.9 Average Apr-Mar 5.4 5.4 6.0 Average Apr-Mar 3.4 3.3 3.6 Average Apr-Mar 8.1 7.2 7.8 Average Apr-Mar 5.7 5.4 5.9 7226 4014 4386 15626 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Council Wide APT&C Teachers No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 Manual Workers Council Wide No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 12
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 4.4 3.6 3.2 April 7.3 6.3 6.8 April 6.9 6.0 6.3 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 3.9 3.7 3.1 May 6.8 6.3 6.3 May 6.3 5.9 5.9 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 3.5 4.3 4.1 June 7.2 5.9 6.4 June 6.7 5.7 6.0 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 3.9 2.3 3.8 July 5.9 4.6 4.5 July 5.6 4.3 4.4 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 3.4 3.0 3.4 August 6.6 5.2 6.2 August 6.1 4.9 5.7 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 3.1 2.5 3.8 September 7.9 7.1 7.5 September 7.1 6.4 6.9 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 5.1 2.0 4.2 October 7.5 7.0 7.2 October 7.1 6.3 6.7 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 4.2 2.6 3.6 November 8.3 8.1 8.3 November 7.7 7.3 7.6 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 3.7 3.0 3.8 December 8.8 7.5 8.1 December 8.0 6.8 7.4 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 2.6 3.6 3.9 January 7.4 7.4 7.8 January 6.7 6.9 7.2 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 February 3.6 4.0 4.0 February 7.4 7.8 8.7 February 6.9 7.2 7.9 February 5.9 6.4 7.0 March 3.9 3.2 3.5 March 7.9 7.9 8.2 March 7.3 7.2 7.4 March 6.4 6.3 6.8 Annual Average 3.8 3.2 3.7 Annual Average 7.4 6.8 7.2 Annual Average 6.9 6.2 6.6 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.9 Average Apr-Mar 3.8 3.2 3.7 Average Apr-Mar 7.4 6.8 7.2 Average Apr-Mar 6.9 6.2 6.6 Average Apr-Mar 5.7 5.4 5.9 585 2818 3403 15626 Appendix 2 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Community and Enterprise Resources APT&C Council WideManual Workers Resource Total No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 13
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 5.5 5.0 5.4 April 2.7 2.8 2.9 April 4.0 3.8 4.0 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 5.5 5.4 6.0 May 3.6 3.2 3.0 May 4.5 4.2 4.4 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 5.1 4.8 5.5 June 2.6 2.2 2.8 June 3.7 3.4 4.1 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 3.8 3.4 3.2 July 1.4 1.1 1.0 July 2.5 2.2 2.0 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 3.6 4.0 3.9 August 1.4 1.3 1.9 August 2.4 2.5 2.8 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 5.8 5.9 6.6 September 2.8 2.9 3.5 September 4.1 4.3 4.9 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 6.5 5.5 6.5 October 3.4 2.7 3.8 October 4.8 4.0 5.0 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 7.9 7.1 7.8 November 4.7 4.3 5.0 November 6.2 5.6 6.2 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 8.5 8.1 8.6 December 5.3 4.8 5.4 December 6.8 6.3 6.8 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 6.1 6.6 8.0 January 4.3 4.8 4.9 January 5.1 5.6 6.3 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 February 6.8 7.2 8.4 February 4.1 4.9 4.9 February 5.4 6.0 6.5 February 5.9 6.4 7.0 March 7.0 7.5 8.3 March 4.6 4.1 4.5 March 5.7 5.7 6.2 March 6.4 6.3 6.8 Annual Average 6.0 5.9 6.5 Annual Average 3.4 3.3 3.6 Annual Average 4.6 4.5 4.9 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.9 Average Apr-Mar 6.0 5.9 6.5 Average Apr-Mar 3.4 3.3 3.6 Average Apr-Mar 4.6 4.5 4.9 Average Apr-Mar 5.7 5.4 5.9 3202 4014 7216 15626No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 Appendix 3 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Education Resources Council WideAPT&C Teachers Resource Total 14
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 2.8 3.6 2.8 April 0.0 0.0 0.0 April 2.8 3.6 2.8 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 3.2 3.9 3.2 May 0.0 0.0 0.0 May 3.2 3.9 3.2 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 4.0 4.2 3.2 June 0.0 0.0 0.0 June 4.0 4.2 3.2 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 3.9 3.5 3.5 July 0.0 0.0 0.0 July 3.9 3.5 3.5 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 4.1 3.8 2.6 August 0.0 0.0 0.0 August 4.1 3.8 2.6 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 3.6 3.9 3.2 September 0.0 0.0 0.0 September 3.6 3.9 3.2 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 3.8 3.2 3.2 October 0.0 0.0 0.0 October 3.8 3.2 3.2 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 3.4 3.5 4.6 November 0.0 0.0 0.0 November 3.4 3.5 4.6 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 4.3 3.3 4.4 December 0.0 0.0 0.0 December 4.3 3.3 4.4 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 4.3 2.8 3.7 January 0.0 0.0 0.0 January 4.3 2.8 3.7 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 February 3.8 3.5 3.5 February 0.0 0.0 0.0 February 3.8 3.5 3.5 February 5.9 6.4 7.0 March 3.8 2.6 3.7 March 0.0 0.0 0.0 March 3.8 2.6 3.7 March 6.4 6.3 6.8 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.5 Annual Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.5 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.9 Average Apr-Mar 3.8 3.5 3.5 Average Apr-Mar 0.0 0.0 0.0 Average Apr-Mar 3.8 3.5 3.5 Average Apr-Mar 5.7 5.4 5.9 814 0 814 15626 Manual Workers No of Employees at 31 March 2025 Resource Total No of Employees at 31 March 2025 Appendix 4 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Finance and Corporate Resources No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 APT&C Council Wide 15
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 5.5 5.7 5.3 April 10.6 6.9 7.2 April 7.6 6.2 6.1 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 4.5 4.9 5.2 May 8.1 6.1 8.1 May 6.0 5.4 6.4 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 4.9 5.4 5.7 June 8.5 6.8 8.4 June 6.4 6.0 6.8 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 5.5 5.0 5.3 July 8.9 8.1 8.6 July 6.9 6.2 6.7 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 4.7 5.1 5.5 August 7.1 8.5 8.8 August 5.7 6.4 6.9 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 4.5 4.7 7.5 September 6.3 7.8 7.4 September 5.2 6.0 7.5 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 4.3 4.9 7.3 October 7.8 5.2 6.0 October 5.8 5.0 6.8 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 4.6 4.8 6.8 November 7.8 6.7 6.2 November 5.9 5.6 6.5 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 4.4 5.1 6.4 December 7.2 7.4 5.8 December 5.6 6.0 6.2 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 4.5 4.4 7.0 January 5.5 6.0 6.2 January 4.9 5.0 6.7 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 February 4.4 5.2 7.0 February 6.2 6.3 7.1 February 5.1 5.6 7.0 February 5.9 6.4 7.0 March 5.3 5.3 6.8 March 6.8 7.2 5.9 March 5.9 6.1 6.4 March 6.4 6.3 6.8 Annual Average 4.8 5.0 6.3 Annual Average 7.6 6.9 7.1 Annual Average 5.9 5.8 6.7 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.9 Average Apr-Mar 4.8 5.0 6.3 Average Apr-Mar 7.6 6.9 7.1 Average Apr-Mar 5.9 5.8 6.7 Average Apr-Mar 5.7 5.4 5.9 857 543 1400 15626No of Employees at 31 March 2025No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 Appendix 5 Housing & Technical Resources Resource Total Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 APT&C Manual Workers Council Wide 16
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 6.2 6.5 6.5 April 12.6 9.4 8.8 April 8.3 7.4 7.3 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 5.7 5.8 5.8 May 10.1 8.4 9.5 May 7.1 6.6 7.0 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 5.9 5.5 6.0 June 11.3 8.6 9.2 June 7.6 6.5 7.0 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 6.0 5.4 6.5 July 11.8 8.8 11.2 July 7.9 6.5 8.0 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 6.0 4.8 6.9 August 10.8 8.6 11.4 August 7.5 6.0 8.4 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 5.9 5.6 7.2 September 9.6 9.3 12.0 September 7.1 6.8 8.8 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 5.8 6.5 7.5 October 10.4 8.5 11.0 October 7.3 7.1 8.6 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 6.0 7.3 8.1 November 10.4 9.0 10.0 November 7.4 7.8 8.7 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 6.4 7.4 7.0 December 10.6 9.5 11.6 December 7.7 8.1 8.5 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 5.2 7.0 6.7 January 12.0 10.3 11.3 January 7.4 8.1 8.2 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 February 5.8 7.0 7.0 February 11.0 9.9 11.6 February 7.5 7.9 8.5 February 5.9 6.4 7.0 March 7.0 7.1 7.5 March 10.9 9.4 10.7 March 8.2 7.9 8.6 March 6.4 6.3 6.8 Annual Average 6.0 6.3 6.9 Annual Average 11.0 9.1 10.7 Annual Average 7.6 7.2 8.1 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.9 Average Apr-Mar 6.0 6.3 6.9 Average Apr-Mar 11.0 9.1 10.7 Average Apr-Mar 7.6 7.2 8.1 Average Apr-Mar 5.7 5.4 5.9 1768 1025 2793 15626No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 Appendix 6 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Social Work Resources APT&C Council WideResource TotalManual Workers 17
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Appendix 7 Absence by long and short term From: 1 January 2025 to 31 March 2025 Community and Enterprise 3403 2.7 4.5 7.2 2.8 5.1 7.9 2.0 5.5 7.4 Education 7216 2.6 3.7 6.3 2.3 4.2 6.5 2.0 4.2 6.2 Finance and Corporate 814 1.5 2.2 3.7 1.7 1.8 3.5 1.3 2.4 3.7 Housing & Technical 1400 3.2 3.5 6.7 2.5 4.5 7.0 2.0 4.4 6.4 Social Work 2793 2.8 5.5 8.2 3.0 5.5 8.5 2.8 5.8 8.6 Council Overall for January to March 2025 15626 2.6 4.1 6.7 2.5 4.5 7.0 2.1 4.7 6.8 Resource No of employees Resource Total Absence % January 2025 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % February 2025 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % March 2025 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % 18
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From : 1 March 2025 - 31 March 2025 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1471 29 1100 13 54 10 451 27 887 22 3963 20 Psychological 1691 34 3542 43 246 46 553 33 1448 36 7480 38 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 598 12 907 11 31 6 174 10 432 11 2142 11 Respiratory 465 9 974 12 60 11 180 11 554 14 2233 11 Other Classification 777 16 1703 21 147 27 300 18 727 18 3654 19 Total Days Lost By Resource 5002 100 8226 100 538 100 1658 100 4048 100 19472 100 Total Work Days Available From : 1 March 2024 - 31 March 2024 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1278 26 1046 12 66 15 364 21 696 17 3450 18 Psychological 1374 28 3213 38 168 39 642 37 1560 39 6957 35 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 594 12 969 11 31 7 168 10 437 11 2199 11 Respiratory 578 12 1388 16 68 16 219 13 529 13 2782 14 Other Classification 1065 22 1923 23 99 23 329 19 816 20 4232 22 Total Days Lost By Resource 4889 100 8539 100 432 100 1722 100 4038 100 19620 100 Total Work Days Available *WDL = Work Days Lost Finance and Corporate 25767 47027 Appendix 8 Attendance Monitoring Absence Classification Reasons Community and Enterprise Resources Social Work Resources Total WDL By Reason Percentage Housing and Technical Resources Education Resources PercentageTotal WDL By ReasonREASONS Community and Enterprise Resources Education Resources Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical Resources 67309 133560 14567 Social Work Resources 51296282391659414894867903 19
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Appendix 9 Teachers Others 120 64 98 14 86 146 149 72 81 11 63 136 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 142 108 121 117 0 0 79 64 238 276 4 21 118 120 24 25 0 0 27 22 41 39 0 0 72 65 127 132 Social Work 2 3 130 117 551 589 Not Disclosed 5 31 568 496 Total 11 55 Reason Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Work Stress 51 107 Addicition 0 0 Personal 127 45 Anxiety/Depression 18 45 Bereavement 49 25 Total 245 222 Analysis of Counselling Referrals by Cause Total Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical Housing and Technical Social Work Social Work Total Community and Enterprise Community and Enterprise Education (Teachers) Education Education (Others) Finance and Corporate Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 512 No of Employees Referred For Physiotherapy No of Employees Referred To Employee Support Officer No of Employees Referred For Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Resource Resource Total (Jan - Mar 2025) 528 Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Totals Finance and Corporate Education Community and Enterprise Resource Housing and Technical Occupational Health Reports From: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025 comparison with 1 January 2024- 31 March 2024 Medical Referrals Community and Enterprise 20
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Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2025 Specified Injury 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Specified Injury (Violence) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Specified Injury* 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Over 7 Day 8 2 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 11 5 Over 7 Day (Violence) 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 Total Over 7 Day** 8 2 4 1 0 0 1 3 0 0 13 6 Over 3 Day 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 Over 3 Day (Violence) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Over 3 Day** 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 Minor Injury 30 9 66 19 2 0 3 4 21 11 122 43 Near Miss 4 0 9 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 15 1 Violence (Physical) 12 6 484 84 1 0 0 0 18 1 515 91 Violence (Verbal) 3 5 62 8 0 0 0 2 8 7 73 22 Total Minor*** 49 20 621 112 3 0 4 6 48 19 725 157 Total Finalised 59 22 628 114 3 0 5 9 48 19 743 164 Accident 0 2 19 41 0 1 0 2 0 5 19 10 Incident 0 3 20 15 0 0 0 0 0 2 20 20 Violence (Physical) 0 1 92 120 0 1 0 0 0 1 92 123 Violence (Verbal) 0 2 12 15 0 0 0 0 0 2 12 19 Near Miss 0 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 Total to be investigated**** 0 8 147 193 0 2 0 2 0 10 146 215 Total Events/Month 59 30 775 307 3 2 5 11 48 29 890 379 Social Work TOTAL **Over 3 Day /Over 7 Day absence relates to events outwith the specified injury category that resulted in an absence or inability to do normal work for more than 3/7 days (not including day of injury) ***A minor injury is an injury not covered by Over 7 day, Over 3 day or Specified ****In process relates to records not yet investigated/defined by managers *Specified Injury is any fracture (other than fingers/toes), amputation, loss or sight, serious burns, crushing injury, scalping, loss of consciousness caused by asphyxiation/head injury, a chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or penetrating injury as defined by the HSE Appendix 10 Analysis of Accidents / Incidents From: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025 comparison with 1 January 2024- 31 March 2024 Accidents by Month of Occurrence Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Tech 21
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APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total Community and Enterprise 2 23 N/A 25 0 0 N/A 0 2 23 N/A 25 6 12 7 72% 25.72 Education 1 0 4 5 0 0 1 1 1 0 3 4 0 4 1 80% 5 Finance and Corporate 1 0 N/A 1 0 0 N/A 0 1 0 N/A 1 0 0 1 0% 1 Housing and Technical 3 0 N/A 3 0 0 N/A 0 3 0 N/A 3 0 2 1 67% 3 Social Work 4 11 N/A 15 0 1 N/A 1 4 10 N/A 14 6 4 5 67% 15 Total (Jan - Mar 2025) 11 34 4 49 0 1 1 2 11 33 3 47 12 22 15 69% 49 Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 5 31 2 38 1 3 1 5 4 28 1 33 25 9 4 89% 38 APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total Total (Jan - Mar 2025) 3 2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 3 Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *Resources nil responses are not included in figures Appeal's Panel From: 1 January - 31 March 2025 Appeal's Panel Total 20 Appendix 11 Outcome of Appeals Not Upheld From: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025 comparison with 1 January 2024- 31 March 2024 Appeals pending to date Record of Disciplinary Hearings No of weeks to convene Disciplinary Hearing Total 0 % Held within 6 Weeks No of Appeals No Action APT&C 4-6 6+3Teachers Total No of Disciplinary Hearings Upheld APT&C Upheld in Part Teachers Resource Resource Action Taken Upheld Upheld in Part Manual/ Craft Outcome of Disciplinary Hearings Manual/ Craft 0 Withdrawn 20 Not Upheld Total Appeals Pending 22
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Appendix 12a Record of Grievances From: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025 comparison with 1 January 2024- 31 March 2024 Grievances No of Grievances No Resolved at Stage 1 No Resolved at Stage 2 No Resolved at Stage 3 Still in Process Total (Jan - Mar 2025) 4 0 1 0 3 Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 2 0 0 0 2 Dignity at Work From: 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025 comparison with 1 January 2024- 31 March 2024 Dignity at Work No of Incidents No Resolved at Informal Stage No Resolved at Formal Stage No of Appeals Appeals in Process Still in Process Total (Jan - Mar 2025) 12 0 0 0 0 12 Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 0 0 0 0 0 0 23
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Referrals for Workplace Mediation As at March 2025 Workplace Mediation Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25 No of Referrals 1 1 0 *No of Successful Cases 0 0 0 *No of Unsuccessful Cases 0 0 0 No of cases unsuitable for mediation 0 1 0 Workplace Mediation Jan-24 Feb-24 Mar-24 No of Referrals 1 0 0 *No of Successful Cases 0 0 0 *No of Unsuccessful Cases 0 0 0 No of cases unsuitable for mediation 0 1 0 *successful/unsuccessful case outcomes may be shown outwith the month they were referred. Appendix 12b 24
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Appendix 13 From 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025 Reason for leaving Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Total % Career Advancement 5 14 1 5 5 30 30% Personal Reasons 8 12 0 2 2 24 3% Moving outwith area 2 4 0 1 2 9 0% Child Caring / Caring Responsibilities 0 2 0 0 1 3 7% Further Education 0 1 0 0 0 1 9% Other 8 18 0 2 5 33 0% Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 23 51 1 10 15 100 Number of exit interviews conducted 3 7 0 5 1 15 % of leavers interviewed 13% 14% 0% 50% 7% 15% From 1 January 2024 - 31 March 2024 Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 50 60 8 15 39 172 Number of exit interviews conducted 8 19 6 11 9 53 % of leavers interviewed 16% 32% 75% 73% 23% 31% * Note these totals include temporary employees Analysis of leavers and exit interviews 25
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Appendix 14 Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 3214 1593 270 50% 8% 17% 703 366 82 52% 12% 22% 2445 1179 183 48% 7% 16% 191 103 9 54% 5% 9% 2329 1289 192 55% 8% 15% 613 349 71 57% 12% 20% 2113 1133 187 54% 9% 17% 1010 406 69 40% 7% 17% 14 1 0 7% 0% 0% Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 2591 890 281 34% 11% 32% 797 254 71 32% 9% 28% 1791 612 196 34% 11% 32% 89 51 10 57% 11% 20% 1879 622 194 33% 10% 31% 693 238 72 34% 10% 30% 2162 782 254 36% 12% 32% 385 77 11 20% 3% 14% 33 15 0 45% 0% 0% Total No of applicants aged over 50 Total No of White applicants Total No of Black/Ethnic minority applicants* Total No of Veteran applicants *Black/Ethnic Minority applicants includes Mixed, Asian, Black and other backgrounds. Gender / Disability / Age Total EO Forms Received Total No of Male Applicants Total No of Female Applicants Total No of Disabled Applicants Total No of applicants aged under 50 Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 2591 Total Number of posts advertised: 384 Total Number of appointments: 325 Total No of Black/Ethnic minority applicants* Total No of Veteran applicants *Black/Ethnic Minority applicants includes Mixed, Asian, Black and other backgrounds. From : 1 January 2024 - 31 March 2024 Total Number of applications received: 2653 Total No of Male Applicants Total No of Female Applicants Total No of Disabled Applicants Total No of applicants aged under 50 Total No of applicants aged over 50 Total No of White applicants Total Number of posts advertised: 176 Total Number of appointments: 270 Gender / Disability / Age Total EO Forms Received Recruitment Monitoring Analysis of Gender, Disability, Ethnicity and Age From : 1 January 2025 - 31 March 2025 Total Number of applications received: 3216 Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 3214 26
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Appendix 15 Resource Total F/T P/T F/T P/T Total Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher Community & Enterprise Resources 3351 1198 365 239 1549 2404.42 5.00 1650.91 410.60 269.67 47.94 18.30 0.00 2.00 0.00 Education - Others 3169 97 94 551 2427 2438.90 5.00 1172.94 1063.60 136.40 48.00 11.00 0.00 1.96 0.00 Education - Teachers 4154 705 127 2140 1182 3544.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3544.20 Finance & Corporate Resources 813 184 22 360 247 721.38 8.00 89.59 338.44 207.13 56.22 22.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 1373 760 115 337 161 1266.27 3.00 188.00 676.43 354.95 32.89 9.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 Social Work Resources 2759 189 232 927 1411 2364.87 3.00 320.84 1449.61 472.02 84.80 33.60 0.00 1.00 0.00 9195.84 (excluding Teachers) Total All Staff 15619 3133 955 4554 6977 12740.04 24.00 3422.28 3938.68 1440.17 269.85 93.90 0.00 6.96 3544.20 Resource Total F/T P/T F/T P/T Total Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher Community & Enterprise Resources 3387 1206 378 240 1563 2428.85 5.00 1669.72 416.48 269.41 47.94 18.30 0.00 2.00 0.00 Education - Others 3208 99 94 574 2441 2484.97 5.00 1207.06 1072.71 138.64 48.60 11.00 0.00 1.96 0.00 Education - Teachers 4127 708 121 2174 1124 3641.95 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3641.95 Finance & Corporate Resources 821 183 24 365 249 727.96 8.00 92.08 340.45 210.38 55.05 22.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 1392 770 116 341 165 1282.49 3.00 195.37 680.22 359.41 33.49 9.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 Social Work Resources 2781 194 230 949 1408 2386.60 3.00 332.43 1453.91 474.98 85.77 35.51 0.00 1.00 0.00 9310.87 (excluding Teachers) Total All Staff 15716 3160 963 4643 6950 12952.82 24.00 3496.66 3963.77 1452.82 270.85 95.81 0.00 6.96 3641.95 Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent Male Female Salary Band Quarterly Joint Staffing Watch Return : Number Employed On 8 March 2025 Analysis by Resource Analysis by Resource Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent Male Female Salary Band Quarterly Joint Staffing Watch Return : Number Employed On 14 December 2024 27
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum Date of Meeting: 28 May 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) and Director, Health and Social Care Subject: Social Work Resources – Workforce Monitoring – 1 January to 31 March 2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information for 1 January to 31 March 2025 relating to Social Work Resources [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Forum is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the following employment information for 1 January to 31 March 2025 relating to Social Work Resources be noted:- attendance statistics. occupational health. accident/incident statistics. discipline, grievance and Dignity at Work cases. analysis of leavers and exit interviews. staffing watch as of 8 March 2025 [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. As part of the Council’s performance management arrangements, regular workforce monitoring reports are submitted to the Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum. This report for Social Work Resources provides information on the position for 1 January to 31 March 2025. 4. Monitoring Statistics 4.1. Attendance Statistics (Appendix 1) Information on absence statistics is analysed for the month of March 2025 for Social Work Resources. The Resource absence figure for March 2025 was 8.6%, this figure has increased by 0.1% when compared to the previous month and is 1.8% higher than the Council- wide figure. Compared to March 2024, the Resource absence figure has increased by 0.7%. Based on the absence figures at March 2025 and annual trends, the annual average absence for the Resource for 2024/2025 is 8.1%, compared to a Council-wide average figure of 5.9%. 4 29
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Managers follow the procedures outlined in the Maximising Attendance Policy to support employees to remain at work, or to return to work after a sickness absence. There are comprehensive employee supports in place and additionally, Personnel Services work in close partnership with line managers and Resource Management Teams on a case management basis to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. 4.2. Occupational Health (Appendix 2) In terms of referrals to occupational health, which include medical examinations and physiotherapy, overall, 406 referrals were made this period. This represents an increase of 6 when compared with the same period last year. 4.3. Accident/Incident Statistics There were 19 accident/incidents recorded within the Resource this period, this figure has decreased by 29 when compared to the same period last year. 4.4. Discipline, Grievance and Dignity at Work (Appendix 2) During the period, 15 disciplinary hearings were held within the Resource. This figure has increased by 7 when compared to the same period last year. One appeal was submitted to be heard by the Resource which is currently being scheduled. One grievance complaint was raised and this figure is unchanged when compared to the same period last year. Eight Dignity at Work complaints were raised this period, compared to no complaints raised during the same period last year. 4.5. Analysis of Leavers (Appendix 2a) There were 15 leavers within the Resource this period eligible for an exit interview, a decrease of 24 when compared with the same period last year. One exit interview was conducted during the period and this figure has decreased by 8 when compared with the same period last year. 5. Staffing Watch 5.1. Appendix 3 provides the Staffing Watch and shows there has been a decrease of 22 in the number of employees in post from 14 December 2024 to 8 March 2025. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no implications for employees arising from the information presented in this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. All financial implications are accommodated within existing budgets. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications in terms of the information contained within this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. There are no implications for sustainability or risk in terms of the information contained within this report. 10. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 30
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10.2. There was no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Professor Soumen Sengupta Director, Health and Social Care 29 April 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Ambitious, self-aware and improving Excellent employer Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Previous References Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum – 12 March 2025 List of Background Papers Monitoring information provided by Finance and Corporate Resources Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Elaine Maxwell, HR Business Manager Ext: 4647 (Tel: 01698 454647) E-mail: Elaine.maxwell@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 31
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 6.2 6.5 6.5 April 12.6 9.4 8.8 April 8.3 7.4 7.3 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 5.7 5.8 5.8 May 10.1 8.4 9.5 May 7.1 6.6 7.0 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 5.9 5.5 6.0 June 11.3 8.6 9.2 June 7.6 6.5 7.0 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 6.0 5.4 6.5 July 11.8 8.8 11.2 July 7.9 6.5 8.0 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 6.0 4.8 6.9 August 10.8 8.6 11.4 August 7.5 6.0 8.4 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 5.9 5.6 7.2 September 9.6 9.3 12.0 September 7.1 6.8 8.8 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 5.8 6.5 7.5 October 10.4 8.5 11.0 October 7.3 7.1 8.6 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 6.0 7.3 8.1 November 10.4 9.0 10.0 November 7.4 7.8 8.7 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 6.4 7.4 7.0 December 10.6 9.5 11.6 December 7.7 8.1 8.5 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 5.2 7.0 6.7 January 12.0 10.3 11.3 January 7.4 8.1 8.2 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 February 5.8 7.0 7.0 February 11.0 9.9 11.6 February 7.5 7.9 8.5 February 5.9 6.4 7.0 March 7.0 7.1 7.5 March 10.9 9.4 10.7 March 8.2 7.9 8.6 March 6.4 6.3 6.8 Annual Average 6.0 6.3 6.9 Annual Average 11.0 9.1 10.7 Annual Average 7.6 7.2 8.1 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.9 Average Apr-Mar 6.0 6.3 6.9 Average Apr-Mar 11.0 9.1 10.7 Average Apr-Mar 7.6 7.2 8.1 Average Apr-Mar 5.7 5.4 5.9 1768 1025 2793 15626No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 No of Employees at 31 March 2025 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Social Work Resources APT&C Council WideResource TotalManual Workers 32
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Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2024 2025 MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS Number of Employees Attending EMPLOYEE COUNSELLING SERVICE Total Number of Referrals PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICE Total Number of Referrals REFERRALS TO EMPLOYEE SUPPORT OFFICER 127 132 REFERRALS TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY 2 3 TOTAL 400 406 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2024 2025 Minor 21 11 Near Miss*** 1 0 Violent Incident: Physical**** 18 1 Violent Incident: Verbal***** 8 7 Total Accidents/Incidents 48 19 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2024 2025 Total Number of Hearings 8 15 Total Number of Appeals 0 1 Appeals Pending 0 1 Time Taken to Convene Hearing October - Jan to Mar 2025 0-3 Weeks 4-6 Weeks Over 6 Weeks 6 4 5 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2024 2025 Number of Grievances 1 1 Still in Progress 1 1 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2024 2025 Number of Incidents 0 8 Still in Process 0 8 *A Specified Injury is any fracture (other than to the fingers, thumbs or toes), amputation, loss of sight, serious burns, crushing injury, scalping, loss of consciousness caused by asphyxiation/ head injury, a chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or penetrating injury as defined by the HSE. **Over 3 day / over 7day absence is an injury sustained outwith specified injury category that results in a period of absence of absence as defined by the HSE. ****Physical violent incidents are included in the "Specified" figures, where applicable, to provide the ****Physical violent incidents and ***** Verbal Violent Incidents are included in the "Over 3-day or Over 7- day" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Over 3-day or Over 7-day" figures. 5 8 130 117 CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS Appendix 2 SOCIAL WORK RESOURCES 136 146 ****Physical Violent Incidents and ***** Verbal Violent Incidents are included in the "Minor" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Minor" figures. RECORD OF DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS RECORD OF GRIEVANCE HEARINGS RECORD OF DIGNITY AT WORK ***Near Miss - Any unexpected, unplanned occurrence (except Dangerous Occurrences) that does not lead to injury of persons, damage to property, plant or equipment but may have done so in different 33
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Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2024 2025 Career Advancement 4 5 Child Caring / Caring Responsibilities 1 1 Further Education 1 0 Moving outwith area 1 2 Personal Reasons 2 2 Other 30 5 Total Number of Leavers Eligible for Exit Interview 39 15 Number of Exit Interviews conducted 9 1 Percentage of interviews conducted 23% 7% ANALYSIS OF REASONS FOR LEAVING Appendix 2a SOCIAL WORK RESOURCES 34
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As at 8 March 2025 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 189 232 927 1411 Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 3.00 320.84 1449.61 472.02 84.80 33.60 0.00 1.00 0.00 2364.87 As at 14 December 2024 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 194 230 949 1408 Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 3.00 332.43 1453.91 474.98 85.77 35.51 0.00 1.00 0.00 2386.60 Appendix 3 JOINT STAFFING WATCH RETURN SOCIAL WORK RESOURCES *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands 2759 MALE FEMALE TOTAL Salary Bands MALE FEMALE TOTAL 2781 *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees 35
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum Date of Meeting: 28 May 2025 Report by: Director, Health and Social Care Subject: Annual Report on Mainstreaming Equalities and Diversity – Social Work Resources 2023/2024 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- advise the Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum of the strategic and operational work being undertaken by Social Work Resources to meet the commitments within ‘South Lanarkshire Working for You’ Mainstreaming Equalities Report 2021 to 2025 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Forum is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the work being undertaken by Social Work Resources in terms of the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy and related statutory duties be noted and reported to the Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum. [1recs] 3 Background 3.1. The Connect Council Plan 2022 to 2027 sets out our plans to deliver a range of outcomes for the benefit of everyone in South Lanarkshire. There are 6 outcomes, with Social Work Resources focusing its contribution to 3 of these as follows:- Health and Wellbeing – People live the healthiest lives possible Children and Young People – Our children and young people thrive Communities and Environment – Caring, connected, sustainable communities 3.2. The statutory framework for Social Work Services is contained in a raft of legislation. Principal among these is the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 which places a duty on all local authorities to “promote social welfare”. Social workers have a distinctive set of knowledge, skills and values when supporting our most vulnerable people and ensuring that their needs are met without discrimination. 3.3. In giving some additional background, many of the services that are delivered to the public are set out in statute and therefore the majority of direct service delivery must comply with the respective legislative framework. It is this framework that provides the basis of Social Work Services, working alongside the South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership (South Lanarkshire University HSCP) and the wider Community Planning Partners to reduce inequality and provide effective care to meet the needs of vulnerable people in South Lanarkshire. Therefore, as a targeted service, much of the work centres on the following areas:- 5 37
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Child protection Adult support and protection Children with additional support needs Physical and learning disability Care experienced children and young people Frail older people People involved in the justice system Alcohol and substance use Mental Health Unpaid Carers 3.4. South Lanarkshire Council and the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) also recognise the immense pressure faced by households across South Lanarkshire as they currently experience the most significant cost-of-living crisis in 40 years. Additional demands continue to be placed upon services as supports are offered to help households manage scarce resources and maintain support in the year ahead. 4. Mainstreaming Equalities 4.1. Social Work Resources play a leading role in mainstreaming equalities across a number of partnership agendas including health and social care integration led through the IJB and Strategic Planning Group, Public Protection arrangements, Getting it Right For Every Child, The Promise Board, Community Planning, Carers Partnership, See Hear Strategy, Lanarkshire Advocacy Planning Group, and the Community Justice Partnership. Tackling inequality is a central theme within all these partnership agendas. 4.2. Social Work Resources participates in the Council’s Equality and Diversity Working Group and along with other Resources has developed equality outcomes that will meet the general duty as set out in the Equality Act 2010: to eliminate discrimination advance equality of opportunity foster good relations in all the work we do 4.3 During 2023/2024, there were no complaints recorded by the Resource under the equalities category. 5. Progress in Meeting the Council’s Equality Outcomes 5.1. Social Work Resources reports progress against four of the Council’s equality outcomes within the Mainstreaming equalities progress report 2019 to 2021 and Mainstreaming equalities report 2021 to 2025 as detailed below:- 5.1.1 Increase the number of people from ethnic backgrounds employed in the South Lanarkshire Council workforce to reflect the diversity of the South Lanarkshire population Equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace is promoted through a robust training programme. The respective learn online courses are now deemed mandatory for the wider social work workforce (2,920 employees as of March 2024). In recognition of the disparate workforce, staff attendance on these courses continues to be encouraged by local managers and attendance is now monitored by the South Lanarkshire University HSCP Workforce Planning and Development Group. In the last year, a further 1,022 staff undertook the following training courses, in addition to 4,368 staff who had completed it in previous years. 38
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Courses completed April 2023 to March 2024 Equality and Diversity Awareness 271 Marriage and Civil Partnerships 240 Unconscious Bias 261 Race Discrimination 250 A well-informed workforce ensures there is good communication with the diverse community within South Lanarkshire. Translation and interpretation services are accessed by social work staff to support this engagement. During 2023/2024, Language Line provided interpretation services on 202 occasions, providing support to individuals in 17 different languages. Interpretation support has slightly increased in comparison to the previous year, and an additional seven languages have been translated including Afghanistan Dari, Albanian, Cantonese, Czech, Italian, Mandarin, Northern Kurdish Kurmanji. Language Count % Language Count % Afghanistan Dari 1 0.5% Kurdish (Sorani) 38 18.8% Albanian 1 0.5% Mandarin 4 2.0% Arabic 29 14.4% Northern Kurdish Kurmanji 1 0.5% Arabic - Sudanese 10 5.0% Pashto 4 2.0% Cantonese 3 1.5% Polish 35 17.3% Czech 4 2.0% Romanian 1 0.5% Hungarian 1 0.5% Urdu 22 10.9% Italian 3 1.5% Vietnamese 30 14.9% Kurdish (Bahdini) 15 7.4% Social Work Resources contributes to the corporate British Sign Language (BSL) Plan. During 2023/2024, British Sign Language has been used on 17 occasions to support the Deaf community engage effectively with Social Work Resources. 5.1.2. Older people, those from vulnerable groups and individuals who live alone are protected from scams and nuisance calls and their wellbeing is improved through increased awareness and preventative action During the period 2023/2024, South Lanarkshire Adult Support and Protection investigations relating to financial harm remained at 10%. Adult Protection Committees for North and South Lanarkshire recognise the cross-cutting themes in relation to financial harm and continue to work together to continue to raise awareness across our communities and multiagency workforce. Regular social media content with a focus on financial harm has been created to continue to raise public awareness. This includes short case studies and links to the Pan Lanarkshire finance and property harm information leaflet. National Adult Support and Protection Day was held on 20 February 2025 and the theme was financial harm. The Adult Protection Committee promoted this via social media and multiagency staff briefings. 39
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5.1.3. Counselling through schools’ service is accessible for all children/young people aged 10 and over Therapeutic support is offered by The Trauma Recovery Service (TRS) in South Lanarkshire to young people from birth to age 26, who have experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse, or sustained exposure to traumatic events. The support aims to help them understand their feelings and make changes in their life. Planned intervention from TRS is an integral part of the Social Work care plan, with close links maintained with partner therapeutic agencies such as NHS CAMHS, Education Counselling in Schools initiative, and the Voluntary Sector. 5.1.4. Improve health, care and wellbeing for the most vulnerable in our communities 5.1.4.1. Assessment and care management services work collaboratively with partners to protect and reduce the risk of harm to adults, children and young people. They assess the needs of service users and their carers and help plan supports to meet those needs. Support is designed to help people remain as independent as possible within their own community. 5.1.4.2. The Home Assessment teams located within the four locality areas of Clydesdale; East Kilbride; Hamilton; and Rutherglen/Cambuslang, introduce a new approach that provides support to individuals to return home with appropriate supports following an admission to hospital and to support others to remain at home as independently as possible. The teams co-ordinate and promote an integrated reablement and rehabilitation approach, ensuring opportunities and outcomes for individuals are enabled to support people to live independently at home with choice and control. This short-term reablement and rehabilitation service is available for a period of up to 6 weeks and focuses on maximising the independence and abilities of service users. Individuals with ongoing support needs following the assessment period will be referred and supported by an alternative internal or commissioned Care at Home service. The Care Inspectorate has produced positive inspection reports for both Home Assessment teams with grades for both services across the inspected themes recorded as good/very good practice. 5.1.4.3. Intermediate care provides reablement and rehabilitation support both within the Blantyre Life Care Campus and at home with integrated home- based support from the Home Assessment Teams. Blantyre LIFE, which opened in March 2023, provides support options to people across South Lanarkshire who no longer require in-patient treatment, have been assessed as clinically fit for discharge from hospital and have rehabilitation potential. They can be admitted to the Intermediate Care unit for a maximum of 42 days. Case Example 1 – JB stated: “This place has really given me my confidence back and I am so pleased I agreed to come. I am going to return to driving when I go home”. JB was assessed as requiring homecare support following a hospital admission”. 40
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Case Example 2 – AB says she has been "brought into the light" after moving into a technology-enabled home in the Blantyre LIFE care campus earlier this year. “I’d gone from such an active life, from working and caring for people, to such a terribly dark, isolated place. I was lonely and in complete and constant despair. I couldn’t see a way forward,” “Coming here has been like stepping into the light.” “The facility is, of course, incredible – and while it feels wrong to say it’s just ‘bricks and mortar,’ without the health and social care staff, it would be. They here are phenomenal. They are this place’s beating heart – and they’ll always have a place in mine. Case example 3 - S had a fall, broke her shoulder, and had delirium which impacted her cognition. S lives with her husband who works part time. Until recently S was managing well until her recent fall. Her husband was concerned about her safety and wellbeing when at home on her own. A community alert alarm was recommended following assessment and was installed in their home. A package of care put in place for personal care. The community alarm alert responders respond to alert alarm activations when S’ husband is at work. After a visit to Blantyre LIFE, the Occupational Therapist also showed her S’ husband how to use Amazon Alexa Show’s video call “drop in” function to allow him to contact S and to remind her to take her medication. After 8 weeks the care package was removed. S’ husband purchased smart watches for both him and S after a discussion with the Occupational Therapist. They track their steps by moving more, monitor their heart rates and both set medication reminders. S advised the introduction of technology has made her feel safe and gave her great peace of mind. S’s husband expressed the positive impact technology has made their lives, and the support it provided him in caring for his wife. S’ husband noted that it now helps them both in self-managing their own health and well-being. 5.1.4.4. Technology Enabled Care (TEC) empowers individuals to live independently while reducing risks and enhancing choice and control through innovative technology. The TEC team has three programmes of work: telecare (South Lanarkshire); telehealth (pan Lanarkshire); Solutions and Innovation. The transition from analogue to digital alert alarms will be completed during 2025/2026, resulting in a fully digital end-to-end community alarm service. This upgrade will provide faster connections, improved functionality and greater accessibility. The demand for alert alarms and telecare peripherals continues to increase, with 2,824 requests in 2023/2024, up from 2,276 in 2022/2023. A significant 33% of these requests are urgent, including hospital discharges, adult support and protection and end-of-life care. The TEC team prioritise these urgent installations, completing them within 1 to 2 working days after screening and approval, while standard requests are handled within 5 to 10 working days. 41
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As part of the Glasgow City Region Smart & Connected Social Places (SCSP) 5G Innovation Fund, South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership engaged with Care Messenger Holdings Ltd to deliver an innovative project that provides commercial LG Smart TV products to residents living within David Walker Gardens care home for older people. Residents who wish to participate in the project can communicate directly via text message or video call with care home staff, their families, befrienders or other professionals, via their TV. Initially Smart TVs were installed within twenty residents' rooms before then expanding to all resident rooms across the whole care home via the 5G Innovation Fund. Early evaluation findings were presented to and well received at the Glasgow City Region 5G Innovation & Connectivity Showcase in March 2025. This included indications of positive impacts on social isolation and loneliness with improved wellbeing of residents and increased connectivity with families; and care home staff finding that the use of the technology enhanced other forms of communication that they used to support residents. Officers are reviewing the project outcomes with advice from SCSP 5G Innovation Fund to determine next steps which Social Work Resources Committee will be advised of. The Care Surround (Amazon Healthcare) project will be launched firstly in Blantyre LIFE integrated care before being tested with community alarm service users in their homes. The project focuses on digital inclusion by replacing costly, limited-function digital alert alarms with consumer devices like the Alexa Echo Show 8. Devices will enhance functionality, empowering users to stay connected with their support networks, manage their health and wellbeing and contact the alarm receiving centre via voice for urgent help. The device connectivity hubs include virtual SIM connectivity, broadband connection and battery backup for resilience. The project will also expand to include telehealth, internet of things sensors, and Bring Your Own Device capabilities, promoting equal access to advanced technology. A comprehensive training program has been completed to upskill health, social care, and third sector staff. This training enables participants to:- Confidently discuss technology enabled care options with service users, patients, and carers. Understand the role of technology enabled care in assessment, support planning, and risk management. Promote self-management and prevent long-term health conditions. Recognise the benefits of technology-enabled care for patients, carers, staff, and organisations. 5.1.4.5. The Care and Support Service offers care and support to individuals with a learning disability to live as independently as possible within their own home and remain valued members of their community. 42
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Following a review of the service in 2019, the Self-Directed Support (SDS) principles and South Lanarkshire Eligibility Criteria was applied and used to establish a personal budget for each individual to fund the care plan for each supported person. This is an important principle that enables the individual to have greater choice and control over their care and support through the use of a personal budget that can be used to create a bespoke support plan. A period of three years was allocated to the re-design process to ensure successful implementation. This was carried out over two phases from 2021 to 2022. 5.1.4.6. Carers - South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership (SL HSCP) is committed to delivering the legislative requirements in relation to the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. ‘Lanarkshire Carers’ is the commissioned service supporting adult carers in South Lanarkshire, whilst ‘Action for Children’ support young carers. The planned recommissioning of carer support within South Lanarkshire for both young people and adults will progress during 2025. Co-location working arrangements and multi-disciplinary forums have been positively established to develop locality-based exploration of carer’s needs. Additional to that, the establishment of the Carers Lead post has facilitated the workforce to be upskilled in relation to carers’ rights and local authority duties under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. 5.1.4.7. Care at Home – a paid carer can assist with daily living tasks and can make a huge difference to quality of life. Home care is flexible if there is difficulty dealing with daily routines, such as washing dressing and getting out and about. 5.1.4.8. A Care at Home Procured Service Arrangement (C@H PSA) commenced on 1 July 2024 and will run to 30 June 2034, with an option to extend to 2039. PSAs are published in ‘phases’, which allows the PSA to remain permanently open for bidders, while the council evaluates cohorts of bidders within the phase. 5.1.4.9. Children’s Services promote the welfare and development of children, young people, and families to support them, wherever possible, to remain together within in their own communities. South Lanarkshire Council is committed to the overall vision of The Promise and work is underway on key aspects such as ‘a good childhood’, the voice of care experienced children and young people and the whole family approach. The work to deliver real and meaningful change as aspired to by The Promise is led by the multi- disciplinary Keeping the Promise Thematic Group of which care experienced children and adults are represented through our Champions Board which is the voice of care experienced individuals. 43
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5.1.4.10. The Autism Resources Co-ordination Hub (ARCH) was established in 2016 to support South Lanarkshire’s autistic children, young people, and adults across their entire lifespan whether they are in a pre, mid, or post diagnostic stage. ARCH works with our autism allies, drivers, and partners in the community by collaborating to design, deliver and promote autism- informed services to support the identified needs of all affected by autism. Neurodiversity is at the forefront of ARCH’s unique model of delivery, conducted via a range of support groups including a helpline staffed by autism-informed professionals. ARCH continues to enable our autistic community members to engage in the movement to make the recommendations of the formal consultation for the creation of a Scottish Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity (LDAN) Bill a reality. 5.1.4.11. South Lanarkshire Justice Social Work service vision statement is ‘To be a smart, fair and progressive justice social work service with those who we serve and their families at the centre of it.’ Justice Social Work services work within the context of The South Lanarkshire Community Justice Partnership and provide services that meet the national aims and priorities set out within the National Strategy for Community Justice. The key priorities of the service are:- Enhancing early intervention and alternatives to custody Ensuring those given community sentences are supervised and supported, promoting desistance and enabling rehabilitation. Managing those that present the highest risk of harm to others within a robust public protection framework. Providing restorative justice approaches which are accessible and visible to our communities. 5.1.4.12. The Caledonian programme is for persons convicted of domestic abuse offences and the Moving Forward Making Changes programme is for persons convicted of sexually harmful behaviour. The Caledonian Systems Delivery Team (CSDT) is delivered in partnership with CIRCLE and is supported by Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire East Renfrewshire (WASLER) who support the women and children impacted by the behaviour of men. During the period of 2023/2024 WASLER engaged with local communities to raise awareness of domestic abuse to support the wider community to have greater knowledge and understanding. Between April 2023 and March 2024 there were 235 Caledonian cases, 120 being new assessments with the remaining 115 being continued cases from the previous year. CIRCLE provide support to children who have been impacted by domestic abuse. Recent reports for the time period April 2023 to March 2024, supported 13 families, 17 parents and 34 children and young people (includes direct 1:1 support, sibling and whole family support). 44
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5.1.4.13. Unpaid Work has developed its kitchen learning hub services through the introduction of a permanent kitchen hub coordinator supporting cooking and nutrition skills as part of Community Payback Order ‘other activity’ component. During the summer of 2023 fresh produce was provided to the kitchen from our dedicated education garden, based within Auchentibber. This work was then presented during open days with members of the public across South Lanarkshire between June to August 2023 to share information and enable people to gain a better understanding of Community Payback Orders and the work people do to contribute back to society. 5.1.4.14. Lanarkshire Armed Forces. In its commitment to the Lanarkshire Armed Forces Covenant, the Justice Social Work Unpaid Work service developed the Positive Futures initiative for Armed Forces veterans who enter the Justice system. The service supports veterans with challenges in relation to substance use, employability, healthy living and mental health and signposts them to a range of specialist veteran organisations for ongoing support. The Scottish Veterans Commissioner commended the work of South Lanarkshire Council in the ‘Veterans and the Law’ report, published in October 2024, describing the initiative as best practice for the ‘life changing’ impact described by veterans involved in the initiative. 5.1.4.15. Independent advocacy supports people to have their voices heard, their rights protected and the opportunity to have as much control over their own lives as possible. Individuals are encouraged to have the support of an advocate to help navigate their way through social work processes, better understand their options and express their wishes. 5.1.4.16. See Hear is the national, 10-year, strategic framework for sensory impairment in Scotland. The current strategy is undergoing a refresh, with publication due imminently. Locally the See Hear Strategic Working Group (SHSWG) continues to focus on three key areas including information, communication, and mobility. The SHSWG held a public information event in 2024 in Hamilton, with a wide range of sensory impairment specialist agencies participating and sharing information to those with sensory support needs in our local communities. See Hear Scottish Government. 5.1.4.17. South Lanarkshire’s Family Support Hubs opened in localities in 2022 as part of the Whole Family Wellbeing Strategy. The Family Support Hubs provide the early social work response to pregnant women, babies, children and young people up to 18 years to prevent an escalation to statutory social work teams by providing intensive whole family support. Services provided include groupwork, pregnancy support, therapeutic interventions, family group decision-making and peer support. There is a Family Support Hubs in each of the Hamilton, East Kilbride, Lanark, and Rutherglen and Cambuslang areas. Key highlights from the work of the Family Supports Hubs includes: 75% of new referrals to Children and Families Social Work were dealt with by the Family Support Hubs in this period – a 14% increase from the previous year 87% of families referred for social work assessment during the pre-birth stage were supported by the Family Support Hubs rather than statutory social work teams - an increase of 7% from last year 45
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A notable development was the implementation of the parents plan approach across all of the Family Support Hubs to address concerns for unborn babies and the need for child protection procedures at the pre-birth stage. The first Family Support Hub ‘Celebrating Success’ event was held in December 2024. That event showcased the work of staff and featured a number of video testimonials from children, young people and families in receipt of services. 5.1.4.18. Supported Living is a person-centred approach to housing and support that enables people to live independently within their communities. Unlike traditional residential care settling supported living promotes autonomy, choice, inclusion by offering flexible support tailored to each person preferences and needs. 5.1.4.19. An Adult Supported Living Procured Service Arrangement (ASL PSA) commenced on 2 October 2020 and will run until 14 September 2035. The ASL PSA is structured to support service users with a range of conditions such as; learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health problems, acquired or traumatic brain injury, hearing impaired, visually impaired, autism, substance misuse/addiction problems, palliative/end of life care. 5.1.4.20. South Lanarkshire University HSCP is committed to pro-actively ensuring that we deliver our legislative requirements in relation to the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. Two strategic documents in relation to our commitments to carers have been published during 2023/2024, these include:- Carers Strategy 2023 to 2026 (Carers Strategy 2023 to 2026 Carers and caring - South Lanarkshire Council) Short Breaks Statement (Short Breaks Service Statement Carers and caring - South Lanarkshire Council 5.1.4.21 Care Opinion provides a platform for service users to share feedback on their health and social care experiences. It has become a vital part of South Lanarkshire University HSCP, helping to evaluate services, support staff morale, and design improvements based on real experiences. The platform enhances our understanding of people's experiences with health and care services, ensuring that as we continue to promote its use, we remain responsive to those who engage with us. This alignment with our values and supports safe, effective care delivery across South Lanarkshire. The impact of Care Opinion is reflected in its success with statistics showing that, in its early stages, the South Lanarkshire University HSCP has far exceeded the national average with record levels of engagement. 5.1.4.22 Mental Health. We continue to successfully operate both Daytime and Out of Hours Mental Health Officer (MHO) rotas ensuring provision of a qualified Mental Health Officer response operating 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. 46
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SLUHSCP has maintained ongoing commitment to train MHOs by funding places annually on the Post Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Social Work - MHO Award programme, operating an established pathway for South Lanarkshire Social Worker recruitment to the MHO Award. 5.1.4.23 The South Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is a dedicated multi-agency partnership that has strategic responsibility for tackling, reducing and preventing alcohol and drug use. It also has responsibility for planning and commissioning services to deliver improved local outcomes. The ADP commissions a range of support services and initiatives targeting alcohol and drug use. Services include recovery hubs, harm reduction style café, independent advocacy, ‘My support day’ in partnership with Liber8, a family recovery service for everyone, everywhere in South Lanarkshire, The GIVIT Youth Recovery Service, Aye and Connect Service linked to Justice. 6. Integrated Impact Assessments 6.1. Social Work Resources continues to build upon previous work undertaken in relation to equality and diversity impact assessments resulting in the completion of impact assessments. The Resource follows corporate guidance for carrying out Integrated Impact Assessments and training is available for new users of the EQIA system. 6.2. Over the course of 2023/2024 the Resource completed Equality Impact Assessments (pre-dating IIAs), which included:- Equipment and Adaptions – Budget Review and Revision The Richmond Fellowship Scotland (TRFS) Connect Services 7. Employee Implications 7.1. Mainstreaming equalities are met from within existing employee resources and that of our partner agencies. 8. Financial Implications 8.1. There are no additional financial implications associated with this report. 9. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 9.1. There are no new climate change, sustainability and environmental implications associated with this report. 10. Other Implications 10.1 There is a risk to the Council if the Resource does not comply with the relevant equality duty and legislation. 11. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 11.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy; therefore, there is no requirement for an impact assessment to be carried out. Professor Soumen Sengupta Director, Health and Social Care 5 March 2025 47
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Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Values Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Accountable, effective, efficient, and transparent Ambitious, self-aware, and improving Fair, open and sustainable Excellent employer Priorities We will work to put people first and reduce inequality We will work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places We will work to recover, progress, and improve Outcomes Children and young people - Our children and young people thrive Housing and Land - Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Our Economy - Thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Communities and Environment - Caring, connected, sustainable communities Health and Wellbeing - People live the healthiest lives possible Education and learning - Inspiring learners, transforming learning, strengthening partnerships Previous References Social Work Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum Annual Report 2022- 2023 – 27 February 2024 List of Background Papers South Lanarkshire Working For You: Mainstreaming Equalities Progress Report 2019 to 2021 and Mainstreaming Equalities Report 2021 to 2025 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Claire McIlvenna, Planning and Development Officer E-mail: Claire.McIlvenna@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 48
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Appendix 1 Social Work Resources Mainstreaming Equality 2023/2024 Outcome 1 – Increase the number of people from minority ethnic backgrounds employed in the South Lanarkshire Council workforce to reflect the diversity of the South Lanarkshire population. What we have done so far What difference it has made 1 1022 equality and diversity training programmes completed by the social work workforce during 2023/2024. Staff are informed of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace through a robust training programme. 2 202 calls to Language Line for translation and interpreting services for 17 different languages. Service users have access to translation and interpreting services to enable them to easily communicate and liaise with social work services. Outcome 2 – Older people, those from vulnerable groups and individuals who live alone are protected from scams and nuisance calls and their wellbeing is improved through increased awareness and preventative action. What we have done so far What difference it has made 1 Undertook 2,732 Inquiries for the 65+ age group in Adult Support and Protection resulting in 1072 investigations. Older people are protected from harm defined to include any conduct which harms or exploits an individual including behaviour towards an adult which causes fear, alarm or distress and may include neglect or self-neglect, or physical, psychological, sexual, financial or other abuse. 2 Social work staff have attended 693 training sessions on a range of adult support and protection themes. Appropriate sessions have been attended by partner agencies to extend the scope of the training to raise awareness of staff (1097 multiagency practitioners attended). Social Work staff and partners are informed and aware of adult support and protection. 3 Guidance for staff across Lanarkshire on financial and property harm has been reviewed and updated. Public information on financial harm is regularly issued. Vulnerable people are protected from financial harm. Outcome 5 - Improve Health, Care and Wellbeing for the most vulnerable in our communities What we have done so far What difference it has made 1 Provided 155 of our own care home placements and a further 2782 within the private/voluntary sector care homes. Older people in need of 24-hour personal care and support are cared for in purpose built homely environments. 2 We undertook 1129 Inquiries for adults under 65 which led to 477 Adult Support and Protection investigations. Vulnerable adults are protected from harm. 49
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3 Continue to support 1074 people with a learning disability to live in their own communities. Supported living arrangements are available to people with learning disabilities, they continue to participate in their communities. 4 Self-Directed Support (SDS) continues to be implemented, allowing service users choice and control over their care and support arrangements. SDS options: Direct Payments – 781 Individual Service Fund – 446 Service users are exercising choice with SDS options of: 1) Direct Payment 2) Individual Service Fund 3) Council arranged services 4) Mixture of funding options Option 3 remains the preferred option for service- users in South Lanarkshire and reflects the national position. 5 Demand for telecare peripherals, such as telecare fire safety sensors and falls detectors, has risen year on year. Between April 2023 and March 2024, 4877 telecare installation visits (also includes assistive technology battery replacement visits, repairs, replacements, removals) were completed which is a 37% increase on the previous year. 3556 telecare installation visits were completed during the same time period in 2022 to 2023. Vulnerable adults with physical disabilities are able to remain in their own homes, and supported to continue to be as independent as possible 6 The Resource received 776 referrals to support people with a physical or sensory impairment. The Resource continues to support individuals with the protected characteristic of disability remain safe in their own home or homely environment. 7 We undertook 754 Child Protection Investigations. Children and young people are protected from harm. 8 We placed 166 children on the Child Protection Register, as of 31 March 2024, 93 children were on the Child Protection Register. Children and young people are protected from harm. 9 We undertook 927 reports for the children through the Children’s Hearing System. Children and young people’s wellbeing is addressed as we work to ensure they are safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. 10 We supported 161 children and young people in full time foster care placements as at 31 March 2024. Children are cared for in homely environments, and their wellbeing supported by foster parents. 11 As of 31 March 2024, there were 708 looked after children:- 90% were looked after in the community, at home, with friends/relatives or by foster/carers/prospective adopters. Vulnerable children and young people are supported in a range of settings as their needs are addressed. 50
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10% were looked after in a residential/ or specialist residential school accommodation. 12 We have supported 862 people (1084 orders) to complete a Community Payback order including the opportunity for personal development and learning opportunities. 590 orders were successfully completed in 23/24. Our criminal justice activity seeks to avoid unnecessary short prison sentences of three months or less and continue to support individuals through Community Payback Orders by way of an alternative to custody whilst community projects are improved by those undertaking CPO’s. 13 We have prepared 1,797 reports for the Courts. The Resource continues to perform well in the submission of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports to the courts within timescale. From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 98% of reports were submitted within timescales, exceeding the 95% target. Reports assist courts in determining the most appropriate disposal to impose on the offender. 14 The Resource has received 528 referrals to support individuals improve their substance misuse behaviours with the support of specialist services. We support, signpost and direct service users with substance misuse problems to our alcohol and drug partnership working arrangements. 15 As part of the development of the Lanarkshire Advocacy Plan 2025/30 we engaged with a range advocacy providers and staff as part of the plan’s development, it is anticipated that a launch event in late Spring will involve Service users. Service users commented positively about the support Advocacy provides for them. 16 Contract extensions are now in place to support unpaid Carers and Young Carers. Lanarkshire Carers, Action for Children, and other partner organisations assist us deliver on the duties of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and meet regularly via the Carers Partnership Group. Supports and Services to unpaid carers continue to develop and evolve with our third sector organisations. Unpaid Carers are better supported on a more consistent basis so that they can continue to care if they so wish, in good health and have a life alongside caring. 17 The last Social Work equality profile validation exercise records: 1.80% staff declaring they have a disability (SLC 1.65%), 86.62% no disability (SLC 89.33%), 11.58% not declared (SLC 9.02%). The Resource offers employment opportunity and continues to monitor the workforce. 51
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Employee, Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Forum Action Plan Mainstreaming Equality - Equality Outcome One: Increase ethnic minority representation Summary of actions detailed in the following tables – • Action 1: Review Recruitment Processes • Action 2: Training for Recruitment Panels • Action 3: Diverse Interview Panels • Action 4: Enhanced Advertising • Action 5: Collaborate with Community Organisations Action 1: Review Recruitment Processes Address unintentional biases and improve success rates for ethnic minority candidates. This supports the duty to advance equality of opportunity. Measures: Analysis of success rates shows increase in number of successful ethnic minority candidates Current activity/updates: All job applicants are given the opportunity to complete an equality monitoring questionnaire. This is voluntary, confidential, and forms no part of the recruitment and selection process. Data from the equality monitoring forms are reviewed on a monthly basis and reported to CMT and Resource Committees. Updates are provided regularly to the Employee, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum. These updates are provided corporately and by Resource. Recruitment data shows the number of applicants who identify as being from an ethnic minority group has increased from 2.8% in 2018/19 to 12.7% in 2023/24. The number of appointments has also risen from 2.1% in 2019/20 to 4.6% in 2023/24, which is in line with the working age population of South Lanarkshire which is 4.4%. The council is represented on a national working group to develop an action guide to increase recruitment and retention in BME teachers (through ADES). The intention of the guide is to set out actions required to achieve a target of 4% BME teachers in Scotland. This work is being incorporated into the review of the council’s recruitment strategy which is planned for 2025/26. To identify opportunities to increase the diversity of the workforce by recruiting more people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds the council uses the Scottish Government publication Ethnic Minority Recruitment Toolkit. The toolkit has been drawn from good practice that is used in other parts of the public sector and includes a range of suggestions and ideas across five equally important components. including Agenda Item 7 7 53
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• Strategic direction • Developing and embedding capability and capacity • Using data • Advertising and engagement • Sifting and interviewing The Council continues to review its recruitment processes following the introduction of Oracle Recruitment Cloud, which enables the Council to offer blind hiring. Blind hiring removes all personal and demographic information from the hiring process, reducing any potential impact of unconscious bias as well as promoting a more diverse workforce. Feedback from the BME focus groups that were previously engaged with was incorporated into the Council’s recruitment and selection processes and the enhancements were identified and implemented. These include enhanced advertising (see Action 4), job profiles now include person specification criteria, and mandatory equalities training for elected members and officers has been implemented. Action 2: Training for Recruitment Panels Ensure all involved in recruitment are trained in best practices, including unconscious bias and diversity awareness. This helps eliminate discrimination and promote understanding. Communication to be issued to managers to ensure that anyone involved in recruitment have completed the appropriate eLearning Extend and promote learning opportunities covering themes of unconscious bias and diversity awareness ensuring these new offerings are mandatory for line managers with a focus of those who regularly undertake recruitment. Recruitment Training information page on the intranet to be updated to include unconscious bias and diversity awareness as mandatory learning. Measures: The number of people involved in the recruitment process who have undertaken the required learning activities. Current activity/updates: Managers involved in recruitment must completed required mandatory training. The completion rates for mandatory eLearning over last 3 years are as follows: - 1 Apr 24 – 31 Mar 25 1 Apr 23 - 31 Mar 24 1 Apr 22 – 31 Mar 23 Online requisition for recruitment 46 66 76 Shortlisting for interview 46 181 200 54
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The interview panel 73 151 150 Interview questions and additional selection tools 25 137 140 Preparing and conducting interviews 77 167 168 Choosing the candidate 31 129 149 Recruitment and selection and the law 79 156 145 The council’s Diversity Liaison Officers monitor recruitment and provide advice to managers on equality issues in employment and the employee forums. Action 3: Diverse Interview Panels Where possible include members from diverse backgrounds in interview panels. This fosters good relations and demonstrates commitment to diversity. Measures: Increase in the number of ‘ethnic minority employees being part of recruitment panels. Increase in the development opportunities for employees to be part of the recruitment process. Increase in numbers of people from ethnic minorities backgrounds employed by SLC. Current activity/updates: Recruitment data is presented in the workforce monitoring reports. The corporate report and Resource reports are presented at the EEDI forum. Data is presented in the Mainstreaming Equality Report 2025 which is available on the council website. Periodically, employees are asked to take part in a verification exercise in which they are asked to check and update their data as necessary. The last exercise of this type was undertaken in December 2021. Action 4: Enhance Advertising Use social media and targeted publications to attract diverse candidates. This supports the duty to advance equality of opportunity. Measures: Analysis of the workforce data relating to job applicants shows an increased number of applications from black and minority ethnic people. Monitor the number of jobs advertised using ethnic minority specific publications/ websites/ organisations. Increase in the number of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds applying for reemployment in SLC. Current activity/updates: 55
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All council vacancies are advertised via Myjobscotland.com and can be accessed via the council website. The council has also increased the use of social media to advertise job vacancies, this includes using Facebook and Bluesky; and the council state in all job adverts that, South Lanarkshire Council is an Equal Opportunities employer and applications from all members of the community are encouraged. Additional wording, similar to the statement on the Modern Apprenticeship opportunities, will be added to adverts to encourage applications from people from an ethnic minority background. To improve Modern Apprentice applications from people from black and minority ethnic background, the council has taken positive action by including text in recruitment adverts to reinforce that the council encourages applications from a range of backgrounds, by including positive messages in all adverts, diverse images are used on marketing materials, and there has been an increased use of social media to promote vacancies. Apprenticeship opportunities are also shared with various equality groups. Adverts are shared with the council’s Diversity Officer – who in turn shares with the Employee Network and the local Refugee Resettlement Adviser Action 5: Collaborate with Community Organisations Work with ethnic minority community organisations, particularly those who have an employability remit, to engage with local ethnic minority communities to improve understanding of the recruitment process and promote opportunities. This aligns with the duty to foster good relations. Measures: An increase in the number of minority ethnic young people applying for and being successful for Modern Apprenticeships – see action 4 above. The number of minority ethnic people applying for and being successful for work experience opportunities increases. The number of minority ethnic people joining the South Lanarkshire Council Citizens Panel increase. Current activity/updates: Vacancies for the Modern Apprentice programme are shared with all South Lanarkshire Schools, including those with ASN bases, as well as across the Equality Forums and partner Resources. These vacancies are also notified to the Employee Network members for wider distribution. Whilst we don't work specifically with ethnic minority community groups/organisations however we do have an increasing number of participants on our programmes from an ethnic minority background. It doesn't necessarily follow that those people then move into employment with SLC however where people are interested in SLC jobs we support them to apply, provide interview preparation support etc. 56