Item 10 - Review of Delivery Improvement Group 2025
West Dunbartonshire Council · 20 November 2025
Back to Community Planning West Dunbartonshire Management Board — 20 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Report by the Chief Officer for Regulatory and Regeneration to CPWD Management Board Management Group: 20 November 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Review of Delivery Improvement Group 2025 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide Community Planning West Dunbartonshire (CPWD) Board members an up-date on the on-going review of Delivery Improvement Groups and of community planning events. 1.2 On 20 January 2025, the Community Planning West Dunbartonshire (CPWD) Board members requested the Economic Development Manager undertake a review of how the Delivery Improvement Groups were functioning. The review was to make recommendations for improvements. Latterly, there was a further ask for this review to include consideration of the 2024/25 Community Planning events. 2. Recommendations 2.1 CPWD Management Board members are asked to: note the work carried out to review the Delivery Improvement Groups approve the recommendations summarised in Section 4.12 below. 3. Background 3.1 Community Planning West Dunbartonshire’s Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) sets out the five strategic priorities and associated strategic outcomes that will define the work of the partnership over a 10-year period from 2017 – 2027. Delivery Improvement Groups (DIGs) were established in response to the five strategic priorities, each one focussing on delivering several outcomes, as set out below: ITEM 10
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Figure One: Delivery Group Strategic Outcome 3.2 To ensure the Delivery Improvement Groups continue to produce effective partnership working a review has taken place with each Delivery Improvement Group lead officer and the Economic Development Manager. The review included: a mapping exercise to understand what partnership working is reported directly to CPWD Management Board, the Public Protection Chief Officers Group (PPCOG), which has a dotted reporting line to Community Planning as part of its current Governance Arrangements, and what activity is included within the Delivery Improvement Groups. consideration of the strategic priorities and outcomes. Specifically with regards to the best fit for delivering against each outcome. 3.3 The review has assisted in understanding areas of duplication and allowed recommendations to emerge to streamline the work of the Delivery Improvement Groups. It has also included engagement with the Improvement Service, and the report outlines recommendations in relation to the forthcoming Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) that is due to be updated during 2026/27. 4. Proposal 4.1 Three review sessions took place between end of January 2025 and early August 2025. These sessions focussed on reviewing how the Delivery Improvement Groups operated, identified any inefficiencies and allowed the
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lead officers to discuss areas for improvement. 4.2 The mapping exercise allowed the lead officers to see the number of partnerships that are active across the authority. This helped to identify which partnerships could contribute to the Delivery Improvement Groups. 4.3 It also highlighted those partnerships that report directly to the CPWD Management Board, the Public Protection Chief Officers Group and those that report via the Delivery Improvement Groups. There are key areas that the Delivery Improvement Group leads felt were cross-cutting and should report direct to CPWD Management Board, these were: Climate Change Action Plan (it is anticipated that there will be a future requirement for indirect emissions to be considered, and all partners will have a role to play). Community Learning and Development Strategic Group (currently reports directly to CPWD) 4.4 Delivery Improvement Group leads also felt that much of the work that is reported through the Public Protection Chief Officers Group would also benefit the wider Community Planning Partnership. The recommendation is that a 6 monthly Spotlight Report is presented to CPWD Management Board from the following partnerships: Violence against Women and Girls Alcohol and Drug Partnership Community Justice Partnership (currently reports directly to CPWD) 4.5 The review process allowed the strategic objectives of each Delivery Improvement Group to be discussed, and where there was duplication, outcomes were brought together. This resulted in the rationalisation of the Delivery Improvement Groups as shown in Table 2. Table One: Exisiting Delivery Improvement Group Format 4.5 The key changes that are proposed are: two objectives from the Independend Delivery Improvement Group that
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reflected improving lives or independent living for older residents moves to the Empowered Delivery Improvement Group, one objective from the Independend Delivery Improvement Group that addresses responsive housing needs moves to Fourishing as it closely aligns with enhancing affordable housing The objective from the Safe Delivery Improvement Group that addresses improved emotional and mental wellbeing should be moved to the Empowered Improvement Groups to ensure that provision for all adults is addressed. In relation to Children and young peoples mental health, the Nurtured Delivery Improvement Group is West Dunbartonshire’s Children’s services planning vehicle, and its scope includes mental health and wellbeing of children and young people up to 18 (and additional responsibilities for looked after children). The remaining three objectives in the Safe Delivery Improvement Group are addressed by the work done by Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) and Justice Partnership (WDCJP), all of which reports through PPCOG. It is recommended that these partnerships also provide 6 monthly Spotlight report to CPWD Management Board. 4.6 These proposed changes effectively merge the Empowered and Independent Delivery Improvement Groups. 4.7 Most strategic objectives from the Safe Delivery Improvement Group were largely addressed by the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) and Community Justice Partnerships (CJP). With all these partnerships already well established and membership of each including Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Services it was concluded that the Safe Delivery Improvement Groups results in a duplication of time and effort. However, the important work of West Dunbartonshire’s emergency services is critical to effective community planning and as such it is recommended that there is a combined Emergency Services Spotlight report to CPWD Management Board on a 6 monthly basis, or as required. 4.8 Following this review, it is recommended that five Delivery Improvement Groups reduce to three, Flourishing, Empowered and Nurtured, with all the strategic outcomes delivered through Delivery Improvement Groups (as shown below) or via 6 monthly Spotlight report from existing partnerships.
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Table 2: Proposed Delivery Improvement Group Format 4.9 The six-monthly Spotlight reports will include: Climate Change Action Plan Violence against Women and Girls Alcohol and Drug Partnership Community Learning and Development Strategic Group (currently reports directly to CPWD) Justice Partnership (currently reports directly to CPWD) Emergency Services Spotlight 4.10 During the course of the review process there was discussion on the need for each Delivery Improvement Group to have a vice chair nominated. To streamline this process for the Empowered Delivery Improvement Group, the Independent DIG lead would automatically take on the role of Empowered DIG vice chair. The remaining Delivery Improvement Group leads will be responsible for confirming a vice chair. The Nurtured Delivery Improvement Group is West Dunbartonshire’s Children’s services planning vehicle and requires annual reporting to government. 4.10 The review allowed conversation on the wider ambitions of the community planning partnership and the ambitions of the next iteration of the Local Outcome Improvement Plan that will be due to be developed and set out the strategic priorities for West Dunbartonshire over the next 10 years from 2027- 28. 4.11 The key recommendation emerging from the review is that we engage the Improvement Service to support the CPWD Management Board to undertake
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a self-assessment exercise in early 2026. This support is offered to all community planning partnership with 20 already completed nationally. The process would be fully supported by the Improvement Service (Thomas Boyle, Interim Programme Manager) and is normally completed within six weeks. For details of the approach see Appendix One: Community Planning Self- Assessment Process. 4.12 To summarise the recommendations set out throughout this paper are: Five Delivery Improvement Groups reduce to three, Flourishing, Empowered and Nurtured. This is achieved by merging the Empowered and Independent Delivery Improvement Groups and removing the Safe DIG, as shown in Table 2. Replace reporting through the Safe DIG with an Emergency Services Spotlight report to CPWD Management Board on a 6 monthly basis, or as required. The following partnerships report directly to CPWD Management board on a 6 monthly cycle through Spotlight report: o Climate Change Action Plan o Violence against Women and Girls- (this group reports to PPCOG however a Spotlight report to CPWD would provide partners valuable insight). o Alcohol and Drug Partnership (this group reports to PPCOG however a Spotlight report to CPWD would provide partners valuable insight). Community Learning and Development Strategic Group (currently reports directly to CPWD) o Community Justice Partnership (currently reports directly to CPWD) Each remaining DIG nominates a Vice Chair. The CPWD Management Board operates a Forward Planner to assist in reporting frequency. This should be added as a standing agenda item. The CPWD Management Board takes up the offer from the Improvement Service of a supported self-assessment process in early 2026. The work to review the community planning events has begun however will be subject to a future report. 5. People Implications 5.1 These proposed changes do not currently require any additional resources. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 There are no financial implications.
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7. Risk Analysis 7.1 Failure to respond to challenges would risk delivery against policy priorities. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 No actions are required as this is a proposal report. 9. Consultation 9.1 This report provides a summary from the DIG review undertaken during 2025 with all DIG leads. No wider consultation was required. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 Progressing work as outlined in this report ensures CPWD can deliver on the outcomes set in the Local Outcome Improvement Plan. Alan Douglas, Chief Officer Regulatory and Regeneration Date: November 2025 Person to Contact: Alan Douglas, Chief Officer. Alan.Douglas@west- dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: Appendix One: Community Planning Self-Assessment Process. Background Papers: None Wards Affected: All