Agenda Document Pack - Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee - 28/10/2025
Midlothian Council · 28 October 2025
Back to Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee — 28 October 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Notice of Meeting and Agenda Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Venue: Normandy Court/ Hybrid, Normandy Court, 20 Normandy Dr, Dalkeith, EH22 1JG Date: Tuesday, 28 October 2025 Time: 11:00 Executive Director : Place Contact: Clerk Name: Democratic Services Clerk Telephone: Clerk Email: democratic.services@midlothian.gov.uk Further Information: This is a meeting which is open to members of the public. Privacy notice: Please note that this meeting may be recorded. The recording may be publicly available following the meeting. If you would like to know how Midlothian Council collects, uses and shares your personal information, please visit our website: www.midlothian.gov.uk Page 1 of 232
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1 Welcome, Introductions and Apologies 2 Order of Business Including notice of new business submitted as urgent for consideration at the end of the meeting. 3 Declaration of Interest Members should declare any financial and non-financial interests they have in the items of business for consideration, identifying the relevant agenda item and the nature of their interest. 4 Minute of Previous Meeting 4.1 Minute of the Performance Review and Scrutiny Committee Meeting 10 June 2025, submitted for approval 5 - 18 4.2 Action Log 19 - 22 5 Public Reports 5.1 Summary of the Care Inspectorate Inspections of Day Care of Children, August 2024 - June 2025, report by Education Chief Operating Officer 23 - 34 5.2 Inspection of Lawfield Primary School and Nursery, report by Education Chief Operating Officer 35 - 44 5.3 Inspection of Mayfield Primary School, report by Education Chief Operating Officer 45 - 52 5.4 Inspection of Pathways to Success, ASN Provision, report by Education Chief Operating Officer 53 - 60 5.5 Inspection of Midlothian Residential Service for Young People, report by Chief Officer Children’s Services, Partnerships and Communities 61 - 66 5.6 Q1 Education Performance Report 2025/26, report by Education Chief Operating Officer 67 - 82 5.7 Q1 Children’s Services, Partnership and Communities Performance Report 25/26, report by Chief Officer Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities 83 - 90 5.8 Q1 Adult Social Care Performance Report, report by Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer 91 - 126 5.9 Q1 Place Performance Report, report by Chief Officer Place 127 - 170 Page 2 of 232
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5.10 Q1 Corporate Solutions Performance Report, report by Chief Officer Corporate Solutions 171 - 212 5.11 Q1 Midlothian Council Performance Report, report by Chief Executive 213 - 232 6 Private Reports No items for discussion 7 Date of Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 9th of December 2025 at 11:00am. Page 3 of 232
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1-1 Minute of Meeting Cabinet 2024 Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 4.1 No 4.1 Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Date Time Venue Tuesday, 10 June 2025 11:00am Committee Room, Midlothian House and MS Teams Present: Councillor Milligan (Chair) Councillor Bowen Councillor Curran Councillor Drummond Councillor Imrie Councillor McEwan Councillor McCall Councillor Russell Councillor Smaill Councillor Virgo Councillor Winchester (virtual) In attendance: Councillor Alexander Councillor Parry Dr Grace Vickers, Chief Executive Kevin Anderson, Executive Director Place Fiona Robertson, Executive Director Children, Young People & Partnerships Nick Clater, Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer Derek Oliver, Chief Officer Place Michelle Strong, Education Chief Operating Officer Lesley Watson, Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships & Communities Hannah Forbes, Democratic Services Officer Nicola Thorburn, Democratic Services Officer Page 5 of 232
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1 Welcome, Introductions and Apologies The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Performance, Review and Scrutiny (PRS) Committee. No apologies were received. Councillor Russell advised that they would leave the meeting at 10:45am to attend another meeting. 2 Order of Business The order of business was as detailed within the agenda. 3 Declarations of interest No declarations of interest were received. 4 Minutes of Previous Meetings 4.1 The minute of the meeting of Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee held on the 25 March 2025 was submitted and approved as a correct record. 4.2 The Action Log was noted and the Committee agreed that the items recommended for closure can be closed. 5. Reports Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.1 Inspection of Cuiken Primary School and Nursery Education Chief Operating Officer Outline of report and summary of discussion The Education Chief Operating Officer presented the report for noting which outlines the outcome of the Education Scotland inspection of Cuiken Primary School, Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision (Unit) and Nursery. PRS Committee is requested to: (i) Note the content of the 29 April 2025 inspection report. (ii) Congratulate the Headteacher, pupils, parents and staff connected with Cuiken Primary School, ASN Provision (Unit) and Nursery, on the key strengths highlighted in the report. The Chair thanked the Education Chief Operating Officer for the report and invited questions. The Committee noted the positive outcome and passed on their congratulations to the Headteacher, pupils, parents and staff connected with Cuiken Primary School, ASN Provision and Nursery. Page 6 of 232
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The Committee asked if there is a plan in place to support schools in the areas for improvement as detailed in section 3.4 of the report. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that, as detailed in the quarterly reports, the learners planning and ASN procedures have been strengthened across all schools to better meet learners needs. This report is specific to Cuiken Primary School but contributes to the focus for quality improvement for all schools. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.2 National Thematic Inspection of local authority approaches to supporting school improvement Education Chief Operating Officer Outline of report and summary of discussion The Education Chief Operating Officer presented the report for noting which outlines the National Thematic Inspection that took place across Scotland last autumn and details the specific findings for Midlothian education service. The report details the recommended next steps to strengthen the support provided to schools and the action taken in relation to these recommendations. PRS Committee is requested to: (i) Note the inspection findings and endorse the next steps for Midlothian education service. (ii) Acknowledge the ongoing commitment of staff to improving the quality of education in Midlothian. The Chair thanked the Education Chief Operating Officer for the report and invited questions. The Committee asked for clarification on one of the recommendations for Midlothian, as detailed in section 3.2 of the report, where it suggests the use of Associate Assessors (His Majesty's Inspector (HMI) trained Head Teachers/Officers) as a strategic resource. The Committee asked if there was a cost associated with this. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that this is a free resource that we can use in Midlothian, and that there are currently 6 Associate Assessors that perform inspections and one of the report’s findings was for Midlothian to use that resource more strategically to help improvement plans. The Committee asked for more information around the plans for the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child (UNCRC) Pupil Parliament. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that a proposal on “Learner Voice” has been presented to the Education Team and agreed to bring provide details to a cross- party working group to allow them to explore the plans. The Committee noted the high percentage of learners with ASN in both primary and secondary schools and commented on the potential over diagnosing of children. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that across primary and Page 7 of 232
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secondary schools Midlothian has 44% of children with an ASN, and that can be both temporary (e.g. bereavement/illness) or long term (e.g. autism). Regardless of whether there is a diagnosis or not, Midlothian has a legal and moral obligation to meet the needs of our young people. The Education Chief Operating Officer is less concerned with the percentages involved and is more concerned that we can support children regardless of where they are. The Education Chief Operating Officer reassured the Committee that most learners with ASN have their needs met in a mainstream class and that only around 5-7% of our young people with ASN are in a full-time provision due to the complexity of their needs. It is however possible to have a mixture of mainstream and provision education. The Chair asked if there was a pathway back into mainstream classes available for those with ASN. The Education Chief Operating Officer confirmed that there is a pathway but often if a young person is in a full-time provision, then their needs are more complex, however if it is possible they can spend time in mainstream class. The Committee asked if the 44% of children with ASN mentioned in the report were all diagnosed medical cases, and if there is an increase in the non-medical support required for literacy and numeracy which is identified by teachers. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that each year data is submitted to the Scottish Government detailing the profile of Midlothian’s learners and this highlights those that are experiencing barriers to learning. Some of which have had a medical diagnosis and some could be related to dyslexia, dyscalculia etc but regardless of that Midlothian has 44% of children with ASN and the majority of those are supported in mainstream classes every day. In terms of the trend, the Education Chief Operating Officer has noted that, particularly post-Covid, there has been a significant increase in children with neurodiversity and social/emotional behavioural needs – these are the two areas of growth. The 44% is the totality of the needs, so represents a mixture of diagnosed and non-diagnosed young people who need additional support. The Chair noted that this is an indication that our staff are trained in the early identification of ASN and these are now being recognised and recorded. The Committee highlighted the finding on section 3.2 of the report that suggests that we look beyond Scotland for innovative approaches and professional learning opportunities and if there were any examples of what Midlothian are doing in relation this. The Education Chief Operating Officer noted that they continue to work with and gather information from national colleagues in terms of education reform and as part of the Associate of Education Advisors. The Committee endorsed the report and acknowledged the wealth of work undertaken. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Action Provide information on plans for the UNCRC Pupil Parliament, including the recent proposals on Learner Voice to a cross-party working group - Education Chief Operating Officer. Page 8 of 232
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Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.3 Education Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Education Chief Operating Officer Outline of report and summary of discussion The Education Chief Operating Officer presented the report for noting, highlighting the key areas of progress in the delivery of strategic outcomes, the volume of people that they are working with and the challenges, and risks. The Chair thanked the Education Chief Operating Officer for the report and invited questions. The Committee queried the exclusion rates in secondary schools, as detailed on page 116 of the meeting papers, and whether these were self-exclusions or exclusions by the authority. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that exclusions are temporary and a last resort where all other approaches have been exhausted. Schools have a delegated authority to manage exclusions however they must inform the local authority of their intent to exclude; this is particularly important for “looked after” children as this can potentially have an impact on a placement. The Committee asked if there were any trends identified, and the Education Chief Operating Officer advised that the S1 and S2 students are causing the greatest concern currently, and they have met with Secondary Head Teachers recently to review these trends. The Committee noted that historically teachers have had some of the best attendance records and expressed concerns that this is not the case now and asked if this was due to working in a stressful environment. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that Education have a new Human Resources (HR) Business Partner who will be looking at the detail behind at the staff absence rates and will work closely with the Trade Unions. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that, when available, they would bring the findings of that HR review back to PRS for their information. The Committee asked for clarification on the policy for Education staff having to attend medical appointments. The Education Chief Operating advised that for routine appointments staff are encouraged to make those in advance and during holiday periods, although they do appreciate that this is not always possible. For hospital appointments, as these are confirmed and there is no negotiation on dates, the expectation is that staff can attend and there will be no loss of income. Councillor Curran added that they were made aware of someone that had to take unpaid leave to attend a screening appointment and if this was the case they believe it to be irresponsible for Midlothian Council to enforce that. The Education Chief Operating Officer advised that they could investigate individual circumstances out with today’s meeting. Councillor Curran advised that they would seek permission from the individual to share the details with the Education Chief Operating Officer. The Committee agreed that the health of staff should come first, and that we have a responsibility as employers to ensure staff have time to attend screenings without any loss of income. The Education Chief Operating Officer Page 9 of 232
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advised that they meet with teachers fortnightly and they take staff wellbeing very seriously. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Action Provide details on the outcome of the Education HR Business Partner review of staff absences - Education Chief Operating Officer. Councillor Russell left the meeting. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.4 Children’s Services, Partnerships and Communities Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Service Manager, Children’s Services, Partnerships and Communities Outline of report and summary of discussion The Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities presented the report for noting and highlighted the important points including progress on the delivery of strategic outcomes, the challenges, and risks. The Chair thanked the Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities for the report and invited questions. The Committee referred to the increased numbers of children impacted by the delay in neurodevelopmental waiting times on page 138 of the meeting papers and asked what other means of support is available for families while they wait and can we do more. The Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities advised that the single point of contact initiative is in progress which allows us to gatekeep and signpost families with specific needs. The family well- being strategy is also in the final stages of development and that will strengthen multi-agency working. The Committee followed up on their earlier question around exclusions and asked if Children’s Services are involved in those. The Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities advised that they work closely with Education on any exclusions, particularly for our “looked after” population as they are our most vulnerable young people and have a team around them to provide support. The Committee raised the local authority responsibilities in relation to Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children and asked if this was funded by the Scottish Government, similar to what was in place for Ukrainian refugees. The Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities advised that funding is provided per Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Child. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that funding comes directly via the Home Office, however the national issue is that often with Unaccompanied Asylum- Page 10 of 232
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Seeking Children there is a degree of complexity that the funding would not fully cover, but there is a very clear route in place. The Committee queried the deregistration of foster carers and asked if the number of new foster carers coming through, due to the recent campaign and increased renumeration, could be sustained. The Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities advised that Midlothian’s challenges in foster care are reflective of the national picture. Those that have been deregistered have come to the end of their fostering career due to Midlothian having an ageing population. The campaign now is to promote a more flexible approach to fostering, where people can still go out to work and it is hoped that this will be more attractive for younger carers to come through. The Committee asked about staff training, support through further education and whether other local authorities offer the same. The Service Manager, Children's Services, Partnerships and Communities was unsure what other local authorities offered but advised that Children’s Services in Midlothian are keen to grow and nurture our own talent and they are seeing that staff are remaining in Midlothian which is reflective of staff development, reflective sessions and staff wellbeing. The Committee agreed that this was positive. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.5 Adult Social Care Services Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer Outline of report and summary of discussion The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer presented the report for noting and highlighted the important points including progress on the delivery of strategic outcomes, the challenges, and risks. As this is the end of year report, the Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer thanked all their staff for their contribution over this performance year. The Chair thanked the Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer for the report and invited questions. The Committee queried the 13 closed/vacant beds at Newbyres Care Home, the demand for those and whether it would be feasible to get a private partner to operate that block, so those beds become available. The Chair recalled that the closure of these beds was a result of a poor report from the Care Inspectorate and that there was a heavy reliance on agency staff. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer confirmed the Chair’s recollection and advised that that there must be a clear strategy regarding the future plans for Newbyres and that they are open to considering the private provision. However, there are benefits of the local authority retaining the provision as the charges would not be above the national care home rate which means our poorest people would always have access to those beds. There are other considerations around using the space for Page 11 of 232
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hospice provisions and respite care, those discussions are ongoing, but these options have their own challenges. The Committee asked for a report detailing the costs involved in the options available. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that a report would be presented to the Midlothian Joint Integration Board (MIJB) which will set out what care provisions are needed in Midlothian, and Newbyres will be included in that. The Committee noted that the report reflects that a 96% occupancy rate was recorded at year end and has been achieved since Q3, but this is misleading at this does not consider the closed beds. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer acknowledged the Committee’s point and over the past 2 years they have got into the mindset that it is 48 beds they are reporting on but agreed to review the performance reporting. The Committee asked for information on whether the direct employment of nurses at Newbyres would be feasible. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that funding for 3 nurses is within the Newbyres budget. There is currently a shortage of nurses across Midlothian, and a wider review of community nurse is required and that will identify what the nursing needs are, as some nursing teams are not as busy as others. The Chair highlighted that approximately 12 years ago, and on the back of a poor inspection report, Council were asked to fund 6 nurses. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that they had spoken to some colleagues regarding this and was unable to find any information. They advised that since they have been in position there has only ever been 3 nurses. The Chair advised that they would source some information and pass the details to the Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer. The Committee asked for information on the bed occupancy at the Royal Edinburgh. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that today there are 105 beds and 120 people in them currently, the additional 15 people being in side rooms. Midlothian have 7 people in our 8 commissioned beds, and we are the only area that underuses our beds. There is a 16-bed ward which is shared with East Lothian, yesterday there were 20 people in (4 in side rooms) but of that number only 6 were Midlothian. The problem broadly is that Edinburgh have a smaller number of beds than they need and the difficulties that the Royal Edinburgh have in discharging people due to the risk thresholds. The Committee asked what would happen if a Midlothian person needed one of our beds but someone from Edinburgh was using one of our commissioned beds, and if Midlothian gets reimbursed. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that if there is no bed available that patients must wait in the Accident and Emergency Department of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and that there is no reimbursement. The Committee asked for details on the average length of stay at the Royal Edinburgh. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that did not have this information to hand but would provide an update at the next meeting of the PRS Committee. The Chair highlighted a positive in the report regarding Welfare Rights bringing in £4.4million which is an increase from the previous year and represents good Page 12 of 232
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outcomes for some of our most vulnerable people. The Chair asked for a breakdown of the £4.4millon. The Chair also passed on their congratulations on all the good news within the report and thanked the staff for all their hard work and contributions. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Action Update the performance reporting in relation the occupancy rates achieved at Newbyres, taking into account the number of beds in use - Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer Provide information on previously agreed funding of 6 nurses from Council – Chair, Councillor Milligan. Provide details on the average length of stay at the Royal Edinburgh - Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer. Provide a breakdown of the £4.4millon received for Welfare Rights - Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.6 Inspection of Cherry Road Resource Centre Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer Outline of report and summary of discussion The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer presented the report for noting which advises on the outcome of the unannounced inspection of Cherry Road Resource Centre and that there are no specific actions or improvements required as a result of the inspection. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer added that they are very proud of what is offered at Cherry Road and gave particular thanks to Liz Davidson, Service Manager for their commitment to the Cherry Road and their contribution to the success of this inspection. PRS Committee is requested to note the outcome of the unannounced inspection of Cherry Road Resource Centre by the Care Inspectorate. The Chair thanked the Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer for the report and invited questions. The Committee passed on their congratulations and thanks to all involved in the outcome of the inspection. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Page 13 of 232
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Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.7 Highbank Intermediate Care Service Inspection Report Head of Primary Care and Older People Outline of report and summary of discussion The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer presented the report for noting which advises Cabinet of the outcome of the unannounced focussed inspection and the recommendations that will be included within the improvement plan. PRS Committee is requested to note the outcome of the unannounced inspection of Highbank Intermediate Care Service Inspection Report. The Chair thanked the Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer for the report and invited questions. The Committee passed on their congratulations and thanks to all involved in the outcome of the inspection. The Committee requested an update on the disposal plans for the old Highbank site. The Executive Director Place advised that Council would get the capital receipt for that site. It is no longer fit for purpose, and it is envisaged that there would be local resistance to repurposing in that locality. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.8 Cowan Court Extra Care Housing Inspection Report Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer Outline of report and summary of discussion The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer presented the report for noting which advises Cabinet of the outcome of the unannounced focussed inspection and the recommendations that will be included within the improvement plan. PRS Committee is requested to note the outcome of the unannounced inspection of Cowan Court Extra Care Housing. The Chair thanked the Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer for the report and invited questions. The Committee passed on their congratulations and thanks to all involved in the outcome of the inspection. The Committee queried why the lunch provision at Cowan Court had been removed. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer advised that Page 14 of 232
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there was a very small uptake in the lunch service and therefore it was not cost effective to run. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.9 Corporate Solutions Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Executive Director Place Outline of report and summary of discussion The Executive Director Place presented the report for noting and highlighted the delivery of the outcomes against the Council’s strategic objectives, the Transformation Blueprint progress and the key achievements. The Chair thanked the Executive Director Place for the report and invited questions. The Committee asked for information on what a green slip transaction is, and the Executive Director Place advised that this was a manual process for payments. The Committee requested more detail on Crisis Grants, showing the number approved and rejected. The Committee passed on their congratulations for the report which shows the wealth of work that has been undertaken. In relation to contact information, and the desire for members of the community to be able to contact the Council, the Committee asked if phone numbers are available for everyone even when they are working from home. The Executive Director Place advised that contact numbers for all staff should be at the bottom of their email signature and call redirections are on to divert to mobiles for those working from home. The Committee asked about a digital phone number from platforms such as MS Teams or Jabber, where they are nor reliant on telephone signals. The Chief Executive advised that the Chief Officer Corporate Solutions is investigating this and while there would a cost involved that may be mitigated by the removal of landlines. The Committee advised that they had been made aware of members of the public trying to contact Housing Officers without success and asked if they took phone calls while working from home. The Executive Director Place advised that the Housing Officers are taking calls at home which are diverted from their Council landline. The Chief Officer Place added that all Housing Officers are named along with email addresses and phone numbers on the Council website. The Committee highlighted the workforce turnover on page 262 of the meeting papers and asked if that figure included staff that had retired. The Executive Director Place confirmed that staff who retire are considered as leavers. The Committee requested a breakdown of the staff turnover rate that includes reasons for leaving. Page 15 of 232
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The Committee expressed their delight in the increased usage of libraries being reported and asked if there were plans to provide the libraries with more digital kit. The Executive Director Place noted that there has not been a demand for additional digital kit, but the existing kit is being put to better use. The Committee asked if the Council are using social media to attract advertising. The Executive Director Place advised that they had not commercialised the Council Social media platform. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Action Provide detail on how many Crisis Grant applications had been received, and a breakdown of how many were paid and rejected – Executive Director Place / Chief Officer Corporate Solutions. Provide a breakdown of the staff turnover rate that includes reasons for leaving – Executive Director Place / Chief Officer Corporate Solutions. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.10 Place Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Chief Officer Place Outline of report and summary of discussion The Chief Officer Place presented the report for noting and highlighted the important points including progress on the delivery of strategic outcomes, the challenges, and risks. The Chief Officer Place acknowledged and thanked all the teams working across Place Services for the ongoing improvements and significant achievements detailed in the report, spanning corporate strategies, operational investments and improving statistics and awards. The Chair thanked the Chief Office Place for the report and invited questions. The Committee passed on their thanks for the wealth of work that has been undertaken. The Committee asked for information in relation to the removal, storage and disposal of abandoned vehicles. The Chief Officer Place confirmed that there is no income stream, and that the vehicles are being scrapped. In terms of digital tools, the Committee asked if trade staff are now using these platforms. The Chief Officer Place confirmed that Building Services have moved onto the digital platform. As part of the Building Maintenance Services Phase 1 Closure Report, and Elected Members support this initiative will move to Phase 2. The Committee asked about whether the Council have considered offering the commercial waste service to our commercial lets. The Chief Officer Place advised Page 16 of 232
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that we do encourage our tenants to use this service. The Council’s Community Trade Waste Officer is currently engaging with businesses, and the uptake has increased over the last few months. The Chief Officer agreed to discuss the benefits of local authorities managing commercial waste and take advice from legal then provide an update. The Committee noted that Vogrie Country Park featured in a Netflix programme, Department Q, and asked if that generated an income. The Chief Officer Place advised that in terms of income generation and Estate Management, that did generate an income in terms of enhancing one of our other assets, the Bubbling Toad. The Committee asked how many loads of recycling are spoiled due to people putting waste in the incorrect bins and whether it would be financially viable to get stickers printed to advise what should and should not be put in. The Chief Officer Place advised that the contaminated loads do have an impact on the recycling statistics and that they will consider other ways to publicise the specific information on what goes in each bin. The Committee requested information on the percentage of Midlothian’s roads that are still below par. The Chief Officer Place advised that this information will be available on the Council website soon. The Committee asked whether some gyms are now closed at the weekends. The Chief Officer Place advised that swimming pools close 6pm Fridays and 4pm at the weekend. The Committee noted that Gorebridge Leisure Centre is closed at the weekend and that is part of the review of the Gorebridge Hub that is underway. The Chair highlighted that they are still waiting on a report regarding the use of the Pothole Pro and how it can be used more. This applies to other high-capital machinery that is unused for a high proportion of the week. The Chief Officer Place advised that the operational statistics are available for the Pothole Pro, and they are currently reviewing what the deployment schedule would look like, but this is taking time to collate. The Chair added that neighbouring Councils have been using their machinery on early-morning and late-nights and that we should look to replicate that in Midlothian. In relation to Council Housing, the Committee asked when we expect the waiting list to exceed the housing stock, and at what point do we declare a housing emergency. The Chief Officer Place advised that the tenancy sustainment rate is approximately 90% so there is not as much movement Midlothian’s lists as there is in other areas and that is reflective of people being happy with the housing they have. In terms of a housing crisis, neighbouring authorities have declared a housing emergency, but in terms of our performance the Chief Officer Place does not think Midlothian are at that stage yet. The Chair added that if a housing emergency is declared then housing can only be offered to homeless people which has an impact on the others on the waiting list. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. Page 17 of 232
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Action Consider the commercial waste offering, and the benefits of the local authority managing this and report back – Chief Officer Place. Consider ways to further publicise information on what goes into each recycling bin to avoid contaminated loads – Chief Officer Place. Agenda No. Report Title Presented by: 5.11 Q4 24/25 and Annual Summary 24/25 Midlothian Council Performance Report and Balanced Scorecard Indicators Annual Report 2024/25 Chief Executive Outline of report and summary of discussion Chief Executive presented the report for noting which reflects a summary of the key service updates against the thematic areas of the Single Midlothian Plan and compliments the Officer reports that were presented in this meeting. The Chief Executive thanked all staff and Partners for their hard work over the course of the 2024/25 performance year. The Chair thanked the Chief Executive for the report and invited questions. No questions were submitted. Decision Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee noted the report and the recommendations. 6 Date of the Next Meeting The date of the next meeting is Tuesday 16 September at 11:00am. The meeting terminated at 12:52pm. Page 18 of 232
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PRS Committee Action Log Performance Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 4.2 Item No Date of Meeting Item No and Title Action Action Owner Expected completion date Comments 1 26/11/2024 5.3 Children Services, Partnerships and Communities Performance Report Quarter Two 2024/25 Provide an update on progress with the asylum-seeking children and adults following the changes from the Scottish Government. The Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work/ The Chief Officer Children’s Services, Partnerships and Communities February 2025 A meeting was held in January to begin this work, and the Working Group was established under the leadership of the Head of Children’s Services. Discussions regarding where this fits with Community Planning. 2 26/11/2024 5.5 Place Performance Report Quarter Two 2024/25 Provide details on the turnover of the existing social housing stock and complete a comparison to other local authorities. Chief Officer Place Completed Recommended for closure Email with data circulated to members during recess. 3 25/03/2025 5.6 Place Performance Report Quarter Three 2024/25 Provide a breakdown of the fixed penalty notices for pavement parking and the time of day they were issued. Chief Officer Place Completed Recommended for closure Email with data circulated to members during recess. Page 19 of 232
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Item No Date of Meeting Item No and Title Action Action Owner Expected completion date Comments 4 25/03/2025 5.6 Place Performance Report Quarter Three 2024/25 Provide details of the Asset Management Plan in relation to resurfacing works on Midlothian Council’s webpage to give visibility to Elected Members and Constituents. Chief Officer Place Completed Recommended for closure Email with data circulated to members during recess. 5 25/03/2025 5.6 Place Performance Report Quarter Three 2024/25 Provide a report detailing the benchmarking activities, where Midlothian Council currently are and some proposals for going forward as part of a transformational steps. Chief Officer Place Completed Recommended for closure Email with data circulated to members during recess. 6 25/03/2025 5.10 Newbyres Care Home Inspection by Care Inspectorate Review staffing algorithm and impact of previous decision to put an additional £500k into Newbyres Care Home for additional nursing staff. Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer TBC 7 10/06/2025 5.2 National Thematic Inspection of local authority approaches to supporting school improvement Provide information on plans for the UNCRC Pupil Parliament, including the recent proposals on Learner Voice to a cross-party working group. Education Chief Operating Officer TBC Page 20 of 232
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Item No Date of Meeting Item No and Title Action Action Owner Expected completion date Comments 8 10/06/2025 5.3 Education Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Provide details on the outcome of the Education HR Business Partner review of staff absences. Education Chief Operating Officer TBC 9 10/06/2025 5.5 Adult Social Care Services Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Update the performance reporting in relation to the occupancy rates achieved at Newbyres, taking into account the number of beds in use. Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer TBC 10 10/06/2025 5.5 Adult Social Care Services Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Provide information on previously agreed funding of 6 nurses from Council. Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer TBC 11 10/06/2025 5.5 Adult Social Care Services Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Provide details on the average length of stay at the Royal Edinburgh. Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer September 2025 12 10/06/2025 5.5 Adult Social Care Services Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Provide a breakdown of the £4.4millon received for Welfare Rights. Head of Adult Services and Chief Social Work Officer TBC Page 21 of 232
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Item No Date of Meeting Item No and Title Action Action Owner Expected completion date Comments 13 10/06/2025 5.9 Corporate Solutions Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Provide detail on how many Crisis Grant applications have been received and a breakdown of how many were paid and rejected. Executive Director Place / Chief Officer Corporate Solutions Completed Recommended for closure Email with data circulated to members during recess. 14 10/06/2025 5.9 Corporate Solutions Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Provide a breakdown of the staff turnover rate that includes reasons for leaving. Executive Director Place / Chief Officer Corporate Solutions Completed Recommended for closure Email with data circulated to members during recess. 15 10/06/2025 5.10 Place Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Consider the commercial waste offering, and the benefits of the local authority managing this and report back. Chief Officer Place TBC In progress. 16 10/06/2025 5.10 Place Performance Report Quarter Four 2024/25 Consider ways to further publicise information on what goes into each recycling bin to avoid contaminated loads. Chief Officer Place TBC In progress. Page 22 of 232
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Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.1 Summary of the Care Inspectorate Inspections of Day Care of Children, August 2024 - June 2025 Report by Michelle Strong, Education Chief Operating Officer Report for Information 1 Recommendations Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee is requested to: (i) Note the content of the summary of the inspection reports. (ii) Congratulate the children, parents and staff connected with the settings that meet the National Standard of good or above. Note that settings that did not meet the National Standard are being provided with support to improve within a defined timeframe. 2 Purpose of Report/Executive Summary A range of funded providers were inspected August 2024 - June 2025, including private nurseries and local authority settings. This report provides a summary of the outcomes of the undernoted inspections in Early Learning and Childcare settings for two-, three- and four-year-olds as carried out by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland. Settings inspected by the Care Inspectorate (CI) in this period were: • Mount Esk Nursery School • Roslin Primary School Nursery • Cornbank St James Primary School Nursery • Burnbrae Primary School Nursery • Bilston Primary School Nursery • Wizkidz • Temple Nursery and Playgroup • Pinocchios Children’s Nursery Lasswade • Busybees Hopefield Castle Nursery • Mayfield Family Learning Centre – Midlothian Sure Start • Happy Days Dalkeith • Acrewood Nurseries Ltd • Happy Days Hardengreen • Lawfield Primary School Nursery • Gorebridge Family Learning Centre – Midlothian Sure Start Settings that had inspections carried out by Education Scotland (HMIE) were: • Cuiken Primary School Nursery • Newtongrange Primary School Nursery • Lawfield Primary School Nursery Page 23 of 232
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• Polton Green Nursery Page 24 of 232
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3. Background 3.1 A total of 15 CI Inspections and 4 HMIE inspections took place in the time period from August 2024 to June 2025. The published reports are hyperlinked at the end of this report. Reports are published on the Care Inspectorate website http://www.careinspectorate.com/ and Education Scotland website Education Scotland | Education Scotland. 3.2 The Care Inspectorate use “A quality framework for daycare of children, childminding and school aged childcare” to inspect settings. The key quality indicators focus on: • How good is our care, play and learning? • How good is our setting? • How good is our leadership? • How good is our staff team? Education Scotland use “How good is our early learning and childcare” to inspect settings. The key quality indicators focus on: • How good is the quality of the care and learning we offer? • How good are we at ensuring the best possible outcomes for all our children? 3.3 Inspection Evaluations A setting will be inspected on all quality indicators. A six-point scale is used to describe the quality of the setting: 6 Excellent Outstanding or sector leading 5 Very Good Major strengths 4 Good Important strengths, with some areas for improvement 3 Adequate/Satisfactory Strengths just outweigh weaknesses 2 Weak Important weaknesses – priority action required 1 Unsatisfactory Major weakness – urgent remedial action required 3.4 National Standard In order to meet the National Standard settings must be evaluated as Good or above by the Care Inspectorate. Where a setting does not receive evaluations of good or above, the local authority places that setting in a service improvement period. The service improvement period allows the central education team officers to closely monitor progress over the period of time until the next CI inspection. Being in the service improvement period also affects the payment process for the setting. Failure to maintain the required standard without significant support can lead to the removal of the setting as an early learning and childcare partner. Page 25 of 232
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3.5 Summary of inspection grades (See Appendix B for the inspection grades for individual settings). Quality Indicator Total no. of settings inspected Excellent Very good Good Adequate Weak Unsatisfactory How good is our care, play and learning? 15 1 3 8 3 0 0 How good is our setting? 15 0 2 11 2 0 0 How good is our leadership? 15 0 3 9 3 0 0 How good is our staff team? 15 0 8 4 3 0 0 3.6 The following common key strengths were indicated by the inspection teams: How good is our care, play and learning? Most ELC settings were evaluated as excellent, very good and good for this key question with 12 out of 15 settings achieving these grades. Children experience warm, caring, and nurturing approaches from all staff to support their overall wellbeing. The inclusive and welcoming ethos establishes close relationships with families. How good is our setting? Most ELC settings were evaluated as good or better for this key question with 13 out of 15 settings achieving these grades. This shows we offer a good learning environment for our children. The well-resourced and welcoming environments support children to feel important within the space and contributed to their overall wellbeing. How good is our leadership? Most ELC settings were evaluated as very good and good for this key question with 12 out of 15 settings achieving these grades. A focus on strong leadership and the development of these skills is leading to quality self-evaluation and improved outcomes for children. How good is our staff team? Most ELC settings were evaluated as very good and good for this key question with 13 out of 15 settings achieving these grades. Although staffing has proved challenging through the session, the deployment of staff is effective to meet the needs of the children. From August 2024 – June 2025, 90.6% of ELC settings have at least good evaluations across the 4 inspection themes or the setting was still awaiting their first inspection. Page 26 of 232
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3.7 The Care Inspectorate has a duty to support improvement, and this informs how and when they make requirements and recommendations to a setting following an inspection. • A requirement is a statement which sets out what a care service must do to improve outcomes for people who use services and must be linked to a breach in the Public Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, its regulations, or orders made under the Act, or a condition of registration. • A recommendation is a statement that sets out actions that a care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service, but where failure to do so would not directly result in enforcement. 3.8 Education Scotland scrutiny activity focused on the following two questions during 24/25. Summary of HMIE Inspections August 2024 – June 2025 Setting Local Authority (LA) or Funded Provider (FP) Date of inspection 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment 3.1 Ensuring well- being, equality and inclusion 3.2 Securing children’s progress Cuiken Primary School Inspection Report Education Scotland LA Feb 25 Not assessed Good Not assessed Good Newtongrange Primary School Inspection Report Education Scotland LA Jan 25 Not assessed Good Not assessed Good Lawfield Primary School Inspection Report Education Scotland LA June 25 Re-inspection of nursery and good progress made Re-inspection of nursery and good progress made Re- inspection of nursery and good progress made Re- inspection of nursery and good progress made Polton Green Nursery Inspection Report Education Scotland FP June 25 Not assessed Satisfactory Not assessed Satisfactory Page 27 of 232
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The following common key strengths were indicated by the inspection teams: How good is the quality of the care and learning we offer? ELC settings provide calm, purposeful learning environments where almost all children are motivated to learn and engaged by their experiences indoors and outdoors. Practitioners’ meet children’s needs well, supporting children in extending their play. Practitioners bring ELC values to life through a positive ethos and quality of interactions with children and their families which are caring and kind. Most children are confident to make choices and the range of experiences support children to practise their skills in different contexts. Children who require additional help with their learning are supported well. How good are we at ensuring the best possible outcomes for all our children? Most children are making good progress in line with their stage of development in literacy. Environmental print in playrooms supports early communication and language. Almost all children enjoy exploring books and listening to stories. Most children are making good progress in early numeracy and mathematics. During play children are developing their use of mathematical language. Practitioners celebrate children’s achievements through praise and encouragement. This gives children a sense of achievement and pride in their creations. Practitioners are committed to ensuring equity of experience for children and their families. 4 Report Implications (Resource, Digital and Risk) 4.1 Resource Resource implications related to this report are to note the impact on the central education team staffing to support settings through a service improvement period. 4.2 Digital There are no digital implications. 4.3 Risk The Care Inspectorate visit a sample of Early Learning and Childcare settings each year to find out how they are performing. A report is published which informs parents about the key strengths of the setting, its capacity for further improvement and sets out the main points for action. Following the publication of that report further visits may be made to the setting by Midlothian Council’s central education officers to assist improvement and monitor progress. Monitoring, review and evaluation of progress by Midlothian Council’s central education officers is the control measure in place to reduce the risk of failure of the setting to demonstrate its capacity to improve. For funded providers a time framed improvement action plan is established in line with the partnership contracts. If a setting does not show improvement after an extended service improvement period the council would consider whether they are able to continue in partnership with Page 28 of 232
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the setting. Termination of a contract would affect the number of places Midlothian Council are able to offer. 4.4 Ensuring Equalities (if required a separate IIA must be completed) The Improvement Plans will be screened for equalities implications. 4.5 Additional Report Implications (See Appendix A) See Appendix A Appendices Appendix A – Additional Report Implications Appendix B – Summary of Care Inspectorate Inspections Page 29 of 232
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APPENDIX A – Report Implications A.1 Key Priorities within the Single Midlothian Plan Themes addressed in this report: Getting it right for every Midlothian child Improving opportunities in Midlothian A.2 Key Drivers for Change Key drivers addressed in this report: Holistic Working Hub and Spoke Modern Sustainable Transformational Preventative Asset-based Continuous Improvement One size fits one None of the above A.3 Key Delivery Streams Key delivery streams addressed in this report: One Council Working with you, for you Preventative and Sustainable Efficient and Modern Innovative and Ambitious None of the above A.4 Delivering Best Value Noted within. A.5 Involving Communities and Other Stakeholders Copies of the reports have been made available to Elected Members, parents and carers of children currently in the settings and other interested parties. A.6 Impact on Performance and Outcomes The provision of high quality, early learning and childcare supports the delivery of two of the GIRFEMC outcomes for 2024 – 2025. • Children and young people are supported to be healthy, happy and reach their potential. • Inequalities in learning outcomes have reduced. Page 30 of 232
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The settings will continue to improve their work in line with their improvement plans and Midlothian Council’s central education officers will continue to challenge and support the settings in relation to developing and implementing a range of quality improvement strategies. A.7 Adopting a Preventative Approach The Education (Scotland) Act aims to take preventative action in order to close the attainment versus deprivation gap by implementing key policies and programmes which are designed to target support to children and young people from disadvantaged communities. Midlothian Council central officers will continue to use relevant data to identify these communities and provide proportionate support as part of quality, well planned early intervention. A.8 Supporting Sustainable Development The Improvement Plans allow for sustainable development and improvement. Page 31 of 232
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APPENDIX B Summary of Care Inspectorate Inspections Partnership centres Quality Inspection Framework. How good is our: care, play and learning? setting? leadership? staff team? Service Name Town date of last inspection 1.1 Nurturing care and support 1.3 Play and learning 2.2 Children experience high quality facilities 3.1 Quality assurance and improvement are led well 4.3 Staff deployment School ELC settings Mount Esk Nursery School Bonnyrigg 13/06/2024 6 – Excellent 6 – Excellent 5 – Very Good 5 – Very Good 5 – Very Good Roslin Primary School Nursery Roslin 05/09/2024 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good Cornbank St. James' Primary School Nursery Penicuik 07/11/2024 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 5 - Very Good Burnbrae Primary School Nursery Bonnyrigg 19/11/2024 3 – Adequate 4 - Good 4 - Good 3 – Adequate 3 – Adequate Bilston Primary School Nursery Class Bilston 28/02/2025 5 - Very Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good Lawfield Primary 4 – Good 4 – Good 4 – Good 4 – Good 4 - Good Page 32 of 232
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Nursery Class Partnership Settings Wizidz Nursery Newtongrange 06/08/2024 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 5 - Very Good Temple Nursery & Playgroup Temple 23/08/2024 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 5 - Very Good Pinocchio's Children's Nursery Lasswade Bonnyrigg 09/09/2024 3 – Adequate 3 – Adequate 3 – Adequate 3 – Adequate 3 – Adequate Hopefield Castle Nursery Bonnyrigg 15/10/2024 3 – Adequate 3 – Adequate Not Assessed 3 – Adequate Not Assessed Mayfield FLC - Family Reachout Mayfield 25/10/2024 5 - Very Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good Happy Days - Dalkeith Dalkeith 07/11/2024 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good Acre Wood Nurseries Ltd Bilston 07/02/2025 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 5 - Very Good 5 - Very Good Happy Days at Hardengreen Dalkeith 13/02/2025 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 4 - Good 5 - Very Good Gorebridge Family Learning Centre – Midlothian SureStart Gorebridge 4 – Good 4 – Good 5 – Very Good 4 – Good 5 – Very Good Page 33 of 232
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Summary of HMIE Inspections August 2024 – June 2025 Setting Local Authority (LA) or Funded Provider (FP) Date of inspection 1.3 Leadership of change 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment 3.1 Ensuring well- being, equality and inclusion 3.2 Securing children’s progress Cuiken Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland LA February 25 Not assessed Good Not assessed Good Newtongrange Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland LA January 25 Not assessed Good Not assessed Good Lawfield Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland LA June 25 Re-inspection of nursery and good progress made Re-inspection of nursery and good progress made Re-inspection of nursery and good progress made Re-inspection of nursery and good progress made Polton Green Nursery | Inspection Report | Education Scotland FP June 25 Not assessed Satisfactory Not assessed Satisfactory Page 34 of 232
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Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.2 Inspection of Lawfield Primary School and Nursery Report by Michelle Strong, Education Chief Operating Officer Report for Information 1 Recommendations Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee is requested to: (i) Note the content of the 3rd June 2025 inspection report. (ii) Congratulate the headteacher, pupils, parents and staff connected with Lawfield Primary School and Nursery on the key strengths highlighted in the report. 2 Purpose of Report/Executive Summary The report outlines the outcome of the Education Scotland inspection of Lawfield Primary School and nursery class. 06 June 2025 Report Contact: Colin McLean, Quality Improvement Manager Professional Learning and Digital Inclusion & Learning Colin.McLean@midlothian.gov.uk Page 35 of 232
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3 Background/Main Body of Report 3.1 In June 2020, HM Inspectors published a letter on Lawfield Primary School and Nursery Class. The letter set out a number of areas for improvement which were agreed with the school and Midlothian Council. Inspectors subsequently returned to the school to look at how it had continued to improve its work and published another letter in March 2023. Inspectors returned to the school again to look at how it had continued to improve its work and published another letter in April 2024. In March 2025, inspectors visited the school to evaluate progress under the newly-appointed headteacher. The report was published on 3rd June 2025 and is now available on Education Scotland’s website. This is also attached as Appendix B. 3.2 Education Scotland is responsible for inspecting education settings throughout Scotland. They do so using core quality indicators. QI 1.3 Leadership of Change QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment QI 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion QI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement 3.3 Strengths The inspection team found the following strengths in the school: • The highly effective leadership of the new head teacher, including a highly collaborative whole school approach to improvement and the provision of high- quality professional learning linked to the desired improvements. • Improved classroom learning environments. • Improved planning for learning and improved learning, teaching & assessment and the use of digital devices to support learning. • Significant improvement in children’s attainment in literacy and numeracy. • Improvements inn staff confidence and high levels of pride in the school. • Staff’s use of data to drive improvements. • Midlothian Council’s support for the school including the Raising Attainment Team’s work in the school which led to increasing staff skills and confidence in teaching literacy and numeracy. • Teachers’ assessment judgements are now more accurate. • Improved support for learning approaches and interventions to support children with additional needs. • A wider range of opportunities for children to achieve in out of school and lunchtime clubs and activities. 3.4 Areas for Improvement The main areas for improvement suggested by the inspectors are: • Continue to build skills in assessment observation in nursery. • Continue to support children to take more responsibility for their own learning. Page 36 of 232
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3.5 Conclusion The inspectors concluded “The school has made good progress since the original inspection. We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Midlothian Council will inform parents about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools.” 4 Report Implications (Resource, Digital and Risk) 4.1 Resource There will continue to be additional support from the QI team to ensure improvement continues. The school will continue to have an additional allocation of depute head teacher time (1 FTE) until a sustained pattern of improvement is confirmed. 4.2 Digital There are no Digital implications. 4.3 Risk Education Scotland’s team of Inspectors visit a sample of education settings every year to find out how they are performing. A report is published which informs parents about the key strengths of the setting and its capacity for further improvement. Following the publication of the report further visits may be made to the setting, by the Education Authority to assist improvement and monitor progress. Monitoring, review and evaluation of progress by central officers in the Education Team is the control measure in place to reduce the risk of failure of settings to demonstrate their capacity to improve. 4.4 Ensuring Equalities (if required a separate IIA must be completed) The School Improvement Plan will be screened for equalities implications. 4.4 Additional Report Implications (See Appendix A) See Appendix A Appendices Appendix A – Additional Report Implications Appendix B – Background information/Links Page 37 of 232
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APPENDIX A – Report Implications A.1 Key Priorities within the Single Midlothian Plan • Getting it right for every Midlothian child • Improving opportunities in Midlothian A.2 Key Drivers for Change Key drivers addressed in this report: Holistic Working Hub and Spoke Modern Sustainable Transformational Preventative Asset-based Continuous Improvement One size fits one None of the above A.3 Key Delivery Streams Key delivery streams addressed in this report: One Council Working with you, for you Preventative and Sustainable Efficient and Modern Innovative and Ambitious None of the above A.4 Delivering Best Value Noted within. A.5 Involving Communities and Other Stakeholders A link to the published report has been made available to Elected Members, parents of children currently attending Newbattle High School and other interested parties. A.6 Impact on Performance and Outcomes The setting will continue to improve its work in line with the school improvement plan and central officers in the Education Team will continue to challenge and support the setting in relation to developing and implementing a range of quality improvement strategies. A.7 Adopting a Preventative Approach The Education (Scotland) Bill aims to take preventative action in order to close the attainment versus deprivation gap by implementing key policies and programmes which are designed to target support to children and young people from disadvantaged communities. Midlothian is highly committed to closing the poverty related attainment gap. Page 38 of 232
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A.8 Supporting Sustainable Development The School Improvement Plan allows for sustainable development and improvement. Page 39 of 232
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APPENDIX B Lawfield inspection reports by Education Scotland Page 40 of 232
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1 | Lawfield Primary School and Nursery Class, Midlothian Council, 5541026 © Crown Copyright 3 June 2025 Dear Parent/Carer In June 2020, HM Inspectors published a letter on Lawfield Primary School and Nursery Class. The letter set out a number of areas for improvement which we agreed with the school and Midlothian Council. We subsequently returned to the school to look at how it had continued to improve its work and published another letter in March 2023. We returned to the school again to look at how it had continued to improve its work and published another letter in April 2024. Recently, as you may know, we visited the school again. During our visit, we talked to children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. We heard from the headteacher and other staff about the steps the school has taken to improve. We looked at particular areas that had been identified in the original inspection and at other aspects of the school’s work, as proposed by the headteacher. As a result, we were able to find out about the progress the school has made and how well this is supporting children’s learning and achievements. This letter sets out what we found. Raise children’s attainment across the nursery and primary school. Overall, at the primary stages, children’s attainment in literacy and numeracy has increased significantly over the past year. Most children at P1 and P7, and the majority at P4, are now on track to achieve expected Curriculum for Excellence levels in literacy. Almost all children at P1, and the majority of children at P4 and P7, are on track to achieve expected levels in numeracy. This increased attainment is due to a number of factors, including improvements teachers have made to classroom environments, better teaching approaches and more provision of additional support for children. Staff have taken part in meaningful, high-quality professional learning and this has increased the reliability of their assessment approaches. In the nursery, most children now make appropriate progress in literacy and numeracy. Children’s progress in numeracy is stronger than in literacy. The range and quality of literacy opportunities that practitioners plan for children in the nursery has increased. Staff’s planning for literacy and numeracy is now more evident in the playrooms and outdoor area. Children respond well to the increased daily focus on rhyme and story. Children’s individual learning journals now demonstrate more effectively their progress over time. The most important factor in raising attainment across the nursery and primary stages has been the highly effective leadership of the new headteacher. The headteacher has set a clear, strategic vision for improvement and is very skilfully managing the pace of change. Children and staff are responding very positively to the increased expectations the headteacher has of them. The headteacher’s whole-school approach is successfully developing effective collaborative working across the entire staff team. Across the school, there is now a much greater sense of teamwork. This is leading to increased consistency in practice, underpinned by staff’s engagement in high-quality professional learning. Staff welcome the headteacher’s ‘back-to-basics’ approach and the purposeful activity to ensure improvement. They feel listened to, consulted and informed. Staff’s confidence and pride in their school and nursery has increased measurably as a result. Page 41 of 232
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2 | Lawfield Primary School and Nursery Class, Midlothian Council, 5541026 © Crown Copyright Staff’s approach to tracking and monitoring children’s progress and attainment has improved in both the school and nursery. At the primary stages, staff use data with increasing effectiveness to identify gaps in learning, and where children require additional support. Teachers’ termly planning and attainment meetings are now more robust. These meetings enable staff to review children’s progress and identify next steps. This is beginning to ensure staff maintain a continuous focus on children’s progress and attainment in literacy and numeracy. Staff’s use of data to plan next steps in learning has improved significantly. In the nursery, practitioners have recently introduced an online tracking system to monitor children’s progress in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. This is beginning to strengthen staff’s understanding of children’s progress in learning over time. Staff have engaged fully with high-quality professional learning to help improve children’s attainment. Senior leaders make sure that this learning aligns with the school’s improvement priorities. This approach helps everyone understand and use effective strategies to improve children’s attainment. Midlothian Council’s Raising Attainment Team has offered valuable support to increase staff’s skills and confidence in teaching literacy and numeracy. Staff appreciate these professional learning opportunities and see how this helps improve children’s levels of attainment and progress. At the primary stages, teachers’ judgements of children’s progress in learning are now much more reliable and in line with national expectations. Staff have engaged in a range of appropriate moderation activities, including visits to other schools. This is helping to increase staff’s confidence in the making judgements about when children have achieved a Curriculum for Excellence level. In the nursery, practitioners are beginning to strengthen their observations of children’s learning to better assess their progress. Support for learning staff work more closely in classrooms alongside teachers. This revised approach is enabling staff to better meet the needs of all children across the school. The nurture early years practitioner, support for learning teachers and learning assistants are working closely with the teachers and senior leaders to provide targeted support for small groups of children to address gaps in learning. These intervention groups are successfully improving children’s attainment. Staff now have a far greater focus on celebrating children’s achievements across the school. Opportunities for children to engage in lunchtime or after-school clubs have increased significantly. Children are particularly proud of their involvement in a range of curriculum-based activities and sporting tournaments. This is helping more children to develop skills for learning life and work, and to experience success. Ensure children benefit from consistently high-quality learning and teaching, which includes increasing opportunities for children to lead their own learning. Overall, the quality and consistency of learning and teaching has improved significantly over the past year. All staff now implement the ‘Lawfield Way’, an agreed learning and teaching toolkit. As a result, key features of effective learning and teaching are more evident in classroom practice. Staff across the school have increased expectations of what children can achieve and the pace of learning is increasing. Children are now ready to take greater Page 42 of 232
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3 | Lawfield Primary School and Nursery Class, Midlothian Council, 5541026 © Crown Copyright responsibility for their own learning. This is not yet a regular feature of children’s learning experiences. Almost all staff across the school and nursery contribute to creating a positive learning environment, bringing the school’s vision, ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’ to life. Staff have improved the quality and consistency of classroom environments making them more purposeful, welcoming and supportive. Staff have benefited from professional learning with Midlothian Council’s Digital Learning Team. As a result, staff’s frequent use of digital technologies is evident across the school and nursery. Children across the primary stages use digital devices confidently to support their learning. This motivates and engages them well in tasks and activities. Staff are in the process of reintroducing a play-based approach to learning at P1. They are taking appropriate account of national guidance to plan the use of space, the quality of their interactions with children and the experiences they provide. Teachers have visited other schools to observe good practice and have taken part in relevant professional learning to inform this work. This is supporting staff to provide more purposeful learning opportunities for children. All teachers plan together in pairs or trios. This is contributing to a better consistency and quality of planning across the school. Almost all teachers use data more effectively to plan learning experiences. In the nursery, senior staff have recently worked with the headteacher to refresh approaches to planning. Nursery planning now better reflects national practice and Curriculum for Excellence guidance. Improve assessment approaches across the primary stages. Ensure all teaching staff use information gathered from children’s learning and assessment activity more effectively to plan learning experiences which meet the needs of all children. Overall, staff have made significant progress in improving their use of assessment across the school. This is impacting positively on children’s progression in learning. Staff work together very effectively to secure better outcomes for children through more effective approaches to assessment. The headteacher introduced a new assessment toolkit in August 2024. New learning, teaching and assessment policies are also now in place. Teachers are implementing these new policies very well across the school. Their implementation of a clear assessment calendar ensures that regular, consistent and purposeful assessment activity takes place across the school year. Staff analyse the data gained from assessments increasingly well. Teachers are becoming more skilled in the use of data and have increased expectations of children’s attainment and achievement. Page 43 of 232
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4 | Lawfield Primary School and Nursery Class, Midlothian Council, 5541026 © Crown Copyright What happens next? The school has made good progress since the original inspection. We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Midlothian Council will inform parents about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools. Pamela Adamson HM Inspector Page 44 of 232
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Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.3 Inspection of Mayfield Primary School Report by Michelle Strong, Education Chief Operating Officer Report for Information 1 Recommendations Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee is asked to: (i) Note the content of the 16th of September 2025 inspection report. (ii) Congratulate the headteacher pupils, parents and staff connected with Mayfield Primary School on the key strengths highlighted in the report. 2 Purpose of Report/Executive Summary The report outlines the outcome of the Education Scotland inspection of Mayfield Primary School. Date: 16th September 2025 Report Contact: Report Contact: Colin McLean, Quality Improvement Manager Professional Learning and Digital Inclusion & Learning Colin.McLean@midlothian.gov.uk Page 45 of 232
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3 Background/Main Body of Report 3.1 In May 2025, HM Inspectors carried out an inspection of Mayfield Primary School. A report was published on 16th September. The letter sets out a number of areas for improvement which were agreed with the school and Midlothian Council. The letter is attached in Appendix B and is available on Education Scotland’s website at Mayfield Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland. 3.2 Education Scotland is responsible for inspecting education settings throughout Scotland. They do so using core quality indicators. QI 1.3 Leadership of Change QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment QI 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion QI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement 3.3 Strengths The inspection team found the following strengths in the school. • Across the school and complex needs provision, children are respectful and friendly. They engage well with their learning and have settled well into their new learning environments. • Staff work well together to understand and respond to children’s needs. As a result, children learn in nurturing environments where they feel cared for and valued. • Staff have a strong understanding of families and the local community. They take effective action to support equity of experience and minimise barriers for participation. As a result, children’s attendance is improving. • Staff have taken effective action to improve approaches to teaching and learning of reading. In the complex needs provision, staff are effective at supporting children develop their communication skills. 3.4 Areas for Improvement The main areas for improvement suggested by the inspectors are: • Senior leaders should continue to drive forward strategic improvements. They should ensure robust approaches are in place to evaluate the impact of planned changes on outcomes for children. • Senior leaders and staff should continue to develop approaches to high quality learning, teaching and assessment, ensuring learning is well matched to the needs of all children. • Senior leaders and staff should review approaches to planning for children who require additional support with their learning. This should include a focus on setting clear and measurable targets that are reviewed regularly. • Staff should continue to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy, ensuring children are supported effectively to make the best possible progress. Page 46 of 232
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3.5 Conclusion The inspectors concluded “We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Midlothian Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools.” 3.6 Local Authority support Midlothian Council’s Education Service has taken the following steps to ensure Mayfield Primary School continues to improve. The school continues to be in the “Improvement” category of Midlothian Council schools and receives the highest level of support from the Council’s Education Service Quality Improvement Team. This includes • The Quality Improvement Manager (QIM) supported the school’s leadership team to write and monitor an action plan to raise attainment, improve learning, teaching and assessment and meet the needs of all learners. The action plan has clear and measurable improvement targets. • Three-weekly Quality Improvement Manager (QIM) monitoring meetings with the school’s leadership team. This time can also be used to deliver professional learning, quality improvement advice and any other support the school’s leadership team or Quality Improvement Manager feel would support further improvement. • Two 2-day quality improvement visits with a small team of professionals to check progress in Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026. The views of learners, staff, parents/ carers and school partners are sought during these visits. Progress evidence is drawn from focus groups, direct observations and analysis of school data. • In Autmn 2025, there will be a “deep dive” Quality Improvement visit focussing on Quality Indicator 3.1 Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality & Inclusion to investigate how support and challenge for all learners can be further improved and how attainment can be further improved. • School staff can access universal and targeted professional learning, quality improvement advice and support from a wide range of education professional within the Quality Improvement team. For example, staff have attended professional learning focussing on improving learning, teaching and assessment and analysing attainment data to identify next steps in improvement. • The Headteacher and Quality Improvement Manager visited a school with a positive track record in raising attainment over a sustained period of time in a partner local authority within our Scottish Improvement Quad. This supported further improvement work at Mayfield Primary School. Page 47 of 232
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4 Report Implications (Resource, Digital and Risk) 4.1 Resource There will continue to be additional support from Midlothian Council’s Education Service Quality Improvement team to ensure improvement continues. 4.2 Digital There are no Digital implications. 4.3 Risk Education Scotland’s team of Inspectors visit a sample of education settings every year to find out how they are performing. A report is published which informs parents about the key strengths of the setting and its capacity for further improvement. Following the publication of the report further visits may be made to the setting, by the Education Authority to assist improvement and monitor progress. Monitoring, review and evaluation of progress by central officers in the Education Team is the control measure in place to reduce the risk of failure of settings to demonstrate their capacity to improve. 4.4 Ensuring Equalities (if required a separate IIA must be completed) The School Improvement Plan will be screened for equalities implications. 4.5 Additional Report Implications (See Appendix A) See Appendix A Appendices Appendix A – Additional Report Implications Appendix B – Background information/Links Page 48 of 232
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APPENDIX A – Report Implications A.1 Key Priorities within the Single Midlothian Plan • Getting it right for every Midlothian child • Improving opportunities in Midlothian A.2 Key Drivers for Change Key drivers addressed in this report: Holistic Working Hub and Spoke Modern Sustainable Transformational Preventative Asset-based Continuous Improvement One size fits one None of the above A.3 Key Delivery Streams Key delivery streams addressed in this report: One Council Working with you, for you Preventative and Sustainable Efficient and Modern Innovative and Ambitious None of the above A.4 Delivering Best Value Noted within. A.5 Involving Communities and Other Stakeholders A link to the published report has been made available to Elected Members, parents of children currently attending Newbattle High School and other interested parties. A.6 Impact on Performance and Outcomes The setting will continue to improve its work in line with the school improvement plan and central officers in the Education Team will continue to challenge and support the setting in relation to developing and implementing a range of quality improvement strategies. Page 49 of 232
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A.7 Adopting a Preventative Approach The Education (Scotland) Bill aims to take preventative action in order to close the attainment versus deprivation gap by implementing key policies and programmes which are designed to target support to children and young people from disadvantaged communities. Midlothian is highly committed to closing the poverty related attainment gap. A.8 Supporting Sustainable Development The School Improvement Plan allows for sustainable development and improvement. Page 50 of 232
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APPENDIX B Attached and also available at Mayfield Primary School | Inspection Report | Education Scotland Page 51 of 232
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Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.4 Inspection of Pathways to Success, ASN Provision Report by Michelle Strong, Education Chief Operating Officer Report for Information 1 Recommendations Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee is requested to: (i) Note the content of the 23 September 2025 inspection report. (ii) Congratulate the depute headteacher, pupils, parents and staff connected with Pathways to Success on the key strengths highlighted in the report. 2 Purpose of Report/Executive Summary The report outlines the outcome of the Education Scotland inspection of Pathways to Success. It is a standalone SEBN provision for secondary age learners within Midlothian. 16 September 2025 Report Contact: Claire Sutherland, Quality Improvement Officer, ASN Claire.Sutherland@midlothian.gov.uk Page 53 of 232
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3 Background/Main Body of Report 3.1 In September 2025, HM Inspectors published a report and letter on Pathways to Success. The report was very complimentary about the leadership and the staff team in creating a positive atmosphere where young people feel safe, respected and included. The support letter set out a number of areas or strength and three, closely linked areas of improvement which were agreed with the school and Midlothian Council. This is also attached as Appendix B. 3.2 Education Scotland is responsible for inspecting education settings throughout Scotland. They do so using core quality indicators. QI 1.3 Leadership of Change QI 2.1 Safeguarding and Child Protection QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment QI 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion. QI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement. 3.3 Strengths The inspection team found the following strengths in the school: • The depute headteacher and staff have created a welcoming and nurturing environment for young people at Pathways to Success. The depute headteacher leads staff in establishing a positive atmosphere where young people feel safe, respected and included. • The service ensures clear lines of communication between staff, young people and their families. This enables families to be more involved in their child’s education and helps staff to address successfully any issues that young people are experiencing. • Staff have created a positive ethos across the service which supports all young people to feel safe and most to feel ready to learn. Staff have built strong relationships with learners and their parents and carers. These relationships contribute well to a culture which is caring and sensitive to the needs of all learners. • Interactions between young people and staff are trusting and respectful. Staff connect with young people well, which helps learners to establish productive routines. • Staff are skilled at identifying and meeting young people’s needs and helping them to improve their social skills. They support young people to have a more positive approach to education, which is improving their attendance and increasing their achievements. • The depute headteacher has worked very well with local authority colleagues to identify new premises and to support staff and young people to relocate successfully. • Staff link well with community partners to provide opportunities for young people to gain skills for life and engage in vocational learning opportunities. Page 54 of 232
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• Staff work very effectively with parents and families. Parents describe how they value the non-judgemental attitude of staff and the unconditional positive regard that staff demonstrate towards them. One of the parents articulated the very important role that the service has played in keeping their family unit together. They have stressed that staff intervention has helped keep their young person out of residential care. • Young people feel consulted, safe and respected. Staff involve young people very well in agreeing personal development targets and identifying the personal achievement activities in which they will participate. 3.4 Areas for Improvement There was significant discussion with the inspection team regarding the next steps identified for Pathways to Success. Although the inspection team acknowledged the very good service provided to the young people that would have otherwise ended up in residential care or secure accommodation, they agreed that the current inspection framework does not fully account for the individual service Pathways to Success provides. The Scottish Curriculum expects young people to engage in national entitlements such as RME and Modern Languages. To encourage attendance and engagement, the young people at Pathways all have an individualised planned curriculum, taking into account personal strengths and development. At times, this results in reduced access to National entitlements which has led to the recommended areas of improvement below. The main areas for improvement suggested by the inspectors in the letter are: • Senior leaders and staff should work with partners to find ways to increase the hours which young people can spend in the service across the week. This should support staff to help young people raise their attainment. • Staff should increase their monitoring of young people’s progress and attainment in all aspects of their learning programmes across their week. This will help staff support young people to build on their prior learning. • Staff within the service should consider the balance of the curriculum in the senior phase to make sure that there is sufficient time given to National Qualifications as well as wider achievement awards. Page 55 of 232
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3.5 Conclusion The inspectors concluded that the depute head teacher at Pathways to Success was in a good position to continue to make improvements and there is no plan for a return visit. Progress has already been made through working in partnership with one of our mainstream secondary schools to pilot the introduction of specialist teachers. Learners now have access to a specialist PE teacher and we continue to look for other curricular opportunities. The depute head teacher and Quality Improvement Officer that oversees Pathways to Success are now developing a future proposal to ensure a sustainable model that will continue to prevent Midlothian learners from being educated outwith. This will require investment in a suitable building and staffing as we move forward. Currently, they are based at Newbattle Abbey College, with further satellite bases, which has been extremely successful, but the longevity needs to be considered. 4 Report Implications (Resource, Digital and Risk) 4.1 Resource There will be resource implications in terms of staffing and building capacity as Midlothian continues to develop Pathways to Success. 4.2 Digital There are no direct digital implications as a result of the report, but this will need to be given consideration in future planning. 4.3 Risk Education Scotland’s team of Inspectors visit a sample of education settings every year to find out how they are performing. A report is published which informs parents about the key strengths of the setting and its capacity for further improvement. Following the publication of the report there will be no further visits made to the setting. Monitoring, review and evaluation of progress by central officers in the Education Team is the control measure in place to reduce the risk of failure of settings to demonstrate their capacity to improve. 4.4 Ensuring Equalities (if required a separate IIA must be completed) The School Improvement Plan will be screened for equalities implications. 4.5 Additional Report Implications (See Appendix A) See Appendix A Appendices Appendix A – Additional Report Implications Appendix B – Background information/Links Page 56 of 232
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APPENDIX A – Report Implications A.1 Key Priorities within the Single Midlothian Plan • Getting it right for every Midlothian child • Improving opportunities in Midlothian A.2 Key Drivers for Change Key drivers addressed in this report: Holistic Working Hub and Spoke Modern Sustainable Transformational Preventative Asset-based Continuous Improvement One size fits one None of the above A.3 Key Delivery Streams Key delivery streams addressed in this report: One Council Working with you, for you Preventative and Sustainable Efficient and Modern Innovative and Ambitious None of the above A.4 Delivering Best Value Noted within. A.5 Involving Communities and Other Stakeholders A link to the published report has been made available to Elected Members, parents of children currently attending Pathways to Success and other interested parties. A.6 Impact on Performance and Outcomes The setting will continue to improve its work in line with the school improvement plan and central officers in the Education Team will continue to challenge and support the setting in relation to developing and implementing a range of quality improvement strategies. A.7 Adopting a Preventative Approach The Education (Scotland) Bill aims to take preventative action in order to close the attainment versus deprivation gap by implementing key policies and programmes which are designed to target support to children and young people from disadvantaged communities. Midlothian is highly committed to closing the poverty related attainment gap and supporting children with Additional Support Needs. Page 57 of 232
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A.8 Supporting Sustainable Development The School Improvement Plan allows for sustainable development and improvement. Page 58 of 232
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APPENDIX B Pathways to Success | Inspection Report | Education Scotland Page 59 of 232
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Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.5 Inspection of Midlothian Residential Service for Young People Report by Rebecca Hooton, Chief Officer Children’s Services, Partnerships and Communities Report for Information 1 Recommendations Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee is requested to: (i) Note the content of the 22nd May 2025 inspection report, in particular the grade of 5 – Very good; (ii) Congratulate the staff, children young people on the strengths and achievements highlighted in the report. 2 Purpose of Report/Executive Summary The report outlines the outcome of the Care Inspectorate inspection of Midlothian Residential Service for Young People 21 July 2025 Report Contact: Lesley Watson Service Manager, Children’s Services Lesley.watson@midlothian.gov.uk Page 61 of 232
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3 Background/Main Body of Report 3.1 Midlothian Residential Services for Young People is a care home service run by Midlothian Council. It operates over two locations, one in Dalkeith catering for five children and young people which is a purpose built residential service on one level; the second house is in Gorebridge catering for four children and young people and is a traditional detached house over two floors. This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 14 and 15 May 2025. The inspection was carried out by one inspector from the Care Inspectorate. 3.2 The Care Inspectorate is responsible for inspecting residential care homes throughout Scotland. They do so using the quality indicator framework. Key question 1: How well do we support children and young people’s wellbeing? Key question 2: How good is our leadership? Key question 3: How good is our staff team? Key question 4: How good is our setting? Key question 5: How well is our care and support planned? Key question 6: What is our overall capacity for improvement? Key question 7: How well do we support children and young people’s rights and wellbeing? 3.3 Strengths The inspection focused on key question 7.1 Children and young people are safe, feel loved and get the most out of life. The service was evaluated as Very good – 5. The inspector found the following strengths in the service: • Children and young people experienced therapeutic trauma informed care. • Management had a clear vision and ethos for the service. • Children and young people had opportunities to express their views. • The service worked well with family members and external professionals. • Transitions from the service were well managed and planned at the young person's timeframe. 3.4 Areas for Improvement Whilst there were no formal recommendations made, areas for improvement suggested by the inspector were: • Continue to support meaningful transitions for young people and their families when moving on from the homes. • Address the maintenance of the property that is impacting on the quality of the environment • Ensure consistency of approach in how care planning is evaluated. • Ensure all staff are clear on processes of dispensing medication. • Ensure that any impact on the existing children and young people in placement is carefully considered when matching Page 62 of 232
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3.5 Conclusion The inspector congratulated the staff for the clear leadership and progress embedding trauma informed relationship-based practice. He noted the children are safe and well cared for by staff who know them and their needs, and this was evident due to the positive outcomes for children and young people living in the homes. 4 Report Implications (Resource, Digital and Risk) 4.1 Resource The staff team continue to focus on evaluating and supporting good outcomes for our children and young people. Resource issues relating to outstanding maintenance work has been raised with the Chief Officer of Children’s Service and Place – a plan is in progress to address the issues. 4.2 Digital There are no Digital implications. 4.3 Risk The service manages the risk to children and young people living there. Individual risk assessments are part of care planning. 4.4 Ensuring Equalities (if required a separate IIA must be completed) Individual care plans ensure a child or young person’s needs are met based on their circumstances. 4.4 Additional Report Implications (See Appendix A) See Appendix A Appendices Appendix A – Additional Report Implications Appendix B – Background information/Links Page 63 of 232
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APPENDIX A – Report Implications A.1 Key Priorities within the Single Midlothian Plan • Getting it right for every Midlothian child • Improving opportunities in Midlothian A.2 Key Drivers for Change Key drivers addressed in this report: Holistic Working Hub and Spoke Modern Sustainable Transformational Preventative Asset-based Continuous Improvement One size fits one None of the above A.3 Key Delivery Streams Key delivery streams addressed in this report: One Council Working with you, for you Preventative and Sustainable Efficient and Modern Innovative and Ambitious None of the above A.4 Delivering Best Value Noted within. A.5 Involving Communities and Other Stakeholders A link to the published report has been made available. A.6 Impact on Performance and Outcomes The Residential service provides quarterly reporting to the service manager and chief officer. Informal recommendations from inspection will be noted and tracked ion the service improvement plan. The inspection outcome has been reported to SWAG. A.7 Adopting a Preventative Approach Residential care is rarely a preventative action as it is a result of a child being unable to live with family or in foster care. However good planning and matching of children aims to prevent unnecessary disruption for the young people. In addition incident reporting and quarterly reporting allow the managers in service to highlight any presenting themes that should be addressed in a preventative manner. Page 64 of 232
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A.8 Supporting Sustainable Development The Service Plan allows for sustainable development and improvement. Page 65 of 232
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APPENDIX B https://www.careinspectorate.com/berengCareservices/html/reports/getPdfBlob.php ?id=323487 Page 66 of 232
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Q1 Education Performance Report 2025/2026 Improving Outcomes for Learners through an Empowered System Education Services encompasses Early Learning and Childcare (ELC), Primary Schooling, Secondary Schooling, Special Schooling, Additional Support Needs, Digital Learning, Education Psychology and Community, Lifelong Learning and Employability (CLLE). Vision and Context Children, Young People and Partnerships (CYPP) Directorate Vision The children, young people and partnerships directorate comprises of Education, CLLE and children’s Services. The directorate vision is for All children, young people, adults and communities in Midlothian are supported to be the best they can be. This will be achieved through a nurturing, respectful and collaborative approach that promotes wellbeing, equity, inclusion and lifelong learning. Education Priorities The Education Improvement Plan is informed by service evaluations and links to the outcomes determined by the Getting it Right for Every Midlothian Child Board. The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000, as amended 2016, placed new duties on education authorities, and the Education Service Plan includes identified areas for improvement specific to Education to fulfil these duties. As a result, the Education Service Improvement Plan not only reflects the key priorities in the Midlothian Single Plan but also aligns closely with the key priorities in Education. Q1 covers the final term of the academic session in 2024/25, education services and schools were focused on raising attainment through four key areas - Learning, teaching, assessment & curriculum; Attendance & engagement; Relationships, wellbeing & care and Inclusion, equity & targeted supports and risks. The plethora of achievements for 2024/25 are summarised in the annual Standards & quality report which was approved at Council on 9 September 2025. Links to the report can be found here: Education Service Improvement Plan Summary & Education Service Improvement Plan 2025/26 In June, Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels (ACEL) for P1, P4, P7 and S3 were submitted by schools. These will be published by Scottish Government in December. Further details about ACEL and senior phase attainment will be reported to Council in December as part of the annual attainment report. However, Midlothian did see an overall improvement in ACEL attainment in 24/25 and achieved the stretch aims set by Scottish Government. Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.6 Page 67 of 232
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Throughout 2025/26 education services, schools and settings are focused on a single priority: For academic session 2025/26 the priority remains raising attainment and achievement. Work will be focused around: • Inclusive Learning, teaching, assessment & curriculum (iLTAC) • Wellbeing, Support and Partnerships (WSPs) We have the following outcome measures and targets that we are working towards: Last Published Data June 2025 Results June 2026 June 2027 June 2028 ACEL P1, P4, P7 Combined Literacy 71.80% 76.40% 77.00% 77.50% 77.50% ACEL P1, P4, P7 Combined Numeracy 76.82% 80.06% 81.00% 82.00% 82.00% S3 Literacy 3rd level or better 85.45% 88.29% 90.00% 91.00% 91.00% S3 Numeracy 3rd level or better 91.59% 93.55% 94.00% 95.00% 95.00% % Initial Destination in Higher Education 31.90% 38.00% 40.00% 42.00% 45.00% Attendance Rate Primary 92.47% 93.95% 94.00% 95.50% 95.50% Attendance Rate Secondary 87.05% 88.01% 90.50% 92.00% 92.00% Participation Measure 3 years post initial destination rate % 94.0% 94.0% 94.5% 95% 95% Exclusion Rate per 1,000 Primary 4.24 8.11 1.50 1.00 1.00 Exclusion Rate per 1,000 Secondary 28.98 38.5 17.50 15.00 15.00 % of schools & ELCs with validated Good or better QI 1.1 77% 77% 84% 88% 90% % of schools & ELCs with validated Good or better QI 1.3 72% 77% 84% 88% 90% % of schools & ELCs with validated Good or better QI 2.3 77% 67% 77% 84% 90% % of schools & ELCs with validated Good or better QI 3.1 74% 65% 79% 85% 90% % of schools & ELCs with validated Good or better QI 3.2 56% 51% 69% 79% 90% Workstream 1: Inclusive Learning, Teaching, Assessment & Curriculum (iLTAC) Aligned to the Service Plan, priorities for 2025/26, key actions are: • All learners receive their entitlement to high-quality universal provision (staged intervention levels 1 & 2) which promotes engagement and improved outcomes. • An effective assistive technology offer tackles digital inequity and reduces barriers to accessing learning. Page 68 of 232
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• A skilled and confident workforce promotes leadership at all levels to deliver excellent learning, teaching & assessment for all learners, making best use of digital technology and in line with professional standards. • All ELCs, schools and ASGs produce an agreed 3-18 curriculum rationale that engages all learners in appropriate pathways that prepare them for learning, life and work. Key achievements this quarter: Midlothian schools and ELC settings offer a relevant, progressive and motivating strengths-based 3-18 curriculum, that enables all learners, including those with ASN, to move on to highly skilled, sustained positive destinations. Professional Learning and Guidance • There is a comprehensive professional learning offer available to all staff that includes, for example, “Let’s Talk About…” sessions focussed on improving inclusive learning, teaching and assessment. Almost all schools are engaging with the extensive professional learning offer. • Our Professional Learning website (Google site available to Midlothian Google account holders only) has been redesigned and relaunched to make it easier to access training by specific job role as well as by topic. A major focus is further development of leadership in our schools. • Almost all schools have engaged with Inclusive Learning, Teaching & Assessment self-evaluation resources and identified next steps for improvement. • Most schools shared training material on the inservice day with a focus on our newly launched Inclusive LTA Framework, which will strengthen universal approaches to inclusive learning, teaching & assessment across our schools. Remaining schools will carry out this training prior by the October break. • Teachers have access to Midlothian Literacy & Numeracy Frameworks that support the improvement of learning, teaching, assessment and raising attainment. A comprehensive learning plan is in place for the Literacy and Numeracy Champions who represent every school in Midlothian. • A deep dive into QI 3.1 Ensuring Wellbeing, Equity & Inclusion will take place across the Midlothian school system in Autumn 2025. The findings from these quality improvement visits will further inform how we support and challenge schools. • The raising attainment team continues to work alongside teachers and school leaders to improve inclusive learning, teaching and assessment in our Improvement category schools. The team’s work was highlighted positively in recent school inspections. • A Play Pedagogy network has been set and all schools involved have audit materials to support development of play pedagogy in their school. • Dyslexia guidance shared with a Professional Learning offer to support school staff being rolled out. Developing a Digitally Skilled Workforce • As of 30 August, 350 teachers are now engaging in a generative AI tool in education pilot, negotiated through the Equipped for Learning project. This is an increase of 79 teachers since June 2025. • Six secondary schools are engaging with an AI research product to explore how this technology can reduce workload for leadership teams and streamline school improvement work. • In August 2025, 107 staff engaged with annual digital safeguarding training, representing 100% of Midlothian’s schools. Page 69 of 232
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• Consultation with ASN teams and multiagency partners in September 2025 resulted in agreement that provision classes will be allocated five shared devices to best support communication work for young people. • Onboarding meetings were held in September 2025 with four Midlothian schools engaging with a research project to understand the impact of digital tools on learning, teaching and assessment. • 1,018 Primary 3 pupils have undertaken a three-week package of in-class digital support, designed to support them to use Chromebooks safely and with purpose. Strengthen Leadership of inclusive LTAC • Working with our national partner Education Scotland, secondary middle leaders have been offered “Self-evaluation for Continuous improvement” professional learning and ongoing support. All secondary schools have participated. • The secondary middle leaders’ network will focus on what very good Learning Teaching & Assessment looks like and on how to quality assure from the middle in a secondary school. • The primary middle leaders’ network will continue to focus on school improvement from the middle. Moderation • Almost all school professional learning calendars have time set aside for school and cross sector Broad General Education Moderation processes for Literacy and Numeracy. This ensures accurate teacher judgement of curriculum levels achieved by learners. MACO Expansion • Pilot 3-18 curriculum pathway projects within ASGs are underway (e.g. Construction & Engineering Pathway, Creative Industries Pathway) for all learners. • Pilot ASG BGE projects are established and progress being reviewed with ASG leads, including introduction to industry partners to support co-creation of curriculum pathways. • Work is continuing with NHS Education and NHS Lothian colleagues around NHS careers pathway. • Lead Teachers are in place and have reviewed and intervened where necessary to ensure appropriate coursing and completion of weekly reviews of trackers. Curriculum Pathways • Key staff have been identified and are attending national groups to support implementation of national refreshed literacy and numeracy guidance 3-18. Quality Improvement • The Quality Improvement Framework has been updated in consultation with school leaders and trade unions. There is proportionate support and challenge provided for schools, depending on which improvement category they have been placed in (Core, Enhanced or Improvement) When schools require more support or challenge, this is provided by the Quality Improvement Team. • QI3.1 (Ensuring Wellbeing, Equity and Inclusion) visits started in September for all Enhanced and Improvement schools. Core school Headteachers will use our QI 3.1 self-evaluation materials to carry out quality assurance of this QI. These visits will measure the quality of this QI in our schools. The findings of these visits will inform our next steps in support and challenge for schools. • Middle leaders’ quality improvement and quality assurance approaches are this year’s focus for our leadership networks and professional learning. Page 70 of 232
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• Midlothian Council and three of our national partners (Scottish Borders Council, Highland Council/ Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd and Stirling Council) form one of the new National Improvement Framework “Quads”. The Quads support and challenge each other to improve. Midlohitan key staff have already visited Stirling Council and attended Quad meetings to share learning, agree an action plan and areas for collaborative improvement activity. This work continues throughout 2025- 2026. Workstream 2: Wellbeing, Support and Partnerships (WSPs) Aligned to the Service Plan, priorities for 2025/26, key actions are: • Culture, relationships and systems ensure that children, young people and staff feel valued and supported to succeed. • Collaboration, partnerships and shared learning at ASG level leads to an improved in learner outcomes through a data-informed allocation of resources. • A skilled and confident workforce promotes leadership at all levels to deliver excellent learning, teaching & assessment for all learners, making best use of digital technology and in line with professional standards. Key achievements this quarter: Pupil voice/Rights, UNCRC • Pupil Leadership Conferences took place for primary and secondary learners in September to launch the new pupil voice structure with plans set out for engagement across the year. • Parent Council Chairs meetings have been relaunched in September using a new format suggested by the Chairs. There are meetings scheduled across the year to listen to the views of parent councils. Strengthen rights-based relational approach • The new Relationships for Learning policy launched across Midlothian settings in August 2025. A self-delivery in-service has enabled all schools to highlight the key principles and practices set out in the policy in a consistent way. New resources have arrived in all schools and ELCs to support relational practice. Almost all schools participated in Relationships for Learning Community of Practice along with partners, to support implementation of the policy, and build skills and capacity in more targeted relational practice. Feedback on the usefulness of the Community of Practice has been 100% positive. • Midlothian guidance has been drafted based on the national guidance with engagement with school staff and Trade Union representatives. Work is ongoing to finalise the guidance and identify the professional learning and support to support implementation. Staff support and wellbeing • Practice guidance is in draft for post incident support with plans to review and further develop with school leads. Page 71 of 232
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• Initial plans are in place to design a collaborative enquiry into the use of reflective spaces and supervision structures in schools. Delivery with Partners • Engagement with EEG and Headteachers is underway to consider how increased participation of school leaders and senior officers can make local decisions about service improvement and lead change. • A multi-agency GIRFEC Steering Group has been established with representation from schools and partner agencies to refresh and promote the values, principles and practice of GIRFEC across all our services. • Initial design for pilot project complete. Granicus request for support process is now established. The pilot will run in the Newbattle Associated School Group from October to March. Attendance • Data sets for tracking and monitoring of attendance feed into SLT meetings on a monthly basis to inform QI activity. 8 schools took part in the initial workshop to set up Pareto methodology to drive more targeted approaches to improving attendance. • Mentoring for Engagement in Education Test of Change project design completed, target groups and staff identified. Initial workshops to take place in September with mentoring to begin in October. ND pathway • Strengthened professional learning for schools through launch of My Predictable Day and plans for use of SCERTS as framework for assessment and intervention. • Design of website in process for families with information relating to ND assessment and supports. Challenges School buildings and capacity: The Midlothian 0-18 yrs population continues to grow with capacity limits close to breaching in a number of our schools. Delays to extensions and new builds are impacting on our commitment to children attending their catchment school. School condition and maintenance continues to dominate engagement with Parent Councils. Staff absence: In 2024/25 20,612 days were lost to staff absence. This had a negative impact on learners, staff covering and financially. Strengthened procedures have been put in place for 25/26 but this remains an ongoing risk to service delivery. Subject specialists: Secondary schools continue to experience shortages in key subjects such as Maths, technologies and Business. Some schools are having to reduce subject time to address the issue. This will impact on attainment in numeracy and maths. Digital Delivery: Phase 1 of the Midlothian Aligned Curriculum Offer (MACO)saw the introduction of an aligned school day, strengthened school college partnership and new pathways such as foundation apprenticeships. Phase 2 of MACO was the roll out of digital learning for senior phase students. Trade Unions are in dispute with the Council and implementation has been paused. This is impacting negatively Page 72 of 232
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on learners wanting to study courses not on offer in their school and a lack of transport is preventing travel to other schools. Page 73 of 232
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Communities, Lifelong Learning and Employability (CLD) (including Beeslack High School community activities and Midlothian Instrumental Music Service) CLD builds skills for learning, life and work. In Q1 1,995 people engaged with CLLE services across 251 opportunities. 221 home visits were carried out to help young people engage with our services and support those not in a positive destination. 159 people accessing our services live in SIMD 20% and 850 in SIMD 40%. In addition, 24 community groups have received support and advice from CLLE about governance and funding. Securing qualifications is key to our support of young people and adults to make changes and progress and we supported local people to secure 479 qualifications. Employability Highlights • We have seen a rise in Dads joining the CLLE Parental Employability Service this quarter with 40% of new registrations being males. Factors like economic shifts, changing family structures, and the rise of financial pressures are contributing to this trend. The job market is constantly changing, with some industries shrinking and others growing, so we are supporting them to reskill and/or upskill to adapt to new opportunities. • New 5-day intensive pilot course has enabled seven Midlothian delegates to participate in the City & Guilds Level 2 Award in Communications Cabling. Four participants successfully completed the course with the assessor reporting that they demonstrated excellent attendance and a strong willingness to learn new skills, despite finding the course challenging. NOLB keyworkers are now supporting candidates with CV updates and qualification alignments within the following sectors: Telecoms FTTP Build, Mobile Telecoms, Data Centres, Net Zero Projects (e.g., Wind, EV, and Solar), Rail, Cat 5 & Cat 6 Technicians and Fibre Installation Engineers. NOLB All Age Employability Service for those who are not parents, including young people In Q1 the NOLB All Age Employability team have continued to provide support to 224 people, with 50 new starts this quarter. From this: • 8 have moved onto employment, self-employment, or a modern apprenticeship. • 10 have achieved a work related/accredited qualification. • 3 stage 2 participants have started volunteering. Impact quote from a few of our young people: “Thanks for all your help through this” “I appreciate you going over interview preparation with me it really helped and put me at ease when answering questions” ‘I can’t believe I am taking the next step in my dream job and getting into my first-choice course at college, I can’t thank you enough’ Page 74 of 232
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Key activities for All Age NOLB Employability from January to March 2025 have been: • We continue to work in close partnership with DWP, education providers, and third sector organisations. Referrals are evenly split between our own service and funded partner agencies, allowing us to enhance and complement existing provision through dedicated 1:1 keyworker support. We had 10 referrals from DWP into CLLE. • During Q1 the CLLE team were invited to RUTS to raise their awareness of the NOLB offer to participants and the referral process. These sessions were very positive overall as we also provided a tour of the newly refurbished premises so we could see the workshop and training facilities the participants use as a learning environment. • Meetings were also held with Jobcentre Plus in Dalkeith and Penicuik to present an overview of the NOLB offer to work coaches. Employer engagement has taken place with Cruden Homes, who are willing to support NOLB participants as part of their CSR offer. Others include Trek, Wheatley Group, FUSE, Keir Construction, Whitbread Group, all of whom cover the types of sectors the NOLB participants are interested in. Parental Employability Support funded through NOLB Scottish Government The team has continued to support 224 existing parents on our caseloads and a further 45 new parents started in quarter 1. From this: • 17 parents have entered employment, self-employment or progressed in employment. • 24 parents have achieved a total of 51 work related/ accredited qualifications ranging from ranging from REHIS, First Aid, Communication Cabling, CSCS, LGV, IT, Mental Health, Beauty related and SIA door supervisor. • A further 8 parents have moved into volunteering opportunities. Interventions that have been delivered this quarter include a focus on improving digital skills. This is crucial for employment as it boosts job prospects, adaptability, and the earning potential in a technology-driven world. The Parental Employability Support team offer two different levels of IT courses to parents (PC Passport programme and ICT for Dads). One parent has successfully achieved her SQA level 4 qualifications and has secured a LTU paid placement in an administrative role with Midlothian Council to gain some valuable experience within the field. We received some feedback from NOLB parents asking for more in-depth skills around welding and metalwork they could use to enhance career prospects. As a result, the Parental Employability Team is commissioning a new hands-on Metalworking Course through the months of June and July for adults within our Midlothian workshops. Guided by experienced fabricators, the parents will gain confidence using a wide range of industry- standard power tools and machinery, from MIG to arc welding. They will explore core metalworking techniques used across engineering, fabrication, and creative industries while developing transferable skills in precision measurement, working from drawings, mechanical joining, sheet metal work, all while producing items that reflects their development and gives them a recognised National 3 qualification. Eight parents are currently participating in the programme. Page 75 of 232
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CLLE Parental Employability Support (PES) keyworkers continued to offer pre-employment holistic 1:1 support covering financial advice, income maximisation, careers guidance, affordable childcare, digital skills, ESOL support, developing employability skills, access to qualifications, volunteering and opportunities to ensure good mental health and wellbeing. We continued to offer a blended approach of support through online, telephone and face to face meetings, to ensure that individuals remain at the centre of our planning and our staff are focused on establishing relationships, improving wellbeing and planning support and employability interventions around our client’s individual needs. PES hosted a Celebration of Learning event in June at Dalkeith Arts Centre to recognise and showcase parents' achievements, highlight their progress and hard work, boost their confidence, foster a positive learning environment, and promote a growth mindset. It allowed parents to reflect on their learning journey and share their accomplishments with others, while encouraging continued engagement in learning. A lived experience guest speaker presented her own personal NOLB journey to everyone and we displayed a variety of videos, photographs and good new stories on the day. All NOLB families were invited to come along, with 29 parents and family members in attendance with some more giving their apologies but sharing quotes on their journey. It was a very enjoyable day for all! Parental Employability Support Impact Statements “Thanks for all your support and managing me to do my CSCS course, support with my CV and employer contacts. I am happy pass the in the exam and now got a full-time job as Trainee Scaffolder with J&I Scaffolding” “It’s truly been a pleasure working with you. Thank you for all your support and kind wishes, I’m really excited about the next chapter with the soap business, and your encouragement meant a lot”. “It helped me gain new qualifications and skills looking for employment in Scotland. I have now secured the necessary qualifications with the support of the Parental Employability Support team, and I am very pleased with all your services and supports you provided for me. I have two jobs I can wrap around my family” “Hi, I am very happy with all the services and support you provided, especially with writing my CV and the CTTS course. It helped me gain new qualifications and skills. I have now secured the necessary qualifications with the support of the Parental Employability Support team and found a good job. I can now earn my own income and live happily with my family. Thank you, PES team!” Page 76 of 232
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CLLE - Loanhead Vocational Learning Centre (LVLC) CLLE Level 4/5 Foundation Apprenticeships The L4/5 Foundation Apprenticeships in automotive, hospitality and construction were completed across the months of April and May. 86 Level 4/5 foundation Apprenticeship Group Awards were achieved. Foundation Apprenticeship Level Completed Pathway following course completion School College Apprenticeship Job Unknown Construction 4 30 18 9 2 - 1 5 25 8 7 6 3 1 Automotive 4 16 8 4 3 - 1 Hospitality 4 9 3 5 - - 1 5 6 2 4 - - - Following the completion of the L4/5 Foundation Apprenticeships a four-week course on an ‘Intro to Construction’ was delivered throughout June to groups from the No One Left Behind service, Croft Street Hub and 12UP. The learners developed skills in health and safety, brick-walling, painting and decorating, joinery and working with small hand tools. Bicycle Workshop The workshop delivered a full weekly timetable of learning on bicycle safety, maintenance and riding to a range of learners including those with complex needs, targeted high school groups, alternative education provisions and the Young Carers service. From April to June a group of five young males from Penicuik High School and a learner from the 12UP service achieved a Level 3 SQA Cycle Maintenance qualification. One young person from Croft Street Hub completed their Level 4 SQA Mountain Biking qualification and five young carers were taught how to ride a bike. The bike tent delivered a free to access bicycle repair service to 6 Midlothian primary schools where they fixed and offered bicycle care advice to 75 young people and their families. The Recycle 2 Reuse service reclaimed, repaired and donated 4 bikes to members of the young carers service with 7 provided to the SEND provision at Hawthorn. Youth Work Q1 996 young people accessed CLLE services over 119 different opportunities, 50 from SIMD 20% and 346 from 40% SIMD. 221 received one to one youth work support/positive destinations support. Respect Me, the National Organisation for Anti Bullying, is supporting Midlothian Youth Platform and CLLE to take the bullying poem produced jointly by the young people and Matthew Kelly from Waste Services to be released and promoted nationally. The young people based this on their survey work in which over 800 young people gave their views. One young person supported by CLLE has secured and opened their youth led safe space in the centre of Dalkeith. A variety of support services and activities will be offered from this space. Page 77 of 232
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April to June 2025 has been an incredibly busy time for CLLE staff leading outdoor adventures including Duke of Edinburgh Bronze, Silver and Gold. The young people taking part were amazing in overcoming their own personal challenges and showed fantastic grit and determination to conquer the weather, heights and wildlife small beasties. This quarter 75 Bronze, 16 Silver and 18 Gold have completed their award. Midlothian also has a confirmed visit from Kirsty McNeill MP in September. Midlothian Council - CLLE (Communities, Lifelong Learning and Employability) (padlet.com) We ensure our partners and staff can see the offer across Midlothian for youth work, employability, and adult learning to help cross referrals etc. Adult and Family Learning – The adult learning programme is available on Eventbrite - Discover CLLE Events & Activities in Midlothian, United Kingdom | Eventbrite In Q1 78 adult learning opportunities were offered across community based and paid for adult learning programmes. 109 local people enrolled in the paid for adult learning programme which is offering a variety of courses. Overall, 161 adults from 40% SIMD have taken part in adult learning programmes. • 52 qualifications have been secured by CLLE adult learning participants. • 12 qualifications secured through UKSP funding this quarter including Emergency First Aid at work and REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene. • Family Learning – 14 families attended a Family Easter programme delivered in the Woodburn Hub Dalkeith, 16 families attended a 3-week health and wellbeing programme on a Friday afternoon in partnership with Active Schools delivered in Lasswade and Penicuik Leisure centres, 5 families attended the Family Cooking Project located in the Woodburn Hub. • Developing our adult learning pathway in Gaelic, CLLE offered a Beginner and Intermediate courses with 14 learners attending in total. • 10-week Online Influences on Mental Health course with 15 adult learners attending. The Family Cooking project was featured in Midlothian Council’s E-Magazine as an example of how CLLE are linking to Midlothian Council’s strategy commitments to reducing poverty through a shared approach to food. Another example of this is the new Air Fryer project delivered this quarter which enables adult learners to explore easy, healthy, affordable recipes with an air fryer and who want to discover new ways to prepare affordable nutritious meals. A new Family History course was introduced in Newtongrange which helps adult learners improve their ability to research their ancestor's lives online and add substance to their family tree. Adult Learning Impact Statement: Online Influences on Mental Health “The training content was of an exceptionally high standard addressing all the key topics I anticipated, as well as introducing several valuable areas I hadn’t expected. It effectively supported me in achieving my learning objectives for the sessions. Our CLLE worker demonstrated a deep expertise in the subject matter and delivered the material with clarity and confidence. Their style was engaging and inclusive, particularly when they introduced small group activities something I hadn’t experienced before but found highly beneficial for deeper learning and collaboration. The overall structure and pacing of the course were spot on, allowing ample time for discussion, reflection, and practical application. CLLE worker ensured all necessary content was covered comprehensively, and I found the entire experience both inspiring and enjoyable.” Page 78 of 232
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Family Learning Impact Statements: Family Cooking Group, Woodburn Hub “We love the family cooking class because can have some quality cooking and baking time with my wee boys with other families in Woodburn, with ingredients and tools prepared every week. Every session we have different recipes; this gave some inspiration and ideas to us on what can cook or bake at home for our family. Friendly and happy atmosphere in the cooking group make us more understanding the local community and different food culture between different families. Thank you for your time and effort for organising these classes for us!” “The Family Cooking Group we thoroughly enjoyed. It gave me the chance to spend some one-to-one time with my eldest child and him the chance to spend time with his friend who also attended. The recipes are wide ranging and fun to try and gave us the confidence to attempt at home, more so my son, who I could trust to try some with minimal supervision. It was nice to meet with other families over the terms and of course chat & learn more about the work you do & courses you offer.” Community Capacity Building/Community Development and Reducing Poverty • At Penicuik Town Hall CLLE staff worked with users, staff, internal and external partners to develop and carry out a RIBA Stage 1 Feasibility study on future renovation of the building including improving accessibility requirements and modernising the facilities in this listed building. Funding was provided by UKSPF. Users attended a feedback session with consultants, and an expression of Interest has been made to a major funder. • Training for Community Councils has commenced based on the revised Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils in Midlothian (2025). Topics have included Data Protection, Privacy Notices and ICO registration and several Community Councils have now registered with ICO, strengthening their Data Protection processes. • 3 Community Councils have been supported to commence the process of modifying their boundaries to support improved engagement with the local community. • CLLE team members have supported groups who have received Midlothian Council Large Grant funding, carrying out monitoring and evaluation work on the positive impact and outcomes for local people and groups, that funding has supported. • CLLE staff supported the Midlothian Pantry Network to hold a celebration for member pantry volunteers as part of Volunteers’ Week in June. The event recognised all the hours that volunteers give to provide Midlothian residents with food in a dignified setting. • CLLE have worked with other divisions to support the submission of a Stage 1 funding bid to the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund for a replacement Woodburn Community Hub. • CLLE staff supported the researchers from the Child Poverty Accelerator Funded Lived Experience project to present their summary report at the Arts Centre on the 28th of April 2025. CLLE then went on to support the delivery of an 8 week Understanding Poverty course using resources from the University of York. • CLLE staff recruited a part time Centre Coordinator funded by UKSPF to support the running of the Woodburn Community Hub. Page 79 of 232
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Community Capacity Impact Statement – community researchers “Working on this project has been truly transformative. It has opened me up to opportunities within my community that I could never have experienced otherwise, and I am now committed like never before to being the change I wish to see around me”. External Funding Update • £133,500 has been secured by the CYP division led by CLLE to secure Armed Forces Covenant Funding to implement the new bespoke supports provided through a new project called MIPSA to the children of serving military personnel. Challenges: • We are still working to minimise the impact of increased income targets, reduced access to external funding and budget reductions to meet our statutory duties of providing adequate and efficient provision of CLD services. However, even with the mitigation actions it is likely to result in a reduction in the CLLE offer in terms of the number of youth, adult, and community opportunities available in 2025/26. • Parents who are in work are more frequently seeking support from CLLE PESF staff to sustain employment due to barriers and family challenges. Keyworkers continue to offer guidance and advice to address these barriers. Advice includes flexible working arrangements including hybrid working to accommodate school drop-offs, pick-ups and caregiving. Page 80 of 232
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Quarter 1 Education Dashboard Quarterly Reporting PIs – Off Target BS.E.P.1.1d Improve Primary School Attendance BS.E.P.1.1e Improve Secondary School Attendance ED.SPSO.05.01 Percentage of complaints at stage 1 complete within 5 working days n/a Percentage of complaints escalated and complete within 20 working days 4 Quarterly Reporting Education – On Target 4 Quarterly Reporting Education – Off Target 9 Education service Indicators Data Only 4 Indicators that have no Data Available 17 Quarterly Education Service All Risks 3 Quarterly Education Service High Risks Page 81 of 232
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Children's Services, Partnership and Communities Performance Report Q1 25/26 “All children, young people, adults, and families in Midlothian are supported to be the best they can be. This is achieved through a nurturing, respectful and collaborative approach that promotes wellbeing, equity, and inclusion. Community Priorities The Community Planning Partnership (CPP) draw together public, voluntary and private sector bodies, and local communities to deliver a shared plan to improve the lives of local people based on evidence. In Midlothian, the plan is called the Single Midlothian Plan (SMP). This is a shared partnership plan of how we will meet the needs of our local communities and brings together all the priorities for Midlothian into one place. Our top 3 shared outcomes for the next five years are: • Individuals and communities have improved health and learning outcomes, • No child or household need live in poverty • Significant progress is made towards net zero carbon emissions by 2045. In Midlothian, the Getting It Right for Every Child Board (GIRFEC) is one of the subgroups of the SMP, and one of the main drivers for the effective delivery of services to children. The GIRFEC Plan also known as the Integrated Children’s Service Plan 2023-2026, is a statutory three-year plan devised by the local authority and health. The plan develops key outcomes and priority actions which are designed to improve the lives of children, young people, and families. The plan has 12 shared priority themes, outcomes and actions which sit within 4 subgroups: 1. Children & Young People’s Rights 2. Children & Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing 3. Whole Family Wellbeing 4. Information Sharing and Commissioning The GIRFEC Board is now progressing with a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and has 3 facilitated sessions planned to devise the new Integrated Children’s Services Plan. Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.7 Page 83 of 232
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Progress and Achievements The Promise Midlothian continues to progress towards the key foundations of The Promise Scotland Plan 2024-2030. In June 2025 we presented a Promise Update report to Council to highlight the work to date and the ongoing work. The priorities for new Children’s Services Plan are connected to the 5 Foundations of the Promise and improving the system we work in. In June we were pleased to welcome Natalie Don- Innes, Minister for Children and Young people and colleagues from Scottish Government to share in how we are keeping the Promise. A group of young people spoke eloquently about the impact of the support they received from the National house Project. Page 84 of 232
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Corporate Parenting On Friday the 20th of June we held an event to re-launch and promote Corporate Parenting in Midlothian. The event was a great opportunity for our care community to come together, have fun and learn about what activities are on during summer and beyond. Children and young people and their families were able to enjoy a range of activities including football, art, messy play, smoothie bike and face painting. The event was hosted by our Sport and Leisure service, and a range of corporate parents were present from across the council including external partners such as Skills Development Scotland, Y2K, MYPAS, Artlink, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRC), and Who Cares? Scotland. We have reached out to our partner organisations and asked them to host events throughout the year to share how they uphold these duties for our entire Midlothian care community, we are delighted to announce that NHS Lothian will be our next hosts in November. Referrals: Number of referrals by Quarter 23/24 24/25 25/26 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 2,353 2,067 1,436 1,324 1,170 932 970 1,046 947 During Q1, referrals to Children’s Services have seen a slight decrease compared to the previous quarter. This trend aligns with our ongoing efforts to provide support to families at an earlier stage and redirect referrals for families toward earlier intervention and support services via Team Around the Child and the Family Wellbeing Service. Family Wellbeing Service The Family Wellbeing Service is now well established and continues to work alongside families, schools, health and third sector partners to support children and their families to improve low school attendance, and other wellbeing concerns. The Service continues to work with approximately 150 children at any given time. Referrals in Q1 months May and June were reduced but this can be balanced with the increased rate of referrals that were accepted by the service in April 2025. Family Wellbeing Service Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25 Apr-25 May-25 Jun-25 No. Referrals 25 29 20 34 16 12 % School age children (total allocated) 95.2% 84.4% 74.0% 87.3% 63.8% 92.8% % School attendance a concern 66.6% 40.0% 44.0% 57.7% 44.4% 71.4% School age children continue to make up the highest percentages of who the team are supporting, and school attendance remains a predominant reason for referral. The following excerpts are from feedback the Family Wellbeing Service has received from children, families, and other professionals: Text message from Parent: “Thanks N. Despite being ill I already feel like you’ve lifted so much from me. I'm so glad Wednesday has been organised even though nothings actually happened, yet I already feel like a huge weight has been lifted I really do appreciate it.” Page 85 of 232
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Feedback from Guidance Teacher: “Input from the FWS has made a huge difference for C. She has gone from less than 20% (school attendance) in Dec/Jan to over 80%.” Feedback from a Parent: “C has had the best birthday ever. Last year I (Mum) wasn’t there for her, but things are different and I’m focussing on my kids now. The holiday (provided by the FWS) was amazing. The kids had so much fun, they went swimming and did loads of activities. I’m feeling really positive now and want to do more stuff with them in the summer.” Income Maximisation As part of our effort to reduce child poverty Children’s Services fund three income maximisation projects. These projects support families engaged with our services including Hawthorn Family Learning centre, the Family Wellbeing Service and those involved in child protection processes. The three projects continue to support families to access their entitled benefits, grants and reduce debts. Over Q1 the projects collectively generated £126,468.09 income for 44 families. Disability Service and Self-Directed Support A discrete disability team is now in place for children’s services. The Team Leader started in April and is supporting our focus upon improving practice and consistency continues, to ensure families are receiving a fair and equitable response to assessed social work needs. In line with most of Scotland, we are seeing huge numbers of families affected by neurodiversity. Work has focused upon those most in need, while we skill up and develop knowledge within the team. The team are currently supporting 251 children or young people with a package of care. This can vary from residential respite to allow children with a high level of need to remain living with their family, to supporting children to attend appropriate social activities and thrive in their communities. The development of this team supports the Business Transformation Project focused on improving transitions across Education, Children’s Services and Adult Services. The introduction of the team will support better tracking of our young people who will need support as they move into adulthood. Over the next 3 year we have identified over 200 young people will need varying level of post school support due to additional needs. A website is due to be launched providing information for families and partners. The Transitions Policy is in final draft. We are also working with our information management system in the final stage of creating clear data around this cohort. Challenges and risks Growing need: The data evidence that although the referrals are reduced by changes in process and early support, there remains a high level of need and increased complexity for the children and families we are supporting. It is evident that despite the increased support to keep children at home there is a slow increase in both Child protection registrations and the number of looked after and accommodated children. Page 86 of 232
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Children Protection Registrations 23/24 24/25 25/26 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Number of Children on the Child Protection Register 71 49 35 40 59 54 47 35 41 Rate per 1,000 of Midlothian Children on the Child Protection Register (0-15) . 3.8 2.7 1.9 2.2 3.5 2.6 2.1 1.8 2.2 *Rate per 1,000 population of children on the Child Protection Register (0-15) - Scottish average is 2.3. Looked After Children 23/24 24/25 25/26 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Number of Looked After and Accommodated Children 193 196 211 224 206 214 219 204 204 Rate per 1,000 Looked After and Accommodated Children (0-17) 8.9 9.0 9.7 10.3 9.5 9.9 10.1 9.4 9.4 *Rate per 1,000 Looked After and Accommodated Children (0-17) - Scotland Average is 11.7 as of 31st July 2024. This pattern is continued into Q2. Some of this can be seen as a context of the growing population but is also an impact of the changing needs in the community. It is significant to note that in most cases children are remaining with family and being placed in Kinship care, continuing our commitment to the Promise. However, we are also impacted by the lack of suitable resources in local foster care and local residential care. A focus on foster care recruitment is positive and has resulted in new carers in Midlothian, but this is not meeting the increased demand. The population of children needing residential care is changing profile with increased need for young children and those with complex additional needs. This increased need and changing population is leading to an increased reliance on external residential placements which in general are more expensive and have fewer positive outcomes for our young people. Significant planning is underway to consider how we invest in building local capacity and resources. Workforce: As noted in previous quarterly reports, there is a national shortage of experienced and skilled staff across the sector. This has resulted in us having to rely on locum workers who are both expensive but also do not offer continuity to service users. The refreshed Children’s Service plan is focused on building the skill and support for our staff team to maximise recruitment, retention, and the capacity to provide high-quality, long-term relationships with our children and families. Page 87 of 232
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Priority 1: Ensure Early Intervention and Interactions with Universal Services Aims: • Reduce re -referrals by providing suitable early support and assessment. • Strengthen multi agency relationships to improve access to early intervention and support. • Increased provision of family learning and preventative family support. Key achievements this quarter: • Began stakeholder engagement to understand how first contacts are experienced by families and partners. • Began training and development with Duty to ensure initial interactions with families are trauma informed, rights based and focused on support not assessment/investigation. • Started work to refresh GIRFEC framework and training to include focus on the Promise. • Started work to develop single child’s plan across partnership. • Finalised the Family Learning review to highlight gaps in support available. FWS/HFLC to work on collaborative initiative to expand resources. Priority 2: Improve Outcome Focussed Assessment and Intervention • Assessments are holistic, rights based, trauma informed and clearly articulate the voice of children and family members. • Plans are SMART and outcomes focused. • Resource processes are focused on ensuring good outcomes for children and young people. Key achievements this quarter: • Audit of assessment and plans. • New audit tool created to ensure regular quality assurance focuses on the priority areas. • New practice standards in progress • New practice of reflective resources discussion in pilot and guidance in draft • Planning begun for full staff development days. Priority 3: Strengthen the voice of children, young people and families in practice and service improvements. • A child, young person and families’ views are evident in every assessment and plan, and core to decision making. • Consistently gather feedback from children, families and partners demonstrate our response to this. • Service developments or projects will include engagement with children, young people, and families. Page 88 of 232
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Key achievements this quarter: • Audits competed with focus on voice. • Piloting new ways to promote participation of children and young people in their statutory meetings. • QR code developed to allow consistent feedback, currently with communication team to support public facing use. Priority 4: Build Leadership capacity across the service to ensure high quality practice and a well-supported workforce. • The leadership team are focused on delivering high quality care and support to achieve positive outcomes for children, young people, and their families. This will be done by promoting a culture of learning, trust, reflection, and continuous improvement. Key achievements this quarter: • Leadership charter drafted. • Completed full staff consultation re service vision, values, and principles. • Refreshed focus on leadership team and meetings. Priority 5: Improve our processes to be more efficient and effective. • Contracts ensure best value and support positive outcomes for children, young people, and their families. • Efficient recruitment and management of onboarding process. • Resource approval is robust and regularly reviewed to ensure spend is meeting desired outcome. Key achievements this quarter: • Quarterly contract management is in place and demonstrates the impact of the funding. • Began review of processes in place to approve funding and resources to ensure they are suitable, streamlined and support approval and review of funding. • Final amendments to new service request – with clear connection to outcomes of the funding. • Joint work with finance team to explore delays in payments and ensure processes are efficient. Page 89 of 232
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Quarter 1 Children Services Dashboard Quarterly Reporting PIs – Off Target n/a Percentage of complaints at stage 1 complete within 5 working days n/a Percentage of complaints at stage 2 complete within 20 working days n/a % of internal/external audit actions progressing on target or complete this quarter n/a Performance against revenue budget 8 Quarterly Reporting CSPC PIs – On Target 4 Quarterly Reporting CSPC PIs – Off Target 25 Quarterly Reporting CSPC PIs – Data only 1 Quarterly Reporting CSPC PIs – No Data 6 Quarterly CSPC Service All Risks 0 Quarterly CSPC Service High Risks Page 90 of 232
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Adult Services protect and improve the wellbeing of the people and communities of Midlothian. We help people get the right support, in the right place, at the right time. Social work services in Midlothian are delivered jointly by Midlothian Council and Midlothian Integration Joint Board. Adult social work and social care services, including Justice Social Work, are delegated to Midlothian IJB. Adult Social Care contributes to the Midlothian IJB Strategic Commissioning Plan, the strategic aims of both NHS Lothian and Midlothian Council, and contributes to the work of the Community Planning Partnership through the Single Midlothian Plan. Adult Social Care Services 2025/26 – Q1 Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.8 Page 91 of 232
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Care Inspectorate Grades Good or Above Target = 90% Actual = 96% Meets / exceeds target Performance Detail: In this quarter inspections have been completed for Cherry Road Day Service and Thera, one of our larger commissioned provided. Both these services improved their grades. Work is ongoing with one provider to support them and develop the model. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% How good is our setting? How well is care and support planned? How good is our staff team? How good is our leadership? How well do we support people's wellbeing? Care Inspectorate Grades -Adult Services (under 65s) 1 - Unsatisfactory 2 - Weak 3 - Adequate 4 - Good 5 - Very Good 6 - Excellent Learning Disability/Physical Disability Page 92 of 232
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Finance Expenditure Against Budget Annual Budget = £28.59m Projected Expenditure = £29.66 Does not meet target Performance Detail: • The revised annual budget has yet to be uprated from this financial year therefore it is anticipated the annual commitment remains within budget • The increase in financial commitment in the first quarter of 2025 can be attributed in part to delaying in applying uplifts on MOSAIC, setting annual respite budgets and the inclusion of care packager for young adults transitioning from Children’s Service • There is ongoing work within the team to progress a number of shared placements that may reduce expenditure, however there is a risk this may be offset by a number of adult who are likely to move to independent living during this financial year. 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Total Under 65 Resource Panel Actual Spend YTD Commitment Annual Commitment YTD Budget Annual Budget Page 93 of 232
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Care Package Reviews Number of Reviews Within 2 years Target = 90% Actual = 93% Meets / exceeds target Performance Detail: • There are 32 individuals in receipt of a care package that have not had a formal assessment or review completed for over two years. In the majority of cases there is ongoing oversight or care management in place. Work is ongoing to allocate and complete reviews for these clients. • There are ongoing challenges in capacity to allocate routine reviews that are nearing the 2 year period due to the large volume of work requiring immediate allocation due to a higher level of risk. 53 76 55 80 83 54 20 4 4 2 7 2 32 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 Over Months Since Last Assessment or Review Number % of All Clients Page 94 of 232
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Physical Disabilities and Long-Term Conditions PD/LTC interventions recorded as outcome achieved. Target = 85% Actual = 88% Meets / exceeds target PD/LTC referral screening episode concluded within 3 working days. Target = 90% Actual = 89% Does not meet target • We continue to work effectively, supporting clients to achieve their outcomes. At times client outcomes may not be achieved if for example, re- housing is recommended as an alternative to what they had originally asked for such as being independent with showering and wanting a wet floor shower installed. We would continue to ensure by best practical means the safety of the client regardless. This can have an impact on the percentage rating. • The screening episode process remains at a high level, demonstrating that we are continuing to work effectively and timely. There is at times a delay when cases are tasked to duty OT for example so to complete a task such as triage phone call, obtain more information, or order equipment – rendering the case then complete. Carers Number of Adult Carer Support Plans completed by HSCP Target = 25 Actual = 33 Meets / exceeds target Number of Adult Carer Support Plans completed by VOCAL Target = 175 Actual = 301 Meets / exceeds target Appropriate Adult Service Section 42 of The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 requires that the police and agencies facilitate the provision of communication support for vulnerable adults in police custody. An Appropriate Adult’s principal role is to provide communication support mainly in police interviews to people over 16 who have a mental disorder as defined by The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. These include: -mental health problems, learning disability, Autism / ADHD, dementia, acquired brain injury. Appropriate Adults are provided mainly at the request of Police Scotland for people who are being interviewed as Victims, witnesses, Not Officially and Officially Accused and who are believed to have a mental disorder as noted above. In Midlothian we have a team of trained Appropriate Adults who fulfil this role for those who live in Midlothian. We don’t get an abundance of call outs, and these are manageable level for us. This means that people are supported and treated fairly. Their experience is a positive one not negative or more difficult that it needs to be. Page 95 of 232
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Commissioned Services – Garvald Mayfield Garvald Edinburgh provides day services to adults with learning disabilities in Midlothian. The services have a vocational focus, giving service users the opportunity to build skills, pride, confidence, and recognition of their abilities in the community they are part of. Garvald's approach is based on the principles of social therapy and positive behaviour support. These values-based approaches bring together all the factors that are important for any person in their daily life: a working environment that provides meaning, structure and stability; calm and creative spaces that are enabling; person centred support; and a sense of community underpinned by mutual respect and friendship. At Garvald's Midlothian day service based in the McSence Business Park, Mayfield, six core activities are offered: Kitchen Group, Garden and Outdoors Group, Pottery, Textiles, Jewellery, and Art and Printmaking. Additionally, there are satellite activities across the week many with a focus on physical wellbeing that service users can opt into including: walking groups, swimming, standing and seated exercise, music, dance, drama, signing communication, storytelling, boccia, digital technology, Eurythmy movement therapy, meditation and mental health toolkit groups, member's rep committee group etc. Providing day services ensures that people with Learning Disabilities have the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities that protects their mental health and reduces the risks of isolation which can have significant impact on individuals and their carers and in the long run increase support needs. Care at Home services Midlothian Care at Home services delivers on average 9000 hours per week. The longest wait for community packages of care sits at around 52 weeks. This is expected to significantly improve with dedicated social workers and OT’s reviewing each one. The percentage of staff within care at home qualified for their post sits around 84%, this does change if staff retire, and new staff commence who require to be supported to undertake their SVQ 2. Staff retention increased by around 25% with our external care at home providers which therefore created more consistency of care and an improved service for the client. Page 96 of 232
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. Older People’s Social Work Team Provides social work assessment, care management and review of services for people over 65 years old and their carers. There is a separate team for those who have a diagnosis of dementia. Newbyres Care Home The care home provides 24 hours care and support for 48 Midlothian residents. The current residents range in age from 68 years old to 98 years old. The length of stay of residents is varied and spans between 2016 and 2025. There have been 5 residents admitted to Newbyres Village in the first quarter of 2025. Incident reporting April May June Falls Reported 8 6 Medication errors reported 11 14 8 Deaths reported 1 1 4 Hospital admissions 1 3 3 Assaults reported 1 1 0 Behavioural incidents reported 0 1 1 Absconding 0 0 1 Improvement Planning There is an improvement plan in place to address matters relating to staffing, management and leadership, resident experience, care planning, medications management, improvement in risk assessments for individual residents, falls monitoring, reporting and harm reduction, recruitment and retention, staff wellbeing, budgetary management, skin bundle management and review. Older People’s Service Page 97 of 232
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Care Inspectorate Grades Good or Above Inspection in January 2025 reported the following grades: Does not meet target People's wellbeing Leadership Staff team Setting Care & support planning 4 3 3 4 4 The improvement plan is designed to ensure that upon completion of the next care inspection there is demonstrable improvement with a view to improving the above grades. Staffing Challenges • Recruitment of nursing staff has been authorised after 2 out of 3 staff moved on to other posts. A planned process of Quality Improvement is being actioned and supported by the care home support team to ensure that nursing roles and responsibilities are rationalised and supported within the Newbyres Village team. • Mitigation for the staffing issues are in place through use of bank nursing and district nursing staff until recruitment can be progressed. Medication Errors- • Within Q1 there was an increase in medication error noted through reporting and quality assurance measurement (see incident reporting above). An action plan has been implemented and a repurposing of staffing completed to create an assurance framework to improve safety and management of medication at Newbyres Village. • There has been a positive outcome and review, improvement and evaluation will be continuous. This is supported by colleagues in pharmacy, care home support team and quality assurance. Highbank Intermediate Care Unit 6 Excellent 5 Very Good 4 Good 3 Adequate 2 Weak 1 Poor Page 98 of 232
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Highbank is an intermediate care unit with 40 beds available. Currently there are 23 residents awaiting care home placement. There are 12 residents who are waiting for a package of care, rehabilitation, housing and completing assessment of need. There are 3 respite beds and a planned review of the booking and management system of respite to ensure that there is a maximisation of occupancy. As can be seen from the table below the bed usage is variable, and a more robust management system is indicated since there is significant demand for respite within the partnership. January February March April May Bed days available 93 84 93 90 93 Bed days in use 54 68 57 72 72 % used 58 81 61 80 77 so far The baseline occupancy agreement with senior manager to rationalise budgetary income and provide intermediate care is as follows. • 25 beds to be occupied by clients who are chargeable • 3 respite beds • 12 intermediate care beds (non-chargeable) Incident Reporting April May June Falls Reported 10 5 6 Medication errors reported 0 0 0 Deaths reported 0 0 0 Hospital admissions 3 4 5 Assaults reported 0 0 0 Behavioural incidents reported 0 0 0 Absconding 0 1 0 Care Inspectorate Grades Good or Above Page 99 of 232
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Inspection in January 2025 reported the following grades: Meets / exceeds target People's wellbeing Leadership Staff team Setting Care & support planning 4 Not assessed 5 Not assessed Not assessed New build Plans to relocate Highbank to the Polton Street site are now advanced. There has been a revision of the intended March 2026 date to 30th November 2025. A Project Board has been organised, and planning is being implemented to ensure that the transfer of service is completed timeously. The Interim Head of Service for Primary Care and Older People is leading on this project. Communication with residents, families and staff is also being progressed. Hospital In Reach Team The team is comprised of 9.6 FTE Social Workers, 1 team leader and 2 Community Care Assistants. • 4 of the social work posts are funded through Unscheduled Care budget and 3 or the workers have recently taken up post within the last part of Q1, • One further social worker has a start date in Q2 The In Reach Team provide assessment and discharge planning to residents from Midlothian who have been admitted to one of 5 hospital sites and from Highbank Intermediate Care. The also provide care home and community review as well as a range of social work interventions. Assessments completed by the team in Q1 2025 April May June Assessments completed 8 19 Data not available Referrals received 27 43 Data not available 6 Excellent 5 Very Good 4 Good 3 Adequate 2 Weak 1 Poor Page 100 of 232
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Average social delays in acute hospital beds (Social Work) April May June Average social delays in acute beds (social work) 8.4 7.9 5.7 Social Work in Intermediate Care In Q1 there has been development work completed to ensure that all in Midlothian clients who are in acute beds and identified as ‘social delays’ are offered placement in intermediate care to progress assessment, await packages of care, to await care home placement and to complete rehabilitation where appropriate. There have also been some clients who have moved to Intermediate care to await housing outcomes. Two social workers are now linked to Highbank intermediate care and have a role in all admissions and discharges to enable flow. This has largely been responsible for the reduction in social day averages in the acute site. Improvements for service users include- • timeous care home review at 6 months should they remain waiting for discharge for this period. • Targets relating to income are tracked and managed on a daily basis • Communication with unpaid carers, families and proxies has improved (planning to evaluate this are being progressed) • Communication with clients has improved with life changing decisions now being made out with acute bed base more frequently. • Psychiatric support is provided to support clients to move on from acute bed base to intermediate care • Advanced Nurse Practitioner support is in situation to support residents and provide clinical care planning to support placement transition from acute bed base to intermediate care and to longer term care placements. • Management of data, communication and multidisciplinary work is completed though multidisciplinary meeting and through weekly rapid run downs on delays call • Vacancies are managed effectively – data gathering to commence to identify occupancy rates. Improvement planning A team improvement plan is being developed. Page 101 of 232
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Midlothian Community Hospital Two social workers will provide a dedicated service to the clients currently in Midlothian Community Hospital. Assessment and discharge planning will be provided to all clients who are clinically ready for discharge and who have completed periods of rehabilitation. Development plan to be created. Future Planning Unscheduled care monies from Scottish Government have been used to employ two social workers to work exclusively in the acute hospital sectors. A team is being developed to complete assessment and discharge planning within the acute estate. Psychiatric pathways There are people whose needs cannot be met in intermediate care due to negative symptoms of dementia (stress and distress/challenging behaviours). There are daily discussions regarding this group relating to pathways including decision making relating to admission to psychiatric beds for assessment, admission to MCH for assessment of needs relating to HBCCC and psychiatric support within the care home sector in Midlothian. Delayed Discharge Policy Progressing actions relating to this policy can be challenging and there is currently a working group for greater NHS Lothian to address these issues on a policy basis to support and develop use of this policy to progress discharge where there is resource available including intermediate care beds and interim placements. Care home placements There is a general shortage of care home placements. Work is progressing to ensure that all vacancies are identified as soon as possible and that assessment timescales to allow for resident admission are as robust as possible. Initial Care Home Reviews completed within 12 weeks of admission Target 60% Actual 98% Meets / exceeds target Initial Care Home review completion is going well, and performance targets are being met. Notably the statutory care home reviews managed across Older Peoples and Dementia teams are now up to date with only 14 outstanding. (There are a number that have been allocated to Social Workers that require completion; however, this does not significantly change the data). As part of the operational management relating to casework workflow planning is required to ensure that this position is maintained going forward. Building Quality Assurance into Care Home review processes is also required. Overall, this is notable progress. Page 102 of 232
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This service area includes Justice, Community Justice, Duty Social Work, Adult Support and Protection, and Public Health. Supporting people in contact with the Justice system They support people involved in the Parole and Pre-release process including the preparation of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports and pre-release reports. The team supervises people aged 18 and over who are subject to Community Payback Orders, Parole, Life and Non- Parole Licences, Extended Sentences and Supervised Released Orders. Since April 2022 the team have expanded service delivery to increase the range of non-statutory support they provide to ensure that there are early intervention pathways for those in conflict with the law but not convicted. This includes men who are concerned about their domestically abusive behaviour and provision of bail services for people appearing at court prior to conviction and at risk of being remanded into custody. Their work is underpinned by the ideals of reparation, rehabilitation and reintegration and aims to provide a clear pathway to support those who have been convicted of offences to achieve a positive destination. Through the work undertaken by those subject to unpaid work we also aim to provide meaningful benefit to our local communities. Justice and Protection Services Page 103 of 232
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Justice Social Work services provide all statutory and associated functions identified in S.27 Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The core work includes the preparation of a variety of assessment reports, including Justice Social Work Reports and pre-release reports for serving prisoners involved in the Parole and Pre-release process. The service works with men and women aged 16 and over, subject to Community Payback Orders, Parole, Life and Non-Parole Licences, Extended Sentences and Supervised Released Orders. Alongside the statutory work the Justice Service provides a range of early intervention and preventions strategies including bail services, structured deferred sentences and groupwork services for both men and women at risk of becoming involve in the justice system. It is intended to extend the range of early intervention by bringing the provision of Diversion from Prosecution in-house. The interventions are informed by effective practice research and underpinned by the ideals of reparation, rehabilitation and reintegration and aims to provide a clear pathway to support those who have been convicted of offences to achieve a positive destination. The impact of interventions is measured through ongoing risk assessment and from feedback from those who have successfully completed their order or licence. The chart below shows the analysis of responses from the feedback provided by those whose statutory supervision ended during the reporting period. Justice and Protection Services– Performance Measures Page 104 of 232
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Through the work undertaken by people subject to unpaid work we aim to provide meaningful benefit to our local communities. Feedback provided by beneficiaries is gathered on an annual basis and in 2024/2025 44% of beneficiaries provided us with feedback. The information evidences that the standard of work completed was excellent in 98% of cases, and of a good quality in the other 2%. Written feedback included the following comments: The main community-based sentence that the service manage is a Community Payback Order (CPO), which can have up to ten requirements attached to it. The most frequently imposed requirements are Supervision and Unpaid Work. During this reporting period the Courts imposed 42 Community Payback Orders, please see image 2. At the end of quarter 1 the team were supervising 233 people on a total of 265 orders. Justice Social Work staff use a trauma informed and person-centred approach to develop effective working relationships with clients. In the interests of justice, and to maintain the public confidence in community sentences, all missed appointments, or failure to comply, are responded to robustly using disciplinary procedures which can result in the order being returned to court in breach. During the breach process we continue to seek to engage individuals to re-engage with interventions to reduce and manage the risk of re-offending. During the reporting period thirty-three people (14%) were subject to breach proceedings and 15% of those effectively re-engaged with the service on a voluntary basis. The team are effectively engaging with 84% of people subject to a Community Payback Order. Page 105 of 232
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Every person involved with the Justice Service completes an entry questionnaire as part of the assessment process. At the end of service they are offered the opportunity to complete an exit questionnaire and this is voluntary. Thirteen exit questionnaires were completed during quarter one and 100% of respondents reported that they felt listened to. The majority of those who responded experienced the service as positive as it enabled them to maintain or improve their quality of life and rated the service they received as good or excellent based on trustworthiness and the level of care and support provided. 1-Poor; 2-Average; 3-Good; 4-Excellent Page 106 of 232
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Adult Support and Protection The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 was introduced in October 2008. It provides duties, powers and measures for the support and protection of adults who may be at risk of harm. Under section 3 (1) of the Act an "adult at risk" is a person aged sixteen or over who meets all of the following criteria (commonly referred to as the ‘three-point test’): • unable to safeguard their own wellbeing, property rights or other interests • are at risk of harm, and • because they are affected by disability, mental disorder, illness or physical and mental infirmity, is more vulnerable to being harmed then those not so affected Social Work staff undertake specific training to become a Council Officer and work to identify, minimise and manage risk, and ensure that all suspicions, disclosures or incidents of actual harm are acted upon. An adult is someone aged 16+ although for individuals between the age of 16 and 18 years of age there will be discussion with Children Services colleagues to identify if the matter would more appropriately be managed under child protection procedures. On receipt of a referral related to concerns that there is an adult at risk of harm it is screened to ensure that the relevant information is available and an investigation, often referred to as the Duty to Inquire (DTI) will be undertaken, there is a local aim that the investigation will be completed within 21 days, however there are a number of factors which impact this including being able to speak to the adult to gain their views. An investigation can be undertaken with or without the use of investigative powers and the latter can be a reason for delay as they may be waiting for reports or documents from other agencies including banks and the Office of Public Guardian. The chart shows the volume of work undertaken by staff working within Adult Support and Protection. Page 107 of 232
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To ensure that the adult is protected from ongoing harm taking a person-centred approach to safety planning and decision making Is key to minimise or reduce the risk. At all times Council officers will seek to address the risk in line with the principles of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Where there are immediate concerns for an adult, an Inter-Agency Referral Discussion (IRD) can be conducted with colleagues from Police and Health. The IRD system is electronic and supports collaborative, interagency decision making which is critical to the effectiveness of ASP processes. The electronic system allows each partner agency to initiate and/or contribute to the management of the risk, including the timely sharing of all relevant information. The e-IRD (electronic IRD) system supports the recording of information, decision making, planning and actions taken, including recording of previous IRD. If risks remain at the completion of the Duty to Inquire, and the three-point test has been met, an Adult Case Conference must be convened; this is a multi-agency forum for shared decision-making. A Protection Plan is put in place at each case conference and is reviewed at least once to ensure that it is having a positive outcome or if additional action is required. • Three protection plans commenced during Quarter 1. There are a range of measures that agencies can take to mitigate and manage the identified risks, and these include the use of Protection Orders which are sought through an application to the Sheriff Court. Protection Orders must be in line with the principles of the Act and therefore must be the least restrictive option that will provide benefit to the adult. • There were no Protection Orders required in Quarter 1. The Service Manager is working closely with the ASP Team Leader to develop a feedback process to enable adults to support service improvements by providing feedback on whether they felt listened to, their views were respected and if they felt safer. The questions for the survey are being checked to ensure that they meet accessibility guidelines. Page 108 of 232
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The Public Health Practitioners work to support services to improve wellbeing and reduce health inequalities for the people of Midlothian. They support staff to design and deliver services that support early intervention and prevention. Weight Bias In February, Public Health successfully recruited a Project Manager for a new post to develop and deliver training on Weight Bias and confident conversations about weight. This post is a collaboration between Public Health at NHS Lothian and Midlothian HSCP. It is a unique opportunity and one of the first dedicated posts in Scotland to tackling weight stigma and bias. The training is primarily targeted at Primary Care and Education. This was decided from the evidence base, which shows that 80% of people living with obesity reported being stigmatised in a healthcare setting due to their weight (UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Obesity – 2018). While for young people 63% of girls and 58% of boys reported peer victimisation related to their weight (Brownell KD, Puhl RM, Schwartz MB, Rudd L. Weight bias Nature, extent, and remedies. NY: Guilford Press, 2005). There are two specific outcomes for this work: • To increase awareness, knowledge, skills and confidence of staff and volunteers in Midlothian/Lothian to have positive, constructive conversations with people about their weight and ability to challenge stigmatising attitudes, behaviour and environments. • To reduce barriers for people living with overweight and/or obesity to talk openly about their weight without feeling stigmatised or discriminated against It is hoped that by improving practitioners’ awareness, knowledge, skills and confidence about weight bias their practice may change to reduce the stigma that people living with obesity feel. By reducing this stigma people may feel more able to access services and their mental wellbeing will be improved. There is also some evidence to suggest that reducing weight bias and having positive conversations about weight supports people to have a healthy weight. In Q1 the Weight Bias project manager has: • created an action plan, • drafted the training curriculum, and • met with key stakeholders from primary care where the training is aiming to be targeted for in the first instance. Public Health Page 109 of 232
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In the last year the learning and development team have delivered and coordinated over 1000 learning opportunities. This covers a broad range from SVQ programmes (Levels 2, 3 and 4) to Adult Support and Protection, Child Protection, Team Teach, Trauma Informed Practice, Motivational Interviewing, Dementia Awareness and Medication training. Course Attended 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2025 Number of attendees Child Protection Level 1 (Health & Social Care Staff only) 88 Level 1 Adult Support and Protection - all services 85 Medication Training/Workshop for Care at Home Staff 59 Motivational Interviewing 15 Safe & Together Model - Certified Trainer 1 Safe & Together Model Core Training 4 days 3 Self Directed Support (SDS): For H&SC Children & Families Staff ONLY 23 Stoma Care for Health and Social Care Staff 16 SVQ Core Skills: Information, Communication & Technology SCQF 5 5 SVQ Core Skills: Numeracy SCQF 5 4 SVQ Foundation Apprenticeship – CYP 12 SVQ Foundation Apprenticeship – H&SC 6 SVQ: Assessor Award L&D9DI 1 SVQ: Introduction to Unit CHS3 Administer Medication to individuals 37 SVQ2: Social Services & CYP SCQF6 3 SVQ2: Social Services & Healthcare SCQF6 23 SVQ3: SVQ Social Services & Health Care SCQF7 17 SVQ3: SVQ Social Services CYP SCQF7 4 SVQ4: Social Services & CYP SCQF9/10 3 SVQ4: Social Services & Healthcare SCQF9/10 (L4) 3 SVQ4: SVQ in Management SCQF 9/10 5 Team Teach Level 1 - New Training for Foster Carers 5 Team Teach Level 1 (6 hours) (Education only) 56 Team Teach Level 1 (6 hrs) (Health & Social Care staff) 64 Team Teach Level 2 (12 hours) (Education Only) (From Jan 2024) 31 Team Teach Level 2 (12 hours) (From Jan 2024) 27 Team Teach Level 2 Refresher (6 hours) 14 Learning and Development Page 110 of 232
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Transportation of Children 25 Trauma Informed Training - Level 1 235 Trauma Informed Training - Level 2 48 Total 918 In addition to this staff have also staff accessed post grad courses through Edinburgh University, Stirling, The Open University and Napier University. 102 people completed Foundation and Modern Apprenticeships for Health and Social Care as well as Children and Young people. Supported 23 NQSWs; 9 have completed successfully Co-ordinated 18 SW student placements OU SW PG Dip – supported a total of 4 workers OU SW UG Stage 3 – supported a total of 4 workers OU SW UG Off-programme (module by module) – supported a total of 13 workers All LearnPro modules relevant to registered staff are fully up to date and compliance to completion is around 90%. Page 111 of 232
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Mental Health Wait Times Mental Health Assessment refers to assessments by Mental Health Social Workers, not Mental Health Officers (MHO). The workforce for specifically Mental Health Social Work is 1.5 WTE. Work continues to look at how best to improve the wait times however, due to staffing capacity which has also been impacted on due to long term absence in 2024/25, continues to demonstrate an average longest wait of 19 weeks (see table). The waiting list is monitored weekly, and priority is given to urgent referrals which also impacts on the longest waits. Further consideration needs to be given to a reasonable target wait for mental health social care waiting list, but assurance can be given the service continues to meet the needs of high-risk priority individuals in a timely manner. Adult Mental Health Service Page 112 of 232
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There are 7 Mental Health Officers within the mental health team. Significant work has been completed to improve the pathway for request for Welfare Guardianship Order reports - the Mental Health service set a realistic performance target of 12 weeks from the point of request to the allocation of a case for the required report (see graph). The Mental Health team continue to demonstrate improvement and consistency within the agreed performance target. New developments/successes The service recently interviewed for new MHO's in training and 2 successful candidates have been appointed - one Social worker within the current mental health team and one Social worker from Midlothian Justice service. Our most recent trainee has been successful and completed their MHO training. Challenges The Mental Health service continues to experience challenges due to the lack of dedicated mental health providers for specialist packages of care as well as a lack of appropriate mental health housing, mainly complex care where an individual requires a step down from acute/Rehab but still requires the 24/7 nursing intervention which can be provided through a hospital based model or community setting. Due to this it continues to present barriers to hospital discharges. Page 113 of 232
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Dementia Team The Midlothian Dementia service comprises 4 Social Workers and 2 Community Care Assistants. Currently in Midlothian social work waiting times continue to be monitored within the agreed performance target of being allocated to a Social Worker or Community Care Assistant within 6 weeks. The service continues to demonstrate improvement and consistency within the agreed performance target. (see graph) The Social Work team continue to receive a high volume of referrals, most of which are in a crisis situation. The Social Workers are also managing a high number of guardianships and corporate appointeeships. The Social Work team have been working really hard to reduce wait times for allocation for an assessment and have been proactively liaising with the Team Leader when they are able to be allocated more cases. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the wait lists as demonstrated by the graph. Page 114 of 232
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Social Workers continue to use person centred, outcomes focused approaches to keep people supported in their homes for longer and assessing for long-term care where all other options have been exhausted. They are consistently working with crisis situations We have identified in particular, there have been a number of cases of younger people with dementia who have required intensive case management, not only for the younger people with dementia but also their carers (mainly parents and partners). The bulk of their work is with assessment of need to recommend supports to keep people living as independently as possible but very often needing to place people in long-term care placements. New developments/success The wider older adult services identified the need to have a system wide approach to supporting individuals who access our services, the Social Work Team members are also attending the dementia café groups, as HSCP reps, and bringing back feedback from the groups about the services for people with dementia, so we can make continued improvements but also highlight the positive work the service is delivering. The Social Work team are formally meeting on a monthly basis to discuss team business. We are developing a Team Plan to connect the work we are doing to the HSCP strategic plans and IJB Directions. The Team Plan will include an Improvement Plan which we will work on each team meeting. As a wider integrated older adult service There are other streams of development work in the pipeline, including: developing a pathway for Younger People with Dementia, working more closely with community organisations and other HSCP teams such as the Health Promotion Team, greater use of assistive technology within people’s support plans and other forms of consultation with clients and carers (eg feedback forms). Challenges There is a shortage of suitable care home vacancies, meaning the social workers are managing ongoing high-risk situations to support people and their carers whilst awaiting an appropriate care home placement. There is also a lack of appropriate and available care accommodation for individuals aged under-65 with mental health issues. Page 115 of 232
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Midlothian Substance Use Services continue to maintain Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards 1-5 which the service fully implemented in March 2023. Over the last year the service has been focussing on the criteria for MAT 6-10. Final submission for 20244/25 was submitted in April 2025, Midlothian is in a positive position and has exceeded the set Scottish Government criteria for March 2025 (MAT 1-5 Green and MAT 6-10 Provisional Green), both through submitting relevant evidence of process measures and numerical measures. Meets / exceeds target Midlothian has had confirmation feedback that we have been rated green for all MAT standards 1-10. The graph demonstrates the progress for the Alcohol and Drug Partnership area (Mid and East Lothian) from 2022-2025. As part of Mat 6 and 10 standards Midlothian had successfully implemented a training programme to support trauma-informed practice, and the expected target set by the Scottish Government of 50% of staff trained in tier 1 training by March 2025. Midlothian has exceeded this target with 77 % of staff trained. Substance Use Treatment Service (SUS) Page 116 of 232
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SUS treatment service A11 waiting time target Meets / exceeds target The SUS treatment service A11 waiting time, where each individual referred for either substance use, or alcohol use is triaged and commenced on treatment if appropriate within 21 days of referral. The service maintained a 100% performance against the A11 waiting time target. Overall, the services continued to provide direct access to timely and appropriate treatment that best met an individual’s needs, psycho-social support and peer led support for those affected by their or another’s drugs and/or alcohol use. New developments/successes The service continued to explore new ways of engaging individuals into the service and recently developed a peer-led Buvidal café drop in, which has had a positive uptake. The service is currently exploring further options to look at pre- and post-Alcohol drop in in partnership with MELD. The development and implementation of the Vulnerable Person Database reports (VPD) evidenced partnership working between SUS treatment service and Police Scotland, where individuals were highlighted directly to services where the police have attended someone’s home and have concerns about their alcohol and drug use. The service provided assertive outreach. A gap was identified in reporting on the social work waiting list for the Substance Use Service. Reporting is now developing. Challenges Due to the continual change in drug trends, there has been an increased spike in non-fatal overdose (NFO) impacting on Midlothian (and nationally), the substance use services continue to deliver a whole system approach to assertive outreach and harm reduction to support individuals who are at risk of NFO. The most challenging aspect for services and for individuals within our services due to the change individual’s do not know what they are buying and where previously they would have reliable sources this no longer is the case, which places individuals at greater risk. Page 117 of 232
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The HSCP Staff Wellbeing support system develops, implements, and evaluates a range of high-quality and research-based wellbeing, experience, and engagement processes, in order to enable, empower, sustain, and retain health and social care staff. One size doesn’t fit all, we therefore endeavour to offer tailored support to individuals, teams, and services. To achieve this Midlothian HSCP embeds five foundational pillars – The Midway. Wellbeing: We seek to create a positive state of mind and body which is underpinned by social and psychological wellbeing. Equity: We strive for equity recognising that we must adjust to reduce imbalance. Learning: We offer opportunities to learn. Furthering our knowledge and developing our skills. Leadership: We encourage individual and group involvement to positively influence, guide, and improve. Communication: We communicate information, intentions, and emotions in a way that is clear, respectful, and understood. Numerous factors influence the health and wellbeing of our health and social care staff. Some of these, such as physical health are well understood, however, there are other influencers such as psychological burden, relationships, management skills, and the environment that are fundamental to the wellbeing of our workforce that are under appreciated. This report spotlights activities undertaken this quarter and the underpinning evidence to support the health and wellbeing of Midlothian HSCP staff. The staff of Midlothian HSCP are all working towards the same goal, that everyone working here is equally valued and supported to succeed. We believe that whoever you are, whatever you do, and wherever you work in the partnership, you can make a valued contribution and feel included. To achieve this, we implement actions which positively influence the 4 key drivers outlined within our Staff Wellbeing, Experience and Engagement Delivery Plan 2025-2028. Staff Wellbeing Page 118 of 232
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“I think it helped having someone out with the team facilitating the conversation. It allowed me (manager) to participate as an equal.” Q1 Progress Cherry Road Adult Learning Disabilities team see some of the most complex people in terms of physical and mental disabilities in Midlothian. It is an essential resource for individuals and their families to promote learning, function, and social connection. The team have been exposed to many of the challenges associated with financial restraints while also continuing to offer the best possible care to those who are transitioning from child to adult services. The management team recognise the extensive physical and emotional demands placed on the team. Throughout May four bespoke support sessions were tailored to support teamwork, camaraderie, wellness, and resilience. The management team actively participated in all sessions including reflective practice. Reflective Practice provides staff with an opportunity for continued learning. Allowing them to consider situations they have experienced in their work, explore outcomes, and improve the quality of their service. Staff have the opportunity to explore relationship dynamics, and the emotional labour involved in delivering care. This in turn helps to mitigate against negative consequences and enables them to remain connected. All sessions were attended by 10 - 14 staff. The reflective practice session was greatly appreciated with facilitated sessions now being agreed for each quarter. Why does this matter? • Workers are 13% more productive when happy. • It is the experience of healthcare staff that shapes peoples experiences of care for good or ill, not the other way round. • 4.8 million working days in human health and social work are lost each year due to workplace injury or work-related illness. • Between 2011 to 2015, the risk of suicide among female health professionals was 24% higher than the national average. What do they learn, feel, and do differently? “It was good to have time to listen to each other and find out what is going on for each other.” Work has meaning and a positive impact on staff. • Choice & Autonomy • Meaning & Purpose • Wellness & Resilience • Camaraderie & teamwork • Physical & psychological safety • Participative management • Measurement & improvement Page 119 of 232
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“My coach offered me a different way to look at things and made me think about giving consideration to my own needs. I left the meetings with next steps in place, which I wouldn’t have achieved by myself.” It allowed me (manager) to participate as an equal.” “The coach was a great listener and calming to talk to.” Better Informed, Better Choices is an NHS workplace campaign designed to empower staff through access to clear, accurate, and timely information. The campaign aims to encourage staff to discover simple, easily accessible tools that can quickly help them understand more about their own wellbeing. The Midlothian event took place on the 23rd June at Number 11 St Andrews street, the base for a number of community mental health and justice services. Staff were invited to take a look at digital and other resources containing simple tools to monitor health, and to have a chat with wellbeing leads about the national screening programmes available. Twenty-five staff engaged with the event with additional resources being left on site for those who were unable to attend. To ensure parity, staff employed by Midlothian Council were guided to equivalent information recorded on local authority intranet pages and the Staff Wellbeing Directory. One to one Wellbeing Support/ Coaching can help staff take a step back and think about how to care for their own health and wellbeing. Often people feel 'stuck' in their situation, coaching can help by creating a little distance to think more openly about the issue, explore options and set goals. Seven staff were referred directly to the Staff Wellbeing Lead for support with 25 sessions being offered during this quarter. Staff received on average three contacts. The primary reason for seeking help remains psychological distress with causes ranging from grief, anxiety, moral injury (understaffing), neurodivergence, and low mood (including suicidal ideation). Often staff are supported to bridge the gap between referral and uptake of formal services such as counselling. The approach helps staff stay in work as well as offering additional assistance to those who are returning after sickness absence. Why does this matter? • The sickness absence rate in NHS Scotland for the year ending 31 March 2023 increased to 6.2%, the highest rate during the past ten years. • Poor mental health at work costs the NHS upwards of £3bn per annum. • 69% of nursing staff do not take breaks, compared to 56% of hospital staff. • Fatigue and sleep deprivation affect error rates, quality of care and personal safety. • Dehydration can affect mental function by 10%. What do they learn, feel, and do differently? Work is a healthy place to be. • Healthy body • Balanced mind • Positive choices • Caring culture Page 120 of 232
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"Found Sessions very helpful and makes you aware how to deal with things differently, also good to see everyone joining in the sessions and hopefully have a bit more understanding of someone else's needs.” “The sessions were very relaxing and very eye opening how we handle situations mentally and physically, also making us realise how much we overthink things we cannot control, it brought us all together and gave us a reason to listen to one another." Midlothian Community Hospital facilities team had been experiencing changes in relational dynamics causing communication breakdown, decreased collaboration and shared understanding. A programme of support was discussed with the team, the aim was to identify opportunities to learn about each other, share thoughts and ideas, and appreciate differences. Four consecutive weekly sessions were provided across June. Topics included understanding our automatic thoughts and the impact of negative cognitive bias, using transactional analysis to understand the roles we play in relationships, and mindful practices to enhance the parasympathetic system. All staff attended the sessions including 12 domestics, 2 supervisors and a senior manager. A review of learning is planned for July. Why does this matter? • 69% of employees that participated in a study identified that the behaviour of their managers had increased their stress and that the rise in stress had a major impact on organisational performance. • In a recent study, 62% of community care staff named “unsupportive management” as more likely to make them leave an employer than inadequate pay. • 30% of respondents said that they left their last role in adult social care due to poor workplace culture or communication. What do they learn, feel, and do differently? We are all able to show leadership • Compassionate: attending, understanding, empathising, helping • Collective and Collaborative: shared goals, purpose and responsibility, trust and permission, distributed and inclusive Page 121 of 232
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No 11 The 4th of October 2024, saw the promotion of Speak Up week, a national event offered across Scotland to raise awareness about how staff, students, and volunteers can speak up and raise concerns. During this week, staff had the opportunity to complete a short questionnaire about perceived psychological safety. Around 150 questionnaires were completed. Having highlighted an issue, one service area wished to progress this work, aiming to improve psychological safety for all members of the team. This work focused on engaging with staff in the process of understanding what psychological safety looks like within the team and how they would wish to express mutual care, respect, and safety. It was agreed that the best way forward would be to create a team psychological safety guidance document for the future. Three sessions have been delivered with the aim to sign-off the document with management support in July. Between 8 and 12 staff attended each session. What do they learn, feel, and do differently? No feedback has been gathered at the time of the completion of this report as work remains in progress. Why does this matter? • Only 43% of employees feel managers are good at seeking their views and only 40% feel like they respond to suggestions when their views are heard. • All NHS staff should have the confidence to speak up without fear, and in the knowledge their concerns will be treated seriously and investigated properly. • A key benefit of gathering data is to show staff their voice has been heard. This is an important source of motivation and job satisfaction. It is also important that the organisation acknowledges the insights, uses them in a meaningful way, and then co-designs improvements with staff. The four key drivers for staff wellbeing, experience, and engagement Work has meaning and a positive impact on staff Fulfilment at work encompasses not only the work we do on a day-to-day basis but a range of themes and activities that together form a critical component of an individual’s health and wellbeing. This includes enabling the diversity of our people to bring their whole self to work, enabling life balance, and helping staff reach their full potential. We listen to staff, and they feel heard. • What matters to you conversations • iMatter survey and action plans • Appraisal • Raising concerns • The voice of staff networks Page 122 of 232
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Work is a healthy place to be A healthy workplace is one where staff at all levels can collaborate to continually improve the health, safety, and wellbeing of all. By doing this we can provide optimum health and social care. Considering we spend one third of our lives at work, the working environment can have a significant impact on our wellbeing. We therefore need to get the basics right, access to clean toilets, dedicated spaces for breaks, and access to food and fluid. The importance of these essentials should not be underestimated. Additionally, staff require environments which do not cause harm but support healthy choices and behaviours. We are all able to show leadership Managers and leaders working across health and social care are fundamental to creating positive and healthy working environments. This includes the responsibilities of senior leaders to model what healthy behaviours look like and support managers to build and sustain cultures of health and wellbeing. The behaviours of our leaders directly impact on the people around them. By being aware of what good behaviours look like and endeavouring to embody them, our leaders can positively impact the health and wellbeing of individuals, teams, services, and the partnership. To achieve this it is essential that managers are equipped with the right skills and capabilities to support their own health and wellbeing in order to support those around them. We listen to staff, and they feel heard Driving a positive culture of staff engagement across the partnership requires the entire workforce behind it. The positive impact of simply listening to a person’s experience cannot be underestimated. Research has shown that good-quality relationships enable people to live happier lives with fewer mental health problems. Having close, positive working relationships can give us a sense of purpose and belonging. Organisation with higher engagement levels have been shown to have lower sickness absence rates. It would therefore seem essential that we work towards nurturing positive and trusting relationships by committing to formal and informal staff engagement and experience processes. It is important that all people working in our partnership are treated with respect, dignity, and positive regard. Bullying and harassment has a huge impact on the people affected. It lowers trust and cohesiveness within teams by creating unacceptable working environments and direct impacting the quality of care delivered. We must therefore address damaging behaviours and create compassionate and inclusive cultures in order to protect service users and improve staff experience. Page 123 of 232
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Staffing Challenges Whilst Q1 did see some positive recruitment to Social Worker posts, it should be noted that approximately half of all new recruits are newly qualified and, in some cases, early into their first year of qualification. Whilst Midlothian has a well-developed Newly Qualified Social Worker programme, this does place additional pressures on services and managers for periods of time and caseloads of newly qualified Social Workers are, understandably, lower. There are currently a higher number of vacancies than desirable at Highbank Intermediate care unit and in Care at Home. There have been significant efforts to complete recruitment, and this is an ongoing process. Sickness absence figures remain a concern in the three main areas of challenge – Newbyres Care Village, Highbank Intermediate Care and Care at Home. That said, rates are subject to fluctuations and can be seasonal. Summer months for Care at Home are – somewhat paradoxically – always more challenging due to holiday periods for both staff and unpaid carers. Resource Panel Pressures Q1 continued to see pressures on our Resource Panel budget. The Resource Panel is how care is agreed and allocated. Significant work has been undertaken to ensure care is allocated in line with budgets but there are a number of pressures that offset this work, not least in Learning Disabilities and Dementia care. The lack of specialist provision in mental health is an area of focus for us. There remains a risk that the budget allocated for care provision will not meet the demand. Social Work and Occupational Therapy Review A key transformational workstream in 2025/26 is to review our Social Work and Occupational Therapy service. At present, services are largely aligned along diagnostic criteria and focus more on an individual’s diagnosis than their needs, which can often be multi-faceted and complex. Moreover, increasingly, people have more than one health condition. The risk of not reviewing our services is that they are not fit for purpose to meet this changing and complex set of needs. It is anticipated that the review will be complete by the end of the financial year. Q1 saw initial engagement with staff and some data work. SSSC Registration for Social Work Assistants In Q1 the SSSC consulted on proposals to register Social Work Assistants. Currently they do not need to be registered with the SSSC. Whilst broadly positive regarding this proposal, there will need to be some work with HR to ensure that the current work undertaken in Midlothian by Social Work Assistants is fully congruent with the new excitations registration will bring. Challenges and Risks Page 124 of 232
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Pentana Performance Dashboard A full review of quarterly performance data is available via Pentana (Browser login link – https://midlothian.pentanarpm.uk/login A full review of quarterly performance data is available via Pentana (Browser login link - https://midlothian.pentanarpm.uk/login) Page 125 of 232
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“Place is where people, location and resources combine to create a sense of identity and purpose, and are at the heart of addressing the needs and realising the full potential of communities” The Place service ambition is to deliver joined-up, collaborative, and participative approaches to services, land and buildings, across all sectors within a place, enabling better outcomes for everyone and increased opportunities for people and communities to shape their own lives. Transformation Place services continue to support the delivery of the Council’s transformation agenda, embracing new ways of working, making better use of technology, cross-service collaboration and focussing our efforts on delivering what matters most in our local communities. The Transformation Blueprint (2023-2028) outlines the key areas that need addressing to balance the Council’s financial position, prepare for upcoming challenges, foster continued growth, and adapt to unforeseen changes. The Blueprint aligns with the Council’s three strategic aims, as defined in the Single Midlothian Plan: • Individuals and communities have improved health and learning outcomes. • No child or household live in poverty. • Significant progress is made towards net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Place Q1 25/26 performance report Place Service Building Services Housing Services Protective Services Neighbour -hood Services Sport and Leisure Property & Facilities Planning, Sustainable Growth & Investment Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.9 Page 127 of 232
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The Transformation Blueprint sets out the strategic direction over a five year period, guiding the organisation through reprioritisation and redesign to meet future challenges and demands and achieve sustainable success. Transformation Blueprint Objectives 1. Support the Council to address the 5-year funding gap of outlined in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy. 2. Follow the Money to ensure that the services we commission, contracts we manage and digital solutions we use deliver value for money. 3. Develop an organisational workforce that is flexible, ensuring that all staff have the necessary skills to work effectively, supported by digital technologies that are fit for a 21st century workforce. 4. Design a workplace for the future delivering services in a holistic and integrated way. 5. Drive forward multi-agency transformation to deliver systems-level change resulting in joined-up service delivery which improve outcomes. Page 128 of 232
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Environmental Midlothian Council is firmly committed to tackling climate change and working towards a net zero future in line with Scottish Government targets. This commitment covers not only the Council’s own operations, but also as its role in leading, supporting, and partnering with the wider community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. We are delivering on this commitment through our Climate Change Strategy, a clear plan that sets out how we will cut emissions from our activities, work collaboratively with residents, businesses, and community groups, and promote both climate mitigation and adaptation across Midlothian. To ensure our approach remains ambitious and effective, we are currently updating our Climate Change Strategy and its supporting action plan. This refreshed framework will guide the Council and our local authority partners in their shared mission to reach net zero, building a greener, more sustainable, and more resilient Midlothian for future. Economic Development continues to promote the Midlothian Business Green Pledge on social media and in direct conversations with clients to increase education and awareness of climate change and suggest adaptations. The number of businesses signing up to the Pledge continues to rise each quarter with a total of 192 businesses now committed, 13 of those signing up during quarter 1. The team continue to work with pledgers to identify the best platform for group sharing. Through the LinkedIn group, pledgers share their experiences and the team continue to share a mix of green information from partners on learning opportunities, support and funding. Roads and Travel As a key element of Midlothian’s Active Travel Strategy ‘On the Move Midlothian: Our Active Travel Strategy for Everyone 2024-2034’, Midlothian’s Active Travel team reports its most successful year to date, marking a significant milestone in our efforts to promote, sustainable, safe, and healthy travel options for young people. This academic year, for the first time ever, every primary school in Midlothian participated in Bikeability Scotland Road Cycling Training, placing Midlothian among the top-performing local authorities in the country. Delivered in Page 129 of 232
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partnership with schools and supported by national funding from Transport Scotland via Cycling Scotland, this achievement reflects a growing commitment to equip the next generation with the skills and confidence needed to travel actively and safely. A total of 1,450 pupils from Primary 5 to 7 successfully completed training. Pupils received either Level 1 playground based instruction, which focuses on bike handling skills, or Level 2 on road training, which teaches safe cycling in real traffic environments. Since 2020, the team have seen a year-on-year increase in both the number of schools and pupils participating. The Road Services team recently had the privilege of welcoming the Scottish Government’s Transport Secretary on two separate occasions to showcase the impactful work being undertaken across the region. The visit focussed on the “Safe Route to School” initiative in the Easthouses area, particularly around Easthouses Primary School. This project involves a range of infrastructure improvements designed to ensure safer, more accessible journeys for pupils and families walking or cycling to school. The second visit took place in Roslin, where focus was on a broader set of road safety enhancements delivered by the team. The Transport Secretary observed first hand the measures introduced as part of the 20mph speed limit revisions, including the installation of vehicle-activated signage and speed monitoring stations. These interventions are aimed at reducing vehicle speeds thorough the village, enhancing safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The team have been shortlisted as a finalist at the upcoming APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) service awards in the category ‘Best Technical Team’, in recognition of their outstanding work on the upgrade of the National Cycle Network Route 196 (NCN196) between Rosewell and Auchendinny. The project was aimed at enhancing active travel links and promoting sustainable transport in the region. The project involved installation of 10,000m2 of Flexi-pave, an environmentally friendly material made from recycled tyre rubber and natural stone which is a durable and low-maintenance surface ideal for shared-use paths. In addition, drainage systems were upgraded to improve long term resilience and reduce maintenance needs. The team also future proofed the route by laying ducting for future lighting provision. Page 130 of 232
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A satisfactory rating was received from the Scottish Road Works Commissioner in its 2024/25 Annual Performance Review, recognising efforts in the coordination of road works across the local authority area. The rating reflects the council’s compliance with national standards for planning, managing, and coordinating road works in a way that minimises disruption to road users and ensures public safety. The performance report considered several key factors, including the accuracy of road work notices, the quality of reinstatement works, collaboration with utility companies, and the timeliness of project completion. This quarter, under the combined Capital Works Programme and Residential Streets Programme, 2.8km of carriageway was resurfaced representing 0.38% of our road network resurfaced. A new contract framework was introduced for external contractor resurfacing works which has resulted in reduced output for the quarter. Footway resurfacing has also been affected in quarter 1 with 0.01% of footways resurfaced. However, resurfacing work is expected to increase from quarter 2 to bring these back on target by the end of the year 1,251.1 tonnes of material was used this quarter to fill potholes. 198.74 tonnes of material was used for temporary repairs and 1,052.35 for pothole pro permanent patching which overall is a 47% increase on pothole repairs compared to the same period last year. The Pothole Pro project equated to 10,010m2 of permanent patching, repairing 739 potholes this quarter. Whilst the number of potholes repaired this quarter is 23% less compared to quarter 1 last year, the total metres squared of permanent patching repairs has increased by 98% this quarter compared to the same period last year. This is as a result of more focus being placed on rural roads which has seen significant inlay patches covering a series of large potholes and defects, opposed to quarter 1 of last year which largely focussed on tackling smaller groupings in residential areas. As part of the street lighting capital programme, 330 street lighting columns are planned to be replaced this year starting on the 30th of June. In addition, a further 900 LED upgrades to existing columns are planned to be replaced of which 298 have been complete. Waste and Recycling In-cab technology The introduction of the Whitespace in-cab technology system has been a huge success, delivering tangible improvements across waste services. This innovative system has enhanced the efficiency of resource deployment, leading to measurable gains in key performance areas. Page 131 of 232
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Notably, there has been a marked reduction in customer complaints, as well as a significant decrease in overtime costs associated with missed collections. Building on this success, the team is now preparing for the next stage of the project, the rollout of the in-cab technology to our trade waste customer operations. This phase is scheduled to go live in quarter 2 and is expected to bring the same benefits to the commercial waste service as have already been realised in residential collections. The Whitespace system has equipped every roadside collection vehicle in waste service with cutting-edge tools that are transforming frontline operations. By streamlining processes, enhancing real-time communications, and providing better operational oversight, the technology is delivering both efficiency savings and an improved customer experience. Alongside these achievements, the team has also continued to refine how we engage with residents regarding enquiries and complaints. A new, more proactive way of working has been introduced, enabling quicker response times and more effective resolutions issues. As a result, residents are now benefiting from a more responsive, reliable and customer focused service. Twin Stream recycling During quarter 1, waste services developed an implementation plan for the roll out of the Twin Stream project, a major initiative aimed at improving recycling services for residents. This project, which is supported by a £2.2 million grant from Zero Waste Scotland, will introduce an additional green recycling bin for every household. Twin stream recycling is a collection method where recyclable materials are separated into two categories at the point of collections, one stream for paper and card and the other for plastics and cans. This approach reduces contamination, improves the quality of recyclables, and increases the proportion of materials that can be successfully processed and reused. By making it easier for residents to sort their recycling at source, the Council anticipates substantial cost savings in the disposal of dry mixed recycling, alongside higher overall recycling rates. These improvements will be further supported by a focused, ongoing education and engagement programme designed to help residents adapt to the changes and maximise participation. A key part of the Twin stream project is the £750,000 redevelopment of the transfer shed at Stobhill Depot. This upgrade will ensure the facility can effectively process and manage two separate streams of recyclables. In quarter 1, the final design for the redevelopment was Page 132 of 232
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agreed, and all contract documents required for the tender process were completed and finalised, paving the way for the next stage of delivery. Our Greenspaces Grass cutting Due to the additional grass cutting resource approved by Council, the Greenspace team made a positive start to the growing season this quarter resulting in an increased to the overall standard of grounds maintenance across the area. It has been agreed that this has will now become an annual practice which will ensure that the Greenspace team make a strong start to the grass cutting season each year, significantly enhancing the overall appearance of Midlothian. Weed control In addition, the Greenspace Team were able to carry out weed control in quarter 1 due to a decision made at February Council to expand the timeframe during which the Greenspace team can apply glyphosate to control weeds across Midlothian. This has resulted in an improved appearance to the streets and roads in towns, villages and housing estates across Midlothian, which supports the works of the new Neighbourhood Environment Team who are further enhancing the local environment for our residents. Page 133 of 232
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Vogrie Country Park renewal The first step in the Vogrie Country Park Renewal Strategy was reached in quarter 1 with the official opening of The Bubbling Toad, a vibrant, family focused attraction located on the first floor of Vogrie House. Operated by a private company, The Bubbling Toad offers an immersive, magical themed experience, complete with a range of engaging, paid activities designed for children and young people. This has breathed fresh energy into Vogrie House, marking the first phase of an ambitious, long term plan to generate sustainable revenue for the park by making full use of the historic building and underused space. In addition to this, the service has now appointed a dedicated Park Manager based at Vogrie House. This role ensures a stronger on the ground presence to oversee daily operations, enhance visitor experience, and drive forward the delivery of the wider master plan for the park. Looking ahead, work is already underway on the next major project, a £500,000 investment in the Adventure play area. Once complete, by the end of quarter 4, this upgraded facility will provide a modern, inclusive, and exciting space for families to enjoy, further enhancing the park’s reputation as a premier destination for leisure and recreation. Page 134 of 232
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Recently, Vogrie House was rented as a major location for the drama Dept Q, released on Netflix. Location managers and trades people spent months turning the house into the set for the five-day shoot. This brought about additional income for the Council as well as showcasing the historic building. More options are being explored to continue to market Vogrie as a filming location. Park and greenspace improvements The team continue to deliver park and green area improvements, with a further 50 projects planned for this year across Midlothian. 15 improvements across our play areas, parks and green spaces were completed this quarter including landscaping schemes, installation of benches and street litter bins as well as deep cleaning projects to enhance to the local environment. Working with the community The Greenspace Team have continued to work with our brilliant volunteers across Midlothian, supporting volunteer groups who help manage our countryside sites. The work we carry out jointly has a huge impact on the quality of the local environment. Our volunteer groups provide added value to the work that we do with litter picking, gardening and fund raising to brighten our local areas. This quarter, 1,350 volunteer hours (225 days) were spent in countryside sites. This is a reduction in volunteer hours compared to the same period last year of 1,890 due to vacancies within the ranger service. However, numbers remain high and are expected to increase throughout the year after the ranger vacancy post was filled during quarter 1. In addition, our Ranger service delivered 50 events/activities and school sessions across quarter 1. Page 135 of 232
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Protective Services Business Regulations: Food and Safety This quarter our Business Regulations Food and Safety team continue to prioritise proactive interventions at food businesses registered with Midlothian Council with the highest risk for food safety and standards. These include retailers and caterers with significant or sustained non- compliances in food law. 58% of planned priority inspections were completed during quarter 1, which is an increase from 33% inspections carried out during the same period last year. The team carried out 116 food hygiene/food standards interventions across Midlothian this quarter which is a 176% increase compared to the number of interventions during quarter 1 of last year. In addition, 96% of food related service requests received from Midlothian residents and businesses were responded to within the targeted response time of 10 working days. This quarter, the submission of a report to the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service due to an extensive rat infestation within the premises resulted in the Food Business Operator of Memories of India, Gorebridge pleading guilty to 4 charges under the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Enforcement action was taken against a home catering business who was preparing high-risk ready to eat foods without controls to prevent contamination of the foods and distributing the foods outwith temperature control. Remedial Action notices were issued to stop the handling of raw foods and the distribution of high-risk foods without temperature control. After being notified by Glasgow City Council Environmental Health, of a business in Midlothian advertising services on social media of bloodletting, IV drips and vitamin injections, health and safety prohibition notices were served to stop these practices. The business had set up in a wooden summer house in the back garden of a residential property with no facilities for hand washing or cleaning and disinfection to ensure infection control and no assessment or the risks involved. A Food Alert for Action was received from Food Standards Scotland asking the Food Service to contact premises in Midlothian who may sell Jolly Rancher confectionary products. Specific products were identified as containing Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons as an ingredient Page 136 of 232
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which is not authorised for use in food in the UK. If consumed in high quantities or over a prolonged period of time it is a genotoxic carcinogen. Over the course of a week 95 premises were visited. The affected products found, were removed from sale in 9 different premises. Business Regulations: Trading Standards Our Trading Standards team received 46 consumer complaints this quarter which is the same number recorded during quarter 1 of last year. All consumer complaints were responded to within 5 working days and 90% fully completed. Completion is not fully within service control and it is dependent on traders and complainants responding to investigations, although the team continue to contact consumers and traders as early as possible to maximise target completion days. Trading Standards prosecution cases continued this quarter with a successful court case outcome of a guilty plea for counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco, offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994. Trading Standards reported this case last year after Police provided the evidence including 8,400 cigarettes and 17 packets of tobacco seized. Three other cases are ongoing and scheduled for trial next quarter. Earlier this year, the Scottish Government undertook a significant overhaul of the national register for tobacco and vape retailers. As part of this revamp, Trading Standards seized the opportunity to conduct a review of the database. During this process, approximately 100 outdated or inaccurate registrations were identified and subsequently removed. Following this clean-up, around 160 active registrations remain on the national register. However, further analysis has revealed that roughly 30 of these pertain to business premises that have since ceased selling tobacco or vaping products. The updated register now more accurately reflects the current landscape of retailers, making it a more trustworthy and useful tool for regulation and enforcement. It helps the team target enforcement efforts on active businesses only ensuring that only legitimate, current retailers are registered helps prevent the sale of tobacco and vape products by unregulated or rogue sellers. 51 Trading Standards primary inspections took place this quarter of a targeted 186 planned for the year. In addition, all planned inspections scheduled to take place during quarter 1 were completed in line with our Trading Standards Service plan. 21 intelligence logs were recorded on the national Trading Standards Intelligence database (IDB) by our Trading Standards team this quarter and in comparison to other Scottish Councils, Midlothian continue to sit in the top quartile for logs created. Page 137 of 232
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Public Health and Environmental Protection Our Public Health Environmental Protection (PHEP) team received 395 public health service requests this quarter from Midlothian residents and businesses, a 10% increase compared to the same period last year. 97% of public health complaints received a first response within timescale. A further 106 service requests were received from internal sources, a reduction of 9% compared to the same period last year. The team have successfully recruited an Environmental Warden (principal role Pest Control) following retirement of the previous post holder. Recruitment is being supported with training and study for the RSPH Level 2 Pest Management Award for qualification in Autumn 2025. Meanwhile we continue to support our other Environmental Warden (principal role Dog Control) who is due to sit the exams for this qualification in July 2025. In addition, the team continue to support our Regulatory Services Modern Apprentice, as part of the national pilot scheme, who has now successfully completed some of the modules and making good progress to early completion in 2026. This new pilot apprenticeship scheme is aimed at partially addressing the national shortage of regulatory services officers and is hoped to assist future staffing requirements by providing a new route into the field of Environmental Health. In quarter 1 Public Health Environmental Protection referred a case to the First Tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) under S22(1A) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006. This case relates to failure of a landlord registration applicant to provide prescribed information demonstrating that a private rented property meets the repairing standard. The Drinking Water Quality Regulator has released annual scorecards confirming achievement of 100% compliance with the sampling of Midlothian regulated private water supplies for 2024. Private water supplies sampling continues this quarter with 11 samples undertaken and 3 water supplies inspected. Other key activities this quarter include: • 5 abandoned vehicle notices served, and 1 vehicle was removed for destruction. • 9 Short term let licences were issued under the new scheme this quarter • 36 planning applications received for consultation with PHEP • 2 Environmental Protection Abatement 1990 notices served Page 138 of 232
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Health, Safety and Resilience This quarter our Health, Safety and Resilience team processed 167 liquor licenses, 99% of which were determined. 99 Civic government licences were processes this quarter. Quarter 1 saw the completion of Gala planning and early meetings regarding summer events. 13 events were called to Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meetings, including Gala/Processions, three sporting events and, for the first time in 4 years, a Circus. Further contact meetings took place with Bonnyrigg Rose FC regarding the upcoming season. Following debrief of their spring event, planning has already commenced regarding a returning open air festival at Vogrie in September 2025. Effective operation of the Safety Advisory Group helps ensure that all events held within Midlothian’s District were safe and without incident. Other key successes this quarter include: • Appointment of a new Fire Safety Adviser. • Revised Risk Management Policy and Strategy. • Continued work in developing the digitalisation of all licence applications with the first set of online applications to be launched in July 2025, • Commenced the process of consultation for taxi tariffs and taxi and private hire licensing conditions. Page 139 of 232
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Neighbourhood Services – performance Energy from Waste 38.9% Recycled 43.6% Landfill 16.4% % OF ALL DISPOSED WASTE* 0.01% 0.16% 0.32% 0.69% 0.01% 0.51% 1.00% 3.01% 3.39% 0.38% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of Roads and footpath resurfaced (cumulative) % of Footpath % road network97.87% street lights repairs completed in 7 days. (99.17% in Q1 24/25) 1,251.1 tonnes of material used to fill temporary and permanent potholes this this. (851.5 in Q1 24/25) 10,010 m2 of permanent patching achieved this quarter (5,056m2 in Q1 24/25) 739 potholes were permanently repaired this quarter. (960 in Q1 24/25). 1,890 3,342 5,107 6,642 1,350 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of vounteer hours in countryside sites (cumulative) Target (25/26 is 6,000) Other 11% *Data shows figures for Q3 24/25. Annual and Q1 data not available until Q2. 15 play area, parks and greenspace improvements completed this quarter (8 during Q1 24/25) Page 140 of 232
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Protective Services – performance 66 35 58 65 75 18 7 5 9 54 2 2 6 1 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of abandoned vehicles (quarterly) Reported Notices served Vehicles removed for destruction 100% 96% 100% 100% 100% 88% 84% 96% 89% 90% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of Consumer complaints completed within 14 days responded to within 5 days 96% of food related service requests from mid residents and Businesses responded to with target of 10 working days. (92% Q1 24/25) Food Standards 116 food law interventions carried out (Hygiene/Food Standards). (42 in Q1 24/25) 53 food law service requests received this year (59 in Q1 24/25) Public Health 97% of public health complaints receiving first response within timescale this year. (96% in Q1 24/25) 395 Public Health service requests received from residents and businesses this year. (360 in Q1 24/25). 46 consumer complaints received this quarter (46 in Q1 24/25) 99 Civic Government license applications received this quarter (102 in Q1 24/25) 167 liquor licence applications received this quarter with 99% determined (180 in Q1 24/25) Trading Standards Page 141 of 232
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Housing Meeting housing need The Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2025/26 to 2029/30 was submitted to the Scottish Government last year. The SHIP identifies the Council’s priorities for investment in new affordable housing in Midlothian over a 5 year period. The delivery of more affordable housing remains a high priority for Midlothian, as reflected by our ongoing and ambitious housing development programme. This quarter we have received the completed handover for 4 new build homes at New Adams Row in Danderhall. A further 8 were handed over during July and August. There were 6,163 active housing applicants placed on the Common Housing Register at the end of this quarter, a slight decrease compared to the same period last year of 6,260. 163 lets have been made this quarter, an increase of 33% from the same period last year, averaging 54 lets per month. 69.9% of lets were made to homeless list applicants and 30.1% to general needs list applicants. 11 lets were made to new builds and 3 to open market purchases during quarter 1. Re-let times to permanent accommodation properties has averaged at 54 days to re-let this quarter. This figure has increased compared to previous quarters due to a change in policy with the Housing regulator where flip tenancies are now excluded. However our void turnaround times show that those properties rated as requiring minor work are brought back to letting standards within 20 days compared to those that require significant work and take over 31 days to bring back to standard. Page 142 of 232
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Following thorough consultation and careful consideration, the Polton Centre was designated by the Council as a dedicated women-only space within its supported accommodation services. Establishing a women-only supported accommodation space offers a range of significant benefits, particularly for women who have experienced trauma, domestic abuse, homelessness, or other forms of vulnerability. This dedicated space offers women a safe, secure, and supportive environment tailored to their specific needs. It promotes recovery and confidence-building, and ensures services are delivered in a way that respects women’s dignity, safety, and independence. Our Annual Tenants’ Open Day event was held this quarter at Dalkeith Arts Centre. Tenants had the opportunity to liaise with our Housing team and also external organisations including Police Scotland, Care Support Scotland, Woodburn Community Hub, Change Works, Pantry Central Dalkeith and Woodburn, VOCAL and Women’s Aid. The Tenants’ Open Day is a strategic initiative that supports the council’s goals of delivering tenant focussed services, promoting inclusion, and strengthening community ties. (Pictured right are housing staff Kirsty Daly, Yvonne Montgomery, Kayleigh Gautschu and Martin Taylor). As part of our preparatory work for our Tenants Satisfaction Survey, processes commenced this quarter to procure a supplier to carry out the next wave of the survey, which is conducted every three years. The survey plays a vital role in gathering direct feedback from tenants about their experiences and levels of satisfaction with housing services provided. Page 143 of 232
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Homelessness There continues to be a significant demand placed on homeless and temporary accommodation services as a result of a rise in the number of people presenting as homeless which is driven largely by the cost of living crisis and lack of affordable housing. The total number of households in temporary accommodation at the end of quarter 1 was 327, a decrease of 17% compared to the same period last year of 395. We continue to aim to reduce the length of time that an applicant is in temporary accommodation and through the initiatives implemented as part of our Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan we see households moving through the homeless system more quickly. Officers take a proactive approach when allocating properties to place applicants in their area of choice where possible, increasing the opportunity to accept the property being flipped to permanency and allows for a more sustainable community. The number of temporary accommodation households that have been flipped to permanent accommodation this quarter was 73, reducing the need for multiple moves before being permanently housed, allowing for links established within the local community to be maintained. Homelessness prevention assists around 20 households with advice and assistance about homelessness prevention per week. This is rental assistance advice, financial awareness advice and mediation. The number of homeless cases provided with advice and assistance this quarter was 231. We continue to promote this service to ensure early successful intervention when possible. Latest figures available from quarter 3 show the length of time homeless applicants waited until receiving a permanent housing outcome was 65.9 weeks, although this figure has increased from the same period last year of 57.5 weeks, figures up to end of quarter 3 show an improvement with an average of 53 weeks across quarters 1 to 3 compared to 58 weeks across the same period last year. It should be noted, figures for quarter 4 are not currently available however we expect figures to remain steady. Similarly, figures for the length of time Page 144 of 232
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homeless applicants spent in temporary accommodation is currently not available. The most recent available data for quarter 3 shows that an average of 47.9 weeks was spent in temporary accommodation, although this figure has increased from the same period last of 39.5 weeks, figures up to the end of quarter 3, show an improvement with an average of 41 weeks across quarters 1 to 3 compared to 48 weeks for the same period last year. It is expected that figures will continue to remain within target and current figures will be reported during quarter 2. Tenants sustaining permanent accommodation continues to be high this quarter with 95% of homeless applicants sustaining a permanent tenancy after 1 year. Page 145 of 232
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Building Maintenance The total number of jobs completed internally by our Building Maintenance Service this quarter was 8,534, a 6% increase in jobs completed during the same period last year. Jobs include all reactive, planned works, voids and inspections. This year the Building Maintenance Service (BMS) Capital upgrade programme is set at 2,400 upgrades across our estate, continuing from achievements last year. These upgrades include the continuation of our new windows, doors, bathrooms and kitchen programmes helping Midlothian Council maintain its Scottish Housing Quality Standards. The service also aims to complete the remaining fire door installs to all our flats to ensure that we are also compliant with the latest fire regulations. This quarter we have increased the percentage of Council Housing stock meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standards criteria to 90.67% from 88.35% at quarter 4. Although this is still off target there has been a significant increase from 71.1% meeting standards at quarter 1 of last year. Work continues to address the remaining properties that are failing the Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR’s). At the end quarter 1 we have reduced that figure to 682 properties. The Service have commenced a programme of Electrical enforcement entries to reduce this figure and bring this back on target. 100% of smoke alarms comply with current legislation. In line with our Damp and Mould policy the service continues to roll out the environmental sensors throughout our portfolio. This quarter BMS installed 308 monitors. This continued roll out will provide us with valuable information from within our homes, allowing us to achieve our targets set out in our Damp and Mould policy. The information collated by the monitors is sent through to a portal using a gateway system that also monitors our smoke alarms. The total monitors installed to date is 3,907. Page 146 of 232
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Building Standards Although performance targets in relation to building warrant applications issued are off target this quarter, the service continues to provide a high level of customer satisfaction against an increasing service demand, including a continued high percentage rate of customers queries being responded to within 15 working days, 91% for quarter 1. The National Customer Satisfaction Survey which is run by the Building Standards Division of the Scottish Government provides feedback on topics such as communications, time taken, staff, available information, responsiveness, fairness and overall satisfaction and produces an overall rating scale from 1 ‘not at all satisfied’ to 10 ‘completely satisfied’. The most recent information for 24/25 shows Midlothian having a rating of 7.2. The Building Standards service was awarded its full re-appointment period by the Scottish Government. This re-appointment period is from the 1st of May 2023 until the 30th of April 2029 and is subject to the following terms: • The six year appointment period is conditional on the ability of Midlothian Council’s Building Standards service to sustain and improve performance and ensure there is no reversal of performance or investment levels. • Sufficiently resourcing the service to ensure workforce supply will meet longer term demand projections to maintain operational resilience. The Building Standards service review was agreed and outlined in the review is the proposal to increase the workforce to manage the increase in workload, as well as successfully managing the future of the service as it navigates through the expected changes due to succession planning. The service has appointed two building standards inspectors, new modern apprentices. The team will assist with the training and development of the new staff members and looks forward to their successful transfer to full time inspectors in two years. The service has also employed two new building standards surveyors. The team will assist with the training and development of the new staff members and looks forward to their positive contribution to the service. Page 147 of 232
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Housing – performance 6,163 applicants on housing waiting list as of end of this quarter (General needs and Homeless) (decrease from 6,260 in Q1 24/25). General needs 30.1% Homeless 69.9% % of lets made to applicants this year 163 housing lets this quarter (123 during Q1 24/25). 14 Lets to new build and open market purchases this quarter. (31 in Q1 24/25) 95% of Homeless applicants sustaining a permanent tenancy after 1 year. Data for previous quarters will not be available until quarter 2. 57.5 43.8 49.9 44.1 65.9 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Length of time (weeks) homeless applicants wait until receivng a permanant housing outcome Target (under 85 weeks) 39.5 40.3 42.0 33.9 47.9 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Length of time (weeks) homeless applicants spend in temporary accommodation Target (under 60 weeks) 11.27 24.88 75.12 Average number of days to turnaround a void property by RAG status (quarter 1 25/26) Minor work required (Under 20 days) Moderate work required (21-30 days) Major work required (over 31 days) Page 148 of 232
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Percentage of housing repairs completed on time up to quarter 4 Building Standards Building Services – performance 72.1 76.55 80.29 88.35 90.67 0 50 100 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of Council housing meeting Scottish Housing Quality Standards (SHQS) (cumulative) 8,534 jobs completed this quarter by our Building Maintenance Service (8,052 in Q1 24/25) 95.13% of emergency repairs completed on time (93.51% in Q1 24/25) 84.05% of priority 2 repairs completed on time (84.58% in Q1 24/25) 93.19% of priority 3 repairs completed on time (83.48% in Q1 24/25) Building Standards National Customer Satisfaction Survey rate for 24/25: 7.2 out of 10 58% 50.7% 60.2% 48.6% 42.0% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of first reports for building warrant applications issued within 20 working days 74% 72.4% 75% 74% 70.16 % Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of building warrants issued within 10 working days, following receipt of satisfactory information Page 149 of 232
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Economy & Regeneration Work continues on the delivery of the Councils Economic Strategy for Inclusive Economic Growth 2025-2030 with supporting delivery plans from 2025-27, setting out how we achieve the objects within the strategy, being shared with Council this quarter. The new strategy aligns with the Scottish Government National Strategy for Economic Transformation and the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Prosperity Framework. Midlothian’s vision is that: “Midlothian’s wellbeing economy will support our communities, businesses and town centres to thrive, ensuring inclusivity and fair work for all. It will continue to be recognised as home to world leading clusters of science and innovation and be known as an area in which everyone can live, work and do business sustainably to generate wealth and wellbeing for its citizens” This will be achieved in accordance with four pillars, principles that underpin the strategy’s vision: empowerment, partnership and collaboration, ambition and innovation and sets out the following priorities to achieve our vision: • Develop Midlothian’s proposition within the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region. • Enhance skills and employability opportunities in Midlothian, to meet the challenges and opportunities of inclusive Green Growth with entrepreneurship recognised as valuable career pathway. • Maximise the potential of Midlothian’s key sectors to support a Just Transition. • Capitalise on the strengths of Midlothian’s strategic partners to embed community wealth across all services to realise a wellbeing economy. • Re-imagine our town centres, ensuring they meet Midlothian’s economic, social, cultural and environmental needs. • Deliver infrastructure enhancements that will support Midlothian’s transition to a Wellbeing Economy. Page 150 of 232
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Business Gateway Service The Business Gateway Midlothian Service continues to offer consistent levels of activity across various support services, from pre-start, to start- up and existing business growth support. 45 ‘Planning to Start’ enquiries were received in quarter 1 which is a decrease of 18% compared to the same period last year. Enquiries are received from individuals that are considering setting up a business but need support to achieve this, these clients tend to have numerous sessions with their advisor covering areas such as business planning, access to finance, regularity compliance, routes to market and can take from 3 months to a year to reach the trading stage. 17 ‘Strengthen Your Business’ enquires were received this quarter, a slight increase by 2 enquires from the same period last year. These are a mix of disengaged clients that are re-engaging or new clients and present an opportunity to engage new businesses with the service, as well as re-engaging existing clients. As well as ‘Planning to Start’ and ‘Strengthen Your Business’ enquiries, the Business Gateway Service responds to CRM and local enquiries including pre-start and existing businesses across Midlothian. In quarter 1 the team also received an additional 58 local enquiries to the CRM. Local enquiries relate to any incoming enquiry on the CRM that is distinct from a Planning To Start or Strengthen Your Business, as an example, if a client contacts the Business Gateway inbox or leaves an enquiry on the Business Gateway National Website this is then allocated to Midlothian based on postcode. The total number of new Business start-ups this quarter was 26, creating a total of 31 jobs and an estimated contribution of £1,016,200 to the Midlothian economy in their first year of trading. Business start-ups have decreased from the same period last year which saw 38 start ups. The team continue to host the weekly BASE Enterprise Hub at Edinburgh College Dalkeith. This quarter has proven to be productive with 16 client meetings held. The team were approached by a new Employment Adviser at Edinburgh Charity ‘Into Work’ regarding supporting Page 151 of 232
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neurodiverse entrepreneurs who are work ready. The team have been engaging with a new Business Development Assistant for the college to further support client sessions, for example, trying to obtain a screen for the Hub that would allow multi-client sessions on business planning and presentations at client events. Business Gateway Expert Help Programme This year’s new programme of Expert help inputs are currently in development for an expected launch during quarter 2 with Expert help topics: • Digital Marketing support • Green Heating consultancy Aligning with our localisation of procurement spend, these target local suppliers first through the Quick Quotes process. Business Gateway Midlothian Events Business Gateway held 3 events this quarter: • Coffee morning at Newbattle Abbey College with speaker Sue Mitchell of Aeona about Building Organisational Resilience. The event attracted 27 attendees. • A virtual event was held by speaker Helen Monaghan of the Financial Resilience Hub with 6 attendees. • An in person workshop for Midlothian Freelancers was held at BASE Edinburgh College Eskbank with 9 attendees. In conjunction with our Procurement Service, 2 virtual Meet the Buyer events were held during quarter 1 to support 4 new procurements being tendered for various trades services. Local suppliers were identified by Economic Development/Business Gateway and invited to attend the Meet the Buyer event and issued with the Invitation to Tender. The Economic Development service continues to work collaboratively with the Procurement Service and quarterly meetings are held, with ad hoc meetings as required to progress activity. Both services attend the CWB Practitioner Network and SDP meetings. Page 152 of 232
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In June the Business Gateway Service, along with wider Council representation, attended the opening of The Bubbling Toad, at Vogrie House. This was the culmination of two years of Business Gateway support, in the form of business planning, mentoring, access to funding and project management and will be a great asset to Vogrie. The Bubbling Toad also successfully accessed UKG Shared Prosperity Fund 2022-2025 programme funding. Business Gateway Midlothian feedback was received this quarter from an external agency post support survey. Feedback was extremely positive: “Everything I asked was answered well and with great info. Not made to feel stupid. Very helpful and kind” “Very helpful for me. Easy to speak to” “Very friendly and very informative” “Personal and tailored advice which was directly appropriate to my needs. Knowledge of both the gateway information and specifics of my company. Excellent” “I interacted with a business advisor who listened to my ideas and help me figure out steps forward” “He’s great at his job!” Page 153 of 232
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Social Enterprise The Business Gateway service continue to promote the Social Enterprise model to clients where their plans, objectives and values align to the model. Contributing to Community Wealth Building objectives, the team support projects from the Social Enterprise Conversation sessions as they develop. The service supported 5 Social Enterprise organisations this quarter, of these 3 were new Social Enterprises and all clients were supported to access funding. Locate in Midlothian engagement The Locate in Midlothian website continues to be a valuable tool in promoting our services and supporting businesses and investors that wish to locate in Midlothian. The website received 14,489 visits during quarter 1. The most popular pages during quarter 1 were commercial property listings, our Business directory, Midlothian jobs and investment opportunities. In addition, promotion and interaction through our social media channels is targeting different audiences and each is performing well in terms of audience growth and interaction with 2,610 ‘Business Gateway Midlothian’ followers and 1,796 ‘Locate in Midlothian’ followers across Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin with an average of 67% of those followers based locally. Tourism, Culture and Heritage Work continues this quarter on the Midlothian Tourism Strategy and is on track for publication in October 2025. This quarter, key progress was made in strengthening the evidence base and stakeholder engagement. The most up-to-date STEAM data, alongside historical tourism trends, was received and analysed. This has been combined with insights from the recently completed 2025 Midlothian Visitor Survey, which received 254 positive responses, offering valuable feedback on visitor behaviour, perceptions, and priorities. Informed by this data, as well as alignment with local, regional and national frameworks, a set of draft strategic objectives has been developed for the Tourism Strategy 2025–2030. A stakeholder consultation has now launched to test and refine these objectives. This consultation targets local businesses, community groups, and key partners to ensure strong alignment between tourism development priorities and local perspectives. All five UK Shared Prosperity funded marketing videos were finalised during quarter 1, showcasing Midlothian’s cultural, outdoor, and family visitor experiences. A coordinated marketing plan has been developed and will be delivered in quarter 2, supporting wider efforts to increase destination awareness and engagement across digital and regional channels. Page 154 of 232
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Midlothian continued to contribute to regional discussions through the ESES Regional Visitor Economy Partnership (RVEP), with active involvement in destination development, low-carbon tourism, and visitor management. At the national level, dialogue around the introduction of a Visitor Levy continues, and Midlothian is monitoring progress to assess future relevance and implementation options. In quarter 1 a Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) application for proposed infrastructure upgrades at Vogrie Country Park was submitted. This included baseline data, interdepartmental collaboration, and planning documentation. The project reflects Midlothian’s ongoing commitment to sustainable tourism development and enhanced visitor experience. A funding decision is expected in quarter 2. Land and Property Land and Property enquiries are specific premises enquiries and sign ups to the property mailing list. This quarter, 24 Land and Property enquires were received, 16 enquiries were from existing local businesses and 8 are currently located in Scotland but registered outside of Midlothian. 1 enquiry was received and is located in England therefore counts as an inward investment enquiry based on national criteria. Property Assets This quarter our Estates and Asset management team completed the letting of unit 38 to Drummond Miller, Solicitors and the sale of the Loanhead Police Station for residential development. The team have completed the review of the recent condition surveys across our property portfolio. The condition surveys assessed the physical status of repairs of the buildings (based on SFT methodology). The findings from the review are now subject to a prioritisation process, aligned with wider Blueprint asset rationalisation and objectives, with the aim of informing future financial investment and revenue, maintenance, and resource allocation. Work continues this quarter in energy management activities to drive forward energy savings. The conclusion of a Forensic Energy Audit which identified more than £70,000 of annual savings now being implemented with £50,000 of annual savings now already secured. Page 155 of 232
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Planning Following the adoption of the National Planning Framework No.4, the Planning Service continue its review of the Council’s adopted spatial strategy, the Midlothian Local Development Plan 2 (MLDP2). The first phase consisted of engagement with community groups, key agencies, the development industry, local residents and elected members. This engagement was ongoing throughout 2023/24 and continued into 2024/25. At its meeting in June 2024 Council approved the MLDP2 Evidence Report, including setting a Local Housing Land Requirement at 8,851, for submission to the Scottish Government for ‘Gate Check’. This is the first major milestone in the MLDP2 process. The Evidence Report has now cleared the ‘Gate Check’ process. A ‘call for ideas and opportunities’ exercise was carried out thereafter which generated over 160 sites. After a series of member workshops were held in March April this year, the suggested sites were uploaded this quarter to the public website to allow communities and other interested parties to see the level and location of development interest in our area. The timetable for MLDP2 contained in the Development Plan Scheme 17 (approved by Committee at its meeting in April 2025) sets the target of publishing the proposed plan in November 2025 for consultation. At its meeting in April 2025 the Planning Committee granted planning permission for a major commercial development at land southwest of ASDA Petrol Filling Station, Straiton and in June the Committee granted planning permission for the redevelopment of the Penicuik High School. Planning application figures for this quarter have improved with the average timescale of 10.3 weeks to determine planning applications for major developments, a significant improvement from 28 weeks during the same period last year. The average timescale of 9.3 weeks to determine local development planning applications has improved from 10 weeks during quarter 1 of last year. Page 156 of 232
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38 20 17 55 26 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of new Business start ups (quarterly) 70% 80% 65% 66% 73% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of planning applications completed within target of 80% Planning, Sustainable Growth & Investment–performance Social media 1,796 Locate in Midlothian followers. 2,610 Business Gateway followers 9.2 weeks Average time to determine planning applications for local developments. (10 weeks in Q1 24/25) 10.3 weeks Average time to determine planning applications for major developments. (28 weeks in Q1 24/25) 24 property enquires received (23 in Q1 24/25) 17 ‘Strengthen your business’ enquiries (15 in Q1 24/25) 45 ‘Planning to Start’ enquires/submissions this quarter (55 in Q1 24/25) 31 jobs created by new Business start ups (52 in Q1 24/25) Page 157 of 232
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54.44% 54.02% 59.56% 59.82% 57.69% 34.35% 40.50% 40.89% 37.13% 33.60% 67.76% 68.27% 70.05% 68.57% 65.95% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of school meal uptake Primary Secondary Free school meals 109.1 106.96 108.12 104.55 103.92 107.84 109.03 106.04 108.04 109.38 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Percentage of cleaning hours against budgeted hours achieved primary school Secondary school 4.98% 4.35% 4.24% 3.97% 3.42% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Target (less than 5% of waste) Property and Facilities – performance 6.63 nursery and primary school meals prepared per hour this year (7.3 in Q1 24/25) 7.67 secondary school meals prepared per hour this year (7.13 in Q1 24/25) TARGET: APSE national average 8.84 meals prepared per hour Percentage of school meal food waste Page 158 of 232
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Health and Wellbeing Facility Services The percentage of secondary school meal uptake this quarter was 33.6% and is expectedly lower than previous quarters due to school exam leave. Similar to last year, figures are expected to reach above the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) average of 36.23% during quarter 2 and beyond. The percentage of primary school meal uptake for this quarter is 57.69% and increased compared to a 54.44% uptake for 2024/25. Primary school meal uptake continues to sit well above the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) average of 41.24%. The percentage of school meal food waste continues to decrease this quarter at 3.42% from 4.98% during quarter 2024/25 and 6.86% at quarter 1 of 2023/24. The service have revised their targets for this year and aim to be under 5% by continuing to look at new ways to reduce our food waste across all schools. Our Catering Services team successfully rolled out a new school meal menu across our nurseries, primary and secondary schools this quarter. The new menu ensures our schools continue to provide healthy, balanced meals that support pupil well-being and lifelong healthy eating habits, whilst demonstrating our ongoing commitment to quality food standards and sustainability. Across our cleaning and janitorial functions, the percentage of cleaning hours against our budgeted hours achieved in both primary and secondary schools remain on target with productivity levels above APSE averages, based on the APSE national average of cleaning 195m per hour. This quarter Facility Services, in conjunction with, our Property Maintenance team, completed the Easter holiday works programmes across our schools. The team continue to assist in the smooth operation of the Midlothian House to Fairfield House decant. Page 159 of 232
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Sport and Leisure Our Tonezone memberships continues to remain high with a total of 5,123 memberships up to the end of quarter 1. Tonezone membership has decreased slightly during this quarter due to short term membership promotions running previous to this quarter. However, figures show a 17% increase compared to the same period last year and it is expected that many promotional memberships will transfer to full memberships throughout the year. Usage figures across our sport and leisure facilities have increased this quarter compared to the same period last year with a 19% increase in usage across all facilities (excluding pools). Alpine Coaster - Midlothian Snowsports Centre This quarter, we had the honour of hosting renowned Hollywood actor Matt Damon on the Alpine Coaster. His visit was a highlight for the team and attracted significant public interest, generating substantial engagement on social media with one post receiving 159k views, boosting our online visibility. Addtionally, quarter 1 brought further media promotion as we welcomed the BBC, who chose the Alpine Coaster as the loction for filming a children's challenge show. Alongisde this, the team hosted a production crew from Spanish National TV. Both bookings were exclusive, proving not only valuable exposure across the UK and international audiences but also contributing to increased additional revenue for the site. Page 160 of 232
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To ensure the Coaster is more assessible to the public, all groundworks are now to complete at the site allowing public transport up to the entrance of the facility. Our Alpine coaster has seen a significant increase in ticket sales this quarter of 38,076, a 66.5% increase in the number of tickets sold compared to 22,868 sold last quarter. A breakdown of tickets sales is below: Total sales this quarter (April to June 25): Ticket type Number of tickets sold 1 ride, 1 person 16,160 (36% of sales) 1 ride 2 persons 3,696 (10% of sales) 3 rides 1 person 14,721 (39% of sales) 3 rides 2 persons 3,499 (9% of sales) Total 38,076 Page 161 of 232
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Our gym refurbishment project has continued to progress this quarter. The procurement evaluation process has now been successfully completed, following a thorough assessment of submitted bids. After consideration of quality, value for money and alignment with our project goals, a successful contractor has been formally appointed. This marks a step forward in the delivery of the refurbishment which will focus on mobilisng resources, finalising timelines, and beginning on site works to remain committed in creating modern, high quality fitness facilities that meets the needs of our communinty and enhances the overall user experience. In addition, the team are in the process of rebranding the service, the output of which will be shared for approval over the coming months. Additionally, this quarter our tennis court refurbishment project was completed with upgrades to local park tennis courts. Our Active Schools Midlothian team continue to work in partnership with sportscotland, providing opportunities for our children to adopt healthy and active lifestyles throughout their school years and into adulthood by supporting and sustaining a network of volunteers, coaches, leaders and teachers who, in turn, deliver extra curricular physical activity and sport before, during and after school and in the wider community. 2,656 participants attended Active Schools free extra curricular club this quarter which is an increase of 7% compared to the same periods last year of 2,466 participants. The team have increased the number of distinct activities delivered by the programme to 185 this quarter from 163 during quarter 1 of last year. The number of volunteer hours delivered in the Active Schools Programme during quarter 1 has also increased from this time last year from 1,162 volunteers compared to 1,280 during this quarter. A 10% increase. Page 162 of 232
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Our Easter holiday programme saw an increase in offering of activities as well as an increase in participation and income compared to last year. Primary 4 free swimming lessons continue this quarter after an effective system was put in place from our programme development officer. 18 classes per week were delivered as part of a 9 week block, totalling 4,328 attendances. Midlothian Active Choices (MAC) is a sport and leisure physical activity referral programme, aimed at adults who are inactive and experience various health conditions. The programme offers a range of supported activities across Midlothian to help manage these health conditions. This quarter saw 2,209 Midlothian Active Choices attendees with 495 new referrals received after completion of MAC sessions showing an increase of 32% in attendees and 19% new referrals compared to the same period last year. The number of activities offered by Ageing Well to 50 plus age groups has also increased this quarter with 845 activities offered compared to 741 offered during quarter 1 of last year. Page 163 of 232
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70,366 77,017 74,009 88,905 83,574 52,615 57,321 44,572 53,992 47,786 28,187 28,223 32,978 32,799 35,255 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of attendances at Sport and Leisure facilties (quarterly) All facilities (excl pools) Swimming pools Outdoor facilities -pitches/pavillions 4,386 4,527 4,872 5,349 5123 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 1,670 1,653 1,307 1,801 2,209 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of MAC attendees (quarterly) 416 444 364 471 495 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of new referrals after completion of MAC sessions (quarterly) Ageing Well £368,200.35 £372,559.38 £397,740.65 £404,017.15 £440,250.65 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Sport and Leisure - performance Number of Tonezone memberships (cumulative) Midlothian Active Choices (MAC) 741 780 744 780 845 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of activities offered by Ageing Well to 50+ age groups (quarterly) Total income generated from Tonezone memberships Page 164 of 232
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Capital Investment Programme The Capital Investment Strategy sits centrally within the Council’s future planning activities and in doing so has to reflect the demands of Council services to ensure positive outcomes are achieved in the right place, at the right time for the maximum benefit to Midlothian. The extensive capital programme delivers new schools, investment in council housing, improved community infrastructure, investment in the local transport network and innovative developments such as the low carbon heat network in Shawfair. To ensure Midlothian is ‘building back better’, this investment is also creating new jobs, apprenticeship opportunities, opportunities for businesses and communities and families. Capital investment is also an opportunity to support the transition to a green economy as we invest in sustainable, highly energy efficient buildings. These new opportunities help lead the way towards a better future for Midlothian. The Education Learning Estate Strategy programme continues and is subject to regular review meetings with Education and stakeholders to ensure effective monitoring, reporting and delivery of improvement and expansion of the Education estate including Early Years provision. This covers a number of projects at various stages of development. The delivery of more affordable housing remains a priority for Midlothian Council. As part of our housing programme phase 1 provided 864 additional houses within Midlothian. The total number of new homes from phase 2, 3 and 4 is currently estimated at 1134, comprising of 489 from phase 2 budget and 645 from phase 3 and 4 budgets. Progress continues with 645 homes currently being constructed on site either through commencement of enabling works or main contract works as of November 2022. An additional 297 homes are funded for delivery in phase 5. This included the largest Passivhaus programme in Scotland, with 191 homes to be built to the exacting Passivhaus standard, in line with Midlothian Council’s Net Zero Housing Design Guide. This ensures exceptionally high levels of energy efficiency and low utility bills for our residents. At present any further Passivhaus developments are paused for a cost benefit analysis exercise. Page 165 of 232
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Construction and Development Key achievements across our Construction and Development team this quarter include: • Successfully completed the decant of all staff into Fairfield House, Normandy Court and No 8 White Hart Street, Dalkeith and the contractor now appointed for Midlothian House repair and retrofit. • Regeneration Capital Grant Fund Stage 1 application submitted for Woodburn Community Hub. • Entered into pre Construction services agreement with CCG for the development of circa 47 affordable homes on land acquired at Rullion Road, Penicuik. • Extension to Shawfair District Heat Network underway, into Newton & Wellington Farm site (CALA) and additional Plot Connection Agreements signed with housebuilders in Shawfair LLP site. • Danderhall Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 2 (EESSH2) for the decarbonisation of around 200 Council and private homes was completed on time and to budget. 50% of the costs funded by Scottish Government. BSIF programme now out to tender (£1.9m budget). Pathhead EESSH2 programme (£2.8m budget) has been awarded to a contractor. • Planning consent granted for Bush Loan Junction (A701 Relief Road project). Technical design now underway, with site start due August 2026. • Following approval of the Development Team and Learning Estate Rationale Report by CMT in June 2025, the personnel delivering the Learning Estate development were moved to report to Children, Young People & Partnerships Directorate. The Development Team in the Place Directorate has also now expanded to encompass Property & Estates. Page 166 of 232
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Challenges and risk Midlothian Council continues to face a challenging environment, with financial, demographic, and economic pressures shaping how services are delivered and funded. Financial constraints: rising service delivery costs and uncertainty over future funding from the Scottish Government are placing significant strain on the council’s budget. Cost and income projections for future years are embedded in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy which is supported by the Transformation Blueprint containing a range of transformation themes to drive towards a position of financial sustainability. Economic pressures: the ongoing cost of living crisis is affecting residents and businesses, increasing the need for council funded support. Inflationary pressures on goods, services, and energy are also significantly increasing the cost of delivering council services. Growing service demands: Midlothian’s sustained population growth and ageing demographic continues to drive an increase in demand for education, social care, housing and transport infrastructure. The 2022 Census results highlight that Midlothian remains the fastest growing local authority in Scotland with an increase of 16.1%. The 2011 census data lists Midlothian as having a population of 83,187 which has risen to 96,600 in the 2022 census data. The level of growth is 2.3% higher than our previous calculation and is now 13.4% higher than the Scottish average of 2.7%. In terms of households, Midlothian saw the highest percentage increase at 17.2% since the 2011 census. Population density in Midlothian is 273.1 residents per square kilometre compared to the Scottish average of 69.8. This growth creates the opportunity to meet the housing need with 25% of new homes being built in the affordable housing bracket, in addition to the expansion in Council house building. This construction will directly support employment and will see a steady increase in the value of Council Tax income received over time. Our Capital Strategy sets out the infrastructure required to meet those demographic pressures and includes the financial contributions Midlothian will make to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. Encompassing five main themes the City Region Deal will bring significant investment across the regions with total investment of circa £1.3 billion across: Page 167 of 232
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• Data Driven Innovation: £751 million • Integrated Regional Employability and Skills: £25 million • Transport: £156 million • Culture: £45 million • Housing: £313 million Through the Data Driven Innovation strand the Deal will leverage existing world-class research institutes and commercialisation facilities in order that Easter Bush becomes a global location of Agritech excellence. The Easter Bush project includes significant investment in transport infrastructure along the A701/2 transport corridor. In addition, by improving on-site infrastructure at Easter Bush and transport infrastructure, The University of Edinburgh expects commercial partners will be able to co-locate at scale to commercialise Agritech breakthroughs. The UK Government has announced the University of Edinburgh as the preferred location for the exascale supercomputer, which will be able to perform one billion, billion calculations each second. Once operational, it will provide high-performance computing capability for key research and industry projects across the UK. Exascale will help researchers model all aspects of the world, test scientific theories and improve products and services in areas such as artificial intelligence, drug discovery, climate change, astrophysics and advanced engineering. Exascale will be housed in a new £31 million wing of EPCC’s Advanced Computing Facility in Easter Bush, which has been purpose-built as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. Installation of the first phase is due to begin in 2025. Risk The Council’s Strategic Risk Profile is reviewed on a retrospective basis and presented to Audit Committee on a quarterly basis. This process provides regular oversight of the most significant threats to the Council’s objectives and operations. At present, the highest priority risks identified relate to financial sustainability, climate change and the successful delivery of the Council’s transformations programme. Our Place directorate plays a pivotal role in mitigating these risks and spans a range of strategic functions, including long-term spatial and infrastructure planning, implementation of the Medium Term Financial Strategy, and leadership in delivering the Council’s transformation programme. Page 168 of 232
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43 Pentana Performance Dashboard – Q1 25/26 A full review of quarterly performance data is available via Pentana (Browser login link - https://midlothian.pentanarpm.uk/login) Page 169 of 232
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Corporate Solutions is transforming services with a forward-thinking approach, promoting excellence, empowering the workforce, and driving impactful initiatives to build a modern, innovative, and responsive organisation. Corporate Solutions is an integral part of the Council, encompassing various critical services such as Human Resources, Digital, Customer Engagement, Legal & Governance, Corporate Resources, Transformation PMO, and Continuous Improvement. Corporate Solutions is dedicated to delivering forward-looking services that cater to both internal and external stakeholders, with an emphasis on ensuring organisational compliance, developing the workforce, and advancing transformation initiatives. Corporate Solutions supports the entirety of the Council's operations, playing a pivotal role in the execution of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy. By focusing on service redesign and placing the citizen at the centre of its efforts, Corporate Solutions aims to create a modern, efficient, and responsive organisation. Transformation and opportunities Transformation Blueprint (2023-2028) In addition to its operational responsibilities, Corporate Solutions contributes significantly to the Council's transformation goals and opportunities. The Transformation Blueprint (2023-2028) outlines the key areas that need addressing to balance the Council’s financial position, prepare for upcoming challenges, foster continued growth, and adapt to unforeseen changes. The Blueprint aligns with the Council’s three strategic aims, as defined in the Single Midlothian Plan: • Improving health and learning outcomes for individuals and communities. • Eradicating poverty among children and households. • Achieving significant progress towards net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Approved by the Council in 2023, the Transformation Blueprint sets the course for the next five years, guiding the organisation through reprioritisation and redesign efforts to meet future demands and foster sustainable progress. Corporate Solutions Q1 25/26 Performance report Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.10 Page 171 of 232
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Transformation Blueprint Objectives 1. Support the Council to address the 5-year funding gap outlined in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2. Follow the Money to ensure that the services we commission, contracts we manage and digital solutions we use deliver value for money. 3. Develop an organisational workforce that is flexible ensuring that all staff have the necessary skills to work effectively supported by digital technologies fit for a 21st century workforce. 4. Design a workplace for the future delivering services in a holistic and integrated way. 5. Drive forward multi-agency transformation to deliver systems-level change resulting in joined-up service delivery which improve outcomes. The Council’s Transformation Blueprint provides the framework for opportunities to change the way services are improved and delivered to be more efficient. Corporate Solutions has a particular focus on delivering digital first approaches, embedding automation to improve customer access to services and hybrid working. We will continue to work to address the inequalities that our communities face, respond to the demands of being the fastest growing local authority in Scotland, and deliver our vision of being a great, green place to grow. Page 172 of 232
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Aligned to the Transformation Blueprint, Customer Engagement priorities are set out below: • Continued rollout and implementation of Customer Service Platform • Reviewing service delivery across all Contact Centre teams • Increased use of e-Resources in libraries • Community library redesign for hub model • New mobile library service and One Stop Shop • Active promotion of library space, for Council and partner services, and enable out of hours access for communities • Rollout of the Hub and Spoke delivery model with libraries providing and facilitating increased local service provision • Refreshed Customer Engagement Strategy including revised communications and engagement plan • Increase income within Registrars through alternative ceremony offer Communications and Marketing: • Promoting the council's vision, strategy and plans such as a Great Green Place to Grow, Transformation Blueprint and wellbeing ambitions to internal and external audiences. • Raising awareness of the ways that people can take part to influence how public services operate e.g. public consultations such as Midlothian Local Development Plan, town centre regeneration projects, and school catchment area consultations. • Supporting service redesign and the delivery of change, e.g. supporting the shift to the new customer service platform which will enable citizens to do much more online. • Promotion of behavioural change, for example by encouraging residents of Midlothian to recycle more or travel more actively or improve their health and wellbeing. • Deliver timely, accurate and consistent information during a public emergency/crisis, minimising misinformation, maintaining public trust, and supporting organisational response efforts. Customer Engagement Page 173 of 232
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Key achievements: Library services Our library services continue to transform and thrive in response to the needs of our communities. This quarter overall figures for library visits continues to grow with a 4% increase in total visits (both physical and virtual) compared to the same period last year and a 13% increase compared to the quarter 1 of 2023/24. There were 149,597 physical visits to our libraries this quarter, a 2% increase compared to the same period last quarter. This reflects the ongoing long term growth in in-person visits as our libraries continue to serve as valued local community hubs. Focus continues on the promotion of our eBook service which plays an important part in our service provision for customers with sight impairment, as well as for those who love to listen to a good book. 43,358 virtual library visits were made this quarter, a 12% increase compared to this period last year. Our online catalogue continues to increase in popularity and provides a flexible, inclusive and efficient way for our customers to engage with library resources. Library events This quarter 2,478 events, clubs, activities and workshops were held across our libraries, a 45% increase compared to the same period last year and a 73% increase from the number of events held in quarter 1 of 2023/24. This covers regular events and specific activities for both adults and children and standalone events. Page 174 of 232
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Bookbug Bookbug is a universal early years book gifting and sharing programme in Scotland, aimed at encouraging parents and carers to enjoy reading and sharing stories with their children from birth. It's delivered through a partnership between The Scottish Book Trust, local authorities, libraries, and health trusts. The programme includes free book bags for different age groups and free story, song, and rhyme sessions. An evidence review released by The Scottish Book Trust in March on how sharing stories, songs and rhymes can support language development, bonding and wellbeing suggested a robust correlation between language outcomes and socioeconomic status (e.g. child-directed speech, timing and relevance of caregiver responses to infant’s speech, parental sensitivity, book reading activities). Bookbug Week was celebrated in May with the theme of ‘Bookbug’s Big Bedtime’. Lullabies were sung, guitars were strummed, teddies got up to all sort of mischief out of hours (as the photos below from Lasswade and Gorebridge Libraries show) and many cool pyjamas were worn. This quarter, Midlothian Libraries delivered 17 Bookbug Sessions attended by 277 children and 266 adults. Included in the sessions were 3 twilight sessions held in the early evening which are so important to give working families the opportunity to attend, we had 2 lullaby specials with a Health Visitor on hand to provide sleep tips and 1 Polish session “Dobranoc”. Page 175 of 232
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Bugbook Hero This quarter one of our Library Assistants, Lesley, was short listed for the Bookbug Hero Award. Recognising that some of our little ones can be overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of a huge Bookbug Session, Lesley was commended for the work she did around Penicuik’s Sensory Bookbug Sessions. Her gentle and soft approach ensures that all families feel welcome and can benefit from sharing songs, rhymes and stories together. Juliet, our resident Bibliotherapist held a DIY Publishing event which emerged in response to growing interest from writers eager to share their work with a wider audience. The event featured three guest speakers, each offering a unique perspective on self-publishing. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive; one attendee shared that they came with low expectations but left full of practical ideas and inspiration to move forward with their writing journey. Page 176 of 232
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VE Day commemorations The Newbattle Reminiscence Group had a lovely visit to the school’s Ashleigh Gray theatre where they were entertained by the Midlothian Community Band. The band also organised bingo for the group. High school pupils helped with the session and enjoyed a sing-along with our group members. Special thanks to Mrs McLeod, PTC of expressive arts, and David Knox, brass conductor for arranging this intergenerational session. To commemorate VE Day, a number of library displays and memories of the war were shared in our reminiscence groups. Betty at Newbattle Library knitted wonderful poppies and donated beautiful flowers for their display. Also pictured is the display from Penicuik Library Page 177 of 232
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Local History Month took place in May, supported by a varied programme of events and displays across libraries aimed at raising people’s awareness of the history of their community. Roslin Library participated with a window display of a selection of photographs from the Bryce collection. This attracted lots of interest from tourists and locals passing by, including one lady whose house (as it was 100 years ago) was in the display. At the other end of the scale, Lasswade Library partnered with the Lasswade & Bonnyrigg Local History Society to put on a talk and accompanying photo exhibition on the ‘Demise of Lasswade and the Rise of Bonnyrigg’ which was very well attended and has sparked plans to organise a follow up event. Below are the displays from Gorebridge and Newtongrange Libraries Page 178 of 232
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Mid Mouse Transition Project 2025 The Mid Mouse project is a Midlothian intergenerational community transition project, which aims to support children who are starting Primary 1. Our aim is that this transition for our children will be joyous, child centred and based on our local culture, created through collaboration and following the principles of positive transition. Volunteers from the local community and further afield have been knitting a Mid Mouse which will be gifted to every child before they start Primary 1 and before they leave their ELC setting in Midlothian. The project was started during the pandemic, with the hope to help to ‘knit our Midlothian community together’. Midlothian Libraries have acted as collection points for the Mice this year and our communities have knitted and crocheted an amazing 1,150 mice! Crafters of all ages have supported the project, with some library members being involved since the very first year. One of our very talented young people even knitted hearts which she placed inside the mice. In addition to Mid Mouse, 6 story books are used in ELC settings to reflect the principles of transitions in the Scottish Early Childhood, Children and Families Transitions Policy Statement (2019) of aspirations, expectations, opportunities, entitlements, participation and contributions. (There’s a Bear on my Chair by Ross Collins, Elmer by David McKee, The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright, The Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae, The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright) The Library Summer Reading Challenge Programme Aids the successful transition between year groups and key stages - all of our branches stock the books used for this year’s transition project, and some have even incorporated Mid Mouse events into their summer programmes. In addition, Library Services have provided copies of That’s not my….sensory books for ELC settings to use with specific ASN children, which the children will take from the ELC to use at home and in Primary. Page 179 of 232
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Channel shift and customer contact Channel shift work continues with the rollout of the Customer Service Platform. This quarter focused on the launch of the traffic light signals requests online form, additional requirements were implemented for the Garden Waste direct debit sign up process, an online form went live for parents to appeal school placements, enhancements made to our registrar form to allow an overseas payment option, assisted travel requests form now live, online applications for school clothing grants and free school meals now live, 8 licensing applications forms went live (including Tattoo and Skin piercing, window cleaner, metal dealer, second hand dealer, adult shop, late hours catering, knife dealer and cosmetic ear piercing), internal housing repairs from for contact centre staff to report repairs to our building maintenance team went live which further progresses the replacement of our inhouse CRM system to the new Customer Services Platform. Several other service requests continue in a test phase and due to go live are: • Access protection markings requests • Vogrie parking passes • MOT bookings • Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) requests • Primary 1 school enrolment process • NEC bus pass replacement process • Remaining licensing applications processes • Neighbourhood Services in cab technology to link to Granicus Customer Services Platform providing real time reporting to Contact Centre • Mental health and wellbeing process for Children Services to allow children to request online help • new process being created for short term lets to replace, and in turn, reduce costs to the current system This quarter contact centre call numbers have reduced compared to the same period last year with 36,350 calls received compared to 45,296 at quarter 1 in 2024/25. In addition, there is a reduction in email contact by 63% compared to the same period last year with 9,155 emails handled this quarter compared to 14,694 at quarter 1 of 2024/25. After collaboration with our main service areas Waste, Greenspaces and Road services over the last few quarters, changes to the way in which customer contact is handled in those services is having a positive effect on dealing with repeated customer contact and resolving ongoing customer queries more efficiently, leading to fewer customers stating their dissatisfaction. Page 180 of 232
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Decrease in customer contact can also be attributed to changes made to customer forms which now go directly to the service leading to quicker responses direct to customers. The number of webforms received via the contact centre has significantly decreased by 89% compared to the same period last year. The number of webforms handled by Contact Centre staff is reducing as more service transactions are automated and rolled out through the Customer Services Platform. The percentage of calls answered within 120 seconds has improved to 80% this quarter from 66% in quarter 4 and 48% compared to the same period last year. With work ongoing via our Customer Services Platform and the Revenues Improvement Programme, to implement e-billing and self-service through 2025/26, we expect call volumes to reduce over time as more people move to self-service, resulting in a higher percentage of calls answered within our customer target response times. Call abandonment rates have reduced this quarter to 5% and meeting our Service Level Agreement (SLA), this is significant improvement from a 17% call abandonment rate at quarter 1 last year. This abandonment rate calculates the total number of calls that come into the call queue and then leave the queue. There is no ability to analyse why calls are abandoned - callers may choose to hang up because they would rather not wait, or they have called at an inopportune time. Front-end messages are updated on contact centre lines to provide information to the customer waiting, for example, if a whole street of bins had been missed. Lines also have messages directing people online to carry out transactional activity. Although stage 1 complaint responses across Corporate Solutions are off target this quarter with 88.24% of stage 1 complaints responded to within 5 working days (15 of 17 stage 1 complaints responded to within 7 days rather than 5) the overall number of complaints received has reduced by 86% compared to the same period last year. The two complaints that took 7 days instead of 5 days were slightly more complex. 28 complaints were received for Corporate Solutions this quarter compared to 52 during quarter 1 of last year. Page 181 of 232
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Communications and promotion Our communication and marketing team continue to support Council services by promoting key initiatives on our social media platforms, news releases, website and community radio channel. Key successes this quarter include: Promotion of the changes to school admissions policy and Loanhead ASN consultations to maximise responses to both consultations, including encouraging attendance at in person and online meetings. 24 social media post reminders were created on Facebook, X and Instagram for the school admission consultation, the top performing post reached 42,445 news feeds and 7,086 people engaged with the post on Facebook. A media release was issued and posted on our website which had 211 views. 18 social media post reminders were created on Facebook, X and Instagram for the Loanhead ASN consultation, the top performing post reached 25,460 news feeds and 2,669 engagements. The consultations were also promoted on the Council’s Black Diamond radio slot. The result of the promotion resulted in 511 responses to the proposed changes to school admission and 144 responses to the ASN provision survey. A701 and A702 link road drop-in session was promoted to encourage stakeholders to attend a drop-in at Bilston Primary School and give their views before a planning application is submitted. The team created a consultation webpage and shared a media release on the Council’s website which received 1,300 visitors to the consultation page and 637 views of the news release. The session was also promoted on Black Diamond radio slot. 10 social media posts were created on Facebook and X and shared on local Facebook forums, the top performing post reached 25,220 news feeds with 7,170 engagements. 50 people came along to the drop in session. A7 drop-in sessions were promoted to gather views on a project, at the early feasibility and design stage, looking to improve conditions for walking, wheeling and cycling between the A7 at Melville Dykes Roundabout and Wadingburn Road, Lasswade. The short campaign included 8 social media posts on Facebook and shared on local Facebook groups and cycling/active travel groups. The best performing post was on Facebook and reached 30,662 news feeds with 4,069 engagements. 64 people came along to give their views. Promotion of the Council’s Annual Performance Report to highlight key achievements across Council services on X and Facebook to remind residents of positive impact Council has on our communities. 16 social media posts were created, Facebook posts reached more than 40,000 news feeds with more than 2,500 engagements which were mainly positive. Page 182 of 232
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Foster Care Fortnight campaign aimed to encourage enquiries and attendance at a series of drop-ins during Foster Care Fortnight in May. 17 Facebook posts were created using our own social media graphics and also tapping into new Scottish Government assets. The best performing post was a photo of the fostering team at the Ikea drop in which reached 17,156 news feeds with 1,003 engagements. 7 posts were created on X and also shared on Instagram. Reminders of the event were shared on Black Diamond FM radio and a media release was issued and published on our website. The campaign resulted in a 232% increase in visits to our fostering webpage compared to the previous two months. Promotion of LitterLotto app to encourage householders to download LitterLotto app to be entered into a prize draw, ultimately promoting the importance of recycling. 16 social media posts were created with the best performing posting reaching 13,351 news feeds (picture of monthly winner) with 833 engagements. A series of social media reminders were posted throughout May and early June to increase uptake. Since April, 595 people visited the web page with 709 page views. A total of 7,204 entries were received via the app for April and May. Short term lets campaign held to increase number of people applying for a short term let between May and June. A short social media push between 28th of May and end of June resulted in 8 new applications. 18 social media posts were created on X and Facebook with the best performing post reaching 10.351 news feeds with 2,105 engagements. Reminders to apply were also shared on Black Diamond FM radio. After promotion, visits to the webpage almost doubled, with 110 visits from 1st April to 27th of May and 206 visits from the first post on the 28th of May. Cost of Living campaigns to increase awareness and uptake of free soup and hot drink offer at Warm and Well Hubs and increase awareness of all-year round Cost of Living supports, especially food pantries. A short 1 month social media push was used to raise awareness of our warm and well hubs with 12 different posts were created on Facebook and 6 on Instagram, all with original photography and designed on Canva. The best performing post on Facebook reached 18,219 people and received 711 engagements. A total of 51,896 people viewed the 12 posts on Facebook. Newbattle Hub saw a weekly increase in offerings with a small rise noted at Loanhead Hub. To increase awareness of all Cost of Living supports a week long ‘Midlothian Cares’ social media campaign was held. Two news releases were issued on our Council website and to the media. 17 different posts were created on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, designed using Canva. The best performing post on Facebook reached 14,690 people and received 932 engagements. A total of 50,654 people viewed the 17 posts on Facebook. The campaign saw a significant increase in web visitors to the Midlothian Cares homepage and accompanying web pages during the campaign week: • 893% increase in visits to the Cost of Living homepage • 347% increase in visits to the Food pantry page • 200% increase in Job and Employability page • 65% increase in Money page Page 183 of 232
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38,762 40,111 40,885 46,116 43,358 146,809 136,493 155,290 166,411 149,597 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of Library visits (quarterly) Virtual Phyiscal 35,375 36,428 37,102 37,382 38,069 321 539 328 398 375 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of Library memberships Child memberships - new Total 45,296 37,084 31,816 36,285 36,350 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of Contact Centre calls(quarterly) Customer Engagement – performance measures 80% of calls this quarter answered within 120 seconds (48% in Q1 24/25) 190 Contact Centre Webforms received this quarter (decrease from 1,775 in Q1 24/25) 9,155 Email contact handled this quarter (decrease from 14,694 in Q1 24/25) Social Media 26.7k Midlothian Council Facebook followers 18.2k @midgov twitter (X) and Instagram followers 2,478 Library events held this quarter. (1,710 in Q1 24/25) 1,767 Children’s library initiatives taken place (1,013 in Q1 24/25) 603 Library customers supported with digital queries. (730 in Q1 24/25) Library services Customer contact Page 184 of 232
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To achieve the Council’s strategic priorities, we recognise that people are our most important asset. Workforce is a key priority in the Council’s Transformation Blueprint. The Council aims to attract the best talent, grow our own talent ensuring there are clear progression pathways, ensure our workforce feel engaged, valued and motivated and importantly, empower our staff to enable them to reach their full potential. Our workforce vision is to work as One Council using our knowledge, experiences and sense of shared endeavour to collaborate and think creatively and innovatively so that our people can deliver life-changing impacts for our communities. Our ways of working mark a clear desire for cultural change and a shift towards a more agile and modern operating model. In order to ensure a thriving workforce, key areas of focus for 2025/26 are: • Continued investment in Organisational Development through focused programmes of work e.g. Managers Forum and Leadership Forum • Delivery of the Workforce Strategy 2024-2029 to: Plan: deliver an evidence and outcome-based workforce planning framework that is an integral part of the council’s approach to strategic planning. Attract: ensure the council becomes the employer of choice for the population of Midlothian, by deploying best practice in attracting the best staff. Train: enable the council to become a “Learning Organisation”, providing staff with business-focussed training and development to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to deliver their best. Employ: ensure Fair Work principles continue to be at the heart of management practice, ensuring staff are, and feel, valued and rewarded. Nurture: create a workforce and leadership culture focusing on the health and wellbeing of a demographically balanced workforce that reflects the community it serves. • Completion of workforce and succession plans in all services, with a particular focus in high risk areas, aligned to the Workforce Strategy • Continued rollout of the Wellbeing Strategy with measures to demonstrate impact and visible contribution to reducing absence levels • Development and delivery of the Recruitment Strategy aligned to the Workforce Strategy Human Resources Page 185 of 232
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Key achievements: Wellness@Midlothian The rolling programme of Wellness@Midlothian initiatives continues to support the positive health and wellbeing of our staff. This quarter 19 wellbeing events were held covering financial support, carer support, physical wellbeing and information sessions with a total of 145 attending events. Events this quarter included: Financial support for our employees: • Financial education specialists, Affinity Connect, delivered a pre-retirement course • External course from Money Advice Scotland delivered Events to support employees with carer responsibilities: • Vocal Carer session held for managers called ‘Think Carer’ Health and wellbeing events: • 2 health walks organised by the Active Travel Team held throughout the quarter. • 3 in person staff health check sessions held across different sites from Sport and Leisure. • Swim Sisters sessions held at Newbattle pool over an 8 week period. • SQA mental health and wellbeing course provided by Community Lifelong Learning and Employability. • A new staff group was established by Ciara Burke, Trauma Lead for Midlothian Council • Chest, Heart, Stroke Scotland and Prostate Scotland manager webinars held. • Staff Mental Health Wellbeing Course at Hardengreen Industrial Estate Page 186 of 232
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Various promotional activities were carried out this quarter including stress awareness month, support for carers through Vocal, Employee Assistance Programme, suicide prevention campaign, mental health awareness week, NHS smoking cessation, Neonatal leave, CLLE lifelong learning events and courses, Staff bike hire, Dementia awareness, Capital Credit Union, AVCs and help with debt concerns. Absence and case management The HR team continue to proactively work with managers and their teams to support them in their absence management, helping to tackle and reduce sickness absence, complimenting the range of health and wellbeing support provided by the Council to all employees. The HR team provides training for managers in absence management processes and provides management information to enable managers to measure and manage the long and short term absence in their areas. Maximising Attendance at Work training took place for line managers with 5 sessions held this quarter, a total of 8. These sessions will now become part of a rolling programme for managers whether on a monthly or quarterly basis. In addition, our staff e-learning platform is currently being updated to incorporate a Maximising Attendance at Work course for managers. This work is resulting in progression of absence cases, capability hearings and return to work as well as the more efficient management of employee relations cases to bring these to a conclusion. This quarter the number of long term absence cases supported by HR was 93, a reduction of 37% compared to same period last year. The team continue to work on various lengthy and challenging employee relations cases supporting staff and managers throughout the process to reach a successful conclusion. 15 cases are being supported this quarter which is a reduction of 29% compared to the same period last year. In addition, the team continues to support services going through periods of organisational change such as service reviews across Council Services. Investing in our workforce During quarter 1, the HR team successfully achieved re-accreditation as a Disability Confident Employer. Disability Confident is a voluntary government scheme designed by employers and disabled people’s representatives to help employers recruit and retain people with disabilities and health conditions. Midlothian Council continues to be committed to challenge attitudes towards disability and improve understanding, while also promoting a positive work environment, where disabled people can have access to an inclusive recruitment process, be offered reasonable adjustments as required and have employee benefits available to support their health needs. Page 187 of 232
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This quarter a Neuroinclusion policy was drafted. A Neuroinclusion policy aims to ensure that individuals with diverse neurological conditions, such as autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and other cognitive differences, are supported, respected and included in the workplace. Our job evaluation policy was also updated this quarter and both policies will be presented to Trade Unions for consultation over the next few months. Work is in progress on our staff debt recovery policy. As part of the Workforce Strategy, an Employee Survey was launched to gather as much feedback from our employees as possible. This quarter the results of the survey were shared with all employees and focus groups were promoted to get input from employees to progress certain aspects of the Workforce Strategy and feed into our Workforce action plan. Training on workforce planning was carried out with the Local Government Association for the HR team and will be rolled out to the Corporate Management Team (CMT) and next tier of management after the summer break. The Managers Forum continued this quarter with online sessions providing managers guidance on supporting staff who are unpaid carers, who have family members with health conditions. The forums provide a safe space for leaders and managers to share experiences. This quarter, the team co-organised and facilitated two United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) sessions for the Leadership Forum. 6,127 mandatory e-learning courses were accessed this quarter by staff. This is a continuous increase in e-learning courses undertaken by our staff over the last few years with 5,885 compared to the same period last year and 699 during Q1 of 23/24. Courses include training on Bribery Act 2010, Information Security and GDPR, procurement fraud, cyber security, records management and threat of terrorism. These courses aim to protect the council, its staff, and the public by fostering a culture of awareness, responsibility and compliance. This quarter a contract was signed with Vivup, a new employee benefits portal to support the financial wellbeing of staff by introducing lifestyle savings and discounts on many major high street retailers and has the option to add local offers too. Vivup will engage positively with staff via messaging functionality on the portal and can also host other benefits, staff information and guidance on the portal. The types of discounts or savings that are offered are e-gift card, reloadable card, physical card, discount code, cashback. This means employees can use this benefit when they are “on the go” perhaps in a restaurant having lunch at a participating retailer. Plans are place to go live with the new platform during quarter 2. Other activities this quarter include: commencement of the review to change from MPM to an alternative appraisal/management conversations model. The HR wellbeing pages were updated on the HR Hub, a revised employee induction pack was drafted, potential management development options paper has been drafted and will be presented to August CMT for guidance on what next. The team carried out and presented overtime analysis data to CMT which will then be taken further by the newly approved Reward Specialist post. Page 188 of 232
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Workforce measures We track our employee turnover rates by expressing it as a percentage of employees overall when taking account of all leavers. Consideration of the levels of turnover across services, locations and particular groups of employees helps to inform workforce planning and resourcing. Compared to last quarter, staff turnover rates remain similar with quarter 1 turnover rates at 1.78% and 1.86% last quarter. Rates have remained steady compared to the same period last year at 1.9%. The gender pay gap measures the average female pay (£20.79) versus average male pay (£21.17) within the organisation. The figures show that the Council has more male staff at higher rates of pay by 1.76% as of quarter 1 which shows a reduced pay gap compared to the same period last year of 2.65%. The percentage of female employees in the top 5% of earnings continues to remain steady compared to last year with 123 female employees in the top 5% of earnings in quarter 1 and 119 during the same period last year. Sickness absence rates for all employees have slightly decreased this quarter compared to last with average sickness days at 2.76 compared to 2.97 for quarter 1 of 24/25. For Corporate Solutions the average number of working days lost due to sickness absence this quarter has slightly increased to 2.86 compared to 2.38 quarter 1 of 24/25. Of the FTE days lost, 61% was due to long term sickness, 23% self-certified, 16% short term absence. Work continues with each service area to review attendance levels and support those absent to return to work. Page 189 of 232
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2.65% 1.92% 2.30% 2.29% 1.76% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Gender pay gap between average hourly rate of pay for male and female (all employees) Scottish Average (2.5%) 3.1 6.5 8.5 10.9 2.8 1.8 2.7 4.8 6.7 1.2 3.6 8 10 12.6 3.4 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Average Sickness Absence days All employees Teachers Local Government workers 1.9% 2.6% 2.2% 1.9% 1.8% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of staff turnover (quarterly) 757 2,420 1,789 16-30 31-50 over 50 Human Resources – performance measures 93 Long term absence cases this year (147 in Q1 24/25) 254 Occupational Health referrals via OHIO this year (123 in Q1 24/25) 15 HR cases handled this year (21 in Q1 24/25) 376 Physiotherapy referrals made this year (353 in Q1 24/25) No. of staff by age group 1,331(26%) Employees with over 15 years of service 77 Leavers at end of Q1 (cumulative figure) 65.2% of employees are Midlothian Residents Employee Health and Wellbeing Workforce demographics 123 female employees in top 5% this quarter. • 19 wellbeing events held this quarter with 145 attendees • 6,127employees accessing mandatory eLearning courses • 1,071 employees accessing non-mandatory eLearning courses Page 190 of 232
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Digital solutions underpin the Transformation Blueprint. Key work streams include: Delivery of the Council's Digital Transformation Strategy 2024-2029 to fully utilise digital tools, digitising and automating processes, introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ensuring that decisions can be made through comprehensive data and management information. Key priority areas that the Council will focus on over the next 5 years are: • Automate: For an Efficient, Modern Council • Reimagine: Transform Service Delivery • Data: Deeper Insights and Preventative Operations • Secure and Sustain: Protect and Preserve • Development of a data analysis capability and streamlining of performance and other standard reporting • Expanding digital automation efforts via Power Automate, to improve efficiencies and process quality • Continued rollout of compliance and cyber security protective measures, including attainment of PSN and Cyber Essentials certification, staff training and engagement and establishing a Security Operations Centre • Deepening the adoption of Microsoft M365 capabilities and applications to enable organisational efficiencies, collaboration and lay the foundation for future AI initiatives • Delivering service improvements in frontline teams through the use of technology • Continue the roll-out of the Customer Services Platform solutions to promote channel shift • Equipped for Learning: support the EfL project to provide best in class, secure digital ecosystem for optimal learning outcomes • Developing Council telephony digital strategy and implementing upgrades to education estate • Ensure all digital aspects of Council operations are well supported and operational • Provide citizens with enhanced services and faster, more responsive support • Deliver improved outcomes for all residents of Midlothian by embracing modern service models Digital Page 191 of 232
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Key achievements: Digital projects and Infrastructure A range of improvements projects and service supports were undertaken this quarter to facilitate a more efficient organisation and improve how we work: Front Office and Service Desk • Technical testing for the rollout of the new Xerox cloud hosted printing service and the replacement of old devices. • Windows 11 upgrade programme is now 85% complete with all remaining devices to be upgraded during quarter 2. • Relicensing of the corporate M365 environment and refresh of the education Microsoft Office agreement. • Refresh of catering tills in schools and cafes and the transition of the digital application to the cloud. • Initial preparation of the Council’s new Microsoft Azure Landing zone to give us access to ‘on demand’ computing capacity. Business Solutions • Support of the in-cab technology Phase 2 (Trade Waste) roll-out. • 15 Customer Service Platform developments went live this quarter • Support for patches and upgrades of Open Revenues, Civica Icon, Capita Housing, iTrent, Integra and other lines of business applications. Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) Completion of the migration of our 48 SWAN circuits to faster, more cost-effective BT Swan WAN connections took place this quarter. Installation of new SWAN circuits at Sacred Heart Primary School, Bonnyrigg Depot, Stobhill Depot and Penicuik Town Hall now complete which will provide increased performance and reliability to the locations listed. Planning undertaken for new SWAN circuits to replace the current point to point WiFi used for Hillend and Aim High. Page 192 of 232
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Vogrie Park Installation of a Starlink satellite broadband system to allow the new carpark barrier system to take payments in a timely and efficient manner. Also, introducing new technologies to the council. Pilot of enhanced 4G routers that will allow the ELC and Ranger Services to see improvements to the reliability of their network connectivity. Midlothian House decant Extensive work was carried out this quarter to equip Fairfield House for decant, supporting users as they migrate to their new location with work commencing on the migration of servers and digital systems from Midlothian House to Fairfield prior to the refurbishment work taking place. Work also included ensuring that the desks within Fairfield House have sufficient data and power to allow staff to move from Midlothian House. Planning the reduction in size of the Midlothian House computer room. Digital Services no longer require the large room for servers and digital equipment. This will allow for a reduction in the cooling requirements and therefore a reduction in power consumption. Normandy Court Planning and preparation work was completed for the move of the Council Chambers to Normandy Court with a fit out of networking services to allow staff to occupy office spaces in the building and installation of broadband Internet for the Public-I system. Education and Equipped for Learning Roslin Primary School extension Installation of additional networking services to the extension to Roslin Primary School to allow teachers and pupils to access the Education network. Education Wi-Fi Completion of the replacement programme for the Education Wi-Fi network and equipment. Allowing for better WiFi coverage, increased signal strength and reliability. High School Servers New servers purchased to replace the ageing High School servers allowing for the next stage of the project to commence. Page 193 of 232
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Education Telephony Procurement of a new modern hosted telephone system for Education to replace the ageing unreliable on premise solution. These activities and updates reflect our ongoing commitment to leveraging technology to enhance educational outcomes, support staff development, and ensure sustainable and impactful delivery of the Equipped for Learning project Cyber Security Work continues this quarter to maintain and strengthen our cyber security. Key successes this quarter include: • Cyber Essentials Plus Certification and PSN Certification were successfully achieved, demonstrating compliance with national standards. • Successfully defended the organisation against multiple cyber attacks. • A confidential Cyber Defence Briefing Note was submitted to CMT following high- profile UK cyberattacks, including one targeting West Lothian’s education network. • Security oversight was provided for the onboarding of new applications and technical service. Information Governance This quarter Information Governance efforts focused on embedding strategic oversight, enhancing compliance, and supporting digital transformation. • A new AI training course was developed. • It was agreed to conduct of a small scale pilot of Co-Pilot pilot. • A new Governance Guidance Report for Private Channels and Sensitivity Label. • Information Governance oversight was applied to M365 and Google Workspace implementation projects Page 194 of 232
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Roll out of Microsoft 365 across the whole corporate estate was completed last year, enabling widescale collaboration and co-production with work efficiencies now being realised in many ways across various service areas. Various activities have taken place this quarter to support staff with M365 across the organisation including: • Continued training programme for M365 champions is now 50% complete, this programme aims to enhance digital skills among identified champions and build upon internal knowledge and capacity. • Adoption of Viva Connections now agreed. • Preparation work undertaken for the M365 CoPilot Trial Programme, CoPilot will help drive operational efficiency, improve service delivery, and support council staff in their daily tasks using advanced AI technology. These activities and updates reflect our ongoing commitment to leveraging Microsoft 365 to enhance productivity, collaboration, and security across the organisation Page 195 of 232
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50 16 15 Total Planned modules Complete during 24/25 Complete during 25/26 58% 61% 62% 60.5% 65% Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 % of IT helpdesk incidents complete within 48 hours (quarterly) Digital – performance measures Cyber security performance Progress of total number of Customer Service Platform modules (cumulative) 376k Midlothian Council Website visits this quarter with 1.1M page views. (233K website visits and 777k page views in Q1 24/25) 100% of Cyber Essentials and PSN implemented 54% of cyber security training complete Website Customer satisfaction and helpdesk Digital Services Customer satisfaction rate: 95.6% this year (94% in Q1 24/25) Customer Services Platform Page 196 of 232
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Key priorities for the service in 2025/26 • Redesign of business processes to achieve efficiencies across all of Corporate Resources • Making more use of current applications to enable self-service e.g. viewing Council Tax and rent accounts online • Continued upgrade of applications supporting the Council’s transformation agenda e.g. increasing automated and online payments Key achievements: Invoicing Work continues in the rollout of invoice approval processes. Moving away from paper-based invoicing to invoice approval system management allows for a greater level of audit, performance management and data, leading to more up to date financial monitoring and real time reporting. The Business Applications Team continue to work with Scottish Government’s e-commerce team on next steps for the e-invoicing programme and onboarding of suppliers to this service. This quarter invoice approval processes were implemented for Catering (non food purchases) and expansion continues across Property Maintenance and Fleet Services continues. Green slip transactions have reduced from 7.7% in quarter 1 of last year to 6.6% this quarter. The rate of invoices paid on time across the Council this quarter was 95.8%, achieving our target of 95%. A total of 28,545 transactions were processed during quarter 1, of which 23,196 are included in the Statutory Performance Indicator (SPI) invoice calculation with an average of 8.7 days to pay an invoice. This quarter the team made 4,649 direct payments to bank accounts to cover free school meals during the holiday periods, Ukrainian Host payments and Economic Development Business Grants. 700 internally generated payments were processed including grants, corporate appointees, salary deductions and treasury activities. Corporate Resources Page 197 of 232
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Further Business Application upgrades were completed this quarter for, TotalMobile, iTrent, CiviaPay, Blue badge case management system, Granicus and One Housing. The Parent Portal pilot was implemented in 13 schools, the Mosaic Access Community Gateway project commenced this quarter and the team successfully completed finance year end processing activities within timescale. Records management During this quarter, work has continued across our Business Services to streamline operations and strengthen the efficiency of our processes. A key area of focus has been the management of council records, where we have made significant process in our practices and improving compliance. Our Records Management Policy was reviewed, updated and published this quarter on the new Mid Hub intranet, alongside detailed procedural documentation, the council’s records retention schedule, and a full list of record champions. Together, these resources provide clear guidance for staff and set out our commitment to the secure, consistent, and responsible creation, storage, and disposal of records that accurately document our activities and business. To support this, records champions received training on the use of destruction registers. This training enhanced understanding of the record destruction process, ensuring it is carried out in line with both the council’s policy and legislative requirements. Significant records management activity also took place as part of the office decant from Midlothian House to Fairfield House. Records champions received additional guidance and support as part of the move, resulting in 66 boxes of files being archived at Iron Mountain, a figure nine times higher than the usual volume of archived files for this period. This achievement not only strengthens the protection and accessibility of our records but also helps reduce reputational and financial risks to the council. As part of this process, many outdated documents were identified and securely destroyed in accordance with our retention schedule. This has freed up valuable office space, improved building safety by lowering fire risk, and ensured that only relevant records are retained. Progress was also made in the management of burial records. The first phase of our partnership project with Ancestry, to digitise and publish these records, is now complete, paving the way for wider accessibility and long term preservation of this information. Page 198 of 232
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Supporting the Cost-of-Living Crisis 34.6% of our total Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) budget was allocated during quarter 1. This quarter 1,881 Crisis Grants and 316 Community Care Grants were received. Requests for crisis funding continue to remain consistently high this quarter compared to the same period last year and demonstrates the continued significant financial challenges faced by our communities. Our Scottish Welfare Fund Assessors respond and analyse the reasons for the high number of applications and refusals to identify preventative activity to mitigate people reaching this crisis point. This is identified as a key action in the Child Poverty Action Plan. 2,246 customers received help and support via Housing Benefits this quarter with a gradual reduction each quarter from 3,028 during quarter 1 of last year. Processing times the change or circumstances within Revenues and Benefits has improved this quarter to an average of 7 days, compared to 12 days during quarter 1 of last year, bringing the service back on target. The percentage of current housing rent arrears sits at 13.49% by the end of quarter 1 and has reduced compared to last year’s quarter 1 figure of 15.38%. In year Council Tax collected year to date is 27.3%, showing a similar rate of collection compared to the same time last year of 27.6%. Page 199 of 232
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1,824 3,480 5,109 7,168 1,881 1,005 1,868 2,723 3,840 976 27 45 52 127 16 792 1,567 2,334 3,201 889 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of Crisis Grants (cumulative) received awarded declined ineligible Grant applications deemed as ineligible are in general those that have exceeded the maximum amount of 3 applications in a year or customers who do not meet the set criteria for the award. 48 63 48 56 54 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 New claims Revenues and Benefits 5753 5364 4865 2935 5344 2890 2967 2863 3064 2954 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of online transactions (quarterly) Rent Council Tax 27.3% of in year Council Tax collected year to date. 12 15 12.7 2 7 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Change of circumstances 344 668 931 1,351 316 120 239 326 461 1214 5 6 88 3 220 424 599 802 192 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of Community Care Grants (cumulative) received awarded declined ineligible Corporate Resources – performance measures £113,950 granted from Scottish Welfare fund for crisis grants £126,581 granted for community care grants in Q1. Scottish Welfare Fund Average processing times (days) Page 200 of 232
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Key priorities for the service in 2025/26 • Review of the Council’s governance framework with revised Standing Orders and Associated Scheme(s) • Development of the new Procurement Strategy, with a focus on social value, the introduction of a Council wide approach to Community Benefits, and an increased focus on local procurement • Aligned to the Transformation Blueprint, continued review of Contract Management • Preparatory activity for the delivery of the Scottish Parliamentary Election in May 2026 • Ensuring compliance with statutory duties for responding to FOIs, SARs and EIRs, minimising data breaches and supporting teams to ensure good information governance Key achievements: Legal Services The commercial legal team continue to provide expert legal advice and support on a wide range of commercial matters to help the Council operate effectively and lawfully in its business dealings. Various activities were undertaken by the team this quarter including: • Legal advice was provided to various services across the council in relation to records management to support the process of decant from Midlothian House. Advice focused on maintaining compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, including data protection obligations and records retention schedules. • Purchase of 4 West Street, Penicuik for £1 on 30th of April as Penicuik Community Arts Association, who the Council sold it to in 1985 for £10, is coming to closure. • Sale of the former Loanhead Police Station on 16th of June for £301,522. • Completion of buyback, 276 Cameron Crescent purchased for £190,000. • Completion of the sale of 3 Crichton Avenue, Pathhead for £120,000. • Completion of 2 Golden Share transactions at Greenlaw Mains in Penicuik. • Completion of the lease agreement between the Council and GiGi’s for land adjacent to Lothian Street, Bonnyrigg. • Completion of Planning Section 69 agreement for a new fire station at Sheriffhall with developer contribution of £46,000 with a new fire station being built. Legal and Governance Page 201 of 232
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The legal court team continue to protect the Council’s interests and deliver suitable outcomes for children and vulnerable adults through attendance at court this quarter. Various activities were undertaken by our Court team this quarter including: • Responded to 89 individual legal queries. • Represented the Council in a two day appeal at the Additional Support Needs Tribunal in respect of a placing request refusal, including taking and lodging substantial witness statements and lodging relevant documentation. • Raised 9 applications for guardianship and/or Intervention Orders under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. • Raised 4 actions for recovery of possession under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. • Raised 2 permanence orders. • Provided ongoing representation and advice in 2 ongoing permanence matters, including preparations for a 5 day proof. • Represented Children and Families in two actions for Child Protection Orders under the Children’s Hearing (Scotland) Act 2011. • Provided advice and representation to both education and the Education Appeal Committees in respect of this year’s placing request appeals, in addition to assisting with training. • Provided extensive advice to education in relation to ongoing consultation. • Attended and/or provided advice for 19 Adults with Incapacity/Adult Support and Protection Case Conferences. • Provided ongoing advice to Adult Services in relation to two separate actions raised in the Court of Protection in England. Page 202 of 232
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Procurement Work has commenced on a refresh of the Procurement Service operating model. Through adopting and embedding a business partnering approach, Procurement will provide greater support to services, guidance on best value and procurement processes and anticipated to enable the Council to ensure that procurement is compliant and achieves savings. An example of this is through the increased use of Scotland Excel frameworks, over £90k was received in rebates for 2024/25. Examples of key procurement activity this quarter: Treatment of Residual Waste - Value of £1,032,000 awarded to Biffa Waste Services through mini competition exercise using the Scotland Excel Framework. • This project was successfully delivered at a critical juncture, as the Council was previously operating on a rolling contract with a supplier based in Northern Ireland (Regen). Through a competitive procurement process, the contract was awarded to Biffa Waste Services, resulting in significant cost savings. • In addition to financial efficiencies, the project supported the Council’s commitment to sustainable procurement. By appointing a supplier with more local operations, the environmental impact associated with transportation is reduced, contributing to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in alignment with the GHG Protocol. Fleet Replacement Programme (2025–2030) – Contract Value: £15,000,000, awarded to: Various Suppliers via Frameworks • This long-term procurement programme aims to replace Midlothian Council’s ageing fleet with more efficient, modern vehicles over a five-year period. • The initiative was delivered through multiple nationally recognised procurement frameworks, including Crown Commercial Services (CCS), Scotland Excel (SXL), Halton, and The Procurement Partnership Ltd (TPPL), enabling access to competitive pricing and high-quality suppliers. • Framework Utilisation: The project has increased Council participation in the strategic use of procurement frameworks, supporting compliance and value for money. Page 203 of 232
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• Cost Efficiency: By phasing out older vehicles, the Council is significantly reducing its ongoing spend on maintenance and repairs. • Operational Improvement: The updated fleet will enhance service delivery, improve reliability, and contribute to lower emissions in support of sustainability goals. • This approach demonstrates effective long-term planning and alignment with the Council’s financial, environmental, and operational priorities Midlothian Council Vogrie Country Car Park Barrier – Value £70,000, awarded to Orbility • This project, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), involves the supply and installation of an automated car park barrier system at Vogrie Country Park. The contract was awarded to Orbility, a specialist in smart parking solutions, through a competitive procurement process using ESPO framework. • The system also enables better data collection on park usage and offers potential for future income generation. Local procurement Four new trade procurements were undertaken following Cabinet approval to ring-fence the procurements to Midlothian based suppliers. These are in Building, Plastering & Tiling, Joinery & Roofing and Painting & Decorating. This followed two online meet the buyer events held to promote the procurement. This led to the successful award to 13 suppliers, of which 7 were new to working with Midlothian Council. These 7 suppliers have 78 employees, contributing to the Council’s strategic priority to local procurement, community wealth building and investing in Midlothian’s local economy. Page 204 of 232
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6 32 27 10 9 Q4 23/24 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Number of regulated procurement excerises undertaken (quarterly) Legal and Governance – performance measures Access to information 304 266 359 399 410 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of Freedom of Information requests recieved (quarterly) 50 53 47 70 64 Q1 24/25 Q2 24/25 Q3 24/25 Q4 24/25 Q1 25/26 Number of Subject Access Requests recieved (quarterly) 8 Legal commercial transactions carried out this quarter Page 205 of 232
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The Continuous Improvement team supports the required step-change to ensure that as an organisation we learn from feedback and complaints received and improve service delivery as a result of driving forward a culture of continuous improvement. Key priorities for the service in 2025/26: Working with services to focus on performance measures and supporting approaches which deliver improved outcomes, including: • The introduction of a revised Planning and Performance Management Framework (PPMF) and a newly developed Best Value Framework (BVF). • Revising the Midlothian Excellence Framework (MEF), our corporate self- evaluation tool, to reflect changes to the Public Service Improvement Framework (PSIF). • External data submission, monitoring and reporting of Local Government Benchmarking (LGBF), including maintenance of the LGBF dashboard on Pentana for elected members. • Key contact for corporate level external scrutiny activities such as the Best Value Thematic exercises undertaken by our external auditor. • Facilitating a review and update of all policies and procedures in place to deliver the Council’s strategic outcomes and ensure alignment with overarching strategies. • Review and refresh of the Equalities work programme including increased awareness of equality and diversity and the redesign of the staff equalities group to facilitate greater diversity and inclusion in the Council’s decision making processes, policy development and a more diverse workforce reflective of the communities the Council services. Continuous Improvement Page 206 of 232
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Key achievements: Key achievements across this quarter for our Continuous Improvement team include: Equalities: • Published the Midlothian Equality Outcomes 2025-29, setting out the key objectives the Council aims to achieve in the next four years to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations between our diverse communities. • Published the Midlothian Equality Mainstreaming and Outcomes Progress Report 2023-25, providing an update on activity to advance equality across Council services over the past two years. • Reestablished the Equalities Working Group to coordinate work to embed and enhance equality practice throughout the organisation. Performance: • Quarterly Performance reporting check list and schedule produced and shared with lead service performance officers. • Liaising with performance officers to identify Pentana performance system training, including online resources and training sessions from Ideagen. Contact Us: • Published Annual Complaints Handling Report 2023/24. • Introduced monthly Complaints report, developed with Business Solutions, for Corporate Management Team, which details all open/unresolved complaints. • Child Friendly Complaints (CFC) considered as part of UNCRC Leadership Forum sessions in May/June and ongoing development to be incorporated as part of the UNCRC working group activities. Participating in the national CFC forum group with other local authorities. Page 207 of 232
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Challenges and risks Midlothian Council continues to face a challenging environment, with financial, demographic, and economic pressures shaping how services are delivered and funded. Financial constraints: rising service delivery costs and uncertainty over future funding from the Scottish Government are placing significant strain on the council’s budget. Cost and income projections for future years are embedded in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy which is supported by the Transformation Blueprint containing a range of transformation themes to drive towards a position of financial sustainability. Officers continue to work closely with the Business Transformation Steering Group to respond to the challenges. Economic pressures: the ongoing cost of living crisis is affecting residents and businesses, increasing the need for council funded support. Inflationary pressures on goods, services, and energy are also significantly increasing the cost of delivering council services. The impact of the cost of living crisis on households continues to be noted across the UK with 72% of adults reporting an increase in their cost of living in April 2024 (Office for National Statistics; Francis-Devine et al, 2022). The UK has faced an unprecedented wave of increasing prices, bills and tax challenges. The 41 year high inflation rate of 11.1% in October 2022 has been the main driver of the cost of living crisis which has outstripped wage and benefit increases. After this peak in inflation, rates have continued to decline, dropping to 2.0% in May 2024. Over the three years between May 2021 to May 2024 food prices rose by 30.6%. Although inflationary rates have steadied, the price rises continue to impact low-income households hardest as a larger proportion of their costs are on energy and food. As our citizens feel the impact of the Cost of Living Crisis, they will seek additional support from public services, in particular local authorities. To respond to this emerging crisis, the Council established a Cost of Living Task Force in 2022, which is chaired by the Council Leader and meets regularly to coordinate mitigating activities. Growing service demands: Midlothian’s sustained population growth and ageing demographic continues to drive an increase in demand for education, social care, housing and transport infrastructure. The 2022 Census results highlight that Midlothian remains the fastest growing local authority in Scotland with an increase of 16.1%. The 2011 census data lists Midlothian as having a population of 83,187 which has risen to 96,600 in the 2022 census data. The level of growth is 2.3% higher than our previous calculation and is now 13.4% higher than the Scottish average of 2.7%. In terms of households, Midlothian saw the highest percentage increase at 17.2% since the 2011 census. Population density in Midlothian is 273.1 residents per square kilometre compared to the Scottish average of 69.8. Page 208 of 232
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This growth creates the opportunity to meet the housing need with 25% of new homes being built in the affordable housing bracket, in addition to the expansion in Council house building. This construction will directly support employment and will see a steady increase in the value of Council Tax income received over time. Our Capital Strategy sets out the infrastructure required to meet those demographic pressures and includes the financial contributions Midlothian will make to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. Encompassing five main themes the City Region Deal will bring significant investment across the regions with total investment of circa £1.3 billion across: • Data Driven Innovation: £751 million • Integrated Regional Employability and Skills: £25 million • Transport: £156 million • Culture: £45 million • Housing: £313 million Through the Data Driven Innovation strand the Deal will leverage existing world-class research institutes and commercialisation facilities in order that Easter Bush becomes a global location of Agritech excellence. The Easter Bush project includes significant investment in transport infrastructure along the A701/2 transport corridor. In addition, by improving on-site infrastructure at Easter Bush and transport infrastructure, The University of Edinburgh expects commercial partners will be able to co-locate at scale to commercialise Agritech breakthroughs. The UK Government has announced the University of Edinburgh as the preferred location for the exascale supercomputer, which will be able to perform one billion, billion calculations each second. Once operational, it will provide high-performance computing capability for key research and industry projects across the UK. Exascale will help researchers model all aspects of the world, test scientific theories and improve products and services in areas such as artificial intelligence, drug discovery, climate change, astrophysics and advanced engineering. Exascale will be housed in a new £31 million wing of EPCC’s Advanced Computing Facility in Easter Bush, which has been purpose-built as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. Installation of the first phase is due to begin in 2025. The Capital Investment Strategy sits centrally within the Council’s future planning activities and in doing so has to reflect the demands of Council services to ensure positive outcomes are achieved in the right place, at the right time, for the maximum benefit to Midlothian. The extensive capital programme aims to deliver new schools, investment in council housing, improved community infrastructure, investment in the local transport network and innovative developments such as the new low carbon heat network in Shawfair. In response to all these pressures, a range of reprioritisation activity continues, with an Estates & Asset Management Strategy being considered by the cross- party Business Transformation Steering Group, and options to review what and how services are delivered as part of the savings measures to reduce the funding gap recommended to Council. Page 209 of 232
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Risk The Council’s Strategic Risk Profile is reviewed on a retrospective basis and presented to Audit Committee on a quarterly basis. This process provides regular oversight of the most significant threats to the Council’s objectives and operations. At present, the highest priority risks identified relate to financial sustainability, climate change and the successful delivery of the Council’s transformations programme. Our Place directorate plays a pivotal role in mitigating these risks and spans a range of strategic functions, including long-term spatial and infrastructure planning, implementation of the Medium Term Financial Strategy, and leadership in delivering the Council’s transformation programme. Page 210 of 232
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Pentana Performance Dashboard – Q1 25/26 A full review of quarterly performance data is available via Pentana (Browser login link - https://midlothian.pentanarpm.uk/login) here Page 211 of 232
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Midlothian Council Report Quarter 1 2025/26 Progress Against Strategic Outcomes The Single Midlothian Plan focuses on three main priorities: • Individuals and communities have improved health and skills for learning, life and work. • No child or household need live in poverty. • Significant progress is made towards net zero carbon emissions by 2045. The 2022 Census results highlight that Midlothian is projected to have the highest percentage change in population size of all mainland council areas in Scotland with an increase of 16.1%. In addition, Midlothian has 10 zones which fall into the most deprived areas living a local share of 8.7% living in the most deprived areas in Scotland. To accommodate growth within the resources available we will need to think differently about the services we deliver and how we deliver them. Rooted in the creation of a wellbeing economy, in June 2023 Council approved the new Transformation Blueprint 2023-2028. Some services will be transformed to meet our growing population within the financial envelope available, others may be delivered in a different way and some will need to stop. Fostering a collaborative culture where everyone is focused on the same end goal – creating effective and efficient services which will benefit our citizens – will be crucial to future success. The Transformation Blueprint will focus on the nature of the work we will do, developing a 21st century workforce supported by a workplace fit for the future where joined up services are delivered in a holistic and integrated way. The 5 key objectives of the Transformation Blueprint are: 1. Support the Council to address the 5 year funding gap of £29.121 million outlined in the Medium Term Financial Strategy. 2. Follow the Money to ensure that the services we commission, contracts we manage and digital solutions we use deliver value for money. 3. Develop an organisational workforce that is flexible ensuring that all staff have the necessary skills to work effectively, supported by digital technologies that fit for a 21st century workforce. 4. Design a workplace fit for the future delivering services in a holistic and integrated way as well as utilising our assets to maximise their potential. 5. Drive forward multi-agency transformation to deliver systems-level change resulting in integrated service delivery which improve community outcomes. Our Workforce Strategy 2024-34 and Digital Transformation Strategy 2024-29 are core elements of the council’s Transformation Blueprint and will support the council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy – 2024/25 to 2028/29. Workforce Strategy 2024-34 is accompanied by a 3-year short-term action plan and the strategic aims are: • Plan: deliver an evidence and outcome-based workforce planning framework that is an integral part of the council’s approach to strategic planning. Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday 28th October 2025 Item No 5.11 Page 213 of 232
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• Attract: ensure the council becomes the employer of choice for the population of Midlothian, by deploying best practice in attracting the best staff. • Train: enable the council to become a “Learning Organisation”, providing staff with business-focused training and development to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to deliver their best. • Employ: ensure Fair Work principles continue to be at the heart of management practice, ensuring staff are, and feel, valued and rewarded. • Nurture: create a workforce and leadership culture focusing on the health and wellbeing of a demographically balanced workforce that reflects the community it serves. Digital Transformation Strategy 2024-29 outlines the key priority areas the Council will focus on over the next 5 years, harnessing digital tools, technology and data. The key areas are: • Automate: For an Efficient, Modern Council • Reimagine: Transform Service Delivery • Data: Deeper Insights and Preventative Operations • Secure and Sustain: Protect and Preserve Whilst a full update for the performance for each of the Council’s Service areas is published separately, this report reflects a summary of the key service updates, against the thematic areas of the Single Midlothian Plan. Page 214 of 232
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Single Midlothian Plan Themes in 2023/27 Midlothian will be Healthier – Achievements The Midlothian Integration Joint Board (IJB) plan and direct delegated health and social care services for the people of Midlothian. Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) oversees the delivery of all the services delegated to Midlothian IJB. The aim of integrated health and social care is for the people to experience more joined up treatment and care. Social work services in Midlothian are delivered jointly by Midlothian Council and Midlothian Integration Joint Board. Adult social work and social care services, including Justice Social Work, are delegated to Midlothian IJB. Adult Social Care contributes to the Midlothian IJB Strategic Commissioning Plan, the strategic aims of both NHS Lothian and Midlothian Council, and contributes to the work of the Community Planning Partnership through the Single Midlothian Plan. Learning Disability/Physical Disability This quarter inspections have been completed for Cherry Road Day Service and Thera, one of our larger commissioned providers. Both these services improved their grades. Work is ongoing with one provider to support them and develop the model. Care Inspectorate Grades Good or Above Target = 90% Actual = 96% Meets / exceeds target Physical Disabilities and Long-Term Conditions PD/LTC interventions recorded as outcome achieved Target = 85% Actual = 88% Meets / exceeds target PD/LTC referral screening episode concluded within 3 working days Target = 90% Actual = 89% Does not meet target Carers Number of Adult Carer Support Plans completed by HSCP Target = 25 Actual = 33 Meets / exceeds target Number of Adult Carer Support Plans completed by HSCP Target = 175 Actual = 301 Meets / exceeds target Older People’s Social Commissioned Services – Garvald Mayfield - At Garvald's Midlothian day service based in the McSence Business Park, Mayfield, six core activities are offered: Kitchen Group, Garden and Outdoors Group, Pottery, Textiles, Jewellery, and Art and Printmaking. Additionally, there are satellite activities across the week many with a focus on physical wellbeing that service users can opt into including: walking groups, swimming, standing and seated exercise, music, dance, drama, signing communication, storytelling, boccia, digital technology, Eurythmy movement therapy, meditation and mental health toolkit groups, member's rep committee group etc. Care at Home Services - Midlothian Care at Home services delivers on average 9000 hours per week. The longest wait for community packages of care sits at around 52 weeks. This is expected to significantly improve with dedicated social workers and OT’s reviewing each one. Page 215 of 232
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Older People’s Service Older People’s Social Work Team – Provides social work assessment, care management and review of services for people over 65 years old and their carers. There is a separate team for those who have a diagnosis of dementia. Newbyre’s Care Home – The care home provides 24 hours care and support for 48 Midlothian residents. There have been 5 residents admitted to Newbyres Village in the first quarter of 2025. Care Inspectorate Grades Good or Above Inspection in January 2025 reported the following grades: People's wellbeing Leadership Staff team Setting Care & support planning 4 3 3 4 4 The improvement plan is designed to ensure that upon completion of the next care inspection there is demonstrable improvement with a view to improving the above grades. Highbank Intermediate Care Unit - Highbank is an intermediate care unit with 40 beds available. Currently there are 23 residents awaiting care home placement. There are 12 residents who are waiting for a package of care, rehabilitation, housing and completing assessment of need. There are 3 respite beds and a planned review of the booking and management system of respite to ensure that there is a maximisation of occupancy. Care Inspectorate Grades Good or Above Inspection in January 2025 reported the following grades: People's wellbeing Leadership Staff team Setting Care & support planning 4 Not assessed 5 Not assessed Not assessed Plans to relocate Highbank to the Polton Street site are now advanced. There has been a revision of the intended March 2026 date to 30th November 2025. Hospital In Reach Team - The In Reach Team provide assessment and discharge planning to residents from Midlothian who have been admitted to one of 5 hospital sites and from Highbank Intermediate Care. They also provide care home and community review as well as a range of social work interventions. 6 Excellent 5 Very Good 4 Good 3 Adequate 2 Weak 1 Poor 6 Excellent 5 Very Good 4 Good 3 Adequate 2 Weak 1 Poor Page 216 of 232
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Assessments completed by the team in Q1 2025 April May June Assessments completed 8 19 Data not available Referrals received 27 43 Data not available Average social delays in acute hospital beds (Social Work) April May June Average social delays in acute beds (social work) 8.4 7.9 5.7 In Q1 there has been development work completed to ensure that all Midlothian clients who are in acute beds and identified as ‘social delays’ are offered placement in intermediate care to progress assessment, await packages of care, to await care home placement and to complete rehabilitation where appropriate. There have also been some clients who have moved to Intermediate care to await housing outcomes. Midlothian Community Hospital - Two social workers will provide a dedicated service to the clients currently in Midlothian Community Hospital. Assessment and discharge planning will be provided to all clients who are clinically ready for discharge and who have completed periods of rehabilitation. Progressing actions relating to the Delayed Discharge Policy can be challenging and there is currently a working group for greater NHS Lothian to address these issues on a policy basis to support and develop use of this policy to progress discharge where there is resource available including intermediate care beds and interim placements. There is a general shortage of care home placements. Work is progressing to ensure that all vacancies are identified as soon as possible and that assessment timescales to allow for resident admission are as robust as possible. Adult Support and Protection The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 was introduced in October 2008. It provides duties, powers and measures for the support and protection of adults who may be at risk of harm. On receipt of a referral related to concerns that there is an adult at risk of harm it is screened to ensure that the relevant information is available and an investigation, often referred to as the Duty to Inquire (DTI) will be undertaken, there is a local aim that the investigation will be completed within 21 days, however there are a number of factors which impact this including being able to speak to the adult to gain their views. If risks remain at the completion of the Duty to Inquire, and the three-point test has been met, an Page 217 of 232
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Adult Case Conference must be convened; this is a multi-agency forum for shared decision- making. A Protection Plan is put in place at each case conference and is reviewed at least once to ensure that it is having a positive outcome or if additional action is required. Three protection plans commenced during Quarter 1. There are a range of measures that agencies can take to mitigate and manage the identified risks, and these include the use of Protection Orders which are sought through an application to the Sheriff Court. There were no Protection Orders required in Quarter 1. Public Health - The Public Health Practitioners work to support services to improve wellbeing and reduce health inequalities for the people of Midlothian. They support staff to design and deliver services that support early intervention and prevention. Weight Bias - In February, Public Health successfully recruited a Project Manager for a new post to develop and deliver training on Weight Bias and confident conversations about weight. In Q1 the Weight Bias project manager has created an action plan, drafted the training curriculum, and met with key stakeholders from primary care where the training is aiming to be targeted for in the first instance. Learning and Development - In the last year the learning and development team have delivered and coordinated over 1000 learning opportunities. This covers a broad range from SVQ programmes (Levels 2, 3 and 4) to Adult Support and Protection, Child Protection, Team Teach, Trauma Informed Practice, Motivational Interviewing, Dementia Awareness and Medication training. In addition to this staff have also accessed post grad courses through Edinburgh University, Stirling, The Open University and Napier University. All LearnPro modules relevant to registered staff are fully up to date and compliance to completion is around 90%. Adult Mental Health Service Mental Health Wait Times - Mental Health Assessment refers to assessments by Mental Health Social Workers. The waiting list is monitored weekly, and priority is given to urgent referrals which also impacts on the longest waits. Further consideration needs to be given to a reasonable target wait for mental health social care waiting list, but assurance can be given the service continues to meet the needs of high-risk priority individuals in a timely manner. Page 218 of 232
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The Mental Health service continues to experience challenges due to the lack of dedicated mental health providers for specialist packages of care as well as a lack of appropriate mental health housing, mainly complex care where an individual requires a step down from acute/Rehab but still requires the 24/7 nursing intervention which can be provided through a hospital based model or community setting. Due to this it continues to present barriers to hospital discharges. Dementia Team - Currently in Midlothian social work waiting times continue to be monitored within the agreed performance target of being allocated to a Social Worker or Community Care Assistant within 6 weeks. Staff Wellbeing - The HSCP Staff Wellbeing support system develops, implements, and evaluates a range of high-quality and research-based wellbeing, experience, and engagement processes, in order to enable, empower, sustain, and retain health and social care staff. The staff of Midlothian HSCP are all working towards the same goal, that everyone working here is equally valued and supported to succeed. We believe that whoever you are, whatever you do, and wherever you work in the partnership, you can make a valued contribution and feel included. To achieve this, we implement actions which positively influence the 4 key drivers outlined within our Staff Wellbeing, Experience and Engagement Delivery Plan 2025-2028. Work has meaning and a positive impact on staff. • Choice & Autonomy • Meaning & Purpose • Wellness & Resilience • Camaraderie & teamwork • Physical & psychological safety • Participative management • Measurement & improvement Work is a healthy place to be. • Healthy body • Balanced mind • Positive choices • Caring culture We are all able to show leadership. • Compassionate: attending, understanding, empathising, helping • Collective and Collaborative: shared goals, purpose and responsibility, trust and permission, distributed and inclusive We listen to staff, and they feel heard. • What matters to you conversations • iMatter survey and action plans • Appraisal • Raising concerns • The voice of staff networks Sport & Leisure Tonezone memberships continues to remain high with a total of 5,123 memberships up to the end of quarter 1. The slight decrease this quarter is due to short term membership promotions running the previous quarter. However figures show a 17% increase compared to the same period last year. Usage figures across our sport and leisure facilities have also increased this quarter compared to the same period last year with a 19% increase in usage across all facilities excluding pools. Midlothian Active Choices (MAC) is a sport and leisure physical activity referral programme, aimed at adults who are inactive and experience various health conditions. The programme offers a range of supported activities across Midlothian to help manage these health conditions. This quarter saw 2,209 Midlothian Active Choices attendees with 495 new referrals received after completion of MAC sessions showing an increase of 32% in attendees and 19% new referrals compared to the same period last year. Page 219 of 232
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The number of activities offered by Ageing Well to 50 plus age groups has also increased this quarter with 845 activities offered compared to 741 offered during quarter 1 of last year. Our gym refurbishment project has continued to progress this quarter. The procurement evaluation process has now been successfully completed and after consideration of quality, value for money and alignment with our project goals, a successful contractor has been formally appointed. This marks a step forward in the delivery of the refurbishment which will focus on mobilisng resources, finalising timelines, and beginning on site works to remain committed in creating modern, high quality fitness facilities that meets the needs of our community and enhances the overall user experience. Midlothian will be Safer – Achievements Justice and Protection Services This service area includes Justice, Community Justice, Duty Social Work, Adult Support and Protection, and Public Health. They support people involved in the Parole and Pre-release process including the preparation of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports and pre-release reports. Their work is underpinned by the ideals of reparation, rehabilitation and reintegration and aims to provide a clear pathway to support those who have been convicted of offences to achieve a positive destination. The impact of interventions is measured through ongoing risk assessment and from feedback from those who have successfully completed their order or licence. The main community-based sentence that the service manage is a Community Payback Order (CPO), which can have up to ten requirements attached to it. The most frequently imposed requirements are Supervision and Unpaid Work. During this reporting period the Courts imposed 42 Community Payback Orders. At the end of quarter 1 the team were supervising 233 people on a total of 265 orders. Justice Social Work staff use a trauma informed and person-centred approach to develop effective working relationships with clients. In the interests of justice, and to maintain the public confidence in community sentences, all missed appointments, or failure to comply, are responded to robustly using disciplinary procedures which can result in the order being returned to court in breach. Page 220 of 232
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Substance Use Treatment Service (SUS) Midlothian Substance Use Services continue to maintain Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards 1-5 which the service fully implemented in March 2023. Over the last year the service has been focusing on the criteria for MAT 6-10. Midlothian is in a positive position and has exceeded the set Scottish Government criteria for March 2025 (MAT 1-5 Green and MAT 6-10 Provisional Green), both through submitting relevant evidence of process measures and numerical measures. Midlothian has had confirmation feedback that we have been rated green for all MAT standards 1-10. As part of Mat 6 and 10 standards Midlothian had successfully implemented a training programme to support trauma-informed practice, and the expected target set by the Scottish Government of 50% of staff trained in tier 1 training by March 2025. Midlothian has exceeded this target with 77% of staff trained. The SUS treatment service continues to provide direct access to timely and appropriate treatment that best met an individual’s needs, psycho-social support and peer led support for those affected by their or another’s drugs and/or alcohol use. Midlothian will Get it Right for Every Child – Achievements In Midlothian the Getting It Right for Every Child Board (GIRFEC) is one of the subgroups of the SMP, and one of the main drivers for the effective delivery of services to children. The GIRFEC Plan also known as the Integrated Children’s Service Plan 2023-2026, is a statutory three-year plan devised by the local authority and health. The plan develops key outcomes and priority actions which are designed to improve the lives of children, young people, and families. The plan has 12 shared priority themes, outcomes and actions which sit within 4 subgroups: 1. Children & Young People’s Rights 2. Children & Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing 3. Whole Family Wellbeing 4. Information Sharing and Commissioning The GIRFEC Board is now progressing with a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and has 3 facilitated sessions planned to devise the new Intergrated Children’s Services Plan. This quarter work commenced to refresh the GIRFEC framework and training to include focus on the Promise and to develop single child’s plan across the partnership. The Promise – Midlothian continues to progress towards the key foundations of The Promise Scotland Plan 2024- 2030. A Promise Update report was presented to Council in June 2025. In June we also welcomed Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children and Young People and colleagues from Scottish Government to share how we are keeping the Promise. Corporate Parenting – an event to re-launch and promote Corporate Parenting in Midlothian took place in June. The event provided an opportunity for our care community to come together and was hosted by Sport and Leisure services. A range of corporate parents were present including a number of external partners. Page 221 of 232
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Referrals: Number of referrals by Quarter 23/24 24/25 25/26 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 2,353 2,067 1,436 1,324 1,170 932 970 1,046 947 During Q1, referrals to Children’s Services have seen a slight decrease compared to the previous quarter. This trend aligns with our ongoing efforts to provide support to families at an earlier stage and redirect referrals for families toward earlier intervention and support services via Team Around the Child and the Family Wellbeing Service. Family Wellbeing Service – The Service continues to work with approximately 150 children at any given time. Referrals in Q1 months May and June were reduced but this can be balanced with the increased rate of referrals that were accepted by the service in April 2025. School age children continue to make up the highest percentages of who the team are supporting, and school attendance remains a predominant reason for referral. Disability Service and Self-Directed Support - A discrete disability team is now in place for children’s services. The team supports our focus on improving practice and consistency continues, to ensure families are receiving a fair and equitable response to assessed social work needs. The team are currently supporting 251 children or young people with a package of care. This can vary from residential respite to allow children with a high level of need to remain living with their family, to supporting children to attend appropriate social activities and thrive in their communities. The development of this team supports the Business Transformation Project focused on improving transitions across Education, Children’s Services and Adult Services. Child Protection and Looked After away from home population - The data evidence that although the referrals are reduced by changes in process and early support, there remains a high level of need and increased complexity for the children and families we are supporting. It is evident that despite the increased support to keep children at home there is a slow increase in both Child protection registrations and the number of looked after and accommodated children. The number of children on the Child Protection Register for Q1 is 41 and the number of Looked After and Accommodated Children for Q1 is 204. The Education Service Improvement Plan is informed by and links to the outcomes determined by the Getting it Right for Every Midlothian Child Board. Throughout 2025/26 education services, schools and settings are focused on a single priority to raise attainment and achievement to ensure that all children and young people in Midlothian achieve outcomes which lead to positive and sustained destinations. The Service Improvement Plan has two main workstreams: 1. Inclusive Learning, teaching, assessment and curriculum (iLTAC) 2. Wellbeing, Support and Partnerships (WSPs) Aligned to the Service Plan, key achievements for workstream 1 include: • A comprehensive professional learning offer available to all staff • Almost all schools have engaged with Inclusive Learning, Teaching & Assessment self- evaluation resources and identified next steps for improvement • A comprehensive learning plan is in place for the Literacy and Numeracy Champions who represent every school in Midlothian • The raising attainment team continues to work alongside teachers and school leaders to improve inclusive learning, teaching and assessment in our Improvement category schools • Dyslexia guidance shared with a Professional Learning offer to support school staff being rolled out • 1,018 Primary 3 pupils have undertaken a three-week package of in-class digital Page 222 of 232
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support, designed to support them to use Chromebooks safely and with purpose • Almost all school professional learning calendars have time set aside for school and cross sector Broad General Education Moderation processes for Literacy and Numeracy Aligned to the Service Plan, key achievements for workstream 2 include: • New pupil voice structure with plans set out for engagement across the year • Engagement with EEG and Headteachers is underway to consider how increased participation of school leaders and senior officers can make local decisions about service improvement and lead change • A multi-agency GIRFEC Steering Group has been established with representation from schools and partner agencies to refresh and promote the values, principles and practice of GIRFEC across all our services • Data sets for tracking and monitoring of attendance feed into SLT meetings on a monthly basis to inform QI activity • Design of website in process for families with information relating to ND assessment and supports Active Schools Midlothian team continue to work in partnership with sportscotland, providing opportunities for our children to adopt healthy and active lifestyles throughout their school years and into adulthood by supporting and sustaining a network of volunteers, coaches, leaders and teachers who, in turn, deliver extra curricular physical activity and sport before, during and after school and in the wider community. 2,656 participants attended Active Schools free extra curricular club this quarter which is an increase of 7% compared to the same periods last year of 2,466 participants. The team have increased the number of distinct activities delivered by the programme to 185 this quarter from 163 during quarter 1 of last year. The number of volunteer hours delivered in the Active Schools Programme during quarter 1 has also increased from this time last year from 1,162 volunteers compared to 1,280 during this quarter. A 10% increase. Our Easter holiday programme saw an increase in offering of activities as well as an increase in participation and income compared to last year. Primary 4 free swimming lessons continued this quarter with 18 classes per week delivered as part of a 9 week block, totaling 4,328 attendances. Midlothian will Support Residents to Improve Employability and Outcomes in our Communities - Achievements The vision for this is to reduce the gaps in learning, economic circumstances and poverty. The new CLD Partnership Plan 2024 to 2027 aims to build skills for learning life and work through youth work, adult learning, community development and employability in Midlothian. The No One Left Behind plan 2022-25 is aimed at addressing the needs of Midlothian residents seeking employability supports. In Quarter 1 1,995 people engaged with CLLE services across 251 opportunities. 221 home visits were carried out to help young people engage with our services and support those not in a positive destination. 159 people accessing our services live in SIMD 20% and 850 in SIMD 40%. In addition, 24 community groups have received support and advice from CLLE about governance and funding. Securing qualifications is key to our support of young people and adults to make changes and progress and we supported local people to secure 479 qualifications. Page 223 of 232
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In Q1 the No One Left Behind (NOLB) All Age Employability team have continued to provide support to 224 people, with 50 new starts this quarter. The team has continued to support 224 existing parents on our caseloads from the year 24-25 and a further 45 new parents started in quarter 1. Youth Work - Q1 996 young people accessed CLLE services over 119 different opportunities, 50 from SIMD 20% and 346 from 40% SIMD. 221 received one to one youth work support/positive destinations support. In Quarter 1 78 adult learning opportunities were offered across community based and paid for adult learning programmes. 109 local people enrolled in the paid for adult learning programme which is offering a variety of courses. Overall, 161 adults from 40% SIMD have taken part in adult learning programmes. External Funding - £133,500 has been secured by the CYP division led by CLLE to secure Armed Forces Covenant Funding to implement the new bespoke supports provided through a new project called MIPSA to the children of serving military personnel. Library services continue to transform and thrive in responding to the needs of our communities. Figures for the quarter show: • library visits continue to grow with a 4% increase in total visits (both physical and virtual) compared to the same period last year and a 13% increase compared to quarter 1 2023/24. • 149,597 physical library visits were made. • 43,358 virtual library visits were made. • 2,478 events, clubs, activities and workshops were held across libraries, a 45% increase compared to the same period last year. • This quarter, Midlothian Libraries delivered 17 Bookbug Sessions attended by 277 children and 266 adults. • To commemorate VE Day, a number of library displays and memories of the war were shared in our reminiscence groups. • Libraries acted as a collection point for the Mid Mouse project which is a Midlothian intergenerational community transition project, which aims to support children who are starting Primary 1. Library services were nominated in the Scottish Library Information Council (SLIC) Library Service Excellence Award and announced as the Regional and Country Winner for Scotland in the Bookseller Library of the Year Award. Libraries play a crucial role in supporting communities with digital access, learning and support and in preventing digital exclusion. A further 978 customers were supported with digital queries this quarter including general IT help, assisting customers to access services online such as job searches, benefits, universal credit and assist in making payments online. The total figures across the year show a 15% increase in support given. Page 224 of 232
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Midlothian will be Greener- Achievements Midlothian Council is firmly committed to tackling climate change and working towards a net zero future in line with Scottish Government targets. This commitment covers not only the Council’s own operations, but also as its role in leading, supporting, and partnering with the wider community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. To ensure our approach remains ambitious and effective, we are currently updating our Climate Change Strategy and its supporting action plan. This refreshed framework will guide the Council and our local authority partners in their shared mission to reach net zero, building a greener, more sustainable, and more resilient Midlothian for future. Economic Development continues to promote the Midlothian Business Green Pledge on social media and in direct conversations with clients to increase education and awareness of climate change and suggest adaptations. The number of businesses signing up to the Pledge continues to rise each quarter with a total of 192 businesses now committed, 13 of those signing up during quarter 1. Midlothian’s Active Travel Strategy ‘On the Move Midlothian: Our Active Travel Strategy for Everyone 2024-2034’, reports its most successful year to date, marking a significant milestone in our efforts to promote, sustainable, safe, and healthy travel options for young people. This academic year, for the first time ever, every primary school in Midlothian participated in Bikeability Scotland Road Cycling Training, placing Midlothian among the top-performing local authorities in the country. A total of 1,450 pupils from Primary 5 to 7 successfully completed training. The team have been shortlisted as a finalist at the upcoming APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) service awards in the category ‘Best Technical Team’, in recognition of their outstanding work on the upgrade of the National Cycle Network Route 196 (NCN196) between Rosewell and Auchendinny. A satisfactory rating was received from the Scottish Road Works Commissioner in its 2024/25 Annual Performance Review, recognising efforts in the coordination of road works across the local authority area. This quarter, under the combined Capital Works Programme and Residential Streets Programme, 2.8km of carriageway was resurfaced representing 0.38% of our road network resurfaced. Footway resurfacing has also been affected in quarter 1 with 0.01% of footways resurfaced. However, resurfacing work is expected to increase from quarter 2 to bring these back on target by the end of the year. 1,251.1 tonnes of material was used this quarter to fill potholes. 198.74 tonnes of material was used for temporary repairs and 1,052.35 for pothole pro permanent patching which overall is a 47% increase on pothole repairs compared to the same period last year. As part of the street lighting capital programme, 330 street lighting columns are planned to be replaced this year starting on the 30th of June. In addition, a further 900 LED upgrades to existing columns are planned to be replaced of which 298 have been complete. During quarter 1, Waste Services developed an implementation plan for the roll out of the Twin Stream project, a major initiative aimed at improving recycling services for residents. Twin stream recycling is a collection method where recyclable materials are separated into two categories at the point of collections, one stream for paper and card and the other for plastics and cans. This approach reduces contamination, improves the quality of recyclables, and increases the proportion of materials that can be successfully processed and reused. Page 225 of 232
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The Greenspace Team activity this quarter has resulted in an improved appearance to the streets and roads in towns, villages and housing estates across Midlothian, which supports the works of the new Neighbourhood Environment Team who are further enhancing the local environment for our residents. The Greenspace Team have continued to work with our brilliant volunteers across Midlothian, supporting volunteer groups who help manage our countryside sites. This quarter, 1,350 volunteer hours (225 days) were spent in countryside sites. Midlothian will have a Wellbeing Economy and be Better Connected – Achievements Work continues on the delivery of the Councils Economic Strategy for Inclusive Economic Growth 2025-2030 with supporting delivery plans from 2025-27, setting out how we achieve the objects within the strategy, being shared with Council this quarter. The new strategy aligns with the Scottish Government National Strategy for Economic Transformation and the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Prosperity Framework. Midlothian’s vision is that: “Midlothian’s wellbeing economy will support our communities, businesses and town centers to thrive, ensuring inclusivity and fair work for all. It will continue to be recognised as home to world leading clusters of science and innovation and be known as an area in which everyone can live, work and do business sustainably to generate wealth and wellbeing for its citizens” This will be achieved in accordance with four pillars, principles that underpin the strategy’s vision: empowerment, partnership and collaboration, ambition and innovation sets out the following priorities to achieve our vision: • Develop Midlothian’s proposition within the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region • Enhance skills and employability opportunities in Midlothian, to meet the challenges and opportunities of inclusive Green Growth with entrepreneurship recognised as valuable career pathway • Maximise the potential of Midlothian’s key sectors to support a Just Transition • Capitalise on the strengths of Midlothian’s strategic partners to embed community wealth across all services to realise a wellbeing economy • Re-imagine our town centers, ensuring they meet Midlothian’s economic, social, cultural and environmental needs • Deliver infrastructure enhancements that will support Midlothian’s transition to a Wellbeing Economy The Business Gateway Midlothian Service continues to offer consistent levels of activity across various support services, from pre-start to start-up and existing business growth support. 45 ‘Planning to Start’ enquiries were received in quarter 1 which is a decrease of 18% compared to the same period last year, 17 ‘Strengthen Your Business’ enquires were also received this quarter. The total number of new Business start-ups this quarter was 26, creating a total of 31 jobs and an estimated contribution of £1,016,200 to the Midlothian economy in their first year of trading. Four new trade procurements were undertaken following Cabinet approval to ring-fence the procurements to Midlothian based suppliers. These are in Building, Plastering & Tiling, Joinery & Roofing and Painting & Decorating. This followed two online meet the buyer events held to promote the procurement. This led to the successful award to 13 suppliers, of which 7 were new to working with Midlothian Council. These 7 suppliers have 78 employees, contributing to the Page 226 of 232
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Council’s strategic priority to local procurement, community wealth building and investing in Midlothian’s local economy. The Locate in Midlothian website continues to be a valuable tool in promoting our services and supporting businesses and investors that wish to locate in Midlothian. The website received 14,489 visits during quarter 1. The most popular pages during quarter 1 were commercial property listings, our Business directory, Midlothian jobs and investment opportunities. In June the Business Gateway Service, along with wider Council representation, attended the opening of The Bubbling Toad, at Vogrie House. This was the culmination of two years of Business Gateway support, in the form of business planning, mentoring, access to funding and project management and will be a great asset to Vogrie. The Bubbling Toad also successfully accessed UKG Shared Prosperity Fund 2022-2025 programme funding. Tourism, Culture and Heritage - Work continues this quarter on the Midlothian Tourism Strategy and is on track for publication in October 2025. Our Alpine coaster has seen a significant increase in ticket sales this quarter of 38,076, a 66.5% increase in the number of tickets sold compared to 22,868 sold last quarter. This quarter, we had the honor of hosting renowned Hollywood actor Matt Damon on the Alpine Coaster, which attracted significant public interest, generating substantial engagement on social media with one post receiving 159k views, boosting our online visibility. Additionally, quarter 1 brought further media promotion as we welcomed the BBC, who chose the Alpine Coaster as the location for filming a children's challenge show. Alongside this, the team hosted a production crew from Spanish National TV. Midlothian will Work Towards Reducing Poverty – Achievements This theme focuses on reducing all aspects of poverty using a data informed approach whilst learning from those with direct experience of poverty. There continues to be a significant demand placed on homeless and temporary accommodation services, alongside the increase in energy, food and fuel costs, requiring a comprehensive preventative approach as set out in the Council’s Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan. Homelessness is not inevitable and can often be prevented. The Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2025/26 to 2029/30 was submitted to the Scottish Government in October 24. The SHIP identifies the Council’s priorities for investment in new affordable housing in Midlothian over a 5-year period. The delivery of more affordable housing remains a high priority for Midlothian, as reflected by our ongoing and ambitious housing development programme. This quarter we have received the completed handover for 4 new build homes at New Adams Row in Danderhall. A further 8 were handed over during July and August. There were 6,163 active housing applicants placed on the Common Housing Register at the end of this quarter, a slight decrease compared to the same period last year of 6,260. 163 lets have been made this quarter, an increase of 33% from the same period last year, averaging 54 lets per month. 69.9% of lets were made to homeless list applicants and 30.1% to general needs list applicants. 11 lets were made to new builds and 3 to open market purchases during quarter 1. Re-let times to permanent accommodation properties has averaged at 54 days to re-let this quarter. Homelessness prevention assists around 20 households with advice and assistance about homelessness prevention per week. This is rental assistance advice, financial awareness Page 227 of 232
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advice and mediation. The number of homeless cases provided with advice and assistance this quarter was 231. The total number of households in temporary accommodation at the end of quarter 1 was 327, a decrease of 17% compared to the same period last year of 395. The number of temporary accommodation households that have been flipped to permanent accommodation this quarter was 73. Tenants sustaining permanent accommodation continues to be high this quarter with 95% of homeless applicants sustaining a permanent tenancy after 1 year. The percentage of Secondary School meal uptake this quarter was 33.6% and is expectedly lower than previous quarters due to school exam leave. The percentage of Primary School meal uptake for this quarter is 57.69% and increased compared to a 54.44% uptake for 2024/25 and continues to sit well above the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) average of 41.24%. The percentage of school meal food waste continues to decrease this quarter at 3.42% from 4.98% during quarter 2024/25 and 6.86% at quarter 1 of 2023/24. Cost of Living Crisis: 34.6% of our total Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) budget was allocated during quarter 1. A total of 1,881 applications for Crisis Grants and 316 for Community Care Grants were received this quarter. This demonstrates the continued significant financial challenges faced by our communities. Our Scottish Welfare Fund Assessors respond and analyse the reasons for the high number of applications and refusals to identify preventative activity to mitigate people reaching this crisis point. This is identified as a key action in the Child Poverty Action Plan. 2,246 customers received help and support via Housing Benefits this quarter with a gradual reduction each quarter from 3,028 during quarter 1 of last year Cost of Living campaigns have been delivered to increase awareness and uptake of free soup and hot drink offer at our Warm and Well Hubs and increase awareness of all-year round Cost of Living supports, especially food pantries. CLLE staff supported the Midlothian Pantry Network to hold a celebration for member pantry volunteers as part of Volunteers’ Week in June. The event recognised all the hours that volunteers give to provide Midlothian residents with food in a dignified setting. CLLE staff supported the researchers from the Child Poverty Accelerator Funded Lived Experience project to present their summary report at the Arts Centre on the 28th April 2025. CLLE then went on to support the delivery of an 8 week Understanding Poverty course using resources from the University of York. Challenges and Risks Midlothian Council continues to face a challenging environment, with financial, demographic, and economic pressures shaping how services are delivered and funded. Financial constraints: rising service delivery costs and uncertainty over future funding from the Scottish Government are placing significant strain on the council’s budget. Cost and income projections for future years are embedded in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy which is supported by the Transformation Blueprint containing a range of transformation themes to drive towards a position of financial sustainability. Officers continue to work closely with the Business Transformation Steering Group to respond to the challenges. Economic pressures: the ongoing cost of living crisis is affecting residents and businesses, increasing the need for council funded support. Inflationary pressures on goods, services, and Page 228 of 232
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energy are also significantly increasing the cost of delivering council services. As our citizens feel the impact of the Cost of Living Crisis, they will seek additional support from public services, in particular local authorities. To respond to this emerging crisis, the Council established a Cost of Living Task Force in 2022, which is chaired by the Council Leader and meets regularly to coordinate mitigating activities. Growing service demands: Midlothian’s sustained population growth and ageing demographic continues to drive an increase in demand for education, social care, housing and transport infrastructure. The 2022 Census results highlight that Midlothian remains the fastest growing local authority in Scotland with an increase of 16.1%. The 2011 census data lists Midlothian as having a population of 83,187 which has risen to 96,600 in the 2022 census data. The level of growth is 2.3% higher than our previous calculation and is now 13.4% higher than the Scottish average of 2.7%. In terms of households, Midlothian saw the highest percentage increase at 17.2% since the 2011 census. Population density in Midlothian is 273.1 residents per square kilometer compared to the Scottish average of 69.8. This growth creates the opportunity to meet the housing need with 25% of new homes being built in the affordable housing bracket, in addition to the expansion in Council house building. This construction will directly support employment and will see a steady increase in the value of Council Tax income received over time. Capital Strategy: Sets out the infrastructure required to meet demographic pressures and includes the financial contributions Midlothian will make to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. Encompassing five main themes the City Region Deal will bring significant investment across the regions with total investment of circa £1.3 billion across: • Data Driven Innovation: £751 million • Integrated Regional Employability and Skills: £25 million • Transport: £156 million • Culture: £45 million • Housing: £313 million The Capital Investment Strategy sits centrally within the Council’s future planning activities and in doing so has to reflect the demands of Council services to ensure positive outcomes are achieved in the right place, at the right time, for the maximum benefit to Midlothian. The extensive capital programme aims to deliver new schools, investment in council housing, improved community infrastructure, investment in the local transport network and innovative developments such as the new low carbon heat network in Shawfair. In response to all these pressures, a range of reprioritisation activity continues, with an Estates & Asset Management Strategy being considered by the cross- party Business Transformation Steering Group, and options to review what and how services are delivered as part of the savings measures to reduce the funding gap recommended to Council. Workforce Challenges: There are workforce challenges across a range of services including health and social care, social work and regulatory services due to on-going pressures in the wider workforce availability which impacts on recruitment. The Council’s Strategic Risk Profile is reviewed on a retrospective basis and presented to Audit Committee on a quarterly basis. This process provides regular oversight of the most significant threats to the Council’s objectives and operations. At present, the highest priority risks identified Page 229 of 232
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relate to financial sustainability, climate change and the successful delivery of the Council’s transformations programme. Page 230 of 232
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Pentana Performance Dashboard – Q1 25/26 Page 231 of 232
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