Renowned for Fairness, Commitment and Skills
Prosecution Team Performance Management
Jim Fox, PTPM project manager
The CPS is working closely with ACPO and individual police forces to complete the implementation of a joint performance management system that will enable the police and CPS to monitor and improve management in cases that are brought for prosecution. Building on the existing CPS Case Management System, the Prosecution Team Performance Management (PTPM) arrangements provide detailed data at police Basic Command Unit level to monitor performance of cases handled both at the pre-charge and post-charge stage. PTPM has been implemented in all 42 Areas with 50% of post-implementation reviews completed.
Recruiting & Developing Our People
The CPS continues to improve its recruitment procedures whilst reducing costs. The introduction of the National Recruitment Centre in Liverpool provides both managers and their prospective employees with a streamlined service that includes advice from a recruitment professional and an increasing number of vacancies available online. The overall time taken to recruit staff has now reduced to seven weeks.
The recruitment initiatives are supported by an induction process, part of which is online through the virtual Prosecution College which provides a range of online modules direct to every employee's desk. The varied and constantly changing nature of the work means that other management development and legal training continue to have been developed throughout the year for delivery using a variety of mechanisms including e-learning, classroom environment, master classes and conferences. Particular support has been given to the charging programme and delivery of training as part of the NWNJ rollout.
Case Study
Chris Long, CPS West Yorkshire
Chris Long, CPS West Yorkshire prosecutor, beat tough competition from the private sector to win the 'Young Achiever' award at the prestigious 2005 Yorkshire Lawyers Awards event. Chris qualified as a lawyer in 1999 and practised probate, property and commercial law. He joined the CPS in January 2003 with no previous public service or criminal law experience, but has quickly become one of the Area's top prosecutors. On winning the award Chris said: "I really couldn't believe it, the CPS has given me a great opportunity and I've received some incredible support from colleagues. I work in a great team of people who are all committed to achieving the same goal." West Yorkshire CCP, Neil Franklin said: "I'm absolutely delighted. We are all proud of his achievement, which reflects the excellent work going on across the Area and the commitment of all our staff."
Case Study
In November 2005, Nazir Afzal, Director of CPS London West Sector, was named Legal Personality of the Year by the Society of Asian Lawyers, which represents approximately 15,000 professionals. Guy Mansfield QC and Chairman of the Bar Council said Nazir was a 'role model' for lawyers entering the profession. On receiving the award Nazir commented: "I believe this prestigious award recognises the great strides the CPS has made in building its reputation as a world-class prosecuting authority, with its commitment to substantially improving its reputation with practitioners and public alike."
Legal Trainees/Legal Scholarships
Since the Law Scholarship Scheme began in 2003, 549 staff have benefited, or continue to benefit, from the opportunities provided, including 51 scholars who have qualified as solicitors or barristers. This achievement was recognised in November 2005 when the CPS won the Personnel Today award for Excellence in Training - with the Law Scholarship Scheme and Legal Trainee Scheme both forming part of this joint award.
In 2005-06 there were 331 scholars, including 45 legal trainees. Also this year a national campaign to attract external applicants for the Legal Trainee Scheme was undertaken. Over 2,000 applications were received for 25 posts.
Case Study
Mark Marriott, CPS South Yorkshire
Mark Marriott, CPS South Yorkshire, has been with the CPS for 20 years with the goal of becoming a Crown Prosecutor. Mark began in 1986 studying for the Institute of Legal Executive Exams. When the Law Scholarship Scheme was announced he gained funding for his law degree and professional skills course. Mark completed his final exams and passed the interview board to become a Crown Prosecutor in late 2005. He took up post in April 2006.
Case Study
Patricia Ashford, CPS South Wales
Patricia Ashford of CPS South Wales has been studying law and management through the Law Scholarship Scheme for the last three years. Her hard work was recognised when she was presented with the Most Promising Student for 2005 award at the Western Mail Welsh Law Awards 2005. Patricia said: "it was a shock to even be nominated, so winning the award was fantastic." Patricia hopes to complete her legal qualifications in 2006.
Leadership and Development
The Leadership and Management Development Programme 'Transform' has continued to provide development opportunities for managers at all levels. Unit Heads (who manage teams of prosecutors, caseworkers, and administration staff in Areas) have participated in a comprehensive leadership development programme, and executive coaching has been undertaken by a cadre of senior managers.
Working with the NWNJ project, all witness care managers have completed tailored management training and a number of bespoke development programmes have been delivered for individual management teams.
Representative Workforce
The CPS Annual Equalities in Employment Report 2004-05 was published in January 2006. The report shows a significant increase in the number of senior women employees and the numbers of Black and Minority Ethnic legal trainees in the past year. The number of female CPS employees at Senior Civil Service level has increased to 33.3%, with female CCPs increasing to 24.5%. In April 2005, Black and Minority Ethnic employees made up 14.8% of all CPS employees, exceeding the Civil Service average of 8.1%.
Staff Survey
The results from the Staff Survey 'Your Voice 2006' were published in June 2006. The survey highlighted improvements on the 2004 Survey including: a 14% increase in the number of staff who feel they are treated with fairness and respect, a 13% improvement in the belief that the CPS worked well with other parts of the CJS, and a further 6% improvement in the belief that the CPS is offering a good service. There was also a marked improvement in perceptions of Health and Safety management within the organisation. Overall the survey findings were very positive, but there are areas for improvement particularly in the area of performance management, and ensuring all staff feel valued and have opportunities to develop within the Service. Workshops are being arranged across the country to help Areas and HQ Directorate managers to understand their specific results, and to begin planning activities to address areas for improvement. HR will continue to work with the business over the coming months in taking these actions forward and facilitating the spread of good practise.
Deliver a Pay and Workforce Strategy
The Pay and Workforce Strategy, >invest< is a new way of rewarding the work of CPS people. The programme will help the CPS develop an effective framework of policies, pay and reward systems to bring a new focus to all roles and responsibilities and support change in the organisation. >Invest< will reflect current and future business demands, including charging and advocacy and for the first time will set out a clear career path for all staff.
The programme is also developing a simplified pay system that is transparent, fair and flexible. The aim is to create a total reward and benefit package which will recognise and reward high performance within the organisation. The CPS is also introducing an appraisal system that is easy to understand and makes clear what skills are required to deliver our objectives and straightforward guidance for managing performance.
Consultation has taken place throughout the CPS, taking into account the views of staff through workshops on job roles, and identifying the skills needed. The first elements of the programme were introduced in April 2006 and will continue to rollout throughout 2006-07.
Review Counselling and Welfare Services
During 2004 the CPS reviewed its counselling and support services and concluded that the in-house provision of services no longer met the demand of the organisation. From 1 July 2005 the CPS Counselling and Support Service was outsourced to Care First, which provides an independent and professional counselling, information and advice service. The new service not only provides support to CPS staff but also to their partners and dependants. The service provided by Care First is totally confidential and free of charge. The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and provides telephone advice, face-to-face counselling, management support plus workshops and training. Care First also has a separate contract, quite distinct from the counselling service, to provide a Professional Support service to all operational delivery staff. This service is designed to support staff to deal with issues involving serious casework or working directly with victims, and involves a regular debriefing session facilitated by a Care First counsellor.
