Building a Capability to Deliver
Restructuring
The programme to restructure and professionalise HR Directorate was completed in 2005. HR Business Partners were introduced to improve performance management, provide strong, professional advice to frontline managers and develop effective HR policies in support of the Service's reform programme.
Following a review of the way it provides support services to Areas and HQ, CPS has rationalised its 10 Service Centres into five specialist Business Centres for the provision of Pay, Recruitment, HR Advice, Finance, and Facilities Management. The migration of this work was completed in August 2005, and the next year will be spent implementing revised processes and retraining staff to improve efficiency and customer service. The Service Centre rationalisation is allowing CPS to relocate around 30 posts from the South East and meet commitments in the Lyons Review.
In January 2005 an implementation plan was put in place for Policy Directorate to become more pro-active and outward looking, with the introduction of Account Managers responsible for influencing criminal justice legislation and reform in the Home Office and the DCA. The Business Information Systems Directorate has also streamlined its management team and increased its capability to provide information and communications technology support to the prosecution process; and to work with CJIT, the police and courts to join up CJS IT systems.
Police Reform
The CPS is facing a challenging time in the months ahead as it awaits the Government's final set of decisions on the restructuring of the Police Service. To ensure it retains the benefits that have been derived from working in an aligned structure, the CPS plans to restructure CPS Areas to follow the same geographical boundaries as the new strategic police forces. The CPS aims to move quickly during 2006-07 to end the uncertainty for staff and to create the new CPS Areas as soon as there is a definitive picture of the number and structure of new police force Areas. It is currently intended to bring those new CPS Areas into being in 2007-08.
The CPS also intends to create Casework Units dedicated to serious crime cases in Areas to mirror the Protective Service Units which are likely to be created in each of the new police forces. In this way, the CPS will ensure that it provides legal advice of the highest calibre at all stages of investigations into serious crime and bring the strongest possible prosecution case to court.
Centre of Excellence
The CPS Project and Programme Management Centre of Excellence (COE) promotes and shares programme and project management knowledge and techniques, spreads understanding of proven methods for successful change management, and helps develop appropriate programme and project management training.
During 2005 the COE, working collaboratively with staff across HQ Directorates, developed a report that provided an overview of the strategic change portfolio for the Delivery and Change Committee; trained staff in project management techniques; designed an e-learning module for project management; managed the Office of Government Commerce Gateway process for CPS projects; and started a programme of health checks for CPS change programmes and projects, including NWNJ, Witness Management System, and the Personnel Information Management System replacement project.
Improving Governance
Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell with the DPP, Richard Foster, and HQ Directors
The CPS is governed by a Board that comprises the DPP, Chief Executive, HQ Directors and a number of CCPs and an ABM. A degree of external challenge is provided by the Chief Executive of the OCJR and three Non-Executive Directors. Further information on governance is located in the Resource Accounts on pages 40-44.
Maximising Attendance
In April 2004, the Maximising Attendance Project was launched with the aim of improving absence management in the CPS. The Project is focusing on the following five main areas of activity over two years:
- Improving management information;
- Establishing realistic but challenging targets for the reduction of sickness absence;
- Reviewing and updating the current policies on sickness absence;
- Providing guidance for managers and individuals on sickness absence management roles and responsibilities with training where appropriate; and
- Developing solutions to tackle longer-term absences.
The CPS continues to provide local managers with quarterly feedback on absence trends, together with support from HR professionals who have been successful in reducing the number of long-term absences. A review of absence policy and processes has resulted in more clarity and the development of a toolkit for managers.
Work is currently underway to better understand the impact of absence on running costs and so far the CPS has reduced the administrative costs of supporting long-term absences by about £400,000 in 2005. The CPS average absence per person for the period 1 January - 31 December 2005 was 8.5 days.
COMPASS
The COMPASS Programme is a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) between the CPS and LogicaCMG and gives CPS prosecutors, caseworkers and administrators the technology they need to deliver a constantly improving, modern and efficient service to the public.
The COMPASS infrastructure has grown from supporting staff in less than 100 sites in 2001, to supporting staff working in 680 sites, with the added dimension of 1,000 staff having access to CPS systems from anywhere in the United Kingdom via a telephone line. The number of users, including police staff, has grown by 31% to 8,900; and court links have increased by 300% to 200. Over 100 CPS Direct staff now have IT links to work from home and provide a 24/7 advice service to the police.
Since the implementation of the Case Management System in 2003, approximately 4 million cases have been registered on the system, allowing information to be input and retrieved quickly, in support of effective decision making.
Improved Procurement
James Carter and Gordon Cranford, Procurement and Commercial Services
In 2005-06 CPS has continued to develop eProcurement to deliver efficiency savings. All requirements over £50,000 were tendered electronically, reducing the cost of conducting the tender process for both the department and suppliers. Online ordering solutions are now available for stationery, printing, hotel accommodation and rail bookings. The CPS has also successfully used framework contracts arranged by other government departments for its requirements in respect of stationery, reprographics, hotel accommodation and conference bookings, temporary staff, professional services, furniture and information network services.
The CPS awarded a significant contract for the provision of telephony services during the year. The new technology available through this contract will provide the opportunity to achieve cost savings and enable the department to consider new and innovative ways of working for staff, including remote working.
The new contract for information network services will provide the CPS with a strategic information management capability enabling the Service to improve the way it stores, manages and disseminates information, both internally and externally to the public and other members of the criminal justice community. The system, Infonet, will also bring improved ability, through electronic document management, for the CPS to meet Freedom of Information and Data Protection Act access requests.
Sustainable Development
The CPS approach to sustainable development is to:
- Integrate sustainable development into decision making;
- Raise awareness of sustainable development; and
- Improve the performance of the estate.
The Sustainable Development in Government Report identified a number of areas for improvement across government. To address issues raised, the CPS, along with the other Law Officers' Departments, has agreed the Law Officers' Departments Sustainable Development Action plan. The plan will raise awareness of sustainable development issues and includes work to conserve energy, minimise waste and ensure buildings are operated to improve environmental performance.
In 2004-05, 49.8% of electricity purchased directly by the CPS was from renewable sources and consumption of fossil fuels reduced by 12% compared to 2000-01. The majority of the CPS uses recycled paper.
The Central Property Unit and Procurement and Commercial Services continue to work jointly to ensure that appropriate aspects of sustainable development are included in criteria when evaluating suppliers for the provision of goods and services. Suppliers are actively encouraged to put forward innovative solutions that address sustainable development.
Social and Community Issues
The CPS is also committed to addressing social and community issues and is involved with numerous initiatives that the Service has initiated, or are partners in. These include:
- No Witness No Justice;
- Domestic Violence;
- Hate Crime;
- The Community Engagement Strategy;
- Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour;
- Prolific and Priority Offenders;
- Drug Intervention Programme; and
- Criminal Justice Boards.
Further details on each of these initiatives can be found earlier in this report.
Communications
The key roles of the Communication Division (CD) are: to explain the work of the CPS, thereby helping to improve public confidence in the CJS; to engender a sense of shared purpose among staff, working towards the attainment of the Vision for the CPS; and to assist the flow of information across the Service. It also provides support for communication managers in the CPS Areas. To achieve this the CPS issues and updates leaflets throughout the year on topics such as 'householders and the use of force against intruders,' and the CPS schools video, Just Deserts, is now included in the National Curriculum Citizenship Module.
Following an independent review of CPS communications, the CPS is implementing a programme of strategic communication work. This programme is designed to help improve CPS performance and to increase awareness of the work the CPS is delivering for the public.
Case Study
Photo of the CPS Communications Team
The CPS Communications team took part in a day-long course to help their working relationship with team member Michael Singh, who is profoundly deaf. All found the course useful, Doreen Porter, Head of Publicity said: "It removed many of the barriers to communicating with someone who is deaf. It also put into perspective a few misunderstandings we had about how to communicate with deaf people." Following the course Michael said: "I can now communicate with them via signing and fingerspelling, and now that they have the basics, I will teach them more."
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) came into full force on 1 January 2005. The Act gives a right of access to anyone to recorded information held by public authorities. During 2005, the CPS received and responded to 378 requests and 29 internal reviews in relation to FOIA, and 69 Data Protection subject access requests. The CPS continues to work towards our legal obligations under the Acts and promote an open and honest culture across the Service.
