CPS Board meeting minutes - January 2021
Tuesday 26 January 2021, 14:00-17:00
Microsoft Teams Meeting
Members
Monica Burch (C), Max Hill QC, Rebecca Lawrence, Simon Jeffreys, Caroline Wayman, Mark Hammond
Guests
Chris Sharp, Baljit Ubhey, Graham Ritchie, Sandra McKay, Dawn Brodrick, Mark Gray, Ann Meatyard, Gemma Hewison, Paula Potter
Secretariat
Board Secretariat, Head of Private Office
Item 1: Minutes of the Last Meeting and Matters Arising
1. The Board reviewed and agreed the minutes of the last meeting.
1.1 Progress was noted against outstanding actions
Item 2: Update from the DPP
2 The DPP provided an update on the following:
a. Framework Agreement revision and the GLD governance review
b. HMCPSI Joint report to Justice Select Committee
c. RASSO
d. Casework pressures
e. Changing Nature of Crime
f. DG6 and AG Guidelines
g. Virtual Visits by the Non-Executive Board Members
h. Third Director of Legal Services, Grace Ononiwu’s appointment
i. EU transition
Item 3: Corporate Performance
3.1 Chris Sharp, Finance Director provided an update on workloads and resourcing which noted:
a. Monthly Cases Carried Forward trends
b. CV19 impact on the mix of cases in Crown Court backlog
c. The need to consider likely future pressures, not just past trends, when making decisions
d. Disproportionate impact of certain cases on victims and witnesses
3.2 The CE updated the Board on Executive Group work on Strategic Resourcing Model.
3.3 The Board discussed:
a. The need to embed effective backlog management approaches in business as usual post-CV19 learning as part of continuous improvement.
b. Treasury engagement
Item 4: CV19 Horizon Scan
4 Baljit Ubhey, Director of Strategy and Policy and Graham Ritchie, Deputy Director of Strategy and Policy presented the Horizon Scan and opened the discussion.
4.1 The Board discussed:
a. The need for clarity on which projects are meeting objectives (it was noted by presenters that the Business Plan papers which would come to a later Board would contain this RAG rating information)
b. Need for both staff and organisational requirements to be considered in the Beyond Smarter Working piece
c. Importance of the Victims and Witnesses piece
d. Need for more clarity on Equality Diversity and Inclusion, specifically on organisational behaviours
4.2 The Board thanked the team for their work, noted the work contained in the papers and welcomed the Board’s future (February) Business Plan item.
Item 5: CPS Communications Strategy
5.1. Sandra McKay, Director of Communications, noted the timeliness of the new model in light of CV19’s impact on the team, and updated the Board that the new News Desk was recently implemented.
5.2. Sandra confirmed that the strategy was designed for all CPS colleagues, not solely those in comms, to underline the need for all staff to have an understanding of, and responsibility for communications.
5.3. The CE referenced ongoing work to ensure communications are considered early on and underlined that leaders are valued for communications strengths in addition to legal expertise.
5.4. The Board thanked Sandra and team for their work and expressed support for the draft strategy.
Item 6: People Survey Results
6. Dawn Brodrick, Chief People Officer, provided an overview of the results and outlined that the ask for the Board was to provide comments on the planned next steps.
6.1. Dawn confirmed that backlogs had been identified as an area where further work is needed, and that continued attention was needed to wellbeing.
6.2. Dawn acknowledged that maintaining results levels in teams with already strong engagement scores is a challenge.
6.3. The Board discussed:
a. Whether staff could get a total rewards statement annually to increase awareness of the whole benefit of their package
b. Whether any further work is needed on the topic of manager and people development. (In response, Dawn advised that work is ongoing on the Line Manager piece and she intends to bring an item to the Board)
c. Need for high level of ambition and to set targets higher than the Civil Service benchmark
Item 7: People Priorities
7. Dawn outlined that the item’s aim was to give the Board an overview of the people objectives.
7.1. Dawn provided an update on the Executive Group’s comments on the priorities, the comments which were positive yet questioned whether the launch should be delayed in light of existing pressures and limited organisational bandwidth to engage.
7.2. Dawn updated that the aim was to get the priorities in the right place ahead of a later launch when the timing is correct.
7.3. The Board raised:
a. Need for further emphasis on the NBCPA work
b. On Equality Diversity and Inclusion, the need for stronger focus on the intolerance of unacceptable behaviours and for clearer response to the NBCPA recommendations
c. Support for the focus on health and wellbeing
d. Request for detail on staff development plan conversations and whether they are effective
7.4. Dawn confirmed that production of a more detailed plan would follow, and that further organisational assurance would be sought on the topic of staff management conversations.
Item 8: Common Platform
8. The Board welcomed Gemma Hewison, Programme Director for Reform and Crime Programmes at HMCTS, and Paula Potter, Crime Programme Director at HMCTS, to present an update on overall programme progress.
9.
9.1. The Board accepted the recommendations noted in the papers and discussed next steps.
9.2. The Board thanked the presenters for their update and commended the personal leadership shown.
Item 9: AOB
10. The Board provided its comments on the below the line papers on the topic ‘Victims and Witnesses, including follow up to IAC’s recommendations’. The Board commended the papers
10.1. Simon Jeffreys, Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, provided an update from its January meeting.
10.2. The DPP provided reassurance to the Board on Proceeds of Crime, noting that at the recent January Legal Cabinet meeting a discussion took place on how to manage complex case types
Secretariat
January 2021