About

11 August 2010

Meeting on 11 Aug 2010 at 10.00am
Crown Office, 25 Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LA
 
Present:      
Elinor Kelly (Chair)
Muhammad Sadiq (Minutes)                    
 

Members
Delegates
Alan McCloskey
Bill Gray
Bushra Iqbal
Joe O’Donnell, HM Inspectorate
Marsha Scott
Susan Anderson
Karen Kennedy
Linda Cockburn
Morag McLaughlin
Sandy Mackie
 

 
 

Apologies:
 
Attending:
 
Bruce Adamson
Jim Sweeney
Lesley Shoniwa, COPFS
Mukami McCrum
Pramila Kaur
Tim Hopkins
 
Fiona Duncan, Scottish Court Service
David Young, Scottish Court Service
Louise Gallacher, COPFS

 
 
1.     Welcome and Introductions:
 
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for attending.
 
 
2.     Minutes of previous meetings
 
2.1                          The minutes of the meeting in Crown Office on 10th May 2010 were approved.
 
 
3.     Matters arising
 
3.1.                       The Chair gave a detailed explanation regarding her decision to cancel the planned visit of the group to Dundee for this meeting when it was realised that we would coincide with the first day of Ramadan. All present were in agreement that, given the circumstances as they were emerging and to avoid any potential ill feeling at the community engagement session, her decision was the correct one. 
 
3.2.                       BI gave a very informative presentation about the Muslim festival of Ramadan and provided the group with a handout containing additional information the calendar date for the start of Ramadan is determined. She finished by saying that the most important issue when choosing dates for events was to consult the local community rather than assuming that all communities observe festivals on the same date. The Chair responded that the dates of EAG meetings should be checked against a Religious calendar and checked with the COPFS area to be visited, if appropriate.
 
Action Point 1:
KK to check that all EAG meeting dates avoid significant religious festivals.
 
3.3.                       KK presented a first draft of two checklists for organising EAG meetings and community engagement events. The group considered it a valuable piece of work and suggested additional points for inclusion. A second draft will be prepared and distributed to the group before the next meeting. It was suggested that the next meeting in Dundee be used as a pilot for the two checklists.
 
Action Point 2:
KK to prepare second draft of checklists and send to the group for comment. Thereafter, use the Dundee meeting as a pilot run for the checklists.
 
3.4.                       Update from COPFS HR on current management initiatives. SM
  
The planned budget cuts are already influencing plans and procedures in HR, for example, changes have been made to our recruitment procedure and promotion opportunities for staff in post. 
 
The COPFS Values project is progressing whereby there will be a renewed focus on two of our core values of Respect and Professionalism. Following on from this will be our new Dignity at Work (working title) policy which will focus on acceptable and unacceptable behaviours of staff at work. All of this work is really about putting the building blocks in place within COPFS to ensure that all staff feel and are respected.
 
MS highlighted the importance of completing Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) for COPFS strategic decision making in relation to budgeting cuts. Although it is not the group’s job to complete such assessments, it is the group’s job to ensure that the assessments are completed and that they are based on empirical evidence and robust.
 
MML replied that she would highlight this point to the Management Board as she represented them at the EAG.
 
The Chair suggested that the EAG should draft a letter to COPFS Management Board about the need to complete EIAs for all strategic changes resulting from budget cuts.
 
Action Point 3:
EK and MS to meet and draft a letter on behalf of the EAG which will be sent to the rest of the members for comment before being sent to COPFS Management Board.
 
4.     EAG Membership and Chair
 
4.1           Monica Lee-MacPherson, MBE, would be delighted to join the group and will be invited to attend the November meeting.
 
4.2           Both Helena Scott and Philomena de Lima have now resigned from the group. MS recommended contacting Liz O’Neill, chair of the National Mental Health & Wellbeing for Older People Steering Group.
 
4.3           Succession planning update: MS gave a summary of the meeting between JS and KK. An email containing a proposal was circulated to all members. So far only four members have responded. All respondents have agreed with the option proposed.   
 
BI informed the group that she is no longer a member of COPFS and consequently she is now a full member of the EAG and that she can now be included in all succession planning discussions.
 
MS added that it would be a good idea to review the role and remit of the group every two years and to take stock of the expertise within the group to ensure that the membership of the group was robust and representative of all the protective characteristics and also of Scottish society. It was noted that the members express their own opinions in discussions rather than being a spokesperson for their respective organisations.
 
Regarding any future new members to the group, it was agreed that:
·         A person is proposed by a member to the group
·         If the group decide to pursue that person, the potential new member is examined by COPFS and a briefing note is prepared and sent to the Lord Advocate seeking approval for the person being invited to join the EAG.
·         If the person is approved by the Lord Advocate, they can then be formally invited to join the group.
 
It was suggested that a briefing note should be prepared for the Crown Agentregarding the role and remit of the group along with the proposed succession planning for the group and that a copy of all the member biographies should be included as the next Chair of the EAG will be chosen from the current membership.
 
Action Point 4:
KK to prepare a briefing note and send it to the Crown Agent
 
Action Point 5:
KK to contact any members who have yet to complete or submit Disclosure Scotland Certificates
 
          New Business
 
5.     Public Sector Equality Duty – Detailed proposals from the Scottish Government.
 
KK introduced a discussion paper prepared by LS. Her question to group being: “Based on the key elements as outlined by the Scottish Government and the protected characteristics listed above, what would the EAG expect to find in COPFS equality action plans?”
 
MS opened the responses by stating that the first steps would be to ascertain what outcomes are desired and then consider how you are going to get there. Essentially an equality and diversity needs analysis should be carried out. 
 
A thematic approach to the public sector duties is theoretically less flawed as it would be clearly based on tangible evidence of current position and journey to future position. 
 
BI added that we should look at the functions of COPFS, what our organisational objectives are and what our equality objectives should be. The new Act is very clear about mainstreaming equality and diversity. She recommends using the EHRC guidelines to develop the COPFS model.
 
EK suggested taking each element in turn and going through the 10 protected characteristics in relation to that element: i.e. begin with ‘Reporting on Mainstreaming’ and describe what this means for each of the protected characteristics.  Then go on to the next element, ‘publishing equality outcomes’ and relate this to all the protected characteristics etc.
 
MS added that once a thematic approach is concluded then move on to the priorities for COPFS and the roles and relationships between the strands.
 
SM suggested that a starting point could be the COPFS focus on two values – respect and professionalism and then link these to each of the duties. In essence, to be professional and respectful, what does COPFS need to look like?
 
 
6.     VIA (Victim Information and Advice) Media Guidance Paper
 
LC introduced a first draft of a document created by COPFS Communications Team for COPFS VIA staff and general public. Comments were sought from the group about the content of the draft document and the appropriateness of the document for its intended audience.
 
Several members commented that the document felt as if it had been written for COPFS staff as it had a very strong legal tone to it. It felt like the reader would need some expert knowledge of the criminal justice system to make sense of the document. Consequently, in its current form, it was not a document suitable for public guidance. 
 
Members suggested that the content of such a guidance document should convey to the public that they are protected by the law against intrusions into their lives by media organisations and also that there are restrictions on what victims of crime can and can’t say to media organisations.
 
AM offered to assist in the preparation of the document and LC thankedhim for offer of help.
 
7.     Corporate PowerPoint template for COPFS
 
KK distributed a set of sample PowerPoint templates to the group and asked for their opinion on the accessibility of the samples. Once the group had viewed several of the samples, some general points were noted:
·         Members agreed that for projecting information, a dark background with light writing was the best combination.
·         For printed material, a light background with dark writing was optimal.
·         There should be minimum clutter on the slides i.e. max of two logos and no watermarks running through the slides.
·         All titles should be within banners rather than additional to them.
·         All print should be legible, including words within logos.
 
KK thanked the group for their comments which would be fed back to the Strategy and Delivery Division.
 
8.     Summary paper about the Sexual Offences Act
 
LG introduced a paper written by COPFS Policy Division. She gave the background to the creation of the paper and how it had been used internally by COPFS staff. The group were very impressed by the tone and content of the paper and commented on how clearly written and well laid it was. It enabled the reader to clearly follow and easily understand the principle aspects of the new legislation. Some members asked if they could adapt the paper into a package for mental health practitioners. All members were keen to receive a copy of the e-learning pack that had been used with the summary paper.
 
Action Point 6:
LG to email a copy of the e-learning pack and the summary document to group members and give them a time limit for comments
 
Action Point 7:
LG to check what happened to the work carried out by TH and MS on the Sexual Offences Handbook and report back to the group.
 
9.     AOCB –
 
KK asked all the members to complete a member declaration and to send her their Disclosure Scotland certificates for noting which would then be returned to members.
 
10.Date and venue of next meeting and proposals for agenda
 
10 am on 10 Nov 2010 in Dundee with invited representatives from the Tayside area community for lunch and discussions after lunch.