Agenda and minutes
PDF 205 KBVenue: Committee Room C, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2DN. View directions
Contact: Andrew Baird
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 29 SEPTEMBER 2015
To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.
Notes: · In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is aware they have the interest. · Members need only disclose interests not currently listed on the Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. · Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the Register. · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest. Minutes: There were none. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
To receive any questions or petitions.
Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (23 October 2015). 2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (22 October 2015). 3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received.
Minutes: There were none. |
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For Members to consider and comment on the Committee’s actions tracker.
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None
Witnesses: Carmel Millar, Director of People and Development Ken Akers, Strategic HR Relationship Manager
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. In relation to A2/15, the Chairman confirmed that he had discussed a strategy for reinforcing the Think Resident Think Councillor message among staff members with the Acting Lead Manager of Democratic Services and informed the Committee that this strategy would be implemented over the coming weeks. 2. It was agreed that, as training for Members’ on declaring any interests had not yet been delivered, that A5/15 would be returned to the section of the Actions Tracker which records ongoing actions.
Actions/ further information to be provided:
None
RESOLVED:
To note the tracker.
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To provide an update on the final completion rates of appraisals for Surrey County Council, to cover performance from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015, carried out in 2015.
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None
Witnesses: Carmel Millar, Director of People and Development
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. An updated version of Annex A was tabled at the meeting and provided the Committee with the final number of appraisals that had been completed across the Council for the year 2014/15. The final completion rate for appraisals which was tabled at the meeting. 2. The Director of People and Development introduced the report highlighting that a final completion rate of almost 92% had been completed across SCC. Although there was room for improvement within some directorates, in the main, services had managed to complete appraisals for the majority of eligible staff within a significantly shorter timeframe than in previous years. 3. Members inquired about the Adult Social Care Mental Health Team’s appraisal completion rate and why it stood at just under 16%. The Committee was informed that although the team fell under the remit of Adult Social Care, it was comprised of staff members from both the NHS and Surrey County Council (SCC) and was in fact managed by a senior NHS manager. The Director of People and Development indicated that the appraisal eligibility for particular members of the Mental Health Team had been the source of some discussion. It was agreed that only those staff which are eligible for an appraisal should be included in appraisal completion data. It was further agreed that the Committee would receive a report at a future meeting on outlining the criteria for eligible staff in instances where they worked as part of a team that was integrated with the NHS. 4. Some Members of the Committee expressed concern regarding the number of staff appraisals completed within the Children, Schools and Families Directorate and asked why this number wasn’t higher. The Director of People and Development stressed that the final appraisal completion rate for the Service showed significant improvement from where it had been a few months ago and that this figure could be viewed as something of a success given the challenges that the Directorate had faced over the past year. Members recognised that improving the way that the Service operated would be an iterative process and that a higher rate of appraisal completion across the Children, Schools and Families Directorate was anticipated next year. 5. Further information was also requested on why the Information Management and Technology (IMT) Team had only been able to complete 75% of appraisals. The Director of People and Development informed Members that that information would be sought from relevant senior manager regarding the appraisal completion rate and that this would be circulated to the Committee. It was, however, highlighted that initiatives such as Orbis and a number of other projects had placed a great deal of pressure on IMT and this may have impacted adversely on the number of appraisals that the Service had managed to complete. 6. The Committee expressed their satisfaction with the number of appraisals that had been completed across the organisation. It ... view the full minutes text for item 6/15 |
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RESHAPING SENIOR OFFICER ROLES
To further inform the Committee of the Chief Executive’s ongoing review of senior officer roles and to ask the Committee to confirm the creation of a Directorate of Adult Social Care and Public Health, led by a single Director and the proposals for appointment to new roles. Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
Carmel Millar, Director of People and Development
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. Discussions began with the Chairman stressing the importance of combining the Adult Social Care and Public Health directorates in SCC to help facilitate the continued integration of adult social care and health services across the county. 2. Members inquired about the recommendation to create a Deputy Director of Adult Social Care post and whether this was a management structure which was mirrored within other parts of the organisation. The Committee was informed that the deputy model was a good model for other services to aspire to. It was highlighted that this would create a resilient management structure and it was anticipated that adult social care services in the county would benefit from the creation of two strong Deputy Director positions. 3. In relation to recommendation iii, the Committee were informed that the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive have a strict policy of ensuring that senior officers who left the employment of the Council only receive the amount of money that they are legally and contractually entitled to. It was noted that all such exits were subject to scrutiny by the District Auditor who checks that procedures around the departure of senior officers are followed. It was highlighted that, as their post became redundant, the departed Assistant Chief Executive was entitled to a redundancy payment from the Council, in accordance with the Council's policy. 4. The Director of People and Development agreed to circulate a note to Members outlining the roles and responsibilities of the Corporate Leadership Team following the restructure ahead of the next PPDC meeting on 27 November 2015.
Actions/ further information to be provided:
The Director of People and Development to circulate a note to Members of the Committee outlining the roles and responsibilities of Members of the Corporate Leadership Team following its restructure ahead of the People, Performance and Development Committee meeting on 27 November (Action Review Ref: A25/15)
RESOLVED:
i. The amalgamation of Adult Social Care with Public Health and the creation of a new post of Strategic Director of Adult Social Care and Public Health, with effect from 27 November 2015.
ii. That a meeting of the People, Performance & Development Committee will be convened on a date to be agreed in November, which will:
a. Interview Helen Atkinson for the role of Strategic Director of Adult Social Care and Public Health.
b. Interview shortlisted candidates with a view to appointing to the newly created post of Deputy Director (Adult Social Care) and note that the post of Deputy Director (Public Health) already exists and that Ruth Hutchinson matches to this role.
iii. The People, Performance and Development Committee notes that the Assistant Chief Executive has left the employment of the Council and that the Chief Executive will not be replacing her post on a like for like basis.
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UPDATE TO SPECIAL LEAVE POLICY
To update Surrey County Council’s Special Leave Policy with provision for time off for County Council employees who are prospective adopters, special guardians, foster carers, friends and family carers, former foster carers under a “Staying Put” arrangement and supported lodgings providers. Also to support those already providing these types of care by providing time off where necessary.
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest: None
Witnesses: Hana Alipour-Mehraban, Commissioning Project Officer, Children’s and Safeguarding Service Linda Johnson, Fostering and Adoption Recruitment Officer, Children’s Safeguarding Service
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Committee commended the report and the changes that it proposed to the Council’s Special Leave Policy. Members agreed that a report should be considered by PPDC in 2016 to consider the impact of these changes to the Special Leave Policy and the extent to which it had encouraged more SCC staff to become foster carers or adopters.
Actions/ further information to be provided: A report to be considered by the People, Performance and Development Committee at its meeting in October 2016 outlining the impact of changes to the Council’s Special Leave Policy. (Action Review Ref: A26/15).
RESOLVED:
That PPDC;
i. Agrees to the introduction of an additional leave category in the Council’s Special Leave Policy for Council employees who are prospective and approved foster carers, prospective and approved friends and family carers, prospective special guardians, prospective adopters, former foster carers under a “Staying Put” arrangement and supported lodgings providers, to support looked after children and those young people previously in foster care who may be transitioning into adult services or in becoming independent.
ii. Recognises foster children and young people under a “Staying Put” arrangement or in supported lodgings as dependents for the purposes of emergency leave.
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EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN UPDATE
This report is being brought to the People, Performance and Development Committee to provide an update on the progress of the employee engagement campaign that launched in March 2015.
Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
Carmel Millar, Director of People and Development.
Key Points raised during the discussion:
1. The report was introduced by the Director of People and Development who highlighted some of the work which had been done to engage SCC staff in the Council’s values and ways of working. The strategy aims to inspire managers to promote these values among their line reports particularly those who work either part-time or remotely. It was highlighted the ‘Leading with Confidence’ programme and that further events would take place in spring 2016 to promote engagement among staff. This included draft proposals to extend the engagement to up to 2,000 members of staff. This would be an opportunity to feedback directly to staff about the staff survey results, to better understand how staff are feeling and for it to be an interactive event directly with the Chief Executive and other senior officers of the Council.Members expressed their support for the strategy and the steps that were being taken to engage with the whole workforce. The Committee stressed the importance of staff being given the opportunity to meet with members of the Cabinet and/or the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) as a means of boosting morale and promoting the Council’s values across the organisation. This also enables the Cabinet and CLT to better understand the roles and responsibilities of staff across the different services. 2. Attention was drawn to the targeted increase in advocacy rates outlined by the report and it was suggested by Members that achieving a staff advocacy rate of 55% by 2016 was ambitious. The Director of People and Development acknowledged that this was a challenging target particularly given the varied services that the Council provides and the diverse workforce that was required to deliver these services. The Committee was informed that more would be understood about how the Council was performing in improving advocacy rates once the results of the staff survey had been published. 3. The Director of People and Development was asked to clarify what an on-line collaboration system was. It was highlighted that this was an on-line resource for connecting staff across different services and different sites together.
Actions/ further information to be provided:
None
RESOLVED:
That;
i. The Committee notes the achievements to date;
ii. The Committee supports the further events being suggested, and
iii. Officers report back to the Committee in March 2016 with an update on the campaign and outcomes from the survey. |
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EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC
Recommendation: That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information under the relevant paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.
Minutes: RESOLVED: That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information under the relevant paragraphs of Schedule 12A of the Act. |
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PAY POLICY EXCEPTIONS
The People, Performance and Development Committee (PPDC) acts as the Council’s Remuneration Committee under delegated powers, in accordance with the Constitution of the County Council. The purpose of this paper is to highlight decisions taken / recommendations on pay that fall outside the published Pay Policy. Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
Ken Akers, Strategic HR Relationship Manager
Key Points raised during the discussion:
1. The Strategic HR Relationship Manager introduced the report. The Committee asked a number of questions which were responded to by the officers present, before moving to recommendations.
Actions/further information to be provided:
The actions arising from this report are laid out in the Part 2 minutes.
RESOLVED:
The Committee approved the recommendations set out in the confidential report, these recommendations are highlighted in the Part 2 minutes.
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ADULT SOCIAL CARE - TRAINEE SCHEME - SOCIAL WORKERS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS
The Adult Social Care professional qualification trainee scheme has not been reviewed since 2009. This report proposes some changes to the terms and conditions of the scheme and also the fixed salary offer to ensure that the scheme is consistent with current working arrangements and is cost effective. The proposals represent a better offer from both perspective of both the Council’s and that of the prospective trainees. Agreement from the Committee is sought for the proposed new arrangements.
Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
Ken Akers, Strategic HR Relationship Manager
Key Points raised during the discussion:
1. The Strategic HR Relationship Manager introduced the report. The Committee asked a number of questions which were responded to by the officers present, before moving to recommendations.
Actions/further information to be provided:
The actions arising from this report are laid out in the Part 2 minutes.
RESOLVED:
The Committee approved the recommendations set out in the confidential report, these recommendations are highlighted in the Part 2 minutes.
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of People, Performance and Development Committee will be on 27 November 2015. |