Further Detail

COMMITMENTS AND ACTIONS

The SETM Action plan was written with a number of commitments and associated actions under each of the themes. Milestones and performance measures were tentatively linked to other implementation plans throughout such as:

• VAWG Implementation Plan
• Policing Together Implementation Plan
• Public Confidence Implementation Plan

SIMPLIFYING PERFORMANCE REPORTING

Following discussion and agreement with ACC Bond, the SETM workstream in conjunction with the Planning Performance Officers (PPO) from the Analysis and Performance Unit (APU), a simplified approach to reporting performance and demonstrate progress against the SETM Action Plan has been developed.

Instead of aligning performance measures to each action/milestone, the PPOs are working with the leads from each business area to identify high level Priority Management Indicators (PMI) for each work stream. These will be incorporated into the refreshed Performance Framework.

These conversations with business area leads will also include a discussion on creating a data baseline, expected timescales and direction of travel for each PMI. The PPOs will help to assess what we would expect to see changing in the data set as Police Scotland implement the actions from the plan. It is important to note that the PMI are not fixed and may change throughout the lifecycle of SETM as priorities shift and change.

Once the PMI are identified for each work stream the PPOs will explore data availability and define a process for sharing data with the APU to facilitate reporting.

This process is still under development and will be discussed further at the next SETM Delivery Group.

SUMMARY

An effective approach to performance and accountability involves identifying clear organisational direction and defining the necessary actions. Monitoring, maintaining and improving performance in Police Scotland will be used as a key tool for delivering the commitments in the SETM Action Plan. The plan contains four areas:

1. Culture and Leadership
2. Communication and Engagement
3. Working Practices and Estates
4. Governance and Reporting

Each area has their own workstream lead who reports to the SETM delivery team and is further supported by a Corporate Communications representative. The plan is aligned to the wider strategic objectives and linked to existing policy and procedure. The findings of the HMICS culture inspection are incorporated.

SETM delivery group work in conjunction with APU, will seek to implement the same methodologies for performance reporting on our strategies and plans, for example:

• Annual Police Plan
• Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and Implementation Plan
• Policing Together Strategy
• People Strategy
• Strategic Workforce Plan

Work is ongoing to engage with colleagues across Police Scotland to ensure performance reporting is joined up and consistent.

The data drive continues to be conducted, analysed, and mapped across the following areas:

• Gender representation in specialisms and rank.
• Professional Standards, which includes grievances and complaints against police to identify trends and patterns.
• Gender balance in recruitment.
• Gender breakdown for leavers, in particular post maternity leave.
• Flexible working.

When quick wins have been identified, the SETM delivery group have worked hard to drive progress. One such area is gender specific Officer Safety Training which has received particularly positive feedback from our officers currently on maternity leave and could be delivered as their keeping in touch days prior to fully commencing their return. There is no change to the quality or any aspect of the training, it is hoped that by providing a supported environment and better meet their needs.

Further work is ongoing into maternity leave, reviewing the current support mechanisms in existence, identifying any barriers and seeking to establish best practice. A maternity specific survey will be launched later this spring to better understand Police Scotland’s current position and how insightful information and feedback could enhance the level of support to new and expectant mothers.

A series of workshops and events have been designed in recognition of the 2022 digital insights survey, giving an understanding of our people’s thoughts and experiences. These solution focused workshops are being delivered to policing divisions and departments across Scotland. On each occasion the attendees which range in experience, service level and rank, are asked the following questions:

1. Do you know what Sexism, Equality and Tackling Misogyny (SETM) is? (establishing baseline knowledge and understanding)
2. What experiences and/or examples do you either personally have or are aware of regarding behaviours related to SETM? (promote conversation and further understand their knowledge)
3. What, if any, do you believe are the barriers to us tackling SETM? (solution focused)
4. With regards to specialist roles, what would stop you applying for them? In respect of female colleagues, is there any difference in these barriers?
5. Thinking of your own experience in policing, what would look meaningful for you in respect of tackling sexism and misogyny? (promoting their thoughts and ideas to be part of the solution and journey)

All attendees are made to feel welcome and valued. It is hoped that they leave with a sense of purpose in what SETM Delivery Group is hoping to achieve. Over 140 attendees have taken part, and to date the following trends have been identified: Myths – dated behaviours and too many untruths being circulated.

These identified myths have been further explored to establish any legacy into them. This will form part of a Corporate Communications campaign and further interest has been expressed to include business areas such as Leadership, Training and Development, Promotions and PSD.

Gaps – Guidance, the current set up of support particularly for line managers does not provide good and quick reference of information. Additionally, a further learning on how we should intervene (red flag) and the consequences of doing nothing (active bystander) would be of benefit too.

An extensive research piece is ongoing which includes, liaison with other UK and international organisations and law enforcement agencies to identify best practice and establish learning. Utilising SETM’s critical friends’ group which consists of academia, policing and private sector business further learning and improvements are likely. By embedding the analytics of existing data and the mapping of key performance indicators will further support the future growth round SETM. A briefing paper has been produced and circulated in respect of this.

Lack – a frustration in an understanding of civil matters for line managers (Equality Act and Employment Law) and how Police Scotland is not exempt as an employer.

Working with the Leadership department, SETM is looking to embed an understanding of this within the new First Line Managers (FLM) training as well as provide access to one page guidance for all.

These workshops continue, with two further dates being planned with SCD and local policing.

The SETM intranet page was launched in November 2023 with excess of 327 views to date. It features key information as well as affording a supportive space for colleague collaboration which is providing further thoughts and insights.

A breastfeeding network is being established and the first Breastfeeding Buddies network awareness event took place in early February. ACC Bond is the executive lead for this network.

Between September and December 2023, six online guest external speaker events for example – The Casey Review and Gender Equality in Policing were held with in excess of 90 plus attendees at each and have received excellent feedback.

NEXT STEPS

Police Scotland is at the discovery phase, understanding and research, moving into design and it should not be understated the future benefits of such a programme will bring to Police Scotland.

• PPOs will continue to engage with business area leads to define the PMI for the work streams in the SETM Action Plan, including expected direction of travel.

• Data availability and accessibility will be reviewed by PPOs and an initial baseline of data will be reported once prepared to the SETM Delivery Board.

• Further engagement with ACC Bond and the SETM Delivery Sergeant to discuss presentation of reporting performance, across both quantitative measures (the numbers) and qualitative measures (the story), which will be used to help understand and articulate the differences being made as the actions are undertaken.