Restructure of the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate 

Report: 6
Date: 17 May 2010
By: Deputy Commissioner on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report describes the work to restructure the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate. It outlines the key responsibilities and functions of the revised Directorate and how it will support the MPS in implementing the Diversity and Equality Strategy 2009-2013.

A. Recommendation

That Members note the work being undertaken to restructure the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1. The structure of the current Directorate was established in 2005 to support the transformation of the MPS into a citizen focused service: the configuration was designed to address outstanding issues relating to organisational input and equality of outcomes in service delivery. Over this time organisational progress was made in a number of areas such as the creation of the MPS Equalities Scheme and the establishment of the MPS Policing Pledge.

2. The new MPS Diversity and Equality Strategy 2009-2013 was launched on 1st December 2009 and provides a clear articulation of what the MPS aims to achieve over the coming years to deliver services that are responsive to the needs of the diverse people it serves. It provides the organisation with a clear focus on four strategic themes:

• Fair and Responsive Services
• Enhancing Community Engagement
• Workforce and Working Culture
• Governance and performance.

3. Under the stewardship of the Deputy Commissioner, each theme is being led by a senior police officer or member of police staff who has responsibility for driving change within the organisation whilst ensuring that the principles underpinning each theme are embedded into the organisation’s way of delivering its business.

Responsibilities and Functions

4. The role of DCFD is to be refocused to provide the strategic lead in supporting the delivery of the new strategy, taking specific responsibility for the Governance and Performance Theme and ensuring the MPS fulfils its legislative requirements. To support these aims it has been agreed that the refocused Directorate will have four key responsibilities:

• Organisational conscience: To act as the conscience of the organisation on diversity and equality issues, providing challenge and ensuring compliance with legislative requirements.
• Professional advice: To provide professional advice and guidance through a team of diversity and equality professionals, identifying and promulgating good practice.
• Performance management: Ensuring the MPS has a rigorous performance management approach on diversity and equality issues, monitoring the outcomes outlined in the diversity and equality strategy, and reporting on issues.
• Delivery of specific work programme: To undertake specific programme of work on behalf of the MPS as part of the delivery of the MPS Diversity and Equality Strategy.

5. To deliver these responsibilities, the Directorate will comprise four main functions / teams.

• Senior Management Team and Secretariat, responsible for the strategic leadership of DCFD, stakeholder relationships, management and coordination of corporate independent advisors and advisory groups, head of profession for diversity, equality and citizen focus practitioners.
• Governance and Performance Function focused on monitoring, reporting and analysing outcomes and indicators associated with the Diversity and Equality Strategy, monitoring compliance and results from the Equality Standard for the Police Service, identifying emerging issues and high risk areas.
• Advisory Team / Delivery Function focused on supporting the MPS deliver the strategy by ensuring it delivers on the Equalities Scheme and Equality Standard and fulfils its legislative requirements (including updating the MPS on the implications arising from the Equalities Act 2010). It will provide strategic diversity, equality and citizen focus advice and guidance to managers across the organisation including guidance and awareness raising on EIAs. This team provides a flexible resource, focusing on high impact issues and high risk areas.
• Communications function responsible for dissemination of advice and good practice on diversity and equality issues, internal and external communication and building a positive profile of the organisation as it addresses issues of diversity and equality in conjunction with the Directorate of Public Affairs.

Results from consultation with internal and external stakeholders

6. The changes allow the Directorate to respond to the issues raised by internal and external stakeholders during consultation as part of the development of the strategy. Prior to the launch of the strategy, consultation took place with business groups across the MPS to identify their expectations of DCFD in supporting their delivery of the strategy. The key themes raised were:

• Clarity of expectations: providing clear articulation of what is expected of managers and leaders and what they are required to do.
• Provision of feedback to managers and business units on the work they have done, ensuring compliance with policies and operating processes.
• Delivery of toolkits that tell managers what they need to do it and how they can go about delivering improvements.
• Access to advice and guidance from a team of diversity and equality professionals who can support, guide and challenge managers.
• Identify and develop new solutions to improve performance in diversity, equality and customer service issues.
• Raise awareness of emerging issues (internally and externally) and be able to interpret new legislation and practices to determine impact on the MPS.
• An outcome focused approach that integrates diversity and equality considerations within established business processes.
• More effective communication and opportunities for practitioners to share good practice and learn.
• Provide feedback to managers and business units on the work they have done, ensuring compliance with policies and operating processes.
• That the role of the Diversity and Citizen Focus Advisor be retained and where possible enhanced.
• The issues have all been reflected in the design and responsibilities of DCFD.

7. External stakeholders, in particular, identified the need for a strong DCFD that could provide rigorous analysis on how the MPS was performing on diversity and equality issues, challenge managers and business areas and provide professional advice.

Governance of the Diversity and Equality Strategy

8. In response to the consultation and to enhance the delivery of the strategy DCFD has reviewed the governance and accountability arrangements for the strategy:

• The MPS Diversity Executive Board, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner, has been streamlined to provide a clear focus on monitoring the strategy’s outcomes, performance indicators, actions plans and results from the Equality Standard for the Police Service. The Board includes senior representatives from all MPS Business Groups. This will meet six times a year. At every other meeting it will operate as the full MPS Diversity Board where the membership will be extended to include representatives from Staff Associations, Corporate IAGs etc.
• The Diversity Partnership Forum, chaired by the Director DCFD, has been established to build the confidence of key stakeholders in the delivery of the Diversity and Equality Strategy. The Forum brings together leads from across business groups and critical friends including representatives from corporate Independent Advisory Groups, Staff and Staff Support Associations to review plans and progress and problem solve emerging issues.
• The Diversity Practitioners Network has been established by Director DCFD as Head of Profession to support practitioners in business groups and (B)OCUs share good practice, learn, raise issues and solve problems.

Supporting the Implementation of the Equality Standard for the Police Service

9. The revised Directorate will support the implementation of the Equality Standard for the Police Service across the MPS. In summary, the Diversity and Citizen Focus Advisors will engage with OCUs and Business Groups to identify, explain and implement the ESPS, support units in undertaking their self assessment against the Standard and in developing local action plans to improve performance. The Performance and Governance function will monitor and collate local assessments, enabling a corporate picture of diversity and equality performance to be developed. Progress on the implementation of the standard, results and the common themes and issues identified will be presented to the MPS Diversity Board. A fuller paper on the ESPS has been presented to Members at the Equality and Diversity Sub-committee meeting in April 2010.

Incorporation of Citizen Focus principles and relationships with MPS priorities

10. The changes provide an opportunity to align the citizen focus and diversity agendas and mainstream these within the work of all business groups. The core citizen focus principles of listen to people, understand their needs and deliver services accordingly are reflected throughout the MPS Diversity and Equality Strategy. The overall aim of Theme 1: Fair and Responsive Services is “... to ensure that we are consistently meeting the needs of all individuals, treating people fairly and with respect and consistently delivering on our promises and this is reflected through a series of actions aimed at ensuring that services meet the needs of everyone we serve and dissatisfaction issues are identified and addressed”.

11. The MPS is establishing a Confidence and Satisfaction Board under the leadership of ACTP. DCFD will be a key member of this Board ensuring that issues of diversity and equality and the aims of the strategy are integrated within its remit and work programme and ensuring that any differential outcomes are understood and addressed. Work is also taking place to develop an approach to support boroughs in improving public confidence that integrates support and advice from DCFD, SRAU, Safer Neighbourhoods.

12. The Strategy provides a clear link to the confidence agenda and its aims and actions directly supports the 5P’s and work to improve performance especially in relation to the community engagement and fair treatment aspects of the confidence model. The action plan for Theme 1: Fair and Responsive Services includes specific actions relating to the Policing Pledge. This ensures that there is a clear connection between the work of DCFD and these key organisational objectives.

Engagement with Staff

13. A change manager has been appointed from within the DCFD management team to lead on the implementation of the changes. A number of activities have taken place to involve and inform DCFD staff in the change process, including a number of meetings with all staff and in smaller groups to discuss and explain the changes and their implications, meetings with staff representatives (Trade Union Side, Police Federation etc.), regular email updates from the change manager and Director to all staff, liaison with HR professionals to develop an appropriate process for selecting staff into roles in the new Directorate. An EIA has been prepared and is being reviewed and updated.

Budget and Staffing Levels

14. The total budget for DCFD for 2009/10 was £4.5 million. In total this equated to 21 police officer posts and 43 police staff posts.

15. The resource requirements for the new Directorate are outlined in the table below.

16. It is envisaged that the proposed changes will release 20 police officer and police staff posts into MPS business groups and deliver efficiencies / release posts and resources to business groups of around £1.1 million as well as strengthening and professionalising the MPS approach to diversity, equality and community confidence issues.

17. There are a number of specific functions and individual roles currently located within DCFD that will now more appropriately sit within other business groups, primarily TP. These include: the MPS Customer Service Unit, the Athena Sport team, responsibility for maintaining the network of LGBT Liaison Officers. Negotiations are ongoing to facilitate these changes.

C. Race and equality impact

1. The aim of these changes is to support the MPS in implementing its Diversity and Equality Strategy. An Equality Impact Assessment was conducted as part of the development of the strategy and is being undertaken as part of the restructuring exercise. The changes are intended to create positive outcomes for all the communities the Met serves by enhancing the professional diversity and equality advice available to MPS managers and strengthening the governance and performance management of diversity and equality issues. This will ensure that the MPS is better able to analyse and identify issues and target interventions.

2. Restructuring issues identified through the EIA process are being addressed for example: communication with stakeholders to discuss the changes and, if responsibilities or points of contact are changing, how these will be managed; ensuring that there are effective transitional arrangements in place for customers for any functions that are transferring to another business group. In terms of the impact on staff examples include undertaking monitoring of the potential impact on the staffing profile, processes are in place to ensure there is effective communication with staff on maternity leave, the needs of staff with disabilities are taken into account and all the roles in the new structure are suitable for people with flexible working patterns.

D. Financial implications

1. The costs associated with the new structure are described in full above. The impacts on individual Business Group budgets and potential additional savings are set out in the table below (figures in £000):

• 2009/10 Budget (Held in TP) 4,550
• Savings Made in 2010/13 Plan -371
• Revised 2009/10 Budget 4,179
• Revised Costs
  • New DCFD structure within DCP 3,420
  • Support required for DCFD 50
  • Functions to be retained in TP 234
  • Functions to transfer to HR 63
  • Total Revised Costs 3,767
• Saving -412

2. The additional savings to be released through this restructure are in current 2010/11 budgets but will be given up by DCFD as part of the 2011/14 Business Planning process.

3. The totals shown as remaining in TP and transferring to HR are not as yet agreed and so may be subject to marginal changes once finalised.

4. It is envisaged that the budget set for 2010/11 will be sufficient to cater for transition arrangements from the old structure into the structure set out above.

E. Legal implications

1. The Equality Act 2010 (“the Act”) now provides for a single equalities duty that brings together the existing race, disability and gender duties, and now extends to areas such as sexual orientation, age, religion and beliefs, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment. The general equality duty under Part 11 of the Act requires all public bodies carrying out public functions to eliminate discrimination across all of the protected characteristics, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons who share relevant protected characteristics.

2. Paragraph 5 refers to compliance with legislative requirements. It is important that the MPS prepares for the implementation of provisions of the Equality Act 2010 that will come into force in October 2010.

F. Background papers

• The Way Forward: Taking Action to end violence against women and girls
• Race on the Agenda - Female Voice in Violence Project

G. Contact details

Report authors: Denise Milani and David Skelton, Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate, MPS

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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