Independent custody visiting scheme

Report: 5
Date: 07 February 2008
By: the Chief Executive

Summary

This report provides a progress update on the London Independent Custody Visitors (ICV) Scheme since the last report in July 2007.

A. Recommendations

That

1. the progress made to date on the implementation of the reform of the ICV Scheme be noted; and

2. a further update report be provided to CoP in six months.

B. Supporting information

Progress update

1. Progress has been made in a number of areas since the last report. The overall number of volunteers involved in the scheme has increased from 352 in April 2007 to 359 at the end of December 2007. Although this only represents an increase of seven on paper, it is significant as numbers dipped between April and August, due to the Memorandum of Understanding issue in particular. Taking this and other resignations into account, in real terms the scheme has gained approximately 35-40 new volunteers in this period.

2. Recruitment has remained a key priority for the team since April 2007. Regular recruitment campaigns in the Metro and Evening Standard, coupled with local advertising have achieved unprecedented levels of interest in the scheme. A briefing paper on ICV recruitment was produced for members in November 2007 – an updated borough breakdown, using the same format, is attached to this report at Appendix 1. Figures show that both the potential net and current gross shortfall have decreased significantly and that the number of applicants awaiting interview and clearance have both increased, which are positive indicators.

3. Between April and December 405 application packs were sent out to enquirers resulting in 112 new applications received in the same period – representing a 27% take up rate.

4. Application levels remain high and across the 32 panels, 81 new recruits are currently awaiting interview with 38 currently interviewed and awaiting vetting clearance. Where required, interviews are ongoing and take place at regular intervals.

5 Some achievements for the Scheme since the last report include:

1. A highly successful pilot “Information Evening” at the MPA, which attracted interest from 38 enquirers, with 24 members of the public attending the evening in November – 14 of whom have subsequently applied to be ICVs – a take up of 58% which is a very good result. Feedback from the event was wholly positive, with participants welcoming the mix of speakers (ICVs and MPA staff), presentations and opportunity to have questions addressed.
2. A very positive and productive ‘new format’ ICV Chairs’ meeting at the MPA in October, with a speaker from Property Services on cleaning contracts for custody suites
3. The introduction of ‘cluster meetings’ where Chairs and Vice Chairs of 8 panels within a similar geographical area meet to discuss issues of mutual interest or concern regarding visiting. Speakers at recent meetings have included Dave Imroth from the Custody Directorate to speak about custody clusters and Chris Atkin-Davis, FME contract manager, speaking about plans for medical care within custody suites
4. An ICV Christmas social was held at ESB in December – which Members were invited to attend. The event was attended by over 80 ICVs, with an address by Commander Steve Bloomfield and we received very positive feedback from those who were present on the evening
5. In response to increased demand, due to the level of recruitment, four Initial Trainings took place between September and December – double the number usually held per quarter
6. The formation of the ICV Reference group took place in October/November. This is a newly established mechanism to gather views and opinions from ICVs. The group is formed of a mixture of Chairs, more experienced and newer panel members from a range of panels. So far, the Reference group has made suggestions on the content of the next London ICV Conference.

6. A significant portion of the intended reform of the ICV Scheme has taken place, though there is still much to achieve. The ICV team will be focussing on maintaining panels, encouraging best practice and bringing ‘additional value’ to the scheme through a range of planned activities and events.

Panel performance and key issues

7 Good progress is being made to recruit to the five panels identified as having a significant shortfall of visitors and where possible ICVs from other panels have been helping out with visits.

8. Kensington and Chelsea, South Westminster, Camden and Southwark are currently unable to meet their targets of one visit per week to each 24/7 station. Camden, South Westminster and Southwark are all on course to improve significantly this quarter, with respectively 11, 7 and 8 potential new members either awaiting vetting or interview. Ongoing recruitment activity is occurring in Croydon, which is also short of numbers, but achieving their target number of visits - and this remains a priority for the ICV Co-ordinator.

9. The situation with Kensington and Chelsea remains concerning, as despite adverts in the local press and mail-outs to community organisations , there is currently only 1 new applicant to be interviewed, though the panel also gained a new member in the autumn. ICVs from Wandsworth, Enfield and Lewisham are kindly helping out with visits in the borough and ongoing efforts to recruit more panel members continue to be made .

10. A few other panels are still struggling to meet their visiting targets including Lambeth, Greenwich, Brent, Newham and Waltham Forest. Lambeth has five new applicants to interview and recruitment is ongoing. Greenwich will be interviewing nine new members in the coming weeks, Brent has six new applicants and Waltham Forest has three who will be interviewed before the end of January. If these applicants come on board, the panels’ ability to achieve their targets should be significantly improved. Newham has sufficient numbers of visitors and the commitment of some long serving members alongside recent additions to the panel, has meant that performance has already improved significantly within a short period.

11. The vast majority of ICV panels have sufficient or more than sufficient numbers of visitors to achieve their target visits and remain stable.

12. In terms of the scheme as a whole, 1651 custody visits took place between April and December 2007, representing 75% of the target number of visits for that period. It should be noted that 2007 saw the role out of NSPIS across most boroughs. Custody suites were frequently closed for between 2-4 weeks while cabling was installed and necessary work undertaken to enable NSPIS to function. Some boroughs also took this opportunity to undertake deep cleans or carry out necessary repairs/improvements to their custody suites. These periods of closure will have impacted on visit targets, in addition to the issues around panel resilience detailed above. We aim to improve on this percentage for the scheme as a whole throughout 2008.

13. Appendix 2 contains information on issues raised during visits for the scheme as a whole during this period. For ease of viewing, not all issues have been included - the chart represents the issues most frequently raised.

Priorities for 2008

14. Some of the key priorities for the year ahead include the plans to organise and host the third London ICV Conference, which we intend to hold in the spring. The Conference will have two main themes – 1. Custody in London – future developments/raising standards and 2. Immigration detainees

15. Development and implementation of further health and safety guidance for ICVs. Some guidance is already provided in the ICV Handbook, but it is felt to be good practice to provide more detailed guidance on this key aspect of custody visiting

16. With the recent networking of the ICV database and looking towards the MPA’s Connect programme, it has become apparent that the current ICV database is no longer ‘fit for purpose’. This database was purchased from ICVA before the existing Scheme Manager was appointed. There is an urgent need to develop a more robust visits database as this is a key tool for the ICV Scheme. A good database will enable the Scheme to provide more comprehensive feedback to ICVs, Members and the Community on a regular basis.

17. There is also a need to develop and implement an effective system to allow the team to manage, maintain and recall volunteer information more easily.

18 Some work took place in 2007 to ensure that the nationally developed training provided to ICVs related adequately to the custody environment in London. Further work is necessary in 2008 in order to develop a comprehensive training strategy for the scheme and to increase the range of training and support available to ICVs.

19. Another key objective for 2008 is to increase the profile of the ICV Scheme across London. This will work in tandem with ongoing recruitment activities, but will also include activities specifically aimed at increasing the general public’s awareness of the scheme

20. Recruitment remains a key priority for those panels that do not have sufficient numbers of ICVs to achieve resilience.

Staffing

21. Since the last report, the ICV team has gained two new staff members and now consists of eight ICV Co-ordinators and the Scheme Manager. As of end November 2007, the team has been able to operate at full strength.

22. New staff have completed their induction and from January 2008 have been supporting a cluster of ICV panels.

23. Looking towards to the integration of the ICV team with the rest of the Engagement and Partnership Unit, the team will benefit from the provision of some administrative support.

C. Race and equality impact

1. The impact of the new developments to the scheme is positive. Resources continue to be pooled in advertising for new ICVs, alongside local and targeted recruitment. This has meant that where and how opportunities are advertised across London has been broadened, enabling the scheme to reach a wider and more diverse audience. Adverts through Metro and the Evening Standard continue to be successful in attracting requests for information about the scheme.

2. MPA staff attending meetings enables us to ensure that MPA values are disseminated to panels and that equality issues in particular are upheld.

3. It is likely that MPA staff will be involved in delivering some of the training for ICVs in 2008. Since April 2007, MPA staff have attended all training sessions. As with MPA involvement in recruitment, this means that we can ensure that equal opportunity policies are adhered to and issues of equality and diversity are consistently addressed as part of the training. As part of the new arrangements, we intend to institute specialist cultural awareness and diversity training for ICVs.

4. Central monitoring of diversity will be possible with the development of a more suitable system to manage volunteer records.

5. Effective information gathering about visiting, made more possible through the development of a more robust visits database will enable the MPA better to identify and address with the MPS issues affecting the treatment of minority groups as detainees and to secure fairer services.

D. Financial implications

1. The budget for 2007-08 is £430,169. Panel under-spends for 2006-07 and accumulations on previous years amounted to approximately £31,000, £6,000 of which was received in 2006-07 and £25,000 received in 2007-08. Staffing gaps and an overestimate of the budget required for volunteer expenses (based on funding to panels in previous years) have meant that there have also been significant savings against budget this year.

2. The new system for monitoring, recording and paying volunteer expenses, introduced in April, has enabled the MPA to accurately cost a key element of the scheme for the first time, which is a significantly positive step in managing the business.

3. The costs of the proposed new visits software development can be met in full from within current the budget provision, though funds may need to be carried over in to 2008/09, subject to Members’ approval when the 2008/09 financial outturn is known, to allow sufficient lead in time for procurement

4. Funding will continue to be reviewed throughout the course of 2007/08 and any significant additional resource implications or deviations from the proposed operating budget will be reported back to COP.

E. Background papers

• Appendix 1 – ICV Recruitment update - Jan 08
• Appendix 2 – Issues raised during visits April – Dec 07

F. Contact details

Report author(s): David Riddle and Kerry McClelland, MPA

For more information contact:

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

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