The future of race and diversity training in the MPS

Report: 12
Date: 10 January 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report details MPS diversity training activity following the completion of the Community and Race Relations Training Programme. The report highlights current work to support the new national race and diversity learning and development programme for the police service, the Performance Needs Analysis on gender issues and the Performance Needs Analysis (PNA) on Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues and proposals to support training on the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000).

A. Recommendations

That Members note the report and the work in progress.

B. Supporting information

Introduction

1. The MPS like the majority of other police services completed a programme of Community and Race Relations (CRR) training in December 2002.

2. This report details MPS diversity training activity following the completion of the Community and Race Relations Training Programme. It also highlights current work to support the new national race and diversity learning and development requirement for the police service, the Performance Needs Analysis on gender issues and the PNA on LGBT issues and proposals to support training on the Race Relations Amendment Act (2000).

Diversity Training and Development Branch

3. The main unit responsible for diversity training and development in the MPS, is the Diversity Training and Development Branch. In February 2004, the Branch transferred from the Directorate of Training and Development to the Diversity Directorate.

4. The Branch currently comprises a policy and strategy team based at the Peel Centre, Hendon and the Diversity Training School responsible for programme delivery. The post of Head of School is held by an Inspector and supported by 21 police diversity trainers (the majority of whom are police officers). The Head of Policy and Strategy is a member of Police Staff Band C, and is supported by a mix of police officers and police staff. The Head of Branch is a member of Police Staff Band A. The Branch is likely to undergo a degree of restructuring as part of a broader restructuring process within the Diversity Directorate.

5. In addition to the work detailed below, the Branch also has responsibility for supporting the diversity content of recruit training, training for designated detention officers, the safer neighbourhood-based teams, training for Station Reception Officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and Transport for London Revenue Inspectors. The Branch has a key role on the Home Office programme board executive responsible for the implementation and development of the new national strategy for race and diversity learning and development in the police service.

6. The Branch operates a Service Level Agreement with the Directorate of Development’s Training Standards Unit (including Training Design) to help ensure that diversity issues are fully integrated into MPS courses and training programmes at the design and development stage.

7. In addition to diversity training developed by Diversity Training Branch, a number of other diversity related training programmes have been developed by the Diversity Directorate’s Strategic Disability Team and the Development Organisation Improvement Team. This work is detailed in paras 51-56 below.

Diversity Training Review

8. Over the past 18 months there has been an extensive review of diversity training – across the police service.

9. In February 2003, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC) published its thematic inspection report of Race and Diversity Training in the Police Service: ’Diversity Matters’. A key message within Diversity Matters was that the Service needed to produce a “clear, well articulated learning requirement setting out what must be achieved in terms of the desired outcomes”. The Inspectorate found training in race and diversity “reasonably efficient in terms of meeting targets, but not totally effective in delivering organisational change”.

10. In October 2003, the Home Office issued a circular to Chief Officers on the service-wide response to Diversity Matters, information on how the recommendations would be progressed and advice to forces and authorities on action to take in the interim.

11. Forces and authorities were advised that general guidance on future race and diversity training programmes would be issued in 2004 following the results of the national evaluation of CRR Training and quality assurance work being carried out by the Home Office. Forces and authorities were also advised to await developments before commissioning any new programmes of work.

MPA/MPS Evaluation

12. The MPS and MPA evaluations of the CRR programme were completed in 2003. The Directorate of Training and Development’s Training Standards Unit completed the MPS evaluation of the programme and the findings were presented to the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Board (EODB) on 13 March 2003.

13. The MPA Evaluation of the CRR Programme, was undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES). The Steering Group for the MPA Evaluation programme met throughout 2003 and proposed that a project board be established to oversee an analysis of the results of both evaluation programmes. In particular, it was felt that this work needed to be undertaken to inform future diversity training practice.

Commission for Racial Equality - General Investigation

14. The forthcoming Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) general investigation into the Police Service, Training Centres and others (England and Wales) also includes a strong focus on police diversity training. The MPS is one of a number of police services interviewed by the CRE and it is anticipated that the general investigation report will be published in February 2005.

Morris Inquiry

15. It is anticipated that the recently published Morris Inquiry Report may also have implications for future MPS diversity training and development. Diversity Training Branch will commence work in early 05 to review the report.

National Race and Diversity Learning Requirement

16. As indicated in paragraph 10, in October 2003, the Home Office issued guidance to Chief Officers that no further diversity training should be undertaken until work on the national race and diversity learning and development strategy had been completed.

17. On 24 November 2004, the national strategy for improving police performance in race and diversity (which includes the police race and diversity learning requirement) was published by the Home Office.

18. The race and diversity learning requirement element of the strategy, will apply to all ranks and roles, including strategic and operational leadership, all operational roles, initial training, all police staff roles, Human Resources, Training, Personnel and the responsibilities of the extended police family. The requirement also sets down clear guidance on the design, delivery, assessment and evaluation of diversity training and development.

19. The requirement is that all police personnel consistently perform in a way that respects difference and challenges discrimination, particularly in the six identified key areas of diversity-race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion and beliefs – against an agreed set standards.

20. At the heart of this requirement are two distinct strands to be incorporated into all training and development. For the consumer of training each cannot, and should not, be taken in isolation.

Generic Training

21. Generic Training needs for the service based on the six key areas are:

• Race
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Disability
• Age
• Religion and beliefs

22. Each area of diversity will be addressed as part of the holistic learning need and as a distinct strand to ensure appropriate expertise and focus.

23. This knowledge will need to be supported by practical application to form a second strand: contextualised training.

Contextualised Training

24. Contextualised training needs for the Service are area/role/rank specific. For this strand, the generic curriculum will need to be embedded in an understanding of the context of the individuals’ work environment. Where the performance requirement dictates, each strand will be addressed by role and rank.

25. The Race and Diversity Learning Requirement will also link into the Integrated Competency Framework (particularly behavioural competencies, respect for diversity and community and customer focus) and the National Occupational Standards (in particular, 1A4 “Foster people’s equality, diversity and rights” and 1A5, “Promote people’s equality, diversity and rights”).

26. A key focus will be a move away from the ‘one-size-fits-all approach to diversity training and development to one which meets the specific needs of the individual relevant to their role and area of responsibility.

27. Individual learning and development needs will be identified through the performance development review process (PDRs).

Implementation

28. The Home Office will be issuing guidance to forces on the implementation of the national strategy during 2005. This will include guidance on training and development solutions across the six main strands of diversity informed by a performance needs analysis (PNAs) programme. The MPS has the national lead on two of the PNAs; one is on gender issues, the other on LGBT issues.

Performance Needs Analysis

29. The PNAs will inform the national race and diversity learning requirement resources to be produced by Centrex, around these two key areas of diversity (with the focus on employment and service delivery issues), for use by the police service of England and Wales.

30. Both pieces of work are being co-ordinated by the Diversity Training Branch and quality assured by the Directorate of Training and Development’s Training Standards Unit.

31. The PNA on LGBT issues commenced in October 2004 and a reference group with representation from the MPS LGBTAG and the Gay Police Association has been established in consultation with Training Standards Unit. Members include GALOP and individuals working with ethnic minority LGBT communities and faith groups, individuals working with age groups and representatives from the Transgender community. The reference group will have responsibility for liaising with other LGBT organisations, both in the MPS area and nationally.

32. The gender PNA reference group will be established in January 2005 and will link into work currently being progressed by the Development and Organisation Improvement Team (DOIT).

33. There is potential for the MPA to be directly involved in these key areas of work and it is proposed that the MPA be invited to attend future reference group meetings.

34. Once completed the PNAs will identify the key messages on LGBT and gender issues for inclusion in all training and development and recommend options to disseminate these messages - which may or not include training delivery.

Developing the Critical Encounter Model

35. A linked strand of this activity is the development of Critical Encounter Training in the recruit training programme and training for Designated Detention Officers. This has particular relevance to the contextualised training approach contained in the national learning requirement (outlined in paragraphs 22-25 above).

36. The MPS has defined a ‘critical encounter’ as “Those individual encounters where the way the police manage the interaction internally or externally (at individual, team and organisational levels), is likely to have an impact upon the trust and confidence of the wider community, especially minority groups (visible and non-visible) and other under-represented groups.”

37. In November 2003, the recruit programme was revised to include a 3-day race and diversity input in week one of the 18 week Foundation Course followed by a fourth day on ‘critical encounters’ in week two (involving members of the community).

38. The critical encounter programme with recruit school involves a facilitated interface with community contributors representing 3 key groups: the African-Caribbean community; the LGB community, and the Asian community (including a religion perspective). The purpose of the day is to enable recruits to understand the concept of a critical encounter, and identify the factors that make an encounter a success for all parties concerned.

39. Recruits have an opportunity to hear about community contributors’ experiences and are debriefed by the facilitator to identify how an encounter could have been conducted more effectively.

40. A similar programme of work is currently being piloted on the Designated Detention Officer (DDOs) Training Programme. In a facilitated environment, DDOs meet members of the community that have been arrested and taken into custody. As with the recruit programme, DDOs consider what success would look and feel like for a member of the public in an arrest and detention situation (and for the DDO).

41. Proposals are also being developed to apply the critical encounter model to training on stop and search with a view to piloting the programme in a number of Borough Operational Command Units (BOCUs) in early 2005.

Implementation Plan

42. The Diversity Training and Development Branch will be responsible for the development of an implementation plan for the Home Office strategy. Key tasks will include establishment of a programme board chaired by a senior Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) officer, development and publication of a programme plan and a communication strategy.

Race Relations Amendment Act 2000

43. In July 2004, Commander Stephen Allen, Director DCC4, commissioned the Training Standards Unit to undertake a performance needs analysis to identify any potential training needs arising from the implementation of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 (RRAA).

44. The Performance Needs Analysis was completed by Training Standards Unit in October 2004 and presented to the Race Relations Amendment Act Steering Group in November and Training Management Board in December.

Performance Gap Training Recommendations

45. The PNA identified various options to provide key knowledge of RRAA duties and develop the skills attitudes and behaviours required to meet these duties.

46. Key recommendations in the PNA report are that to meet the RRAA specific duty to train staff, new training objectives and supporting learning material addressing the general and specific duties should be developed and delivered to all staff, and that further, the MPS consider producing learning materials to develop skills to identify discrimination, potential discrimination and discriminatory outcomes.

47. These learning materials should be targeted principally at diversity managers, equalities coordinators, policy developers, inspection staff, project managers and staff who have responsibility for any of the specific duties.

48. The report also advises that this work could be progressed by commissioning the MPS Centre for Applied Learning Technology (CALT) to develop e-learning modules specific to RRAA general and specific duties to be made available from mid 2005.

49. The PNA recognised that e-learning had the potential to be a more cost effective way of developing the knowledge and understanding of staff of the general and specific duties of the Act compared to a classroom-based solution. It is also acknowledged that there are limitations to e-learning and that additional training will need to be provided, particularly to diversity managers, equalities coordinators, policy developers, inspection staff and project managers.

50. This work will be co-ordinated by Diversity Training and Development Branch in consultation with CALT in January 2005.

Other Diversity Training and Development within the MPS

51. In addition to diversity training programmes developed by Diversity Training Branch, a number of other diversity-related programmes have been developed within the MPS. These include disability training developed by the Strategic Disability Team, training on Domestic Violence and a LGB drama workshop for managers developed by DOIT.

Disability Training

52. In November 2004, Centrex, the National Police Training Organisation produced a learning programme entitled, 'Disability and the Police'. The first part of the resource, which covers 'employment issues', will implemented across the MPS from January 05 (in CD-Rom format). This forms the first deliverable of the wider Race and Diversity suite of training resource currently under development by Centrex.

53. This programme has been developed from a national performance needs analysis, incorporating an internal and external consultation process, in which the MPS has been fully involved. The programme is fully supportive of the national Home Office guidance on Disability published earlier this year and has received the endorsement of the MPS Training Management Board.

54. An additional and complementary module covering 'service delivery' issues is to be delivered to the MPS in early 05. Early in the new year there will be a version of both employment and service delivery issues available through the National Centre for Applied Learning Technology.

Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Training

55. In June 2004 a project team involving Diversity Training Branch trainers was established to manage the roll-out of a two day training programme designed to enable BOCU trainers, supported by domestic violence specialists, to deliver a one day domestic violence input to all front line BOCU staff. The Domestic Violence Risk Assessment Programme is currently being delivered across the MPS.

LGB Drama Workshops for Managers

56. During 2004 a number of drama workshops for managers with a focus on LGB issues have been provided by the Diversity Directorate’s Development and Organisation Improvement Team (DOIT). The workshops involve professional actors who recreate a range of employment scenarios (based on real incidents) in a facilitated interactive environment. The majority of the workshop participants are HR and Personnel Managers and the programme is currently being evaluated.

C. Race and equality impact

Implementation of the Strategy for Improving Performance in Race and Diversity will have major implications for future diversity training and development programmes in the MPS across each of the main diversity strands. The development and implementation of e-learning to support RRAA training will ensure an initial level of knowledge and understanding of the Act across the Service and will support additional training for staff who have particular responsibility for implementing the specific duties of the Act.

D. Financial implications

1. The anticipated expenditure (for 2004/05) to support the critical encounter programme for recruit training and the Designated Detention Officer programme is £165,000 (to be met from the Diversity Training Branch project funding budget).

2. A fundamental part of the new Strategy for Improving Performance in Race and Diversity is the commitment to engage the community in all stages of the learning and development cycle. Until systems are in place for boroughs and HQ departments to bid for and allocate funds to support community engagement in their learning and development opportunities, it is anticipated the Diversity Training Branch will be required to meet this expenditure.

3. CALT estimate e-learning development costs for the RRAA (2000) training programme to be in the region of £50,000.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Shaun Kennedy, Head of Diversity Training and Development, Diversity Directorate

For more information contact:

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

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