Minutes - 82nd Board Meeting

All attendees welcomed. The Chair introduced CL from Integrated Development, who is here to observe following the Board Development Day in March

KR was nominated Board Conscience.

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Apologies

None.

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Declarations of interest

SM declared a new interest following appointment as Chair of Accountability and Liaison Board, National Guardian Office.

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Minutes of the previous meeting held on 31 March 2023

November Minutes:

Approved by the majority of the Board at February meeting and have been published on the GLAA website.

February Minutes:

Approved subject to meeting with DAS. Minutes to be approved out of committee.

Decision

February minutes to be approved out of committee.

March Minutes:

Changes agreed to the section on Pay Remit to better reflect HO’s comments and to note that the HO is supportive of GLAA working with Cabinet Office (CO) for medium term Pay Remits.

Other minor amendments were made following a brief discussion.

Decision

March minutes agreed as accurate with agreed changes to be made.

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Outstanding actions

Outstanding:

BM79(1)- The Workplan meeting between the Chair and two Chairs of the sub-committees was helpful and will be scheduled as a regular meeting. Another meeting before the next Board meeting to be scheduled to close this action.

Closed:

BM80(8)- a meeting has taken place, and new action BM82(1) will be opened to continue the work on SWS.

BM79(12)- This is now business as usual. The Board will be updated in the CEO’s update. The flexibility of Nottingham as a base was questioned. It was agreed that other options would be explored. It was noted that there are high numbers of office-based colleagues located around Nottingham.

Action BM82(1)

SHI to pick up work listed on action BM80(8) to look into SWS impacts and how benefits fold into wider transformational work.

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Home Office update

HO Colleagues updated on the following:

·       The Strategy has been approved by the Minister.

·       Delegation letters in final stages of production

·       A new Chair’s letter to Ministers is in production.

·       Pay remit is unlikely to lead to any additional funding, and advice to the organisation was to be prepared that it is likely to lead to reprioritise of where money is being spent.

·       Summer recess will be 20^th July, so any submissions needed by first week of July.

Illegal Migration Bill (IMB):

Ministers are very focused on IMB. The GLAA have highlighted to the Home Office the impact of the Bill on victims’ perceptions and knock-on impact with their engagement with the GLAA. This will mean the Victim Navigator work will become a vital line of trust and communication. The HO reassured Board Members that the remit and obligations of the GLAA will not change in response to the new Bill.

The Board discussed how this may affect the organisation and DS offered to carry out scenario planning, to be brought to the Board in Autumn 2023. The Board encouraged the Executive Team to discuss with other organisations how they are responding.

A Board Member raised potential conflict between our strategy and HO priorities which was noted.

Action BM82(2)

DS to undertake scenario planning around the Illegal Migration Bill, including discussions with other organisations about how they are responding, to be bought to Board in Autumn.

Action BM82(3)

EM and SI to discuss adding a risk around the Illegal Migration Bill to the strategic risk register, specifically involving the potential conflict between our strategy and HO priorities.

Home Affair Select Committee:

HO thanked EM for the oral evidence she gave and noted that HASC is a priority for the HO currently and that Ministers will be called to give evidence in June/July.

Board Member Term Renewal:

Three Board Members’ terms are due for renewal, PG, DAS, and JM. HO will progress submissions before the summer recess.

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CEO report Elysia McCaffrey

EM thanked SM for covering at the House of Lords’ Select Committee on Horticulture.

Strategy:

Following strategy sign off by the Minister, Board sponsor meetings have been set up to agree how NEDs will sponsor the strategic goals.

Civil Service Operational Delivery award:

The organisation (Frank Hanson) won the Civil Service Operational Delivery award for the qualification and its translation into a course for Romanians.

University of Roehampton bid:

We supported the University of Roehampton with a successful bid for the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre. The research aims to bridge the gap in understanding the complex dynamics of homelessness, unemployment, precarious working arrangements, and labour exploitation.

Association of Labour Providers (ALP) Survey:

ALP conducted a biannual survey about members views of the GLAA. This was generally more positive than the last survey two years ago.

The survey results will be circulated.

Action BM82(4)

The ALP survey results will be circulated.

Leadership Team: 

Sam Ireland was successful in the recent interviews for the Executive Leadership Team, gaining promotion to Head of Strategy and Impact. The other two jobs will now be advertised externally, Head of Operational Delivery and Head of Corporate Services. These two roles were advertised internally, however candidates weren’t successful. It was noted that DJS and JM were on the interview panel.

There will be seven band five roles, with Head of Finance and Head of HR remaining in their positions. Consultation with band four starts this week. As we move down the grades there will be fewer significant changes (if any) to roles. Specific sensitive information will be shared with Board Members in the closed session.

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Board Effectiveness, Julia Mulligan

Cabinet Office guidance advises an external effectiveness review should be conducted every three years.

It was noted the immediate actions agreed following the Board development day have been completed and medium, and long-term actions have now been taken forward.

Cabinet Office Review:

The Chair felt that the organisation needs to begin preparations looking forward to the future CO Review.

The Chair of ARAC noted that the audit work can feed into the review, and we should use this as a building block to support the preparations.

It was also noted that the GLAA’s terms of reference for this review are yet to be set.

HO explained that the organisation should expect the reviewer to consider operational delivery, efficiency, and effectiveness, as well as governance, functional standards, and ambition.

Action BM82(5)

The Annex of the Board effectiveness paper to be used to shape the terms of reference for the Cabinet Office review.

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TOM Implementation Plan, Elysia McCaffrey

The CEO summarised the communications and information that has been shared. The culture roadmap was agreed at the People and Culture Committee.

The Board asked Capgemini and the Executive Team about their confidence level in the programme’s implementation. Capgemini explained the risk mapping work that has been to manage any issues that may arise. The Executive Team noted that colleagues are hungry for change, and many are being actively involved, for example in the ‘Change Champions’ initiative. A Board Member highlighted the importance of being aware of change fatigue, due to the extent of change planned in the next six months.

A Board Member noted the reassurance provided, but reminded colleagues that assurance required supporting data and evidence.

Action BM82(6)

A high-level governance plan for the TOM to be brought to Board at the July meeting, to include milestones and outcomes.

Action BM82(7)

EM and JM to discuss speaking to GIAA on consultancy on the TOM implementation plan so we can review and check on track.

Management Board:

A Board Member questioned the delay to the establishment of the new Management Board. The Executive Team explained the first meeting will be ‘Management Board in action’, which will be open to wider colleagues. This is to explain how the Management Board will function.

A Board Member queried the extent of organisational reflection on progress. Capgemini explained that in all communications, there is purposeful reflection and consideration of the rationale for next steps. Capgemini and the Executive team noted the discussion and will continue to review when writing future communications.

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Performance, Sam Ireland

a)    End of Year Business Plan 2022-23

It was explained that the situation is broadly in line with that presented at the March Board.

A Board Member queried the turnover of staff and asked for this to be carefully monitored. However, it was observed that turnover does present an opportunity to improve the diversity of the organisation.

The end of year performance is currently being finalised for inclusion into the Annual Report and Accounts.

b)    Business Plan 2023-24

A presentation was shown to the Board on the draft 2023-24 Business Plan.  

The Board raised concerns about a lack of ambition in the targets, especially the timeliness of regulation. They suggested that instead of an evolutionary approach, we use a revolutionary approach. This might include setting much more challenging targets, which would help shape the improvement plan and encourage more innovative thinking, going beyond incremental process improvements. The Board discussed splitting the data into backlog and new requests and conducting paper-based ‘due diligence checks’ when applicants are not yet operational.

Action BM82(8)

An improvement plan for Regulation to be brought to the Board including key targets and timings, and to feed into Business Plan 2023-24.

The Executive Team are working to get the Business Plan for 2023-24 finalised at the end of this month. This will mean it needs to be circulated, amended, and approved out of committee. The Executive Team are aiming to get this to Ministers before summer recess.

A Board Member queried the KPIs for enforcement as they felt they omitted some positive outcome measures, and this may result in positive performance not being fully understood. The Executive Team agreed to consider this suggestion to ensure a holistic view.

Another Board Member asked what role HOSU will play in the development of the plan, and it was explained that this was due to be clarified at forthcoming meetings.

Decision

A small Business Plan working group was established of KR, DJS and JM which will aid with the initial drafting of the Business Plan 2023-24. But all Board Members will be consulted on the 2023-24 Business Plan.

a)    Strategic Performance Pack

The Board thanked the Executive Team for this piece of work as it offers a much more analytical view than previous reports and commented that they looked forward to its continued evolution.

The Board was invited to send further feedback to SI.

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Risk, Sam Ireland

It was noted that the papers had previously been recommended for approval by ARAC.

a)    Risk Appetite & Tolerance – for approval

The Chair of ARAC explained it is important for the Board to own and use the risk appetite and suggested that it be included on all coversheets of papers for decision to better inform the Board.

Decision

Risk appetite to be included on all coversheets on Board papers.

The Executive Team informed the Board that an assurance map is currently being developed.

A Board Member asked how this is filtering down the organisation to team level. The Executive Team explained Jane Walker (Risk an Information Assurance Manager) had been attending team meetings to talk them through the risk registers. Another Board Member explained that this may need translating into more accessible language which could be helpful in communications to help build organisation-wide understanding and knowledge.

b)    Risk Management Policy - for approval

The Board had no further questions and approved this policy.

c)    Strategic Risk Register- to note

The Board had no further questions and were content with this paper.

Decision

The Board approved the Risk Management Policy and the Risk Appetite and Tolerance.

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Finance, Justin Rumball

a)    Financial Position and Outturn 2022-23

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Inspection fees:

A Board Member highlighted that income from application inspections is only recognised once complete, which currently can take weeks. He questioned if the licencing system needed updating and if application inspections were to change (due to diligence checks), how this would impact fees.

Underspend:

A Board Member raised concerns about our ongoing underspend. This has the potential to suggest that we do not need the entirety of our budget, increasing the risk of future budget cuts, however we are only a quarter of the way into the financial year, so a small underspend raises no major concerns. It was noted that the Public Bodies Review will involve efficiency savings.

b)    Medium Term Financial Plan

Vacancies:

A Board Member noted again that our main mechanism for making efficiencies is via the vacancy factor and that this is not an effective delivery mechanism as it is open to risks concerning pay.

TOM Efficiencies:

Board Members noted that efficiency savings from the TOM had not been identified. They felt this was placing the organisation in a challenging position as the TOM is a clear opportunity to plan for future savings, given potential budget cuts and challenges. The Board requested scenario planning considering different budget options and the consequential impact on the size and function of the organisation.

Regulation Fee:

An update was sought on the fee review work, which is planned for April 2024.

It was confirmed that the Board will receive the business case at the September meeting. HO added there is no limit to this, and all ideas will be considered.

Action BM82(9)

Business case for the fees review to be brought to the September Board.

Automation:

A Board Member highlighted the opportunity for automation of certain tasks, which is being exploited in other organisations. The Board noted the potential but were wary of current capacity and capabilities given the current scale of change and IT infrastructure challenges. The CEO agreed that this would be taken into consideration, particularly regarding regulation functions.

Action BM82(10)

Medium Term Financial Plan to be updated with scenario planning included.

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AOB

None.

Date of next meeting: 27/07/2023

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Deep dive - Victim Navigator

The GLAA Victim Navigator, Jess Clayton, presented her work to the board. She explained that she works full time on supporting GLAA victims, but is employed by the modern slavery charity, Justice, and Care. She is currently the only Victim Navigator with a national remit.

She explained how she works with the Police and GLAA, and that each victim receives their own support plan tailored to their needs. She also provides strategic advice to investigators and supports victims through criminal investigations and court cases. Since the introduction of the Victim Navigator, 100 percent of victims have engaged with the service. Victim Navigators also have agreements with Staffline and Bright Futures, which help victims find work and supports them in continuing their employment.

Jess shared examples of how her work supports criminal proceedings as well as the recovery of victims.

In response to queries, Board Members received the following information:

·       Each case has a tailored support plan which includes encouraging victims to engage with NRM support at which point they are handed over to alternative service providers.

·       There are various ‘routes’ into abuse, but recently there has been a trend of people on student visas.

·       Each Victim Navigator has a maximum of 20 cases, to ensure proper support via a complete needs assessment.

·       There is close work between the navigator and investigators, with victim-centered advice being provided on operational plans and tactics.

The Board thanked Jess for her work and for her interesting and informative presentation.