Board minutes 2021

Minutes of the Board Meeting
Tuesday 26 January 2021 at 10.30-12.30
Meeting held remotely by video conference

Present:
Mrs Helen Pitcher (Chairman)
Miss Karen Kneller (Chief Executive)
Mrs Sally Berlin (Director of Casework Operations)
Mr Peter Ryan (Interim Director of Finance & Corporate Services)
Mr David Brown (Non-Executive Director)
Mrs Linda Lee (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Rob Ward (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Andre Katz (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Mark Oldham (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Martin Spencer (Independent Non-Executive Director)
 
Apologies:
None
 
1. Welcome:
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and informed the Board it was Sally Berlin’s last meeting. On behalf of the Board, the Chairman thanked Sally for her hard work and loyal service to the Commission and congratulated Sally on her new position.
 
2. Declarations of interest:
None
 
3. Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising:
The minutes of the previous Board meeting held on 24 November 2020 were approved.
 
4. Action Matrix:
Setting up a steering group for the 25th Anniversary conference remained outstanding; the CEO confirmed that it was being attended to.
 
5. Chief Executive’s report:
The Management Information Pack was noted by the Board.
The Chief Executive reported that no members of staff were currently absent due to Covid but there was a sense of lock-down fatigue. A recent training event was well attended by staff and more similar events were planned to boost staff engagement. It was agreed that there would be a People agenda item going forward.
 
The staff survey outcome was noted showing improvement in six out of nine areas. There continues to be significant concern around pay.
 
Odgers had been instructed to conduct the campaign in respect of the Director of Casework. The Director of Finance & Corporate Services position would be advertised through a government wide campaign.
 
The CEO and Chairman wanted an early meeting with Antonia Romeo, the new Permanent Secretary.
 
CEO updated the Board regarding budget submission which was designed to protect casework and enable enhanced outreach, media and diversity both internally and externally. This is separate to the Transformation Programme budget.
 
The CEO and RW had attended a productive preliminary meeting with the Law Commission who were deciding the new programme of work. There is likely to be public consultation after Easter when the Commission will have the opportunity to make a formal submission.
 
A steering group for the 2022 Conference will be set up by end February and will include the Chairman, LL and Ian Comfort, Commissioner.
 
6. Chairman’s update:
The Chairman reported that 18 candidates had been interviewed for the Commissioner role resulting in 4 names being submitted to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister’s office for approval. The Chairman’s extension was still waiting approval. The Chairman was currently conducting Commissioners’ appraisals and it was clear that they wanted to be more involved with outreach work.
 
A RemCo meeting had been held in January.
 
The Chairman was due to meet the Secretary of State in February and asked the Board for any specific topics they wanted raising.
 
7. Casework report to note:
Casework had performed well notwithstanding the CMS roll-out requiring casework staff to familiarise themselves with new ways of working; there was also a high level of annual leave in December. The number of long running cases is reducing and 3 referrals were made in the November/December period.
 
There was concern about the lower number of new applications received. The DCO was investigating the use of authorised mobile phones for prisoners to use to contact the Commission. This was now being escalated.
 
The DCO reported that there was the possibility of a large number of additional Post Office cases. The DCO was concerned that current resources were not adequate notwithstanding a current CRM recruitment exercise which is underway. Some “flex” is available through former interns.
 
8. Transformation Programme Report to note:
The DFCS reported that the gsi email was expiring at the end of March and a new format had been put in place. The new website had been delayed but was coming back on track. The core upgrade of the Finance system took place in December. The procurement for a replacement
HR system has begun. Work has begun to set up a project to look at the Finance and BIS teams and the impact of the transformation programme.
 
The Board discussed the new CMS and time recording. Concern was expressed that it was difficult to record time or locate where it could be recorded and this could result in low take up which would distort the cost (or time taken) per case. The DFCS is keeping this under review; it is anticipated that there needs to be 3 – 6 months’ worth of data to evaluate the process properly. However, the DFCS stressed that evaluation was on-going.
 
9. 2021-22 Business Plan update to note:
The Board agreed that it was important to carry out process review work first which could then support the introduction of AI. This review work included looking at the BIS and Finance Teams first, followed by CAT and ACAT and maybe the Legal department.
 
The DFCS hoped the finalised Business Plan could go to the March Board but it was dependent on whether the Budget was received.
 
2020-21 Business Plan progress to note. The Board noted the progress of the current business plan.
 
10. Stakeholder mapping for discussion:
AK offered to help with the mapping and would discuss this further with the CEO.
 
11. Any other business:
McKinsey & Company article – “Overcoming pandemic fatigue” for discussion.
 
12. Date of next meeting:
Tuesday 23 March at 10.30 am
The Chairman thanked the Board for their support and particularly SMT who are working extremely hard

Minutes of the Board Meeting
Tuesday 23 March 2021 at 10.30-12.30
Meeting held remotely by video conference
 
Present:
Mrs Helen Pitcher (Chairman)
Miss Karen Kneller (Chief Executive)
Ms Amanda Pearce (Interim Director of Casework Operations)
Mr Peter Ryan (Finance & Corporate Services Director)
Mr David Brown (Non-Executive Director)
Mrs Linda Lee (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Rob Ward (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Andre Katz (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Mark Oldham (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Martin Spencer (Independent Non-Executive Director)
 
Apologies:
None
 
1. Welcome:
The Chairman welcomed Amanda Pearce to the meeting as Interim Director of Casework Operations.
 
2. Declarations of interest:
None
 
3.  Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising:
The minutes of the previous Board meeting held on 26 January 2021 were approved.
 
4.  Action Matrix:
No actions outstanding.
 
5.  Chairman’s update:
The Chairman reported on her meeting with the Secretary of State. She had also held meetings with Redacted and Redacted. The Scottish CCRC was arranging a further meeting of the four CCRCs including Norway and New Zealand, likely to take place in August.
 
We are still waiting for the outcome of a submission to re-appoint Commissioners.
 
6. Chief Executive’s report:
The Management Information Pack was noted by the Board.
 
The Chief Executive reported that she had attended a routine Business Assurance Meeting with MoJ and SMT as well as, where possible, joining fortnightly video calls held by the new Permanent Secretary, Antonia Romeo.
 
The CEO and FCSD had interviewed and now appointed an interim External Affairs Manager to address a period of absence. Recruitment for the DCO role would be handled by Odgers.
 
7. Casework report to note:
The interim DCO updated the Board regarding telephone contact with prisoners. Although it is not possible to dial into a prison, our local rate number has been made available for all prisoners to use with authorised in-cell phones. Where in-cell phones are not available, prisoners will be given access to a phone to contact us. Prison video suites can be accessed by MS Teams calls.
 
Three new CRMs had been appointed with start dates pending. The interim DCO was looking at a rolling CRM recruitment programme as well as introducing trainee and senior CRM roles. A structured casework staff group would help with development and retention. The FCSD was waiting for budget confirmation. Extra funding would protect and enhance casework and ensure we can enhance engagement and outreach work.
 
8. Transformation Programme Report to note:
The FCSD reported that the new website would be delivered in early May.
 
The FCSD had been considering the service model for IT.
 
The office move is scheduled for 2-16 August and increasingly information will be rolled out to staff including a virtual tour of the new building.
 
9. Westminster Commission Report:
The Chairman has asked Board members and Commissioners for their observations. A focused sub-group would then be established which would report back to the Board.
 
10. Stakeholder mapping:
The Board discussed the draft stakeholder map; members were asked to contact the CEO outside of the meeting with detailed comments. The CEO would keep the Board updated in respect of this and other stakeholder matters. The interim External Affairs Manager was now in post.
 
11.  New accommodation:
The paper was noted.
 
12. People:
The CEO reported that the sense of covid and lockdown fatigue was lifting across the organisation; a programme of training events, management training, a mentoring scheme and regular updates on the new office had all contributed to this. A summer event was being planned to bring staff and Commissioners together. Following the staff survey a series of focus groups would be taking place, giving staff the opportunity to discuss issues. A member of staff had been appointed as Workforce Champion.
 
13. Any other business:
The Chairman informed the Board that the action to move No Appeal decision making to CRMs would be delayed. This was due to CRM capacity and taking the opportunity to review our policy on exceptional circumstances.
 
External Assurance proposal:
The Data Protection Officer joined the meeting to discuss data protection review proposals. The board agreed with the proposal to undertake a third party, full DPA 18 compliance assessment check.
 
14. Date of next meeting:
Tuesday 25 May at 10.30 am

Minutes of the Board Meeting
25 May 2021 at 10.30am-12.30pm 
Meeting held remotely by video conference
 
Present:
Mrs Helen Pitcher (Chairman)
Miss Karen Kneller (Chief Executive)
Ms Amanda Pearce (Interim Director of Casework Operations)
Mr Peter Ryan (Finance & Corporate Services Director)
Mr David Brown (Non-Executive Director)
Mrs Linda Lee (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Andre Katz (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Mark Oldham (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Martin Spencer (Independent Non-Executive Director)
 
Apologies:
Mr Rob Ward (Non-Executive Director)
 
1. Welcome: 
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
 
2. Declarations of interest: 
None 
 
3.  Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising:
The minutes of the previous Board meeting held on 23 March 2021 were approved.
 
4.  Action Matrix: 
The Chairman reported that the sub-group to review the Westminster Commission recommendations was due to meet for the final time this week before submitting their responses to the Westminster Commission and publication on our website.
 
5. Chairman’s update:  
The Chairman announced that three new Commissioners were starting on 1st June. Planning for a further round of Commissioner recruitment was in progress. A number of media interviews with the Chairman had taken place concerning the recent PO cases and issues surrounding the Westminster Commission report. Following a discussion with the Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, the Commission had been invited to participate in a joint seminar on Legal Aid funding and other systematic issues in the CJS.
 
6. Chief Executive’s report: 
The Management Information Pack was noted by the Board.
 
The Chief Executive reported that recent focus had been on the Annual Report & Accounts and business planning.   
 
The current public sector pay freeze effects all staff earning over £24k; we are still able to use the Commission’s Reward & Recognition policy to reward exceptional work or effort as a one- off. Commissioners will be reminded about the scheme so that they can alert managers to such performance.
 
The DFCS was in discussion with MoJ Taxation regarding Commissioner expenses.  Separately, the CEO had been in discussion with the Public Appointments Team concerning the fee level for Commissioners; she was concerned that the fee was not sufficiently attractive and was putting off good candidates who are at the early stages of their career.
 
The Board discussed remote working. It was noted that the Commission had successfully become a home working organisation during the pandemic.  Smarter Ways of Working were already under consideration when the Pandemic hit, this led to greater investment in technology and more rapid acceleration of change.  It was agreed that this would continue and would be particularly beneficial in terms of being able to appoint staff outside of the West Midlands to those posts which we have struggled to fill. The organisation being “remote first” would also ensure the continuation of one culture and one way of operating. Time spent in the new office for the majority will primarily be for collaboration – new joiners, group activity, training etc. The CEO will update staff at tomorrow’s staff briefing.  
 
7. Casework report to note:   
The interim DCO reported that 53 convictions were overturned in March and April.  With Covid restrictions easing, travel to Northern Ireland to review material could go ahead in June.  The prison estate restrictions meant face to face meetings were still not permitted, however, video conferencing with prisoners was available. 
 
Three new CRMs were joining in June and the trainee CRM recruitment exercise would be launched in early July. 
 
8.  Transformation Programme Report to note:
The DFCS reported that the current focus was on implementing the new HR system, the new website going live in June and the office move in August. The building work in the new offices will continue until the end of September. 
 
The IT Transformation Manager is leaving in mid-August. The DFCS recorded his thanks for her hard work and commitment to the project over the last two years.
 
IT were implementing a Helpdesk ticketing system to deal with calls and recruiting an IT support analyst on a six-month contract.
 
CMS reporting was being looked at to see the number of days where a case sits at the different stages of a review and staff needed to be reminded to record their time to ensure the data is accurate.
 
9.  Westminster Commission Report: 
The working group were preparing their response to the recommendations and anticipated this would be ready to submit in the next week together with publication on the website.
 
10. Business Plan: 
The Business Plan was approved subject to one drafting point.
 
11.  Annual review of Risk Register: 
The Board was concerned about the increase in ransom ware attacks on organisations and Cyber Security generally. The DFCS reported that links were being made with MoJ and other government departments and a support contract was in place with a specialist cyber security company to provide additional resilience. Cyber awareness training for staff was ongoing and the Business Continuity Plan was under review.
 
12. ARAC annual report: 
The report was noted.
 
13. LRC annual report: 
The report was noted.
 
14. Board Terms of Reference: 
The Board terms of reference were approved.
 
15. People: 
It was reported that staff morale was good overall but CRMs’ portfolios were too large and the news of the pay freeze was disappointing for staff. CRM recruitment was a priority and SMT were looking at other opportunities to recognise good performance such as development opportunities.
 
16. Any other business:   
None
 
17.  Date of next meeting: 
Friday 25 June at 8.30 am
 
 

Minutes of the Board Meeting
Monday 26 July 2021 at 10.30-12.30
Meeting held remotely by video conference
 
Present:
Mrs Helen Pitcher (Chairman)
Miss Karen Kneller (Chief Executive)
Ms Amanda Pearce (Casework Operations Director)
Mr Peter Ryan (Finance & Corporate Services Director)
Mr David Brown (Non-Executive Director)
Mrs Linda Lee (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Rob Ward (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Andre Katz (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Mark Oldham (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Martin Spencer (Independent Non-Executive Director)
 
Apologies:
None 
 
1. Welcome: 
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
 
2. Declarations of interest: 
None
 
3. Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising: 
The minutes of the previous Board meeting held on 23 March 2021 were approved with a small amendment.
 
4.  Action Matrix: 
The matrix is up to date with no outstanding actions.
 
5. Chairman’s update: 
The Chairman announced that the Body Corporate were meeting in the afternoon and this would be a good opportunity for all the Commissioners to get together.  Last week the Chairman and a small group of Commissioners had visited the new office building and although it was unfinished it looked impressive.  The Chairman and Casework Operations Director had recently taken part in a consultation about the establishment of a Canadian CCRC.  The Chief Executive of the SCCRC had arranged a meeting of the 4 CCRCs on 4 August, with each Commission making a presentation on Zoom.
 
The Board reviewed a preliminary agenda for the public Board meeting in November.
 
6. Chief Executive’s report: 
The Management Information Pack was noted by the Board.
 
The Chief Executive reported that recent focus had been on recruitment.  Over 240 applications had been received for CRM posts. The CEO was liaising with MoJ about the next round of Commissioner recruitment including reviewing the fee rate to ensure that some groups not precluded from applying. It was anticipated that the campaign would launch in September.
 
An external company had begun a Security Maturity Assessment. The process involves a number of telephone meetings with internal stakeholders to establish internal processes and controls. Included are reviews of our recruitment and training and DPO and facilities processes and to ensure cyber security is appropriately covered.
 
Mandatory data protection training had been undertaken by all staff and the policies had been updated when staff began working from home.  Staff and Commissioners had been reminded about the use of social media. 
 
The Board was disappointed that notwithstanding the many positive media stories about the Commission, we struggle to receive appropriate recognition. It was noted that the applicant engagement team was being expanded which would help to address this as would the introduction of an expanded media team.
 
7. Casework report to note:  
The COD reported that there was a resource issue with CRMs.  Although we were making new appointments, they were only covering recent and planned future departures rather than increasing complement. Although the current recruitment round was underway it was unlikely successful applicants would be in post before December leaving CRMs with even heavier workloads.  Two experienced interns were staying until February and the COD was looking at contacting previous interns to undertake some casework. The three new Commissioners were already making an impact with casework.
 
The Board noted that there were likely to be more Post Office referrals which would impact on the current CRM resource. The COD was clear with staff that quality was imperative over timeliness but that they must work closely with Group Leaders to ensure portfolio management.
 
8.  Transformation Programme Report to note: 
The FCSD reported that the new website went live on 15 July.  It was suggested that more case studies were included and the FCSD confirmed this was planned. The first stage of the new HR system will be implemented in August followed by new timesheets. Induction for critical workers will take place in the new building on 5th August in advance of the scheduled move a week later.
 
Managers were planning a workshop to look at how the Dynamics CMS system could help with Outreach work.  Similarly, staff had been asked for suggestions on any improvements that might be implemented to improve the CMS process.
 
9.  Westminster Commission update: 
The COD’s report was noted. The COD was asked to look at how the Statement of Reasons were communicated to applicants with mental health problems and to consider the recent research conclusions by The University of Sussex.
 
10. Long Running Cases Committee updated Terms of Reference: 
The Board approved the amended Terms of Reference.
 
11. People for discussion: 
The Chief Executive reported that the Remote-First drop in with the CEO and Chairman had taken place on 23 July. A small number of staff expressed concerns about remote working; they were asked to contact the FCSD about joining the working group which was being established.
 
12. Any other business  : 
None
 
17.  Date of next meeting: 
Tuesday 28th September
 

Minutes of the Board Meeting
Tuesday 28 September 2021 at 10.30-12.30
Meeting held remotely by video conference
 
Present: 
Mrs Helen Pitcher (Chairman)
Miss Karen Kneller (Chief Executive)
Ms Amanda Pearce (Casework Operations Director)
Mr Peter Ryan (Finance & Corporate Services Director)
Mr David Brown (Non-Executive Director)
Mrs Linda Lee (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Rob Ward (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Andre Katz (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Martin Spencer (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Apologies: Mr Mark Oldham (Independent Non Executive Director)
 
Welcome:
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
 
2. Declarations of interest: 
None
 
3.  Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising: 
The minutes of the previous Board meeting held on 26 July 2021 were approved.
 
4. Action Matrix: 
The matrix is up to date with no outstanding actions.
 
5. Chairman’s update: 
The Chairman was disappointed that her meeting with the Secretary of State had been cancelled due to the recent appointment of a new Secretary of State. An early introductory meeting had been requested, to discuss Commissioner recruitment amongst other issues. The Chairman was taking part in a meeting with Cabinet Office arranged by the Public Chairs’ Forum on recruitment. The Chairman was attending the next meeting of the MJSS Advisory Group on 13 October.  A CCRC Strategy event is planned for April 2022.
 
6. Chief Executive’s report: 
The Management Information Pack was noted by the Board.
 
The Chief Executive reported that Commissioner recruitment was likely to be delayed due to Ministerial changes and dialogue with MoJ regarding the fee level.
 
A good meeting of the Remote-First drop-in with the CEO and Chairman took place on 23 September.  SMT are meeting to review remote working draft policies and would ensure that the Board was regularly updated.
 
There had been a pilot of a remote working course for managers. The intention is to roll that out to all managers and to roll out similar training to all staff and Commissioners.
 
The Board was pleased that Communications would be a feature of the next strategy day. Some work is being done around sentiment tracking including engaging with an external provider for support.
 
7. Casework report to note: 
The casework report was noted by the Board. The COD reported that two new Kalisher interns were starting in October. The case intake had been low in August but had increased in September.  The long-term average intake is 120 cases per month and it was noted that an increase would present challenges with current resource issues. 9 referrals had been made this business year so far.
 
8.  Transformation Programme Report to note: 
The FCSD reported that the office move had taken place successfully.  The remaining assets at 5 St Philip’s Place were being decommissioned. Phase 2 of the new HR system and the Process Review Project were both on target for completion in December.
 
The Transformation Project has a roll over budget for 2021-22.  A Customer Relationship Management System is being designed as part of the CMS system to support stakeholder and outreach work.  Enhancements to Dynamics will be carried out and a number of suggestions for change were being collated.
 
The FCSD confirmed that there will be a final review of the Transformation Programme to the Board in March 2022 and discussion at the Strategy Day in April.
 
9.  Strategy day 2022 update: 
The Strategy day has been moved to 5 April 2022 and will be held in the new office.
 
10. Public Board meeting update:
 
The Board approved the agenda for the November public Board meeting.
 
11. 25th Anniversary update: 
The interim External Affairs Manager joined the meeting and updated the Board on the 25th anniversary plan. Two venues had been booked for 2022 – Wednesday 19 October at the House of Lords and Tuesday 22 November at The Exchange in Birmingham. There will be a programme of events throughout the next year and a designated page on the website. An electronic commemorative book is being produced which will include interviews with fellow CCRC Chairs/Chief Executives.
 
The Chair of the Research Committee asked that the Committee considers the academic papers being prepared for the commemorative book.
 
12.  People for discussion: 
The COD reported that Remote First was well received by staff but there was some anxiety experienced by a small number. A Q&A will be published which will provide reassurance. There was also anxiety around Covid-19 over the coming winter months.  However, the COD had spoken to a lot of staff recently and the mood was generally positive particularly in light of recent recruitment.
 
Six new staff had been recruited; all live out of the West Midlands area.  Three CRMs had been appointed and interviews for trainee CRM posts were taking place in October.  The selection criteria for new CRMs was being reviewed to ensure we were not cutting out good candidates. To address the immediate resourcing issue, outsourcing casework to former interns was being considered and overtime for existing CRMs.
 
13. Any other business:  
The FCSD advised that following a tender process, (redacted) had been selected to carry out a review on the Commission’s Data Protection regime and demonstrate its compliance levels with applicable UK data protection law. The recommendations and findings will be reported back to the Board.
 
Audits on information security, financial controls and casework will take place in October.
 
14. Date of next meeting: 
Tuesday 30th November 2021

Minutes of the Open Board Meeting
Tuesday 30 November 2021 at 10.30-12.15
Meeting held remotely by video conference
 
Present:
Mrs Helen Pitcher (Chairman)
Miss Karen Kneller (Chief Executive)
Ms Amanda Pearce (Casework Operations Director)
Mr Peter Ryan (Finance & Corporate Services Director)
Mr David Brown (Non-Executive Director)
Mrs Linda Lee (Non-Executive Director)
Mr Andre Katz (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Mark Oldham (Independent Non-Executive Director)
Mr Martin Spencer (Independent Non-Executive Director)
 
Apologies:
Mr Rob Ward (Non-Executive Director)

1. Welcome: 
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and extended a warm welcome to those members of the public who were observing today’s annual open meeting.
 
2. Declarations of interest: 
None
 
3. Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising: 
The minutes of the previous Board meeting held on 28 September 2021 were approved. There were no matters arising and all actions were complete.
 
4. Chairman’s update: 
The Chairman provided a verbal update to the Board.  Work was continuing on the next round of Commissioner recruitment.  Commissioner induction and connectivity with the team had largely been held remotely.  Similarly, meetings with staff were held remotely.
Regular liaison continued with Cabinet Office and MoJ. The Chairman has a great deal of positive involvement with the press. However, inaccurate coverage in an article in The Times risked deterring potential applicants. The inaccuracies are being pursued with The Times. A bi-annual meeting of the Body Corporate consisting of all Commissioners was taking place later that day.  The Chairman confirmed she was delighted to be re-appointed for five years. 
 
5. Chief Executive’s report: 
The Management Information Pack was noted. The CEO reported that casework recruitment was ongoing in light of the need for more case review managers as previously reported. The CEO was also in dialogue with MoJ about Commissioner recruitment including the fee level. Increasing the number of CRMs and Commissioners was vital to ensure CRM portfolio sizes reduce, and Commissioner decision-making flows.   A virtual induction process for staff had been developed. Managers had received training on managing teams remotely and all staff and Commissioners were undertaking training on remote working.  The Transformation Programme had taken some staff away from casework temporarily; however, casework performance was good.  Under the Finance & Corporate Director’s leadership, staff had been very involved in the process of becoming a remote working organisation.
 
The CEO outlined some of the events she had recently attended. She also outlined key activities due in the final quarter of the year which will include business planning; preparation for the strategy event in April; onboarding new recruits and continued external engagement.
 
6. Casework report to note: 
The casework report was noted by the Board. The COD reported that performance against KPIs was positive and remained stable over the last few months.  This was good news given the larger portfolios for casework staff. Figures showed that the number of new applications since lockdown were increasing again.  The three new Commissioners had helped to progress decision making. There were fewer long running cases and of these, and although the number of cases was above target, taking account of linked cases, the number of reviews was below the target figure. 10 referrals had been made in the current business year with several in the pipeline. Outreach work was taking place to locate potential applicants related to successful cases, namely the Shrewsbury 24 and Post Office cases.
 
The COD reported on the Sunday Times article which reported that there are 90 cases which were referred only after a reapplication and implied that this was the result of investigative failings on the part of the CCRC. The COD emphasised that there are many reasons why a case which has been refused might later be referred including, for example, developments in science or medicine, changes in the law or new information provided by the applicant.  In the last 10 years, there had been 4 decisions not to refer which had been followed by a referral decision and successful appeal.
 
Recruitment campaigns were ongoing for additional CRMs and casework admin staff and it was hoped this increased resource would enable portfolio size to be reduced. The ability to offer remote working had increased the number of applications from round the country.
 
7.  Westminster Commission update: 
The COD reported that work was continuing on reviewing our Decision Documents, approach to Provisional Decisions and applicant update letters.  No Appeals and Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) were also being examined and the interns were starting a research project to look at whether the introduction of the Easy Read NG form has increased the number of no appeal applicants who apply directly to the Court after receiving a CCRC decision that there are no ECs.   Consideration was also being given to a further piece of work to look at those no appeal cases where potential ECs have been identified to see whether there is anything we can learn from that.
 
A Youth Justice Champion had been appointed working with the Head of Legal to arrange training on youth justice issues.
 
KPIs were being reviewed and the January Board would see a proposal of any revised KPIs.
 
A meeting regarding the Westminster Commission had been planned for the Chairman with Bob Neill MP, Barry Sheerman, MP and Glyn Maddocks in November, however, this had been postponed until the new year.
 
8. Transformation update:
 
The Finance & Corporate Services Director reported that the programme had gone very well and ahead of schedule. 9 projects were started in 2019 including a new CMS, website, office move and smarter working. 6 projects had been completed and it was expected the remainder would finish by the end of March 2022.  A benefits realisation exercise would be undertaken at the end of the financial year together with further enhancements to the CMS.
 
An 0800 number will be rolled out for the benefit of applicants and potential applicants. 
 
9.  New Commissioners-  introductions: 
Zahra Ahmed and Nicola Cockburn introduced themselves to the Board as two of the three new Commissioners. Joanne Fazakerley had sent her apologies.
 
10. 25th Anniversary Conference: 
The Chairman confirmed there would be two main events to celebrate the 25th Anniversary. These would take place at the House of Lords on 19 October 2022 and the Birmingham Exchange on 22 November 2022; invitations would be issued to stakeholders. A working group is coordinating plans and the Research Committee is currently looking at academic input. Attention will now also be given by the Research Committee to commissioning a book to commemorate the Commission’s 30th anniversary.
 
A recent meeting of the stakeholder group was positive.
 
11. Engagement – new website/Instagram/outreach: 
The Manager of Applicant Engagement reported that funding had been made available specifically for increased engagement, enabling expansion of the engagement  team.  This will mean closer working with prison staff to increase prison visits and particularly to inform vulnerable groups how to apply to the Commission.  Work will also increase with small charities, Community Chaplaincy, and Prison Advice Service to enhance communication with applicants. Outreach continues with National Prison Radio and Inside Time paper.
 
The new website has had a positive impact and enables applications online.  Social media and Instagram are reaching people at liberty.  Followers include small charities who have direct contact with potential applicants. The new Casework Management System allows for more strategic monitoring of applications.
 
A successful applicant spoke about his involvement with the outreach programme and how he wished to continue working with under-represented people.
 
12.  International engagement – Canada and New Zealand updates :
The CEO reported that New Zealand had launched its Commission.  The Canadian Department of Justice invited us in July to take part in a consultation on the establishment of an independent Canadian Criminal Case Review Commission.  These events and engagement are important in sharing ways of working and developing good practice.