Progress on Improving Culture 2022/23

Since the inspection, we have completed the following work:

• An e-Learning package on diversity and inclusion has been completed by 97% of the workforce (as of 1 September 2023) This is now a required annual assessment and a core skill for all our people to complete.
• The Service has delivered a new training programme on values, behaviours, and ethics through senior and middle managers. As of 1 September 2023, 96% of colleagues had undertaken this training, which means the target for completion across the workforce has been reached. The feedback about this training was positive and was shared with managers at the Service’s Leading Conversations events throughout May and June 2023. In addition to this, work continues around our ‘Safe To’ initiative, ensuring individuals feel safe to learn, contribute and challenge, and the ‘It’s ok, it’s not ok’ campaign which outlines appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
• A review of premises was carried out to remove anything that might be considered inappropriate.
• Mandatory questions on bullying, harassment and discrimination have been added to performance and development reviews, which are now being completed through a new form, introduced in March 2023.
• A customer service charter and a training charter have been developed. Guidance has also been distributed across the Service to support the development of internal team charters.
• A presentation and input on expected behaviours, role modelling, values and ethics was delivered to middle and senior managers at Leading Conversations events in November. 138 colleagues attended these events out of a possible 208 members of eligible staff. After the events, the presentations were made available for those unable to attend.
• New optional performance and conflict training for managers has been made available.
• There is now a bi-annual communication to the workforce on concluded disciplinaries, published in the Chief Fire Officer’s (CFO) blog. A report has been produced for the Executive Board on grievance and disciplinary cases to include type of case, speed of completion and outcome.
• All standard Service presentation templates now have a slide on our values, and the national Core Code of Ethics.
• A confidential reporting line has been established where individuals can raise concerns directly with the CFO. The confidential reporting line was launched in February 2023. The reporting line is open to all members of staff and involves leaving a message via voicemail. We also welcome feedback on concerns by email or post.
• An external confidential reporting line, through Safecall, was introduced in July 2023.
• The Service has launched a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian network as an additional route for staff to raise concerns. This aims to support the Service’s existing work in establishing a ‘Speaking Up’ culture which is open, transparent, and supportive of staff. The Speak Up Guardians are at the forefront of this to improve the experience of colleagues who speak up by providing support, identifying, and addressing barriers to speaking up and promoting a positive speaking up culture.
• Our Respect and Fairness Toolkit outlines all the ways in which colleagues can raise a concern about behaviour they’ve experienced or witnessed.
• A Diversity and Inclusion Commission has been established, which includes representation from representative bodies, staff support groups and service leaders.
• Questions on culture and ethics used in the recruitment and selection processes have been reviewed and improved to be more robust and consistent.
• A number of other services were identified as doing well in the HMICFRS people pillar. We held meetings with representatives from Merseyside, Oxfordshire and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services. These meetings included discussion around leadership training, staff networks, staff engagement and feedback, positive action, and mental health and wellbeing.
• The induction process has been revised for all new staff to include setting expectations around behaviour, values, and ethics. The first session to include this new training was run in June 2023.
• The leaver’s policy has been updated to include giving individuals leaving the Service the opportunity to provide feedback through an online exit survey, either facilitated or in their own time, that can be completed through a facilitated interview or independently. This includes questions on values, behaviours, and ethics.
• Interactive ‘skills build’ sessions were delivered to middle managers in October and November 2023. Content included managing difficult conversations, how to resolve issues informally with early intervention, and guidance and resources for managers.

In addition to the work detailed above, work has been completed in response to the recommendations HMICFRS outlined in their report on values and culture in fire and rescue services.

View the work completed against the recommendations (https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/about-us/update-our-people-improvement/hmicfrs-report-values-and-culture-fire-and-rescue-services) of the HMICFRS values and culture in fire and rescue services report.

Further work is continuing to support our people improvement journey and we will update on further completed actions later in 2024.