National Public Protection Leadership Group: workplan

Priority 1: Enhancing our culture of learning through reviews

Rationale for inclusion in workplan: If we do not collate learning, we cannot learn. If we don’t implement recommendations the same things keep happening. The review landscape in Scotland is also very busy with many different review processes in place, both at single agency and multi-agency level. There is a risk that local areas struggle to meet the varying requirements for different review processes and their governance, impacting on meeting timescales and identifying learnings quickly, and risking overlap in review processes. Across the various review types there are also issues around the availability and training of reviewers. There is also a need for consistency of approaches to publication of reviews (or the learning from reviews).

Relevant extract from NPPLG Term of reference: Consider relevant data, reviews, national/local reporting, triennial reports, and academic research on related matters such as poverty to support and drive innovation, continuous improvement and sharing of effective practice across public protection in Scotland.

NPPLG sponsor: Julie White and Elaine Torrance

Objective of NPPLG workstream: To lead a debate on extent to which we have created a culture of learning from the system of reviews we have put in place and to consider how we can improve the culture of learning across the whole system of public protection, including all partners. To better understand and address the often shared risks identified across the various reviews progressed across the public protection landscape

Priorities for the NPPLG workstream

Short term priority

Provide feedback to the Model Development Subgroup under the Domestic Homicide and Suicide Review Taskforce on relevant aspects of the draft statutory guidance as it continues to develop over the course of 2025/26.

Sections of the guidance where views of the NPPLG will be specifically sought include reference to existing reviews in relation to children and young people and adult support and protection.

Review the effectiveness and functioning of the current review system in Scotland and consider from the Domestic Homicide and Suicide Review model what a gold standard would look like, by:

• Setting out the positive aspects of the proposed model and what we would want to see in common across existing reviews.
• Stock take on the existing different “review regimes” across all the strands of public protection.
• Consider how implementation of learning reviews recommendations are currently supported and how support can be enhanced.
• Examining the current capacity and capability in the system to meet the demands of the current review regimes and examine – this will result in consideration of a pool of reviewers that have received standardised training etc.

Medium term priority

Identify progress priorities into the review of effectiveness and functioning of the current review system.

Consider how/if we can streamline review landscape and/or move towards one review per incident, including considerations in relation to the developing Domestic Homicide and Suicide Review Model.

Examine available research on how to create a learning system

Longer-term priority: TBC

Establish a new NPPLG Sub Group

Yes: propose a new Review Oversight task and Finish/SLW Group

Complementary work being progressed by existing groups now in the ambit of NPPLG

Joint CP and ASP Learning Review group

• Focus of group (TBC but likely to include issues in relation to consistency of practice and development of joint CP/ASP LR guidance; availability and training of reviewers and how we support and have oversight of the implementation of recommendations at a local and national level).
• Could ask group to consider what learning is shared nationally when a LR notification does not result in a full review.
• In the longer-term we could ask group to explore a technological solution for a repository for reviews, though this action may need to sit wider than a CP +ASP group.

A number of other groups and work programmes are currently progressing work in the Review space. These include: SLWG of the MAPPA Development Group for SCRs; HIS/ NHS Significant Adverse Events Review Framework Group; Domestic Homicide and Suicide Review Taskforce; PHS work on suicide reviews; National Hub for reviewing and learning from the deaths of children and young people; PHS drug related deaths development short life working group.

Complementary work being progressed through local COG’s which we want to support with a view to supporting the spreading of innovation

Examples:

A number of areas have governance structures in place for their reviews.

Some areas have developed or are developing joint guidance and training for CP and ASP.

Dedicated LR subcommittees reporting to Public Protection Committee with responsibility for LR process through to implementation of improvement actions.

Impact reviews undertaken 12 months after review is complete.