Public protection: national leadership group - terms of reference

The purpose of the National Public Protection Leadership Group (‘the group’ or ‘NPPLG’) is to provide national multi-agency leadership of public protection across Scotland.

It will act as a multi-agency forum to drive continuous improvement of public protection arrangements across Scotland through creating a supportive environment for the sharing of best practice and the development of national initiatives, with due regard to capacity.

It will provide a space for local and national public protection leaders to help bring more coherence and simplification to public protection policy, as well as ensuring its interconnectivity with related activity on prevention and early intervention, as part of Scotland’s whole systems approach to improving outcomes.

Its creation and development would rely on public protection leaders in Scotland all committed to the purpose of securing improvements across Scotland.

Meeting frequency

Eight weekly until the end of 2024, then move to quarterly.

Quorum

One third of core membership.

Remit and responsibilities 

Remit to include all strands of public protection, focusing on:

• child protection
• adult support and protection
• violence against women and girls (including equally safe at work)
• Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)
• alcohol and drug related harm/deaths
• suicide prevention

Also considering public protection interests in relevant areas such as: 

• homelessness
• asylum seekers and refugees
• human trafficking
• missing people

Responsibilities to include:

• provide national multi-agency leadership of public protection
• develop an agreed definition and vision for public protection in Scotland
• work together across Scotland to consider how we can best support and drive innovation and continuous improvement across public protection in Scotland
• consideration of relevant data, reviews, relevant national/local reporting, triennial overview, and academic research on related matters such as poverty with a view to identifying how and where we can work together to drive improvement and share effective practice
• identify requirements for national policy responses to emerging risks and issues, and co-develop solutions which respond to identified barriers, and inconsistencies in practice, guidance and legislation across the different spheres of public protection
• support sharing of learning and best practice between Chief Officer Groups (COGs) and multi-agency partners, lifting the performance of areas to those who are considered to be implementing advanced practice, and to better understand variation
• support COGs to understand, from a whole system perspective, the continuum between and across prevention, universal provision, early support, and public protection
• contribute to the opportunity of a more joined up, public protection approach to inspection, improvement and implementation support
• develop an approach to the embedment of a human rights based approach to local public protection arrangements
• outline measures of implementation and measures of effectiveness for the delivery of public protection arrangements

Membership 

Core membership

• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA)
• Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE)
• Police Scotland
• NHS board Chief Executive Representation
• Scottish Executive Nurse Directors Group (SEND)
• Scottish Government (senior civil servants public protection representation)
• Scottish Government Chief Social Work Adviser, (with connections to research input via NSWA)
• Chief Social Work Officer representation
• representatives from Child Protection Committees Scotland and Adult Support and Protection Convenors Scotland
• representation from public protection areas relevant to the remit set out above. For example, the MAPPA Strategic Oversight Group, Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships (ADPs), suicide prevention and VAWG
• Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
• Integration Joint Board (IJB) Chief Officer representative
• National Care Service (NCS) Board representation if no overlap in membership with NPPLG

Those with responsibility for the inspection, investigation and assurance of public protection services including, for example, the Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the Mental Welfare Commission, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education; His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons; and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, will have observer status on the group, with representative member to be agreed by those parties. The representative of the inspection bodies in attendance is expected to support the group’s role in quality planning and quality improvement. It is not anticipated that participation in these discussions will compromise the formal quality assurance role which the inspection bodies have. In the event there is a sense of a compromise, the representative will be able to excuse themselves from the discussion. 

It is expected that members will be represented at Chief Executive or equivalent levels. Deputies may attend on behalf of members and contribute to the required quorum. 

Other colleagues may be invited to the group from time to time as required, or lead, and/or be members of any subgroups established including, for example:

• Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland)
• Social Work Scotland (SWS)
• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)
• third sector
• Scottish Human Rights Commission
• Public Health Scotland
• Improvement Service
• Community Justice Scotland
• Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance
• research community representation
• Scottish Prisons Service (SPS)
• Scottish Ambulance Service

The group will have a mechanism for accessing lived experience which draws on national and local engagement. It will also develop mechanisms for engagement including with wider stakeholders who are not core members. 

Chairing arrangements will rotate across Scottish Government, Police Scotland, NHS Scotland, and SOLACE. A vice-chair will be appointed from amongst the membership and will be different to the organisation represented by the Chair. Chair and vice chair to hold a two-year term prior to rotation. 

Membership responsibilities

All members have the following responsibilities:

• to demonstrate personal and collaborative leadership for the sector, taking shared responsibility for tackling challenging issues and implementing change
• to bring their knowledge and expertise to inform work on public protection
• to consult with colleagues in their organisations, and where relevant, other organisations, before and after meetings of the group
• to act as advocates for improvements promoted by the group and influence change in their own organisations and beyond
• to identify any risks and issues which impact on the delivery of actions and to propose actions for mitigating and resolving these
• to provide constructive challenge, and advice to the group
• to identify and develop opportunities for collaborative change, improvement and implementation support opportunities across all stakeholder organisations
• to ensure that organisation appropriately support the work of subgroups

Certain individuals will also have specific responsibilities and these are described below:

• Chair - will provide leadership to the group, ensuring full participation during meetings and that all relevant matters are discussed and decisions made
• Scottish Government members – will ensure coherence with other relevant Scottish Government policy and legislative developments and ensure the group is kept up to date with these developments

Support arrangements

• the Chair will, in consultation with the vice-chair, arrange secretarial support to the meeting of the group
• it is anticipated that meetings of the group will be through Microsoft Teams

Governance and reporting arrangements

• all papers for a meeting of group must be provided to the secretariat at least seven days prior to the meeting date
• the secretariat will publish the agenda and relevant papers five days before the meeting date
• there is an expectation that each agenda item will be supported by a cover report and a clear ask of the group, and with any decisions made considering where other decision-making groups may also have a locus, either for information or where there are shared areas of interest
• the group will commit to reviewing the remit and responsibilities as necessary to ensure that it remains fit for purpose
• it is anticipated that the group will meet twice a year to feedback to CoSLA and relevant ministers. The twice-yearly touchpoints with political leaders will be in addition to the quarterly meetings of the group
• the NPPLG will complement the work of the National Care Board and it is anticipated that there will be some overlap in membership across the two groups