WNC REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS

WNC LIGHT TOUCH REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS - March 2008

AREA

RECOMMENDATIONS

TIMESCALES

ACTION

4. FUNDING AND INCOME

WNC (Chair/Director) to undertake a proactive review of the expenditure and allocation of the budget once work programmes have been agreed with Ministers and Commissioners

Initial examination of expenditure takes place during January.

Full costings on proposals, takes place in March/April.

Director & Chair to examine likely costs, in advance of drafting Work Programme.

Following agreement of Work Programme with Commissioners and Ministers, to fully cost the proposals.

Income and expenditure to be accounted for in the WNC's Annual Report

Work on the Annual Report begins at end of March, to be completed by end of June, with financial summary included.

Full financial summary report to be included in Annual Report.

7. KEY FINDINGS

7.1 Past performance

As a priority the WNC (Director) should produce a draft memorandum of understanding in consultation with the WNC Chair and Commissioners and to be signed off by the Director General for the Equalities Directorate and Ministers. Key issues to be included:

Format and content of annual business plans and annual report,
Procedures for signing off business plans e.g. Commissioners and Ministers.
Reporting mechanism to Ministers and WEU
Formalising regular reporting meetings to Ministers
Corporate governance procedures
Delivery partner protocols set up
Budget procedures

Drafting of MoU to begin in December, draft for discussion with GEO in January. Further draft in early Feb.

Final draft to be completed and presented to DG- GEO and Ministers in mid-March 08 for start of new operational year.

MoU to be drafted incorporating all points contained in recommendation.

To be cleared by Board of Commissioners.

Complete draft sent to GEO on 5 February, following clearance by Commissioners. No reply received from GEO.

i. WNC to ensure clear protocols and agreements are set up with Delivery Partners at the outset. WNC Chair to be kept informed where new delivery partnerships arise and keep these under review.

Initial draft stencil produced, and revised draft produced by early Feb for inclusion in MoU.

A draft stencil containing all necessary information to be produced. GEO sponsor colleagues to be involved and support as necessary. To be included in new MoU. To be cleared by Commissioners.

Draft sent to GEO on 5 February, following clearance by Commissioners. No reply received from GEO.

ii. WNC to establish clear remits and protocols when working with interest groups and Commissioners to be advised.

Draft stencil produced, and revised draft produced by early Feb. for inclusion in MoU.

A draft stencil containing all necessary information to be produced. A cycle of evaluation to be drawn up for all future contracts with delivery Partners. GEO sponsor colleagues to be involved and support as necessary. To be included in new MoU. To be cleared by Commissioners.

Draft sent to GEO on 5 February, following clearance by Commissioners. No reply received from GEO.

7.5 Stakeholders' views

i. That by October 2009 the WNC would have established a working relationship with the CEHR and have presented a paper to the WNC Commissioners and Ministers as to how the WNC was operating.

Discussions with EHRC colleagues begin in January 08. Letter sent to Trevor Philips November '07 to begin process .

MoU drafted and agreed with EHRC by early spring 08.

Paper for Board in early summer 08.

Discussions with EHRC taken place, agreement reached on working arrangements and MoU drafted and agreed with EHRC. Paper presented to future Board meeting and updates provided at Board meetings as necessary.

Letter sent to Trevor Phillips and reply received. Meeting with EHRC officials taking place on 13 March to agree a way forward.

8. IMPROVING PERFORMANCE AND GOVERNANCE

i. The WNC Board by operating as non executive directors can enhance the efficiency of the organisation and provide much appreciated support to staff.

Brief paper providing information, on operating as Non-Executive Directors, produced for December Board meeting.

Directorate produced guidance for Commissioners on operating as non-executive directors.

ii. The WNC board to review the way it receives reports and information from the WNC secretariat to monitor performance and ensure it meets their needs.

Chair held discussion at December Board meeting.

Chair to seek advice from Commissioners as to the best method of receipt of information from the Directorate. Any new practice adopted by Directorate and Board.

i. WNC commissioners recognise the need to be mindful at all times that it is an NDPB and as such WNC Commissioners must ensure that it operates accordingly.

Brief paper providing information, on operating as a NDPB, produced for December Board meeting.

Directorate provided advice on the definition and role of an advisory NDPB, with some examples of action it can/should take and what it can/should not.

ii. WNC Commissioners recognise the need to ensure that proper governance procedures are in place.

Draft new Governance document incorporating several previous WNC papers, provided for December Board meeting.

Revisions following Board meeting made, and revised version produced by early Feb.

Final draft to be completed and cleared by Commissioners in mid-March 08 for start of new operational year.

New Governance document completed and agreed by Commissioners.

Document agreed by Commissioners at the beginning of February 08. Copy sent to GEO, attached to draft MoU, on 5 February.

No response received from GEO.

iii. WNC has an established business planning process. Commissioners to be fully engaged with this as outlined at 8.2. and work with the sponsoring department and Ministers to approve these.

Business Plan produced following initial discussions between GEO, Chair and Director, for clearance at March 08 Board meeting.

Revised version produced following discussion and final Plan sent to GEO and Minister for clearance.

Directorate to work on Business Plan for 08 and discussed and cleared by the Board.

Outline Business Plan for 08/09 drafted for discussion by the Board. The question of resources, however, is a major player in planning.

iv. The WNC board has established a quarterly meeting pattern this could be built on good practice and exchanges of information increased.

Discussion and advice sought from GEO colleagues. Discussion took place at Board meeting in December 07.

Views on changes to current activity sought from GEO and Board. Any changes considered and appropriate ones acted on by WNC Director.

Board content with current arrangements - no new actions requested. Director to raise again in 6 months.

9. REMUNERATION

9.3 Comparison of other Advisory NDPBs

Commissioners should be paid a remuneration fee of £163 per day based on their daily time input.

Chair and Director to discuss draft criteria with GEO and final criteria in place by end of February 08.

If finances are agreed, remuneration to begin being paid at start of new contracts in mid 2008.

GEO still to confirm that suitable funding is available to meet this recommendation.

Clear, unambiguous criteria drawn up by Directorate and GEO, on the process for agreeing what constitutes a day of work.

GEO has confirmed that additional funding will be made available.

Draft criteria being drawn up. There are no models in existence to base criteria on.

The Chair's remuneration should be increased to £13,000.

If finances are agreed, revised remuneration to be included in advertisement for WNC Chair and begin being paid at start of new contract, in Spring 2008.

GEO still to confirm that suitable funding is available to meet this recommendation.

GEO has confirmed that additional funding will be made available.

The sponsoring department adjust the core baseline budget to increase by £22,560 to cover the remuneration fees of the commissioners (or accordingly, if time input is assessed to be greater than 12 days per annum) and the increase in the chairs fee.

Confirmation obtained from GEO before December Board meeting if possible.

Budget for 08/09 confirmed before end January to feed into Work Programme.

GEO still to confirm that suitable funding is available to meet this recommendation. Confirmation to be provided in writing from GEO to WNC and baseline budget for 2008/09 to be agreed.

GEO has confirmed that additional funding will be made available.

The rate of remuneration and expected time input of commissioners to be clearly stated within their terms and conditions.

To be included in the Commissioners' section of new Governance paper to be in place by the end March 08.

Commissioners' terms and conditions to be amended to include remuneration once i., ii., iii., are confirmed.

Clear criteria produced by Directorate and GEO, on the process for agreeing what constitutes a day of work.

Draft criteria being drawn up. There are no models in existence to base criteria on.

10. STAFFING AND ORGANISATION

The WNC should consider that when it undertakes work from other Government Departments it should include an over head cost for an additional staff resource to manage projects e.g. the Iraqi internship programme.

Drafts of criteria produced and revised during January 08, in time for inclusion in the GEO MoU.

Further revisions made as part of MoU.

Directorate, with the support of GEO sponsor colleagues, draft a set of criteria which includes a standard set of expenses and issues to negotiate and agree with OGDs.

Draft sent to GEO on 5 February, following clearance by Commissioners. No reply received from GEO.

Once Ministers have considered the review findings the recruitment process for a new director should commence taking account of the above.

The Director's posting should be for a period of two or three years.

GEO to take forward.

WNC has formally requested that the restrictions on the future post holder should be `no more than five years'.

Directorate to support GEO colleagues with recruitment of Director, providing help with job specification, skills needed etc.

Question mark over length of posting. To continue to push for a longer period of time for the post-holder, as two years is too short a time to be fully effective in the post.

Ministers agreed to advertise for 3-year posting.

GEO to manage recruitment.

11. OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

The WNC should return to its core remit of engaging with women's organisations, particularly those without a national profile, and bringing their voice to government. They should look for low cost and effective means of doing so for feasibility.

Outreach Strategy to be discussed

at December Board meeting.

Revisions to Strategy to be made in light of discussions, including seeking innovative and inexpensive opportunities for engaging with existing and new partners.

Revised Strategy put to March 08 Board meeting.

Commissioners to consider further ways of engaging with women's organisations and to consider effective ways of doing this on a small budget.

Revised, costed Outreach and Communications Strategy produced.

Chair and Commissioners to look at re-allocation of the budget to maximise communications and stakeholder management.

Board to consider allocation of resources as part of discussion on Outreach Strategy at December Board meeting.

During January, Chair and Director to consider resources within WNC budget to maximise activity.

Revised Communications-Outreach Strategy prepared for March Board meeting.

Directorate to provide financial and staffing information on communications/outreach activity update for Commissioners to consider how to maximise impact.

Revised, costed Outreach and Communications Strategy produced.

The Director of the WNC to play a key role in strengthening stakeholder communications and engagement.

Director to oversee latest revisions to the new Outreach Strategy which is to be discussed

at the December Board meeting.

Director to ensure that modernisation of the Website is prioritised as a lead issue.

Website format identified and funding agreed from within WNC budget. Implementation delayed due to WNC move.

Revised Strategy put to March 08 Board meeting.

Director to ensure that activity on WNC's Outreach

and Communications work is increased and is more strategic. Work to include: revamping WNC's newsletter and fixing a timetable of four editions per year;

Creating a new, modern and more appropriate website as the core interface with the public;

Stronger analysis of the partners database and identification of areas of under-representation to target;

Confirmation of at least one outreach event in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland;

Networking (possibly subject-specific) events in Parliament to maintain the gender equality profile amongst Parliamentarians;

Specific (possible subject-specific) events in the English regions; and a full partner's conference every two years.

All the above included in revised Outreach and Communications Strategy.

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