Criminal Justice Programme Board minutes: March 2023

Attendees and apologies

• Neil Rennick (Chair, Scottish Government (SG))
• Willie Cowan (Deputy Director Justice Transformation, SG)
• Anna Donald (Deputy Director Criminal Justice, SG)
• Fiona Cameron (SG)
• Gemma Fraser (Community Justice Scotland (CJS))
• Jennifer Harrower (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS))
• Damian Armstrong (Police Scotland)
• Kingsley Thomas (Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB))
• Mike Milligan (Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS))
• Jim Kerr (Scottish Prison Service (SPS)) – left at 16:00
• Robert Strachan (SPS)

Apologies

• Karyn McCluskey (CJS)
• Rob Hay (Police Scotland)
• David Fraser (SCTS)
• Marie-Louise Fox (SLAB)
• Sue Brookes (SPS)

Items and actions

Agenda

1    Welcome and introductions 
2    Terms of reference
3    Transformational Change Programme (TCP) 1 programme brief
4    TCP 3 programme brief
5    TCP 1 programme update
6    TCP 3 programme update
7    Future meetings 
8    Any other business

Welcome and introductions

The Chair welcomed members to the inaugural meeting of the Criminal Justice Programme Board.

Terms of reference (ToR)

The draft ToR were issued in advance of the meeting and members were invited to discuss and agree to the ToR.

Members were generally in agreement of the purpose and aims of the board under the ToR, however the opportunity for comment via correspondence was extended until the end of the week (31 March 2023) to allow members to fully consider the ToR.

The Chair suggested the inclusion of the head of Justice Analytical Services (JAS) within Scottish Government (SG) as a member of the board which was agreed to by board members.

A question was raised around third party membership on this board (such as Victim Support Scotland), however it was decided that third parties are better represented elsewhere on forums such as the Victims Taskforce. The Chair committed to a regular review of the board membership to ensure the board are appropriately engaging with stakeholders and that the board is working effectively overall. This will be added to the ToR.

Action 1-2803 – Include review process in the ToR of the board.

Members asked about the wider governance structure of the board and it was agreed that this would be presented at the next meeting.

TCP 1 programme brief

SG spoke to the programme brief for TCP 1. There are two key areas where the board can add value: achieving collaboration and buy-in from stakeholders across the justice system; and identifying problems and solutions to those problems.

The board discussed whether independent legal representation is included in any of the workstreams. This is currently not the case but discussions on how to include elements such as this are welcomed.

The board also talked about how the TCPs will fit in with existing delivery planning and governance across organisations. The Chair reassured members that this approach is in line with the Vision for Justice published in February 2022 and will help to ensure that the justice organisations are better aligned in terms of governance and planning. The Chair was keen to stress that the TCPs are not intended to discourage innovation or cut across individual responsibilities of partner organisations.

TCP 3 programme brief

SG spoke to the programme brief for TCP 3. The board discussed how engagement with the defence community is vital and it may not be realistic to think that the TCP outcomes are achievable without support and participation of the defence community. SG accepted that previous attempts at defence engagement have been challenging but will endeavour to effectively engage with them throughout the implementation of the TCPs.

The board discussed their desire to see a target operating model developed for the TCP as well as agreement on how risks are managed around the TCPs, including the escalation process for risks.

TCP 1 programme update

This agenda item was passed over due to time constraints. The updates will be circulated to members following the meeting.

TCP 3 programme update

This agenda item was passed over due to time constraints. The updates will be circulated to members following the meeting.

Future meetings

The programme updates will form the bulk of future meetings, members’ comments will be welcome on the format and content of these updates as we progress.

The programme board will meet on a monthly schedule and members will receive an invite to the next series of board meetings shortly.

Any other business

No further business.