Agenda item

To consider a report on the Unwanted Behaviours from Members of the Public Policy.

Paul Collyer, Head of Occupational Health & Safety, introduced the item and provided a brief summary on the aims of the policy. It was explained that the policy was developed due to the increased frequency in which public facing Council staff were experiencing episodes of unwanted behaviour from members of the public. Officers had identified that existing health and safety policies focussing on the prevention and management of risks to staff did not adequately cover this topic. Therefore, after further investigation into the level of inconsistent reporting of episodes and requests from managers for increased support, the new policy sought to provide a clear and concise framework for reporting and managing unwanted behaviour from members of the public to further safeguard staff.

It was confirmed that the policy had been developed and reviewed following consultation with managers from relevant departments, Heads of Services Forum, Joint Consultative Committee, Legal Services, and the Corporate Leadership Team. Officers explained that upon approval, high levels of bespoke training would be delivered to staff and volunteers on risk assessments, proportional reporting of incidents, and the escalation processes. It was emphasised that staff should be supported as much as possible post experiencing episodes of unwanted behaviour. Furthermore, the Council has a duty to comply with health and safety regulations by providing sufficient training and preventative measures to protect staff.

In response to a query, officers confirmed that the existing systems and policies in place for public facing departments were audited by Occupational Health and Safety officers, however it was emphasised that this new policy sought to bring attention to the issue and to mitigate the likelihood of different approaches by providing clear guidance on the application of remedial or responsive action. Furthermore, Members were informed that the Council utilised an intelligence network of nominated officers within each relevant department to share knowledge of particular perpetrators. Members discussed the intelligence network and highlighted that they were not privy to said information and emphasised the importance of communication and cross-sharing between departments to help draw attention to any particular situations and to inform further preventative work. Members were reassured that discussions between officers in the Occupational Health & Safety, Legal and Information Governance Teams were being undertaken with regard to the recording, retaining and reviewing of intelligence information and an internal governance document clarifying these processes was being developed. It was further stressed that in certain circumstances statutory services could not be withdrawn or restrictions put in place despite members of staff experiencing unwanted behaviour, social care being used as an example.

Officers noted that Councillors had access to the internal Employee Safety Database and could also utilise the corporate reporting route and its automatic escalation processes that flag incidents for further investigation and scrutiny. Members further queried the inclusion of Councillors within the policy and officers noted that they would review this alongside other similar policies employed by neighbouring local authorities and could revisit it with Members outside of the meeting.

It was suggested that formally reported incidents could be recorded within the quarterly accidents’ reports created by Occupational Health & Safety officers, thusly, triggering discussions and raising awareness of the issues which could be circulated across departments, volunteers, and Town and Parish Councils. If Members wished to have any further information on recent incidents or specific issues, then they were encouraged to contact officers who could share examples outside of the meeting. Members discussed if and how the policy would be advertised to members of the public to which officers noted that a message was available on the website and all promotional opportunities would be utilised to give the Council’s approach to the topic a greater profile.

At the conclusion of the debate, Members stressed the seriousness of these challenges and risks, and that the importance of preventing harm to staff was imperative and noted that the wording of the policy needed to be as unambiguous and succinct as possible.

Following which, it was:

Resolved:

The Committee approved the Unwanted Behaviour from Members of the Public Policy, subject to delegation to the Director of HR & OD and the Head of Occupational Health & Safety, in consultation with the Chairman, to make minor amendments to reflect points raised during the meeting.