In March 2023, HMICFRS released a report that delved into the values and culture across all 44 fire and rescue services (FRSs) in England. Drawing from inspections conducted since 2018, the report defines values as guiding principles or standards of behaviour, while culture encompasses ideas, customs, and behaviours. It identifies "poor," "unacceptable," and "inappropriate" cultures and behaviours as those with the potential to adversely impact others, including instances of bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
The study focused on several key themes, including:
- Values and culture, with particular attention to bullying, harassment, and discrimination
- Training and skills development
- Fairness and diversity
- Leadership
Read the report on the HMICFRS website by clicking here.
The recommendations below have been completed by the Service.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should review their implementation of the Core Code of Ethics
Summary: HFRS where early adopters of the Core Code of Ethics (CCoE) with the implementation of and understanding amongst staff recognised in our round 2 HMICFRS inspection report. HFRS has continued with the ongoing application of the CCoE to ensure the associated ethical principles are an integral component in decision making, working practices and within the conduct of all staff.
Review: With immediate effect the Service did review the implementation of the CCoE. This was performed through the creation of an action plan to review established practices and identify any areas of development. The work as detailed below, provides insight into the established practices already used (including cyclical review processes) for the continued implementation of the CCoE alongside evolving work to further enhance the application of the CCoE.
- The CCoE Fire Standard is managed as a live document with new updated evidence and revised GAP analysis conducted to ensure accuracy and validity in the resulting compliance rating(s).
- The CCoE Fire Standard criteria is appropriately incorporated into other principle Service documentation
- Referenced in all Service policies the requirement that the related content is informed by and implemented in accordance with the ethical principles of the CCoE.
- The CCoE ethical principles are embedded into the annual staff personal development reviews. This is intended as a catalyst for continued understanding, discussion, recorded examples of individuals positively demonstrating the principles and the identification of staff needing to improve their behaviours.
- Continued application of CCoE promotional materials throughout embedded throughout the Service including posters, table talkers, screen savers and Service documentation templates
- Commissioning exercise conducted for an external independent organisation to conduct a ‘Staff Engagement and Consulting’ activity to review and analyse Service practices in multiply areas including reviewing the CCoE in practice. To commence June / July 2023.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should notify HMICFRS of any allegations that have the potential to constitute staff gross misconduct that: - involve allegations of a criminal nature that have the potential to affect public confidence in FRSs; - are of a serious nature; or - relate to assistant chief fire officers or those at equivalent or higher grades.
Return completed and submitted to HMICFRS prior to the requested deadline.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should, as a priority, specify in succession plans how they intend to improve diversity across all levels of the service. This should include offering increased direct-entry opportunities.
The Service Strategic Plan 2021/24 sets a clear objective that ‘We encourage, attract and retain a diverse range of people to help us provide the best service’. To support the accomplishment of this strategic objective the Service has an established EDI priority within the organisations Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) Action Plan to ‘Increase diversity throughout our workforce’, using the proceeding objectives, which have been implemented and reviewed.
- Visibly promote HFRS as an employer of choice and positively seek employees from underrepresented groups.
- Improve the recruitment and retention levels for all underrepresented groups.
- Further develop the role of ‘Equality Champions’ across the Service.
The Services Positive Action Framework details the legal obligations of the Equality Act 2010 and reinforces the requirements of the PSED. Collectively both these documents are used to inform the workforce and succession planning arrangements in the Service in further coordination with the following current or pending documents:
- Annual Pay Gap report
- Recruitment and Selection Policy
- People Strategy
- Promotion Process Guidance
- Draft Talent Management Strategy and Implementation Plan
- Draft revised Succession Plan
Pending the outcome and findings from the NFCC direct entry pilot scheme launched in April 2023, the Service has planning and review arrangements in place to consider and integrate the practice.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should review how they gather and use equality and diversity data to improve their understanding of their staff demographics, including applying and meeting the requirements of the National Fire Chiefs Council equality, diversity and inclusion data toolkit
The Service applies a range of processes in the gathering and use equality and diversity data to improve the understanding of staff demographics. This includes the creation and publication of associated documents which include the following:
- Gender, Ethnicity and Disability Pay Gap Report: Using analytical information to comply a voluntary produced and published report to incorporate ethnicity and disability into gender pay gap differences, enables the Service to proactively understand demographical data, to inform and support staff forum groups activities, policies, and practices.
- Workforce Planning: Using staff demographics in coordination with the Services PSED and Positive Action Framework to support the planning arrangements.
The application of the NFCC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion toolkit is evidenced within the following documentation:
- EDI Annual Report
- PSED Compliance
- Equality and Inclusion Policy
- 2022/23 scrutiny topic for the Services independent Governance, Audit and Scrutiny committee
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should seek regular feedback from staff about values, culture, fairness and diversity, with due regard to the leading and developing people standard
The CFO uses a range of engagement activities to purposefully provide the opportunity for staff to regularly provide feedback which can relate to values, culture, fairness, and diversity. Established activities which facilitate feedback includes:
- Cyclical SLT visits to all Service locations and teams, with an accompanying staff ‘You Said We Did’ communication as appropriate.
- Quarterly On-Call meetings
- Leadership Forum
- EDI Staff Forum Groups
- Q&A site on the Service internal SharePoint portal site
The CFO has approved the tendering exercise to commission an external independent organisation to conduct a ‘Staff Engagement and Consulting’ activity to review and analyse Service practices in multiply areas including current feedback routes and recommendations to enhance feedback, to commence June / July 2023.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should make sure there is a full, 360-degree feedback process in place for all senior leaders and managers (assistant chief fire officer equivalent and above) in service.
The Service has actioned three distinct workstreams to address this recommendation:
1: Scheduled and commenced 360 feedback sessions amongst all SLT members delivered by an internally qualified facilitator.
2: Adoption of the NFCC 360 feedback initiative pending completion of their current tendering process which includes gathering information on potential models and costs.
3: Exploration of other options existing amongst FRS’s to share resources
To supplement and support the 360 feedback the Service already delivers the following relatable activities:
- Cyclical SLT visits to all Service locations and teams, with an accompanying staff ‘You Said We Did’ communication as appropriate.
- SLT engagement visit days working from different Service locations to encourage dialogue and discussion.
- Quarterly On-Call meetings
- Leadership Forum
- EDI Staff Forum Groups
- Q&A site on the Service internal SharePoint portal site
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should have plans in place to ensure they meet the "Fire Standards Board' leading the service standard"
The Service manages each Fire Standard through a robust and established process, underpinned by information and guidance. All Fire Standards are transparently managed thorough an internal SharePoint site on the internal portal system and considered live documents. In relation to the 'Leading and Developing People' and 'Leading the Service Fire Service Standards' these have been completed with an accurate calculated compliance rating(s), which is subject to ongoing review and development as best practice.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should make sure they provide accessible information for all staff and members of the public on how they can raise concerns and access confidential support (including through external agencies). Chief fire officers should also make sure accessible information is provided on how concerns and allegations will be investigated in a way that ensures confidentiality and is independent of the alleged perpetrator.
The Service has established information sources and processes available to effectively manage the context of the recommendation which include:
- Professional Standards policies (accessible through the Service website)
- Signposting information detailed in the Data Transparency section of the Service website.
- Contact details for arising concerns are detailed in the related Professional Standards policies of Complaints, Whistleblowing, Dignity at Work policy (anti bullying and harassment), Grievance, Mediation, Anti-Fraud and Corruption.
- High level accessibility rated Service website with contact details.
- External HMICFRS hotline promoted through Service communication channels.
- Safeguarding policy and website signposting
- Equality and Inclusion policy
- Employee Assistance Programme communicated through the internal SharePoint site.
- Blue Light Champions with contact details through the internal SharePoint site
- Internal bullying hotline number, with marked materials and contact details in all Service locations
In addition to this provision the Service has recently agreed to join a bespoke confidential and anonymous reporting service run by the Crimestoppers as a further independent route providing a range of supportive services:
- A national bespoke 0800 number, the same across the UK for any member of FRS to report.
- 24/7/365 call handling, online form management, and dissemination of information reports to the department within each FRS/local authority.
- A bespoke online reporting form (fully mobile).
- Two-way facility on all online forms which allows further questions to be raised to the person that provided information if they have remained anonymous.
- All time critical reports rung through to nominated point of contact in addition to email dissemination. (If required)
- Monthly reporting on report statistics
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should assure themselves that updates on how concerns are being handled are shared with those who have raised them. The updates should be given in an accessible way that encourages trust and confidence in the service response. Consideration should be given to creating a professional standards function to handle conduct concerns in service (or from an external service) to have oversight of cases, to make sure they are conducted in a fair and transparent way and to act as a point of contact for all staff involved.
The Service has a recognised infrastructure in place to effectively handle concerns in line with policy and provide updates to those who raise them through:
- HR Case File Records
- Employee Relations Tracker and Powerbi dashboard
- Corporate Assurance Case File Records
The Service has reviewed the processes used to handle concerns through introducing a learning record for continuous improvement and development in this area.
Professional Standards in the Service are managed collaboratively between the Corporate Assurance and Human Resources functions. The functionality of this work is managed through the Professional Standard policies. In conjunction with the Crimestoppers initiative the Service is currently reviewing and assessing the feasibility of evolving our professional standards further through contracting investigations to a independent body.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should review the support available for those who have raised concerns and take any action needed to make sure these provisions are suitable.
Service policies, with an inherent review period, provide the structure to manage raised concerns effectively and consistently:
- Dignity at Work Policy (anti Bullying and Harassment)
- Complaints Policy
- Disciplinary Policy
- Exits From the Service Policy
- Equality and Inclusion Policy
- Grievance Policy
- Safety Event Reporting Recording and Investigation Arrangements Policy
- Whistleblowing Policy
- Mediation Policy
- Menopause Policy
- Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy
Alongside policies accessible services and supportive provisions are available through:
- Employee Assistance Programme communicated through the internal SharePoint site.
- Blue Light Champions with contact details through the internal SharePoint site
- Internal bullying hotline number, with marked materials and contact details in all Service locations
- A national bespoke 0800 number, for any member of the Service to report Crimestoppers through a 24/7/365 reporting line.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should provide assurances to HMICFRS that all parties are supported in relation to ongoing investigations.
Return to HMICFRS completed regarding processes which includes the application of the following: HR Bullying Case File Records, Dignity at Work Policy (anti Bullying and Harassment), Corporate Assurance Complaint Case File Records
Complaints Policy, HR Discipline Case File Records, Disciplinary Policy, HR Exit Interview Case Files, Exits From the Service Policy, OD EDI Case File Records, Equality and Inclusion Policy, HR Grievance Case File Records, Grievance Policy, HS&E Safety Event Case File Records, Safety Event Reporting Recording and Investigation Arrangements Policy, Whistleblowing Case File Records, Whistleblowing Policy, HR Mediation Case File Records,
Mediation Policy, HR Menopause Case File Records, Menopause Policy, Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy, FTSU Guardian, Employee Relations Tracker and Dashboard – HR, Blue Light Champions, Staff Forums, Employee Assistance Programme, ‘FRS Speak Up’ service via Crimestoppers. HMICFRS thematic inspection of the Service in November 23
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should make sure their equality impact assessments are fit for purpose and, as a minimum, meet the requirements of the National Fire Chiefs Council equality impact assessment toolkit.
HFRS where early adopters of the NFCC Equality Impact Assessments (EIA), effectively using them in adherence with the toolkit, applied and managed in the following ways:
- Every Service policy requires the completion of an EIA to inform content, while used an integral part of the consultation process.
- Training programme provided for staff to effectively complete and manage EIA’s.
- Repository used to store all completed EIA’s.
- Quality assurance process used to sample test quality and effectiveness of the EIA’s.
- EIA’s used within the Service Improvement Plans to drive performance.
- Service management of EIA’s subject to a independent internal audit.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should develop plans to promote progression paths for existing staff in non-operational roles and put plans in place to reduce any inequalities of opportunity.
Through the development and application of a Service infrastructure, the following practices and procedures are managed to support the identification and progression routes for non-operational staff.
- Succession Plan Framework
- Career Ladders
- PDR Process
- Role Specific Training Outlines
- Core Skills Framework
- Professionalisation of Roles
- Talent Management Strategy
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should provide assurances to HMICFRS that all parties are supported in relation to ongoing investigations.
Assurances provided through the submission of information, including reference to related Service policies and procedures, against each of the recommendations to date and against the mandated deadline, as detailed in this spreadsheet. Additionally, the below information provides further insight into the established and proactive approaches being taken in relation to ongoing investigations:
Professional Standards Policies and Case File Records
- Dignity at Work (Anti-Bullying and Harassment Procedure)
- Complaints
- Disciplinary
- Exits from Service
- Equality and Inclusion
- Equality Impact Analysis
- Grievance
- Whistleblowing
- Mediation
- Menopause
- Anti-fraud & Corruption
- Safety Event Reporting, Recording and Investigation arrangements.
- Employee Relations Tracker
Independent scrutiny against how each of the above items is managed has and continues to be applied including:
- Governance, Audit and Scrutiny committee
- Internal Audit Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination
- HR Real World Independent Staff Engagement Programme
Further assurance is provided through the ‘Support Routes in Confidence’ initiative the Service operates which is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive work environment for everyone. Below are internal and external routes staff can use to speak up, raise a concern and get support.
- Via your line manager
- External Independent FRS Speak Up Service
- Internal Bullying and Harassment Hotline
- External Employee Assistance Programme
- Internal Occupational Health and Wellbeing Team
- Internal Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should make sure their services provide a confidential way for staff to raise concerns and that staff are aware of whistleblowing processes.
HFRS has dedicated professional standards policies, accessible through the Service website, to ensure transparency. The following professional standards are established as staff routes for raising concerns confidently:
- Anti-Fraud and Corruption
- Complaints
- Dignity at Works Policy and Anti Bullying and Harassment Procedure
- Grievance
- Whistleblowing
Given the context of this policies a dedicated section is incorporated into each entitled, ‘Who can provide support or advice (to employees)’. This section provides details of the HFRS ‘Support Routes in Confidence’ with all the routes and procedures designed to provide a safe space to speak up and get support when something isn’t right, which includes:
- Via your line manager.
- Independent Speak up through Crimestoppers available 24/7 365 days.
- Internal Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.
- Internal Bullying and Harassment Hotline.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Occupational Health and Wellbeing Team.
Each of these routes, in addition to their inclusion in policy, are externally publicised throughout the Service via the internal staff portal site, staff payslips, promotional materials including distributed business cards amongst all staff, notes pads, and posters all of which are interactive with the inclusion of a QR to direct staff immediately to the selection of available support routes.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should make sure there is a full, 360-degree feedback process in place for all other leaders and managers in service. The process should include gathering feedback from a wide range of sources including colleagues and direct reports.
360-feedback completed for all SLT member through external provider. Cost prohibitive to apply across the workforce, other providers are being considered. Awaiting NFCC development of a 360-feedback tool/methodology that will be made available to fire and rescue services, due December 2023.
Consideration and planning ongoing towards adding 360-feedback to the annual PDR process as an interim introduction for staff enabling testing and feedback to be gathered for process in 2024.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should put plans in place to monitor, including through the gathering and analysis of staff feedback, watch and team cultures and provide prompt remedial action for any issues they identify.
HFRS currently operates an employee relations tracker managed by HR, an annual cycle of SLT visits to all Service teams, exit interviews, online question and answers section, staff Let’s Talk sessions and Leadership forums, used in gathering and analysing staff feedback. The Service is purposefully evolving and expanding the opportunities to gather feedback through the following means.
HFRS currently engaged in the ‘Real World HR’ an external company undertaking staff engagement process with staff aligned to values and cultures. Outcomes to be delivered through the progress and completion resulting from staff engagement:
- Delivery of a quality staff survey project with a sector benchmarked good response rate. (with quantitative data)
- Design and delivery of organisation wide awareness/preparation and engagement activities which demonstrate benchmarkable good participation, involvement and engagement. (qualitative and quantitative data)
- Demonstrate ability to transfer learning and build confidence at HFRS in a range of areas of staff engagement including continuous commitment, appetite to action changes, and contribute confident leadership in this area.
- Delivery of an outcome report and associated senior leadership presentation of an action plan to allow HFRS to learn, develop and grow as it looks to move from a good organisation graded by HMICFRS to an outstanding one.
Sentiment analysis to be developed through a collaboration with Hull University. Creation of a people dashboard in October to record and analyse trends.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should immediately review their current background checks arrangements, and make sure that suitable and sufficient background checks are in place to safeguard their staff and communities they serve; and - make sure that appropriate DBS check requests have been submitted for all existing, new staff, and volunteers, according to their roles as identified by the Fire Standards Board.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should provide assurances to HMICFRS that they have implemented the standard on misconduct allegations and outcomes handling.
Recommendation: Chief Fire Officers should provide assurances to HMICFRS that they have implemented the standard on staff disclosure, complaint and grievance handling.
The following recommendation is being discussed at a national level and the Service awaits further clarification.
Recommendation: As a precursor to the development of the College of Fire and Rescue, chief fire officers and the National Fire Chiefs Council should work with the Home Office to consider how they can improve the training and support they offer to staff in management and leadership development. This should include authority members in respect of their assurance leadership roles and should ensure that opportunities are offered fairly across all staff groups.
HFRS awaiting clarification of any discussions between the NFCC and Home Office. With significant change to following local elections, Authority members to undertake appeals committee training.