Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 13
13
We asked the Ministry why it had not had the support from others it had...
Conclusion
We asked the Ministry why it had not had the support from others it had hoped for and how it could incentivise their support. It told us that the COVID-19 pandemic had changed priorities for a lot of departments, and this had slowed down progress on joined- up working. It acknowledged that the ‘grip across the whole picture was not as strong as it might have been’. It told us the new Women in the CJS and at risk of entering the CJS board (chaired by a Minister from the Ministry of Justice and made up of Ministers from partner departments and agencies) has reiterated support for the strategy’s objectives and is now looking at how things can be improved.37 Despite its recognition of the importance of joined-up working by local bodies, which it refers to as the ‘whole-system approach’, the only funding the Ministry has provided specifically to support the adoption of this approach was seed-funding for six areas and the last funding was for 2017–19.38 Meeting the needs of women from ethnic minorities
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
3: PAC conclusion: Effective implementation of the strategy has been undermined by insufficient joined-up working. 3: PAC recommendation: The Ministry should set out how it plans to influence more joined-up working. It should write to the Committee alongside its Treasury Minute response with an assessment of any barriers to local areas implementing ‘whole system approaches’ and how it plans to work with other government departments and organisations to address these barriers. 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Target implementation date: Summer 2022 3.2 The Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan will be cross-departmental, led by an inter-ministerial board chaired by the Prisons Minister, which will drive forward action across government and hold individual departments to account. 3.3 A delivery board of senior officials from across government responsible for delivery of the activities outlined in the Delivery Plan will report on progress to the inter-ministerial board. The Women in the Criminal Justice System Expert Group, which brings together stakeholders and criminal justice agencies, will monitor progress, providing oversight, support and constructive feedback on the Delivery Plan and the Concordat on Women in or at Risk of Contact with the Criminal Justice System. 3.4 The department will publish a report setting out progress to date against the actions in the Concordat, with next steps of further expanding local and national partnership working being set out in the Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan. The contents of this report have been discussed with interested stakeholders during its development and the department has