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9 EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
A structure is in place within Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service that secures the involvement of staff at all levels in the process of promoting diversity. A Diversity Structure Chart (see Appendix 5) shows the structure used for progressing and monitoring the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Race, Gender and Disability Action Plans.
11 Area Diversity Teams were created and have members from a mix of jobs and grades within Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Some also have members from partner agencies and local communities. The Teams are encouraged to involve themselves locally with minority groups and to address local issues both in relation to core functions and also in the wider community, promoting social responsibility and inclusiveness. 18
The Grampian Area has a Diversity Team which consists the Area Fiscal, Area Business Manager, Aberdeen District Fiscal, Principal Depute and other members of staff as and when required. Each member is usually given responsibility for a particular group, for example the Area Business Manager is responsible for keeping in touch with the Grampian Racial Equality Council, the District Fiscal is responsible for Disability and the Area Fiscal is responsible for keeping in touch with the LGBT. The Area has found this to be a good approach. Diversity plans are run past the Crown Office Diversity Team.
All staff in the Area with the exception of those who have only been in post for a short while have attended the Departmental Diversity Awareness Programme. Staff are kept informed of diversity issues through team meetings and information posted on the intranet.
In May 2007 the Area hosted the national Crown Office Equality Advisory Group meeting and as a result it was apparent that the Area had a lot of work to do in relation to disability.
There is a requirement under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, which came into force in December 2006, for public services to promote equality for disabled persons. The main issue of concern for the Grampian Area is access to Fiscal Office premises. In Aberdeen there is no access for disabled persons to offices on the 6th floor and similarly there is no access to the Elgin office which is located on the 2nd floor of the Sheriff Court building in Elgin. These problems are currently being addressed and staff deal with enquiries on the levels of the buildings that disabled persons can access.
Future training will include items relating to disability and a disabled person has been asked to give a presentation to staff at Area Training Days.
The Grampian Area is represented on the Crown Office Focus Group which deals with gender equality issues and has the following remit:
"The Focus Group on Gender Equality Issues considers Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service's delivery of services and employment of staff - and identifies areas where we may (unwittingly) discriminate or where we could do better at promoting equality of opportunity in relation to gender and gender identity."
The Area has developed a draft action plan on gender and disability equality which focuses on raising awareness, gathering data and contacting community representatives.
They promote work life balance and offer flexible working and career breaks to staff. We were advised that the Area will always consider such requests from staff and have never refused anyone from changing their hours.
The Area makes attempts to recruit from ethnic minority communities by placing adverts with Grampian Racial Equality Council and the Area Business Manager has been liaising with this group with regard to the changing population in the area.
Sections A and B of race crime monitoring forms are completed and forwarded to the Area Team for monitoring. If a form has not been passed on then a request will be made to the office to have this done.
It is considered that the Grampian Area is making good progress in dealing with equality and diversity issues.
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