Senior Leadership Team Meeting - 19 May 2026
Attendees:
Amanda Black Head of Legal Services (AB)
Ilya Zharov Head of Reviews & Policy (IZ)
Irina Wilkie Head of Communications (IW)
Janice Carter Information Officer (JC)
Jennifer Fisher Executive Assistant (Minutes) (JLF)
Laura Duguid Finance Manager (LD)
Laura Paton Commissioner (LP)
Phil Chapman Director of Operations (PC) (Chair)
Raymond Brown Head of Investigations (RB)
Sharon Smit Head of Corporate Services/Accountable Officer (SS)
Welcome and Apologies
PC opened the meeting and welcomed attendees.
Apologies
Full attendance, no apologies were noted.
Matters proposed to be considered in private.
Attendees agreed to consider agenda items 10 - 18 in private, for the reasons set out on the agenda.
Minutes and Action Log from previous meeting
Draft Minutes
Minutes of the April 2026 meeting were approved.
Action Log
AP1: Develop guidance for staff attending court to provide evidence.
Action: ongoing
Commissioner’s Update Report
Update Report
LP provided an overview of the Commissioner’s Update report circulated in advance.
Implementation of Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) Act 2025 (PECSS)
It was noted that some provisions of the Act have already commenced, while others remain to be brought into force (including provisions relating to the calling in of complaints). The Scottish Government (SG) intends to commence consultation on the proposed changes to Conduct Regulations.
Further details will be shared when available.
Complaint Handling Assessment and Reporting Toolkit (CHART)
PIRC met with SPA colleagues in early April to discuss implementation of CHART. Feedback from SPA has been positive and supportive.
Next steps will include sharing CHART with Police Scotland and other stakeholders.
Police Scotland Mental Health Pathway
PC noted that Police Scotland has paused implementation of the Mental Health Pathway. PIRC has encouraged Police Scotland to engage with COPFS about its plans during this time.
Members noted the updates provided.
Communications Update
Update Report
IW provided an overview of the Communications Update report, circulated in advance.
Communications activity has been slightly paused for a number of reasons; however, there is now increasing traction across key areas, including Strategic Reports, UN Convention on Rights of a Child (UNCRC) and the PIRC Annual Report. The approach will be as targeted and tactical as possible across these three priority areas.
UNCRC
An initial communications plan, including strategy and timeline of actions is in place. This is centred on the launch of a dedicated webpage. Engagement with key communications stakeholders has also been undertaken. The next step is to review the paper in detail and develop proactive content. The Investigations paper will be incorporated once available.
Annual Report
Content has now been received from all departments for the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA). Work is underway to finalise a first draft of the report structure with the aim of submitting it to LP, PC and SS by 20 May 2026.
Strategic Plan
The designed version of the Strategic Plan is expected today (19 May 2026),ahead of the Statutory Board induction event. ON return from leave, work will begin on developing a communications plan for the Strategic Reports, in anticipation of the Annual Business Plan, to ensure readiness ahead of Cabinet Secretary approval.
Social Media
As part of a rolling programme, the first social media post highlighting Reviews outcomes from the past month has been published. This represents a shift towards more proactive communications. The post was shared by LP and received engagement from a number of stakeholders. Ongoing collaboration will continue on a fortnightly basis to maintain and enhance this approach.
HR Portal
Work is ongoing to improve the functionality of the HR Portal, in collaboration with HR and Corporate Services colleagues.
Policy work
Social Media policy will be updated and shared for feedback at the next SLT meeting.
Members noted the updates provided.
Training
Training Update Report
The Training report had been circulated in advance of the meeting and was noted without discussion.
Training requests
SS requested that managers are reminded to forward any training requests identified during year end appraisal discussions, to the Training Coordinator directly.
HR Seminar – Line Managers
Anderson Strathern Employment Law and HR Specialists will deliver an in-house seminar for line manager on 17 June 2026. The seminar has been tailored to PIRC’s policies and procedures and will cover topics such as;
Code of Conduct
Grievance procedures
Disciplinary processes
Flexible working requests
SS confirmed that all first line managers have been invited to attend the seminar.
POLA meeting, Birmingham
SS reported on attendance at a police oversight bodies (POLA) meeting held the previous week, in Birmingham. During the meeting, attendees had discussed their respective organisations’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Members discussed beneficial uses of AI software as a tool to support departments in their daily processes and procedures. There was a shared consensus that the use of AI software for quality assurance of investigative reports and complaint handling reviews would not be appropriate unless robust and secure software control could be guaranteed.
Following these discussions, it was agreed that RB will prepare a Business Benefits report for PC. The report should include an analysis of the time spent writing reports, with the aim of assessing potential benefits as our understanding of AI capabilities develops.
Egress training
IW requested that Egress training, as previously provide to Corporate Servies staff, be offered to Communications staff.
Business Continuity USB drives
SS advised that all Business Continuity USB drives are to be returned to Corporate Services in advance of the migration of documentation to Egress. SS further advised that guidance is being developed and will be issued to the Crisis Management Team when available.
Members noted the updates provided.
Finance
LD noted that, as is standard, the management accounts for months 1 and 2 of the new financial year will be presented at the June SLT meeting.
LD advised that year-end reconciliation is ongoing however, there are no significant issues to report at this time. LD further noted that the 2025/26 accounts reported an underspend of approx. £15k
Members noted the update provided.
Policy Documents
PIRC Employee Vetting and Reference Policy
Not approved: Additional updates were identified during the review period. The policy will be updated accordingly and recirculated for reconsideration at the June SLT meeting.
PIRC Grievance Policy
Not approved: Additional updates were identified during the review period. The policy will be updated accordingly and recirculated for reconsideration at the June SLT meeting.
PIRC Volunteering Policy
Not approved: a minor adjustment was identified to clarify the types of organisations with which staff may volunteer. It was agreed that the policy will be updated and accepted once the revisions have been completed.
PIRC Job Evaluation Policy
Not approved: Additional updates were identified during the review period. The policy will be updated accordingly and recirculated for reconsideration at the June SLT meeting.
Data Protection Policy
IZ advise that he had provided feedback to JC in respect of the Data Protection Policy (circulated at the April SLT meeting). It was noted that a revised version of the policy will be circulated for consideration at the June SLT meeting.
On Call Policy
RB advised that a revised On-Call Policy will be available for consideration at the June SLT meeting.
Staff Survey 2026
A copy of the 2026 Staff Survey questionnaire was circulated to members in advance of the meeting.
Members discussed the staff survey questionnaire and changes made since the 2024 survey.
Following discussion, members were asked to review the questionnaire and provide feedback to SS on a proposed launch date, the content, and how any themes and outcomes will be analysed and reported.
ACTION: AP2 - all members to review the 2026 Staff Survey questionnaire and provide feedback and comments to SS
Any other business
Talent, Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation (TIDE) Self Assessment
JLF advised members that the TIDE submission deadline was Friday 22 May. JLF agreed to circulate the TIDE questionnaire for 2026 and proposed responses to members in advance of the submission date.