CPS Annual Report 2005-2006 - PDF - Crown Prosecution Service

Maximising Attendance
In April 2004, the Maximising Attendance Project was launched
with the aim of improving absence management in the CPS. The
Project is focusing on the following five main areas of activity over
two years:
• Improving management information;
• Establishing realistic but challenging targets for the reduction of
sickness absence;
• Reviewing and updating the current policies on sickness absence;
• Providing guidance for managers and individuals on sickness
absence management roles and responsibilities with training
where appropriate; and
• Developing solutions to tackle longer-term absences.
The CPS continues to provide local managers with quarterly
feedback on absence trends, together with support from HR
professionals who have been successful in reducing the number
of long-term absences. A review of absence policy and processes
has resulted in more clarity and the development of a toolkit
for managers.
Work is currently underway to better understand the impact of
absence on running costs and so far the CPS has reduced the
administrative costs of supporting long-term absences by about
£400,000 in 2005. The CPS average absence per person for the
period 1 January – 31 December 2005 was 8.5 days.
COMPASS
The COMPASS Programme is a Private Finance Initiative (PFI)
between the CPS and LogicaCMG and gives CPS prosecutors,
caseworkers and administrators the technology they need to deliver
a constantly improving, modern and efficient service to the public.
The COMPASS infrastructure has grown from supporting staff in
less than 100 sites in 2001, to supporting staff working in 680 sites,
with the added dimension of 1,000 staff having access to CPS
systems from anywhere in the United Kingdom via a telephone
line. The number of users, including police staff, has grown by 31%
to 8,900; and court links have increased by 300% to 200. Over
100 CPS Direct staff now have IT links to work from home and
provide a 24/7 advice service to the police.
Since the implementation of the Case Management System in
2003, approximately 4 million cases have been registered on the
system, allowing information to be input and retrieved quickly, in
support of effective decision making.
Improved Procurement
In 2005-06 CPS has continued to develop eProcurement to
deliver efficiency savings. All requirements over £50,000 were
tendered electronically, reducing the cost of conducting the tender
process for both the department and suppliers. Online ordering
solutions are now available for stationery, printing, hotel
accommodation and rail bookings. The CPS has also successfully
used framework contracts arranged by other government
departments for its requirements in respect of stationery,
reprographics, hotel accommodation and conference bookings,
temporary staff, professional services, furniture and information
network services.
The CPS awarded a significant contract for the provision of
telephony services during the year.The new technology available
through this contract will provide the opportunity to achieve cost
savings and enable the department to consider new and
innovative ways of working for staff, including remote working.
The new contract for information network services will provide
the CPS with a strategic information management capability
enabling the Service to improve the way it stores, manages and
disseminates information, both internally and externally to the
public and other members of the criminal justice community. The
system, Infonet, will also bring improved ability, through electronic
document management, for the CPS to meet Freedom of
Information and Data Protection Act access requests.
James Carter and Gordon Cranford, Procurement and
Commercial Services
THE CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE ANNUAL REPORT & RESOURCE ACCOUNTS 2005 - 06
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