AGENDA ITEM NO.

10

REPORT TO: REPORT NO: DATE: LEAD MEMBER:

Executive Board HCCS/121/12 11 September 2012 Councillor Hugh Jones (Communities, Partnerships & Collaboration) Sue Wyn Jones (Tel: 292275) Welsh Language Annual Monitoring Report 2011/12 N/A

CONTACT OFFICER: SUBJECT: WARD:

1. 1.1

PURPOSE OF THE REPORT To seek Executive Board approval for the Councils Welsh Language Scheme Annual Report for 2011/12 prior to its submission to the Welsh Language Commissioner.

2. 2.1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Council, along with all other Councils in Wales, is required to draft an annual report for submission to the Commissioner as detailed in its Welsh Language Scheme. Prior to the report being sent to the Commissioner, Executive Board approval must be given. A copy of the monitoring report is attached as Appendix 1.

2.2

3. 3.1

RECOMMENDATIONS That Executive Board approves the 2011/12 Welsh Language Annual Monitoring Report for submission to the Welsh Language Commissioner. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS To ensure that the Council carries out its duties with regard to the Welsh Language as outlined in the Welsh Language Scheme. To enable the Welsh Language Annual Monitoring Report for 2010/11 to be submitted to the Welsh Language Board in accordance with their timetable.

3.2 (i)

(ii)

2 4. 4.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Report has been divided into 7 sections, which are: 4.2 Welsh Language Scheme Compliance Welsh Language frontline services Scheme Management and administration Linguistic skills: comparing service needs and capacity Mainstreaming Analysis of performance by priority and target Publishing information on performance

In order to accurately report on an authority-wide basis the Communications and Social Media Manager has developed a baseline assessment template which is sent to each Head of Department for completion. The data provided in these templates is used to inform the content of the report. In addition to reporting on the above areas the report also demonstrates how the Council met its targets for 2011/12 and lists new targets for 2012/13. Detailed information is contained within the Annual Monitoring Report itself. The new Welsh Language (Wales) Measure was introduced in 2011 and as a result the Welsh Language Board was abolished in March 2012 and replaced with a Welsh Language Commissioner. The Commissioners principal role is to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh Language. This entails raising awareness of the official status of the Welsh language in Wales and by imposing Standards on organisations. This in turn will lead to the establishment of rights for Welsh speakers. The Standards will eventually replace Welsh Language Schemes and it is anticipates that they will be introduced during 2015/16. In the meantime the Council is still required to provide Annual Monitoring Reports. Policy Framework Welsh Language Supporting and encouraging customers and staff to communicate in Welsh and English is one of the guiding principles in the Councils Annual Plan 2012-16. Budget a nominal budget has been set aside to pay for a translator to be present at each Full Council meeting approx cost of 750 per annum. Legal the Revised Scheme received the approval of the Welsh Language Board, under section 16 of the Welsh Language Act 1993, on 31 March 2010. Staffing N/A Equality/Human Rights The Councils Welsh Language Scheme contributes to the equalities agenda and ensures compliance with the Welsh Language Act. Risks The Welsh Language Scheme has been included in this year's Internal Audit Plan CONSULTATION Not applicable

4.3

4.4 4.5

4.5

4.6

4.7

4.8 4.9

4.10

5. 5.1

3 6. 6.1 EVALUATION OF OPTIONS Not applicable

7. 7.1

SCRUTINY COMMITTEE COMMENTS Not applicable

BACKGROUND PAPERS N/A

LOCATION

WEBSITE INFO.

ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT TO THE WELSH LANGUAGE BOARD 2011/12 1.1 In drafting the report the Council has used the same criteria as for 2010/11 and will be reporting on the following areas: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) 1.2 Welsh Language Scheme Compliance Welsh Language frontline services Scheme Management and administration Linguistic skills: comparing service needs and capacity Mainstreaming Analysis of performance by priority and target Publishing information on performance

In order to accurately report on an authority-wide basis departments are required to complete a template which aims to capture council wide data on all aspects of the Welsh Language Scheme. The completion of the template serves the following purposes: The data collected in the completed templates forms the basis of the Councils Annual Monitoring Report. It highlights any barriers or problems within departments in complying with the Councils scheme and forms the basis of the Departmental Action Plans.

2. 2.1

Welsh Language Compliance The Council continues to make all staff aware of its Welsh Language Scheme and issues around the Welsh language through various internal communication methods including Update, the monthly bilingual staff magazine, the Friday bulletin and the intranet. The intranet has a site dedicated solely to Welsh language issues which is updated as and when required. The Head of Corporate and Customer Services has line management responsibility for the Communications and Social Media Manager who acts as the Councils Welsh Language Officer. Responsibility at a senior officer level lies with one of the Councils three Strategic and Performance Directors. There is also a Lead member for the Welsh language who sits on the Executive Board. The Councils Translation Unit is part of the Corporate and Customer Services Department. As noted in 2010/11 a review of translation services was undertaken and the Executive Board approved a recommendation to externalise the Welsh translation service keeping the management responsibility in-house. It had been hoped to complete this work during 2010/11 but due to a number of factors this timetable has had to be revised and will form part of the targets for 2012/13 but is should be noted that work is progressing well. The Council is now working collaboratively with the 5 other Councils in North Wales.

2.2

2.3

2.4

Responsibility for the implementation of the scheme lies with Heads of Department and they all have a nominated departmental co-ordinator. As noted in 1.2 the Departmental Action Plans require departments to identify those areas where there are problems or barriers which prevent them from complying fully with the Scheme. Target dates by when these barriers can be overcome are also included. Staff know that they are required to answer the phone bilingually, respond to letters and e-mails bilingually and are aware of the basic principles of the Scheme. During 2011/12 the Council included in all of its service plans a commitment to undertake a Mystery Shopper exercise on the Councils compliance with its scheme with regard to answering e-mails in Welsh. This formed one of the targets in 2011/12. The target set was 90% of all e-mails to be replied to correctly but the Council failed to achieve this target and only 82% were compliant. The two departments who failed to respond in Welsh were contacted and procedures have been put in place to ensure that all staff understand the process to follow when they received an e-mail in Welsh. This exercise will be repeated in 2012/13.

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8 There continues to be a lack of Welsh speaking members of staff willing to deal with queries from the public both with regard to answering the telephone and Welsh speaking visitors to Council buildings. However, this number is increasing slowly from 4.4% in 2009/10 to 4.46% in 2010/11 and 4.69% in 2011/12. The Council had placed a target of 6% in its Quarterly Performance Management Evaluation Promote equality of opportunity for children and young people to become bilingual and to promote the Welsh culture Improvement Area for 2010/11 but unfortunately failed to reach it again in 2011/12. Discussions continue to take place with HR and there is awareness that the Council must take more action in order to meet this target. 2.9 The National Eisteddfod of Wales was held in Wrexham in 2011 and the Council was eager to increase the number of Welsh speakers in order to develop a pool of staff who would be able to work on the stand during the week. The Council achieved its aim and is proud to report that it was able to provide fluent Welsh speakers on its stand and in the activities area at all times during the week. Welsh language customer care training was also provided for these staff in order to ensure that their Welsh was of a high standard. The Council was keen to build on this success and had hoped that those Welsh speaking members of staff who in the past had been reluctant to identify themselves would now be more willing to make themselves known and put their names on the list of Welsh speakers. However, this does not appear to have been the case as the number of fluent Welsh speakers in the Council only increased by 0.23% in 2011/12 which is disappointing.

2.10

2.11

In May 2007 the Council introduced simultaneous translation at its Full Council meetings which allows Members to choose which language they wish to speak. It was initially a 12 month pilot and a review was undertaken in May 2009, This resulted in the pilot continuing for another 12 months and in 2010 it was agreed that simultaneous translation would be adopted as the norm. Take up remains low and since the County Council elections took place in May 2012 the number of Welsh speaking Members has reduced. One of the three Guiding Principles in the new Council Plan (2012-16) is Welsh Language Supporting and encouraging customers and staff to communicate in Welsh and English. Also, within the Plan, under the Strategic Theme of People the following commitment is made to the Welsh Language - Welsh language and culture is promoted and supported. We will be in a position to report on progress against this in the Annual Monitoring Report for 2012/13. The Council believes that this demonstrates its continued commitment to supporting and developing the Welsh language. During 2011/12 the Council was made aware that Wrexham is the pilot town for the Welsh Governments Bilingual Towns and Cities project. Wrexham was chosen as the pilot due to the success of the National Eisteddfod and the lasting legacy which has been left. We worked closely with the consultant on the drafting of the report for the Minister but at the time of writing this report we do not have any further information and are waiting to hear from the Minister as to the next steps. The Council has five Welsh medium primary schools and a Welsh language secondary school. The Council also promotes the Welsh heritage and culture with a series of events, concerts and exhibitions throughout the year. During 2011/12 the most significant was the National Eisteddfod. Work is progressing well on the new Welsh medium primary school and works will start on site in August 2012 with an opening date of September 2013. Below is a list of the targets the Council identified for 2011/12 and the actions taken in order to achieve them. Those which have previously been completed are no longer shown on the list.
Target Matters relating to the Welsh Language will be integrated fully into the service planning process By When March 2012 By Who SWJ/Policy and Performance Unit/Chief Officers Comment All departmental actions regarding the Welsh Language Scheme are on Ffynnon.

2.12

2.13

2.14

2.15

2.16

Page Para Aim 7 2.2.2 Mainstream Welsh Language into service delivery

13

3.5.3 Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision

On-line services [website] - % and number using services through the medium of Welsh

Reported quarterly via Ffynnon

Rob Griffiths/SWJ

13

3.5.3 Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision

Total number of Transactions on the Website

Reported Rob monthly to Griffiths/SWJ Members

13

3.5.3 Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision

13

3.5.3 Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision

Contact Wrexham/Galw Wrecsam report on the % and number of calls/visits in Welsh Ensure that all social media provision continues to be bilingual and that it facilitate the use of the Welsh language Record the audit finding on the Councils Personnel system Conduct an audit of the bilingual skills of existing staff Conduct and maintain an audit of the linguistic skill requirement of all workplaces and posts on the criteria established in audit to identify any deficit

Reported quarterly via Ffynnon

Helen Gerrard/SWJ

Total number of English visitors to the home page: 342,946 Total number of Welsh visits to the home page:4,614 English 98.7% Welsh 1.3% Total English:271,723 Total Welsh:8,506 % English 93.8% % Welsh 4.3% Welsh 37 English 224,421 0.0165%

Review annually in March

SWJ/Webteam Facebook 67

likes in Welsh and 663 likes in English Twitter Welsh has 124 followers and English 3,039 followers.
HR Delayed please see section 6.3 6.6 Dealyed see 6.3 6.6

19

19

19

5.1.7 Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council 5.1.7 Increase and the number 5.1.9 of Welsh speakers in the Council 5.1.8 Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council

March 2011

March 2011

HR

March 2012

Chief Officers/HR/ SWJ

Completed see Appendix 4

19 20

20

5.2.1 Increase 5.2.2 the number of Welsh speakers in the Council 5.2.3 Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council

0.75% of staff receiving Welsh language skills training 3% of staff receiving Welsh language awareness training

March 2012

HR/Chief Officers

1.4%

21

6.3.1 Ensure compliance with the Welsh Language Scheme

Submit an Annual Monitoring Report to the Executive Board in May and the WLB in June of each year

HR/Training First phase to be completed by March 2012 Second phase completed by March 2012 May and SWJ June of each year

0.4% of nonteaching staff see section 4.7.1 and 8.2

22

6.3.4 Ensure compliance with the Welsh Language Scheme

Conduct an biannual mystery shopper exercise on one element of bilingual service delivery e.g. visit to Housing Estate Offices, e-mails Report on the WLBs Welsh Language Indicators

Nov-Dec

SWJ

Agreement was given by the Board that the report for 2011/12 could be submitted in October. Delayed due to changes to the reporting mechanisms to the Executive Board and the recent County Council elections. E-mails to Council addresses Compliance was 83% see Appendix 1 for further information

24

9.1

Ensure compliance with the Welsh Language Scheme

June each SWJ year

Done as part of the Annual Monitoring Report

3. 3.1

Welsh Language Front Line Services Telephone Communication

3.1.1 All departments report that their staff are aware of the Councils policy of answering external calls bilingually. The Council has a list of 12 published numbers which includes calls to Contact Wrexham/Galw Wrecsam which deals with phone calls for about 30 services related to keeping Wrexham greener, cleaner and safer an initiative called Streetscene. 3.1.2 However, unless a specific complaint is received about calls not being answered bilingually it is difficult to monitor compliance. The results of the Mystery Shopper undertaken in 2008/09 showed that 76% were answered bilingually. 25 calls were made and 19 were answered bilingually which demonstrated a degree of compliance. All departmental action plans had this included as an improvement measure for 2009/10. This was tested during 2011/12 and was a target in the action plan. Out of 18 calls, 15 were answered bilingually which shows a compliance rate of 83% compared to 76% in 2008/09. 3.1.3 As noted in 2.3 the Council has now replaced its monthly verbal team briefing system, Link Up, with a weekly Friday bulletin. This is sent via e-mail to all staff and provides short, succinct information about Council policies, plans and initiatives to staff in a timely manner. A number of items on the Welsh language have already been included with more planned. 3.1.4 The Council publishes a list of Welsh speakers which is available departmentally and on the intranet. The list is updated annually. All departments have a Welsh speaker in them. As noted in previous reports the Councils continues to be aware that there are a number of Welsh speakers in the Authority who do not appear on this list. 3.1.5 The Council has identified a number of Welsh speakers who choose not to speak Welsh in their work and every effort is being made but progress continues to be slow. The Council has provided refresher training courses for existing staff and some departments have introduced a Lunch and Learn session where learners and fluent Welsh speakers can come together. 3.1.6 A Welsh language refresher course was also undertaken in May and June 2011 for those staff who were helping out at the Eisteddfod who felt that they needed a little help to bring their Welsh language skills up to the required standard. 3.2 Front Line staff

3.2.1 The Council has a number of front line staff in reception areas across the County Borough. The Council is aware that not many members of front line staff speak Welsh and are therefore not able to offer a fully bilingual service in all of its service areas. 6

3.2.2 The Council had hoped to introduce a Welsh language training course for all frontline staff in 2011-12. However, due to a number of reasons this has slipped but is on target for 2012-13 with a report going to SMT for approval in September 2012. It is hoped that by 2013/14 all frontline staff will have undergone this training. Priority will be given to those services areas which currently do not have 14% of its front line speaking Welsh and it will then be rolled out to all frontline staff. This will form a target in out 2012/13 action plan. 3.2.3 Contact Wrexham Galw Wrecsam, already provides a single telephone number for customers to use when contacting the Council, a single e-mail address, a digital television service and a highly successful website in addition to two fluent Welsh speaking staff. 3.2.4 During 2011/12 Contact Wrexham interviewed 37customers in the Welsh Language and 224,421 in English which is an overall percentage of 0.0165%. 15 Welsh Language e-mails were received and 10,301 in English which equates to 0.15%. 3.2.5 The Contact Centre has recently undergone a restructure and all contracts now state that all front line operatives must commit to going on the Councils Basic Level 1 Welsh language entry course. 3.2.6 Again, it is disappointing to note that in 2011/12 that only two nonteaching posts were advertised as Welsh essential. The Council is very much aware of the need to be far more proactive with regard to advertising jobs as Welsh essential. During 2011/12 and continuing into 2012/13 the recruitment forms are being strengthened and the procedures for determining whether posts are deemed Welsh essential are being revised. Training will also be provided for Managers. Another issue which is not helping this situation is the fact that the Council advertises very few jobs at the moment and this affects our ability to increase the number of Welsh speakers. 3.2.7 We also await the results of the 2011 census so that we can see what proportion of our residents now speak Welsh to determine how we respond to this data and our future service delivery. 3.3 E-mail and the Website

3.3.1 Most departments report that they respond to Welsh language e-mails in Welsh although departments report that they received very few. In 2008/09 around 1.5% of e-mails to the webmaster were sent in the Welsh language, decreasing to 1% during 2009/10 and 2010/11. During 2011/12 there was a further decrease with less than 0.5% emails received by Webmaster in Welsh. The total number of Welsh visits to the website home page during 2011/12 was 4,614 and the total number of English visitors to the home page being 342,946, which means that 1.3% of all visits to the website were made in Welsh and 98.7% in English which is an increase of 0.3% on the 2010/11 figure.

3.3.2 All Service Plans for 2011/12 included a target which stated that 90% of all e-mails received in Welsh will be answered in Welsh. This figure is based on the results of the Mystery shopper undertaken 2008/09 when 80% were replied to in Welsh. The target for 2012/13 will be 100%. Performance in 2011/12 was 82% compliance 3.3.3 With regard to social media the Council has a presence on Facebook. Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam [Welsh] has 67 likes (6 new since 01/04/11) and English has 633 likes (220 new since 01/04/11). The Councils Twitter in Welsh had 124 followers and Twitter English has 3,039 3.3.4 The Webteam has been provided with a copy of the Boards document Implementation of Web2.0 on Bilingual Websites which has been useful in moving forward the Councils social media. 3.4 Signage

3.4.1 All departments report that new and replacement signs are bilingual. Any instances of non-compliance are dealt with. Also, due to the recent reorganisation within the Council new signs have been created and all staff involved have been reminded of the need for all signs to comply with the requirement of the Scheme. During 2011/12 the Council overhauled its signage in the Guildhall to ensure that all signage was bilingual throughout. 3.5 Corporate Identity

3.5.1 All departments conform with the Councils Corporate Identity guidelines and a revised Communications Toolkit is planned for 2012/13 which will provide the Council with another opportunity to remind staff of the need for complying with the Welsh language Scheme. 3.6 Written Communication

3.6.1 All departments are aware of the Councils policy of replying to Welsh language letters in Welsh although it was stated that very few are received at present. During 2011/12 the Council received three complaints about this particular aspect of compliance with our scheme. See section 8.2 for further information on complaints. 4. 4.1 Mainstreaming The Council takes the Welsh language into account when developing new polices and initiatives and this has become the norm regarding the way the Council operates. In 2011/12 the Council introduced the EASI system which is part of the Councils equalities monitoring. The Equalities Manager has a copy of the Boards document Advice on Mainstreaming the Welsh Language.

4.2

4.3

Staff are aware that the Welsh language must be treated on a basis of equality with the English language and members of the public have the right to speak Welsh when dealing with the Council and to access services in Welsh in the same way as they would in English. The Councils procurement guidelines provide specific guidance on how this is to be achieved. In addition the Councils 'Selling to the Council Guide also promotes the Welsh Language scheme and contains relevant guidance. When departmental co-ordinators complete their baseline assessments they are asked to detail how they give due consideration to the Welsh language when formulating new policies and initiatives. All policies and initiatives are subject to an Impact Assessment and a 3 year rolling programme and timetable is in place. In the past, data relating to the Welsh language has been incorporated into the Councils planning process and the tragets contained in departmetnal action plans were uploded onto Ffynnon. This system has now been repalced and discussions are taking place to ensrue that targets pertaining to the Welsh language are included in the new system. The Council already has a well established Induction process in place for all new starters and newly appointed managers. During 2010/11 there has been a shift from the more traditional face to face delivery of the Induction process to an e-learning based module. A separate module on the Welsh Language has been devised and forms part of the e-learning Induction process. During the Autumn of 2012/13 the module will be further developed to provide staff with Welsh Language Awareness online training as well as providing information about the Councils scheme and how to operate bilingually when working for the Council. Managers will be able to see whether staff have completed the modules and ensure that they do so. During 2012/13 the Council will also be providing conversational Welsh practice sessions. Scheme Management and administration An active Departmental Officer Working Group is in place and the officers who sit on that group act as a link between the centre and departments. The group aims to meet at least twice a year. It is their responsibility to collect data and provide information for drafting the annual report by completing the annual baseline questionnaire on behalf of the Chief Officers. They are also responsible for monitoring their departmental Action Plans. There are no proposals to extend their remit and Terms of Reference are in place. The Annual Monitoring Report is presented to the Councils Executive Board for approval before being submitted to the Welsh Language Board. The Councils SMT will be made aware of any high level issues with regard to the Scheme e.g. Wrexham being the pilot for the Bilingual Town and Cities project. 9

4.4

4.5

4.6

4.7

5. 5.1

5.2

5.3

The Council allocates sponsorship and funding to external bodies. In operating this function the Council supports and promotes the use of the Welsh language. The Council fulfils these commitments by ensuring that bodies and individuals receiving funding, sponsorship or grant aid from the Council operate bilingually as they undertake their activities or events, as far as is appropriate in the circumstances and reasonable in practice. It was hoped that during 2010/11 that the baseline assessment for completion by departmental co-ordinators would record this data but the reorganisation within the Council has meant that we did not manage to gather the information. This will now become a target for 2012/13. Linguistic Skills The Council holds data on the language skills of staff and monitors Welsh language skill levels through the data it collects on its corporate Human Resources (HR) database and the Workforce Strategy annual reports. These reports allow departments to note whether there has been an increase or otherwise in the number of Welsh speakers in the Council The database also allows for a report to be run from the HR database about the number of Welsh speakers. As reported in 2010/11 the HR team are in the process of investing in a new HR system which will be integrated with the Council's payroll system. As part of the systems implementation plan and to support the transition onto the new system, an employee audit will be conducted to ensure all appropriate information is collected and inputted into the new system which will include Welsh language competency. The go live date is subject to the success of parallel run testing due to take place in September 2012. The Recruitment Module (i.e. the data we hold on applicants) of the system will be scoped out in October/November 2012 and if the piloting is successful and the roll out progresses as planned, an estimated go live date will be planned in for early 2013/14. As part of our Vacancy Management / Recruitment procedures, line managers are asked to complete a process to assess whether a post is Welsh essential and this process went live in April 2011. The second part of the data collection and maintenance as part of the HR systems implementation project, there will be processes in place to establish which posts of the Council are categorised as Welsh Essential, this would then be defined as a 'Post attribute' in addition to collecting information on which posts are politically restricted, CRB etc. The form is being revamped and a revised copy will be made available which will be easier to complete and will strengthen the process. Responsibility for the completion of these forms lies with the relevant Head of Department in consultation with HR and service managers. All new posts must first be approved by the Senior Leadership Team prior to 10

5.4

6. 6.1

6.2

6.3

6.4

6.5

being advertised. Scrutiny of the forms will be undertaken throughout the process. Once the forms have been updated and approved HR will be organising training for those managers who will be using the form to ensure they are properly completed and to ensure consistency across the Council. 6.6 As part of the new system and maintenance of data accuracy, processes will be developed to ensure maintenance of the data and action plans developed to support the information and identify performance indicators. The Council is required to report annually to the WLB on the number and % of Welsh speakers in the Council and further details are available in section 8.2. As stated in section 2.10 the number of Welsh speakers has increased to 4.69% however, this continues to be short of the 14% of the local population who state that they are fluent Welsh speakers as per the 2001 census and the 6% target set in 2010/11. Analysing of performance by priority and target. The Council measures the implementation of the scheme against targets Publishing Information on Performance The Council's Welsh Language Scheme has a number of specific Performance Targets. The Council is required to monitor the implementation of the scheme and for publishing information on how it performs against these targets. The task of gathering this information lies with the Officer Working Group. The performance targets are: (a) Procurement Number and % of the sample of third parties monitored that conform to the requirements of the Welsh Language Scheme (i) in care service Care Homes Of the 38 Independent Care Homes currently contracted to Adult Social Care 50% (19) were monitored for compliance and again this year 95% were compliant. The one which was not compliant did not have a Welsh language policy or any Welsh speaking staff. No mention was made of bilingual material or translation upon request. Domiciliary Care Agencies Of the 26 Domiciliary Care Agencies currently contracted to Adult Social Care 50% were monitored for compliance and it was shown that 100% are compliant.

6.7

7. 7.1

8. 8.1

8.2

11

Third Sector Organisations Of the 24 Third Sector Organisations currently contracted to Adult Social Care 50% were monitored for compliance and there was a 100% compliance rate. (ii) in youth and leisure services Out of 9 contracts sampled 100% compiled with the requirements of the scheme. (iii) in pre-school provision Out of 24 contracts sampled in pre-school provision there was 100% compliance. (b) Frontline Service Number and % of main receptions, call centres or one stop shop posts that have been denoted as Welsh essential and have been filled by staff who are bilingual. Performance During 2011/12 the Council did not recruit for any post in this category as being Welsh essential. However, two Welsh essential posts were advertised in the year one for an Assistant Project Officer to work on the National Eisteddfod [6 month contract] and a permanent post for an HR Officer to work with the Councils schools. (d) Human Resources Skills (i) the number and % of staff who have received training in Welsh to a specific qualification

Performance In total 53 members of staff [1.4% of the total non-teaching workforce] attended Welsh language training. With regard to learning Welsh as a second language, 41 members of staff were trained. The Council also undertook Welsh language Refresher Training and a total of 12 staff were trained. (ii) the number and % of staff who have received language awareness training.

Performance Only 15 members (0.4% of the non-teaching workforce) of staff received Welsh language Awareness Training. This figure falls short of the target figure of 3%. During 2011/12 there were insufficient funds to provide this training and it is disappointing that the figure was not higher. However, the Council is eager to purse this training and during 12

2012/13 the Welsh Language Awareness Training will be provided as part of the e-learning Welsh Language Training Module see section 4.1.7 for further information. (e) Human Resources Equality and diversity The number and % of staff within the Councils services who are able to speak Welsh (excluding school teachers and school based staff). Performance The information is attached as Appendix 2. Out of a total workforce (excluding teachers) of 3859, 181 members of staff speak Welsh which represents 4.69% of the workforce. (f) The standard of Welsh language services Number of complaints received in relation to the operation of the Language Scheme and the % dealt with in accordance with the Councils corporate standards. Performance The Council received 14 complaints about its Welsh Language Scheme in 2011/12, the most it has ever had. Of these 11 were resolved satisfactorily which equates to 78%.

9.

TARGETS FOR 2011/12 Aim Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council
Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council

1.

Target Conduct an audit of the bilingual skills of existing staff

By When March 2012

Status Not achieved see section 6.3. 6.6 for further information
Not achieved see section 6.3. 6.6 for further information

2.

Record the audit finding on the Councils Personnel system

March 2012

3.

Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council

Conduct and maintain an audit of the linguistic skill requirement of all workplaces and posts on the criteria established in audit to identify any deficit

March 2012

4.

Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision

Externalise the Councils Welsh language translation

March 2012

Not achieved see section 6.3. 6.6 for further information Not completed target for 2012/13

13

5.

Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council

90% of all Welsh language e-mails receive a response in Welsh within the agreed timescales. Update list of Welsh speakers Increase number of Welsh speakers in the Authority to 6%

6.

Report results in 2011/12 Monitoring Report January 2012 March 2012

Completed - see Appendix 1

yes

7.

8.

Undertaken Mystery shopper exercise on one aspect of service delivery [e-mails] Identified front line staff undertake basic Welsh Language training

9.

Report results in 2011/12 Monitoring Report Report results in 2011/12 Monitoring Report February 2012

See section 2.10 for further information Completed

10. Ensure
compliance with the Welsh Language Scheme

Baseline assessment to monitor Scheme compliance with regard to the awarding of grants, loans and sponsorship Undertake Mystery Shopper exercise [phone calls to Council services]

11

Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision

Report results in 2011/12 Monitoring Report

Not completed action carried over to 2012/13 Not completed action carried over to 2012/13 Yes see section 3.1.2

10. Aim 1

TARGETS FOR 2012/13 Target Undertake Mystery Shopper exercise [emails to published addresses] Undertake Mystery Shopper of public buildings Basic Welsh Language Training for identified front line 14 By When March 2013 By Who SWJ

Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision Increase the number of Welsh

March 2013

SWJ

December 2012

SWJ/Customer Access Manager/HR/Training

speakers in the Council Increase the number of Welsh speakers in the Council Satisfaction with Welsh language service provision Ensure compliance with the Welsh Language Scheme Ensure compliance with the Welsh Language Scheme

staff. Further develop the on-line training Welsh Language module to encompass Welsh Language Awareness Training. Externalisation of Translation Unit October 2012 SWJ/Training Manager

March 2013

SWJ

Increase the number of Welsh speakers on the Peoples Voice panel Amend the baseline assessment to include a question relating to the awarding of grants, loans and sponsorship.

September SWJ/Policy and 2012 Improvement unit

February 2013

SWJ/Departmental co-ordinators

15