Welsh language standards annual compliance report 2023/24

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Joint Welsh Language Strategy 2021-25
  3. Compliance with the Welsh Language Standards
  4. Compliance with Service Delivery Standards
  5. Compliance with Policy Making Standards
  6. Compliance with Operational Standards
  7. Challenges
  8. Contact us
  9. Appendix: Welsh Police Forces Agreed Level of Welsh Definitions


Introduction

This Annual Compliance Report focuses on the reporting requirements contained within the Welsh language standards applied to the Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as providing information on how we have worked towards the key pledges contained within the joint Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and Gwent Police Welsh Language Strategy 2021-2025.

The Police and Crime Commissioner (the Commissioner) is fully committed to ensuring that members of the public can access the services we provide on a day-to-day basis through the medium of Welsh. As a policing service, we continue to work to incorporate the use of the Welsh language within our daily business within the workplace and with our communities.

Increasing our capability to provide bilingual services to the citizens of Gwent remains a priority. We will continue to work with Gwent Police and other partners to identify improved and innovative practices to support us in achieving the aims set out in the Strategy and compliance with our respective standards.
Please get in touch if you have any comments or suggestions on how we can continue to improve the way we provide our services bilingually.

Joint Welsh Language Strategy 2021-25

The Welsh Language Strategy 2021-25 contains three key pledges:

  1. Engage effectively with Welsh speakers and learners in order to shape the service we provide.
    During 2023/24, the OPCC continued to focus on engagement with our Welsh speaking communities. Between October 2023 and January 2024, we ran a public survey and consultation process regarding the proposals for the council tax precept and to inform the equality, diversity, and inclusion priorities for policing in Gwent.

    Engagement was conducted through a series of face-to-face events across all council areas, complemented by a bilingual online survey. A link to the Welsh language version was proactively promoted through the Welsh Language networks in Gwent and on our social media pages.
    In total, we received 1,663 responses to the survey though both face-to-face and online engagement, with eight people choosing to provide their feedback in Welsh - an increase on the previous year’s engagement.

    We have also continued to provide the Welsh language version of our ebulletin to our subscribers and maintained our Welsh language social media presence (see section 4 for more information).

  2. Increase the number of Welsh speakers and learners that we employ across both organisations (see section 3.4).

  3. Collect data that we can use to improve the quality of our Welsh language services.

    Examples of the data we collect include information relating to public engagement through the medium of Welsh, complaints relating to how we deliver our Welsh language services (public and internal), staff requests for Welsh language documentation relating to their employment, and organisational Welsh language skills. This information is captured within this report.

To enable closer working relationships and maximise efficiencies, Gwent Police and the OPCC have continued to benefit from a shared Welsh Language Translator, who sits within Gwent Police. In addition, during the year, we participated in Gwent and South Wales Police’s joint recruitment of a Strategic Welsh Language Policy Manager. While primarily a force resource, additional support is provided to the OPCC in maintaining and improving our provision of Welsh language services.

Compliance with the Welsh Language Standards

The following sections provide information regarding specific Welsh language standards the Commissioner is required to report against. In doing so, we are demonstrating how the OPCC is complying with those standards on the Commissioner’s behalf.

Complaints relating to Welsh Language Services
During the reporting period, the OPCC did not receive any complaints regarding the provision of our Welsh language services, as set out by the Welsh language standards. This is consistent with the previous reporting period.

As part of our continuous engagement with our communities, we encourage members of the public to tell us if they think that we are not meeting our Welsh language standards obligations. This helps us to continue to make improvements in service delivery and to communicate effectively with our communities. Contact can be made by telephone or e-mail, face-to-face at public events or meetings, through our website, or by social media. Further details are provided at the end of this document.

Our procedure for complaints relating to our compliance with the Welsh language standards is published on our website along with the accompanying Equality Impact Assessment, which is also available in Welsh.

Posts Advertised in 2023/24
The OPCC advertised five vacancies during the reporting period. All OPCC posts require Welsh desirable as a minimum. This is also a requirement for the Chief Constable recruitment process, for which we have responsibility.

Recruitment processes consider use of positive action and targeted advertising to attract Welsh speaking applicants. Our Communications and Engagement Team works with the joint Strategic Welsh Language Policy Manager to maximise opportunities to target our engagement towards our Welsh speaking communities and raise awareness of vacancies as they occur.

Training
Gwent Police and the OPCC provide Welsh Language Awareness and Level 1 Skills training to all employees as a mandatory course.

All current staff have undertaken the mandatory training session. Welsh Language Awareness and Level 1 Skills training are incorporated into the induction training programme for all new staff. Refresher training for all officers and staff is being developed for 2024/25.

Opportunities are available for employees to enrol on internal Welsh for Adults courses that are provided by Coleg Gwent. Employees attend during work time wherever possible. During the reporting period, there were no learners within OPCC staff.

We will continue to support and encourage staff who wish to enrol on Welsh courses appropriate to their existing skill-level, and to participate in Gwent Police’s Welsh Speakers and Learners Network.

Employees’ Welsh Language Skills
The following chart shows the level of Welsh language skills within the OPCC as recorded for the reporting year:

  • 19 members of staff have Level 1 Welsh language skills;
  • 1 member of staff has Level 2 Welsh language skills;
  • 1 member of staff has Level 4 Welsh language skills.

We are pleased to have maintained the basic level of Welsh skills available across the organisation and will continue to encourage and support staff to develop their capabilities and confidence to use Welsh.

We will also work with the Strategic Welsh Language Manager to identify additional opportunities to provide Welsh language development for staff outside of the formal learning environment.

Monitoring and Overseeing Compliance with the Standards
The Chief Executive has responsibility for monitoring and overseeing compliance with the Commissioner’s Welsh language standards. Internal scrutiny is undertaken at the OPCC’s Strategic Management Board to enable the Commissioner to retain oversight of compliance and address any issues.

The OPCC maintains a risk-based Welsh Language Action Plan and undertakes annual audits to review compliance with the applicable standards. We continue to recognise challenges in our capability to provide a truly bilingual telephone service. Support is provided by Gwent Police to enable us to respond to any calls made in Welsh. We will continue to work to identify suitable and sustainable solutions for our service delivery in this regard.

The Commissioner also has a duty to monitor and scrutinise Gwent Police’s compliance with the Welsh language standards imposed on the Chief Constable. OPCC staff participate in Gwent Police’s Welsh Language Meeting and the People Strategy Board to support the Commissioner in undertaking this duty.
The Commissioner’s public-facing Strategy and Performance Board receives Gwent Police’s Welsh Language Standards Annual Compliance Reports. These are published on our website as part of our governance arrangements. The Gwent Police and Crime Panel receives the OPCC’s report to provide assurance of our compliance with the Welsh Language Standards, which is also published on our website.

Compliance with Service Delivery Standards

The following section contains information regarding our compliance with the Service Delivery Standards the Commissioner is required to report against. During the year, we have complied with each of the requirements as highlighted in this section.

Communications with the public
Guidance for all staff has been published on Gwent Police’s intranet “The Beat / Y Bît”, which OPCC staff also have access to. This guidance clearly and simply explains the requirements of the Service Delivery Standards for both organisations.

Website and social media
Our website provides an introductory splash page to encourage and allow Welsh speakers to select their language of choice before accessing other website pages. We have also improved our Welsh medium social media presence across our accounts to provide better engagement with our communities.

Since June 2020 the OPCC has maintained a separate Welsh language Facebook account to ensure that followers can see published content in the language of their choice. We have continued to promote our Welsh language social media presence and saw a consistent number of followers compared to last year.

Our weekly e-bulletin is available in Welsh or English, depending on the subscriber’s language preference. During the year we have maintained the number of subscribers here also.

We continue to promote the e-bulletin to all our communities as an easy way to keep updated on our work – further information is available on our website.

While this is positive, the number of followers and subscribers remains low, and we further explore ways to grow our reach during 2024/25.

Grants
All information published relating to funding opportunities is provided in Welsh and English. Where an application is received in Welsh, we will correspond with the applicant in Welsh and provide a translation service at any supporting meetings.

During the reporting year, we did not receive any funding applications in Welsh. In line with the Welsh Language Strategy, we will continue to review our promotion of funding opportunities to raise awareness that we welcome applications in Welsh.

Procurement
No requests for tenders or contracts have been issued in Welsh, and none have been received in Welsh during this reporting period.

For relevant contracts (where the subject matter of the contract suggests it should be in Welsh) tender documents will be published in Welsh. The tender document states that “The Commissioner welcomes tender responses in Welsh” and the Welsh Language Checklist has been embedded within the tender process to ensure due consideration is given to the Welsh language at all stages.

Access to professional translation services ensures the content of Welsh language submissions is accurately reflected, and the evaluation process will run parallel to the evaluation of submissions in English (if relevant). The same closing date will apply for submissions in Welsh and English and simultaneous translation services will be offered and arranged for relevant contracts should an organisation wish to complete an interview in Welsh.

All tenders are advertised in Welsh and English.

Compliance with Policy Making Standards

We have met our Policy Making Standards by using the current Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) process to identify and address any impacts on the Welsh language. EIAs are a compulsory part of our policy-making procedure, guiding policy writers and decision makers in considering adverse or positive impact on people that share protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

Although Welsh language is not a protected characteristic under Section 4 of the Equality Act 2010, our current EIA template includes a number of specific questions so that any impact on our treatment of the Welsh language in relation to English, or opportunities for people to use the Welsh language, are identified. All new policies, and reviews of existing policies are subject to an EIA and support from the Welsh language policy lead and Strategic Welsh Language Policy Manager is available to any colleague completing an EIA.
While the standards do not specifically require us to undertake assessment in this way, using our EIA process provides us with an efficient and comprehensive approach to assessing the impact of our activities in respect of the Welsh language.

We have published a policy on awarding grants that sets out how we will consider the Welsh language in our funding decisions. This is available on our website.

Compliance with Operational Standards

The following section contains information regarding our compliance with the Operational Standards the Commissioner is required to report against. During the year, we have complied with each of the requirements as highlighted in this section.

Staff support
Comprehensive Welsh Language Standards guidance for staff is published on the Gwent Police intranet ‘The Beat / Y Bît’ on the ‘Welsh Language’ page, which our staff also has access to. The page also includes support and resources for staff wishing to practice their Welsh language skills or consider Welsh medium education for their children.

Welsh templates for out of office responses and personal signatures are provided, alongside virtual badges that colleagues can add to their emails indicating that they are either learning Welsh or are a Welsh speaker. All known Welsh speakers and learners within the organisation have been issued with an appropriate badge or lanyard to wear.

Welsh language posts
All vacancies state ‘Welsh desirable’ as standard unless a post is assessed as ‘Welsh essential’ or requiring skills to be acquired by the successful candidate. The process to assess changes to language requirements will be supported by the Recruitment Team in Gwent Police’s People Services Department.

Externally, posts are advertised in Welsh as well as English, and Welsh versions of information relating to that post, as well as application forms are published. All applications for new posts require candidates to indicate their level of Welsh ability, and, whether they would like to complete the recruitment process in Welsh.

Signage
All new or replacement signage is displayed bilingually across the police estate with the Welsh positioned so that it is likely to be read first.

Training courses provided in Welsh
OPCC staff have not made any requests to receive training through the medium of Welsh during the reporting period.

Challenges 

The Police and Crime Commissioner does not have any challenges lodged with the Welsh Language Commissioner, albeit we will continue to focus on any areas of partial or non-compliance identified either by ourselves, or by the Welsh Language Commissioner’s Office in their reviews.

We will continue to engage with the Welsh Language Commissioner’s Office regarding any identified good practice or emerging challenges as we continue to improve and enhance the delivery of a bilingual service to the citizens of Gwent.

Contact us

For further information on how we comply with Welsh Language Standards, or to provide feedback on how we can engage more effectively with Welsh speakers and learners in our communities, please contact:

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner
Gwent Police Headquarters
Llantarnam Park Way
Cwmbrân
Croesyceiliog
Cwmbran.
NP44 3FW

E-mail: Commissioner@gwent.police.uk
Phone: 01633 642200
X: @gwentpcc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gwentpcc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwentpcc/
We welcome correspondence in Welsh and English - we will respond equally to both and will reply in your language of choice without delay.

Appendix: Welsh Police Forces Agreed Level of Welsh Definitions

Welsh police forces agreed level of Welsh definitions (verbal skills only):

Level 1
Can say place names, personal names, can use greetings appropriately in person or on the telephone, can open and close meetings bilingually.

Level 2
Can understand a basic conversation and can convey simple information, can respond to simple requests, can understand requests for assistance, can use Welsh to transfer telephone calls, can introduce oneself and others.

Level 3
Can take and pass on messages likely to require attention during a working day, can converse partly in Welsh but turns to English in discussion and to give detailed information, can describe people and locations, can respond to general enquiries over the telephone and face to face, can take details or make a note from a Welsh conversation.

Level 4
Can contribute effectively in meetings within own area of work, can argue a case for or against an idea, can converse in Welsh in most situations but turns to English when using policing or technical terminology, can deal with enquiries effectively, can understand dialect differences, can chair a meeting and respond to questions in Welsh, can describe a situation or event in Welsh.

Level 5
Can interview applicants for Welsh speaking posts and assess their suitability, can deal effectively with complex enquiries or confrontations in Welsh, can interview and question in Welsh in the course of an investigation, can deal with complex or sensitive enquiries, complaints and hostile questions to the extent of their specialist knowledge, can deliver presentations in Welsh.