Summary of recommendations and BHCC responses to the independent Senior Recruitment Review

Section reference	Recommendation	Current work	Next steps
7.1	Notes that recommendations are intended as the lessons learnt review outcomes, as stated in the terms of reference.	Continued focus on improvement to senior recruitment and progression practice
7.2	Notes the evident commitment of the council to working collaboratively with the BMEWF	Continued open dialogue with our staff networks
7.3	Be mindful that although hiring managers acknowledge the Fair & Inclusive Action Plan and say they want to increase diversity, unconscious bias remains a risk that must be recognised.	Unconscious bias covered in recruitment and selection eLearning and in bitesize interview training.  Diverse recruitment panels provide opportunity (to be open) to challenge bias	Further work to ensure mandatory training for everyone on interview panels, with compliance monitoring and reporting and managers unable to recruit if they haven’t completed the training. Hiring managers to complete bitesize training, and seek advice at inclusive recruitment surgeries, not just mandatory eLearning. Increase use of diverse recruitment panels.
7.4	Be mindful of virtue-signalling and giving false impressions to BME candidates.  Must back up words with action that is visible in practice	New leadership behaviours	Embed new leadership behaviours across directorates, particularly emotional intelligence
7.5-7.7	Participate in initiatives such as Race Equality Week that enables the council to demonstrate its actions.  Commitment is not measured by words; it is measured by outcomes and actions.	HR Consultant is attending a briefing in Sept 2023 for Race Equality Week 2024 event.  Participate in other initiatives such as Black History Month.  Locally attend jobs fairs and work with Trust for Developing Communities at community events.  Engaged with NHS Sussex in their anti-racism work. HASC and FCL involved in Workforce Race Equality Standard work with DHSC	Consider with stakeholders participating in the next Race Equality Week, and whether it is suited to any specific service areas.
7.8	Engage in work of Race Equality Matters as soon as possible – there are many opportunities to learn and free resources available.	Lead Consultant attending Sept 2023 leadership event.  We also engage re: Race Equality Matters jobs board	HR Consultant to monitor and signpost to relevant content and other future events as appropriate
7.9	Reconsider how to ensure adherence to guidance, policy and procedures as it is inconsistent.  Cautions against reliance on a ‘hands-off’ approach.	Current offer is largely self-serve: - Toolkit (being rationalised) - Recruitment and selection eLearning - TribePad guidance (being rationalised) In person support: - Bitesize recruitment training sessions Bespoke support: - Recruitment Consultant, Diverse Talent - Inclusive recruitment surgeries - For M8 and above: HRBP advice	Developing our future recruitment strategy and considering how we use resource in the new recruitment team structure to maximise capacity. HRBPs to ensure advice and support is consistent for senior recruitment exercises.
7.10	Consider additional guidance re: interview pack design, job descriptions and library of values-based interview questions	Recruitment pack templates are used but not consistently. Guidance for job descriptions is available on the Wave. We use competency-based interviewing, not values-based.  Current advice to hiring managers is to frame shortlisting and interviewing questions so that they are competency-based but also draw out ‘how’ the candidate completes tasks.	Consider these three recommendations as part of our developing recruitment strategy
7.11	Consider implementing a values-based approach to recruitment using the Behavioural Framework.  Sharing the behaviour framework on the website is not enough.	Behaviour framework is available on the website to inform potential applicants’ understanding of our culture (values and behaviours).	Consider values-based recruitment when developing recruitment strategy.
7.12	Use our website to better highlight changes in our local diverse communities; add content from senior leaders about opportunities here, with staff networks about our fair and inclusive / anti-racist aims and pledges from white allies.	Ongoing work with the Communications team to update our website with limited resource.  Includes a ‘Hear from our staff’ and ‘Employee networks’ pages. NB Our recruitment data does not evidence that attracting diverse applicants is an issue for the council.	Use new social media resource in Recruitment Team (Bibi) and link with Comms team responsible for equalities communications (currently Elissa, Simona) to ensure a coherent approach and to develop a marketing strategy incorporating these best practice examples
7.13	Review our website and spotlight Brighton & Hove as a place to live, work and visit, using example from Dorset Council and others.	Advice is to include this type of information in the job advert as relevant to specific role	Develop website as part of comms and attraction strategy
7.14	Highlight Race at Work charter	It is referenced on the website	Add more detail about the charter and the impact of work we have done to date.  Make link more prominent from recruitment pages and add more detail about the charter.

Priority key

Short term

Medium term

Longer term