SCoSS Charter Sub-Committee Meeting
Date: 8 April 2025
Time: 14:30
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Minutes
Present—
- Dr Mark Simpson (Chair)
- Dr Marilyn Howard (Member)
- Ed Pybus (Member)
Apologies: None
In attendance (SCoSS Secretariat)—
- Andrew Strong, Head of Policy and Scrutiny
- Christopher Galloway, Analysis and Participation Support Officer
- Lisa Kinnear, Governance and Engagement Officer
1. Welcome and declaration of interests
The Chair, Mark Simpson, welcomed the attendees to the eleventh meeting of the Charter Sub-Committee.
There were no apologies and no interests were declared.
2. Matters arising from previous meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting were noted, with no relevant matters arising.
3. Report on experiences of people with communication needs – promotion and reflection
Andrew provided an update on promotion of the final report, noting that a press release had been picked up by BBC Scotland. The Chair also completed an interview for BBC Scotland, with an article on the report published.
It was advised that a webinar has been scheduled for May to present the report’s findings, and that efforts are underway to appear on relevant stakeholder podcasts to broaden dissemination of the report’s findings. The webinar is set for 12 May with discussion around the structure of the session.
Action: Secretariat to draft presentation and share with the Board. A first draft will be based on content from the newsletter, with further discussion at the next meeting.
There was also discussion around the newsletter specific to the report, with agreement that it was an effective method for communicating with stakeholders. Members considered whether newsletter publications should be added to the website in future.
Marilyn suggested holding a meeting with the Scottish Human Rights Commission, in addition to inviting them to the webinar. It was noted that a separate meeting might be worthwhile as they may have different perspectives compared to other stakeholders. It was suggested writing to them directly and arranging a meeting.
Members and the Secretariat reflected on the process so far, highlighting the need to review how future topics are selected and how reports are developed. It was noted that the time taken from research to publication was considerable, and there was agreement to consider improvements in the approach for future work.
4. Future Charter research
The Board discussed potential processes for developing future reports. Ed provided an overview and made initial suggestions on how to prioritise future charter-related research work.
Marilyn proposed undertaking strategic thinking around the content of the recently-revised version of the Charter, including how this aligns with the organisation’s statutory duties, such as meeting the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
5. Appointment of the Chair
Members discussed the rolling chairing arrangements and considered options for the future. Marilyn was appointed as Chair of the Sub-Committee for the next six months.
6. Any other business
There was no other business to discuss. The next meeting of the Sub-Committee was scheduled for Tuesday 6 May.
Meeting closed at 12:07
Date of next meeting: 6 May 2025 (13:30 – 15:00)