Wakefield Registration & Celebratory Services Service Delivery Plan 2019/2020 - Gillian Marshall
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Wakefield Registration & Celebratory
Services
Service Delivery Plan
2019/2020
Gillian Marshall Proper Officer for Registration
Vicky Stead Registration Services Manager
Ashleigh Wilford Superintendent RegistrarContents
1. Introduction and background 2
2. Current Service Provision 3
3. Customer Engagement Strategy 6
4. Partnership working 7
5. Performance Management & Service Standards 8
6. Staff Training & Development 9
7. Business Continuity Arrangements 10
8. Achievement against 2018/2019 Key Priorities and Service Deliverables 11
9. Key Priorities and Service Deliverables for 2019/2020 11
11. Introduction and Background
1. This plan describes how the local Registration Service (Wakefield Registration &
Celebratory Services) is structured, managed and delivered. It outlines the range
of functions provided and how and where these services can be accessed. It
includes the key service priorities and service deliverables achieved in 2018/2019
and those set for 2019/2020.
1.1 Wakefield Registration & Celebratory Services are delivered by Wakefield
Council.
The Registration Service Act 1953 confers upon the Local Authority obligations
and powers in regard to the registration of births, deaths and marriages. The
current local Registration Service ‘Scheme’ came into effect on 1st December
2008 when the single districts of Wakefield and Pontefract were unified.
Wakefield Registration District extends to the geographical boundaries of
Wakefield Council. The scheme underwent a change on 4th April 2017 to abolish
sub-districts ‘G’ and ‘H’. The scheme underwent a further change on 17th April
2018 to abolish sub-districts B, C, D, E and F at which time a ‘Single Stock’
model was introduced.
1.2 The Wakefield district covers some 350 square kilometres and forms one of five
districts which make up West Yorkshire. The main centres of population are
Wakefield city; the five towns of the north east (Pontefract, Castleford,
Knottingley, Normanton and Featherstone); Ossett and Horbury in the west;
Hemsworth, South Elmsall and South Kirkby in the south-east. There are also
scattered villages in the open countryside. The size of the resident population is
estimated to be in the region of 340,790, making the District the 21st largest local
authority in England and Wales.
1.3 The service sits within Legal & Governance which forms part of the Corporate
Services directorate for Wakefield Council. The Proper Officer for Registration is
Gillian Marshall, Chief legal Officer.
1.4 The service works closely with the General Register Office, Yorkshire &
Humberside Registration Panel, the regional Good Practice & Benchmarking
Group and HM Passport Office.
1.5 The Council’s core values underpin our way of working:
Caring
Ambitious
Integrity
Respect
22. Current Service Provision
2.1 Location / Service Delivery Points
The Register Office and administrative centre is located in Wakefield Town Hall,
Wood Street, Wakefield. The repository holds the historic records for the
Wakefield district according to the geographic boundaries which were in place
prior to unification with Pontefract in 2008. Since unification, records for the
events registered within the sub-districts A, and the formers sub-districts B, C, E
and H (H abolished 03.04.2017, B, C, E abolished 17.04.18) are deposited at
Wakefield.
A second service delivery point is located on the eastern side of the district in
Pontefract. There is an additional repository at Pontefract Registration Office
which historically housed the records for the single Pontefract district before the 2
districts were unified in 2008. By permission of the Registrar General the historic
records are still held there and, since unification, records for the events registered
within the former sub-districts D, F and G (G abolished 03.04.2017, D and F
abolished 17th April 2018) are also deposited.
The full range of registration services are available at both offices.
Both service delivery points are centrally located and are close to public car parks
and public transport.
The Register Office Pontefract Registration Office
Wakefield Town Hall Town Hall
Wood Street Bridge Street
Wakefield Pontefract
WF1 2HQ WF8 1PG
Tel: 03454852888
wakefieldregistrars@wakefield.gov.uk
www.wakefield.gov.uk
2.1.1 Pinderfields Hospital:
Death registrations are delivered at the Bereavement Suite at Pinderfields
Hospital, Aberford Road, Wakefield. The bereavement services team book death
registration appointments for recently bereaved families who arrive to collect the
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The service is very pleased to be able to
extend this facility, in partnership with the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, on behalf of
our customers.
2.2 Opening hours
The opening hours for both service delivery points are:
Monday to Friday 9:00 to 16:30 and Saturday 9:00 to 12:30
3The opening hours at Pinderfields Hospital are:
Monday and Tuesday 09:30 to 16:30, Wednesday to Friday 9:20 to 13:30
The office closes for 3 hours every 6 weeks for training and development
sessions followed by a team meeting; the dates and times are publicised to
customers in advance.
Registration of events is via an appointment system however we always try to
accommodate customers who arrive to register a death without an appointment.
No appointment is required for replacement certificate requests.
2.3 Out of Hours service
An Emergency ‘Out of Hours’ Service is in place for urgent burial requests or for
a death registration to facilitate a request for an Out of England order (subject to
Coroner availability).
A 24/7 stand-by service is available for Marriages & Civil Partnerships by
Registrar General’s Licence.
An ‘Outside of Business Hours’ service is in place to provide support to the
Celebratory Services team and to allow the Responsible Person at Approved
Venues to alert any urgent situations to a senior officer.
Customers and stakeholders who contact us to access these services outside of
business hours are directed to the Council’s Contact Centre number 0345 8506
506. Contact Centre staff hold details of the on-call officers’ telephone numbers.
Information about our emergency services is published in our Bereavement
Guide, in customer waiting areas and on the registrars’ pages of the Council’s
website. An information leaflet is available to members of the Muslim community
and is distributed by the leaders of the local mosques; however, the emergency
provision is not restricted to this cultural group.
2.4 Core Services
Statutory functions:
Registration of births, deaths, still-births, marriages
Attestation of notices of marriage and civil partnerships
Conducting of marriage ceremonies
Provision of public and private citizenship ceremonies
Provision of replacement certificates
Safe custody of historic records
Conversion of Civil Partnership into Marriage
The local authority function for the provision of Civil Partnerships is also
delivered by the service on behalf of the Council.
The service also delivers:
Approval of Premises for Marriages & Civil Partnerships
4 Tell Us Once (deaths capture only)
Naming Ceremonies
Renewal of Vows
Celebrate…Your Way
2.5 The team structure
1 Registration Service Manager
1 Superintendent Registrar (statutory post)
3 Senior Registration Officers (of which 1 is the statutory Registrar for sub-
district ‘A’)
6 Registration Officers
6 Deputy Registration Officers
2 Registration Assistants
1 Ceremonies Co-ordinator
Up to 34 Ceremony Officers (Deputy Registrars/DSRs)
1 level 2/3 apprentice
5 (relief) Clerical Assistants
1 (relief) Ceremonies Support Assistant
6 Ceremony Hosts
The Registration Services Manager has strategic responsibility for the district and
also acts as the Proper Officer’s Representative. This role is line managed by
the Legal Services Manager. The RSM has responsibility for overseeing the
delivery of all Celebratory Services including the Marriages & Civil Partnerships
programme, Citizenship Ceremonies, Civil Partnership Conversion into Marriage
and the range of discretionary ceremony services. The RSM also oversees the
Approval of Premises for Marriages & Civil Partnerships and line manages the
Senior Registration Officers.
The Superintendent Registrar works with the Senior Registration Officers to
oversee the 3 service delivery points and has responsibility for overseeing the
smooth delivery of the statutory services and the day to day management of the
respective teams.
The Registration Officers and Deputy Registration Officers are all multi-skilled
and deliver the full range of statutory, discretionary and administrative duties
ensuring a flexible approach to meet customer requirements and service
demands.
53. Customer Engagement Strategy
3.1 In line with the GRO KPT and PPCF framework the service has a documented
Customer Engagement Strategy. The CES seeks to enable customers to
influence key policies, strategies and services standards and enables customers
to feedback on their experiences in order to influence and change service
delivery where appropriate.
3.2 Customer Satisfaction / Feedback
The service is committed to improving service delivery, increasing customer
satisfaction and ensuring that the service reflects the needs of its customers. In
order to do this we continually seek the views and experiences of all those who
have some connection with the service including staff, partners and co-providers,
customers and the general public.
Customers have the opportunity to feedback their comments and suggestions to
us and to rate the service they have received by completing one of our ‘How Are
We Doing?’ forms which include questions about service user satisfaction and
service accessibility. These are available in reception areas and also on the
registrars’ pages of the Council’s website.
3.3 Annual Survey
A customer survey is undertaken each year over a period of one month. All
service users are asked to complete a copy of the ‘How Are we Doing?’ forms.
Survey results are published in customer waiting areas and also on the registrars’
pages of the Council’s website.
3.4 Complaints
The service adheres to the Council’s Corporate Customer Complaints procedure.
3.5 Improving Customer Experience
Following the introduction of an electronic diary and ceremony management
system, we have further improved the customer experience by the provision of
self-service on-line appointment booking for births and deaths. This will shortly
be extended to still-birth registrations and will eventually be extended to
ceremonies and notices. Care has been taken when planning and designing the
on-line pages, to ensure that customers are only directed to an appointment
choice if they meet the appropriate criteria. On-line requests for certificate
applications are still in development stage with our external provider, having been
delayed due to changes required within the Council’s IT provision.
3.4 Informing our Customers
All services are now covered by our in-house publications which are reviewed
regularly. Leaflets and guides are available in hard copy or electronically via our
web pages.
6We work closely with partners and key stakeholders both internally and externally
to ensure customers receive correct information at the appropriate time to
support them on their journey through the service. Information is updated prior to
reprint to take into account any local or legislative changes.
Our Bereavement Guide is distributed by the local hospital, hospices and GP
Practices. We receive excellent feedback regarding the guide from partner
organisations.
We continue to liaise with local Maternity Services, Children’s Services, GP
Practice Managers and Community Midwives to ensure reprinted publications are
up to date.
4. Partnership Working
Our partnership working includes the following services and organisations:
4.1 External
General Register Office (GRO)
Approval holders at Approved Premises
Hospitals
Child Health
Maternity Services
Clinical Commissioning Group
General Practitioners / Practice Managers / Practice Midwives
Wakefield Hospice
Prince of Wales Hospice
Department for Work and Pensions (Tell Us Once)
Clergy and Authorised Persons
Funeral Directors
Home Office
4.2 Internal
Gillian Marshall, Proper Officer
Liz Ogden, Legal Services Manager
Her Majesty’s Coroner’s Service
Council services
Corporate Resources
4.3 Portfolio holder for Registration Services
Councillor Les Shaw is currently the portfolio holder for the registration service;
Councillor Michael Graham acts as deputy.
A regular brief is provided by the Registration Services Manager to Councillor
Shaw for inclusion in his public report to Council.
75. Performance Management and Service Standards
5.1 The local registration service ‘Scheme’ commits the local authority to comply with
the service delivery standards contained in the Registrar General’s Code of
Practice. Together the Scheme and the Code provide a formal governance
agreement with the Registrar General and local authority.
Wakefield Council is committed to delivering the local registration service in
accordance with the agreed local Scheme, the Code of Practice, the Good
Practice Guide and Seasonal Good Practice guide, as outlined in the Proper
Officer’s Guide to Registration Service Delivery. The LRS guidance for the
revised Key Performance Targets and Annual Assurance Statement
Requirements 2016/17 is considered against existing practice and when any new
initiatives are introduced.
The Council recognises and adopts the advice given to apply common standards
to those service areas to which the Code of Practice does not extend. This will
ensure a consistent level of customer service, delivered sensitively, economically
and efficiently to the satisfaction of its users.
5.2 The Council’s Priorities
We are supported by the Council’s priorities. The vision for the Wakefield District
is that people thrive, businesses succeed and visitors are welcome.
• Successful Businesses – growing a higher value economy and creating good
jobs
• Successful People – Reducing inequalities, growing skills levels, enabling a
good quality of life and supporting families
• Successful Places – creating a unique cultural offer and creating vibrant
communities that are better connected
• Successful Council – ambitious, enterprising, dedicated and efficient in
delivering excellent services
The service supports these priorities by employing the values of the Council and
the principles of the Wakefield Way when delivering services;
• We help people help themselves
• We are business minded and socially responsible
• We provide a positive customer experience
• We tackle poverty
• We keep people safe at times of vulnerability
• We are forward thinking
• We intervene early
• We have real impact
• We champion good growth
85.4 Service Delivery Planning
The Legal and Governance Service Delivery Plan captures how its services will
achieve Council and Key Directorate Priorities for 2019/2020.
The plan details the directorate priorities, the service outcomes it wants to
achieve and the objectives which must be delivered to ensure the desired
outcomes are achieved. Each service area provides detailed activity to ensure
successful delivery of the objectives.
The registration service key priorities and activities contribute to the Legal &
Governance Service Delivery Plan and are listed, along with other service
deliverables for 2019/2020, at page 11.
5.5 Performance Monitoring
The Council is committed to delivering the service in accordance with the Good
Practice Guide with achievement to National Standard as a minimum. All Key
Performance Indicators for both Statutory Standards and Operational Delivery
Standards within the guide are measured. Achievement is reported to GRO in the
Annual Performance Report.
The SR and Senior Registration Officers undertake a regular programme of
technical monitoring for all staff across all service areas. The GRO assessment
templates are used to ensure that standards of work meet the GRO statutory and
operational delivery requirements. This detailed assessment, along with any
issues identified at SR certification of entries, helps to highlight any areas for
improvement which are then monitored and used to inform refresher and future
training.
Achievement against KPI’s is published monthly in customer waiting areas and
on the registrars’ pages of the Council’s website. Quarterly performance against
the Legal & Governance Service Delivery Plan objectives is fed to the Corporate
Performance Clinic.
Quarterly spot checks are undertaken to monitor and ensure that accurate and
timely stock record entries are completed in line with the Council’s and GRO
audit requirements.
6. Staff Training and Development
6.1 Overview
The Proper Officer and the Registration Service management team understand
the fundamental requirement to provide high quality induction, training and
support for Registration Service staff.
Training and development will be provided to meet the needs of all personnel and
will be planned to respond to changes in legislation, changes in working practice
and introduction of new initiatives. Training will be organised in the most cost
efficient manner using the skills and experience of senior officers within the
9service, or via partnership arrangements with other registration service training
groups, wherever possible. The service utilises the Council and GRO e-learning
modules alongside other methods of training.
The service Training Plan sets out the aims and objectives for training and the
route to obtain training. It also references all the relevant documents, systems
and processes relating to the training and development programme. All training
planning takes into consideration the GRO National Competencies framework for
Registration Service staff.
Work will continue to develop, review and revise the training and development
programme, the model format for induction, the content of standard courses for
newly appointed officers and the range of other training and development
opportunities to meet the needs of staff and of the service.
6.2 Regional arrangements
The Service continues to support regional training group meetings.
6.3 National Qualification
The service is incorporating the Registrar General’s Nationally Accredited
Programme for Registration Officers within the service Training Plan.
Consideration may be given to include the National Qualification as a
requirement within some service Job Specifications should NAP training become
formally adopted within the district.
6.4 Public Protection and Counter Fraud
All staff are required to complete the service Annual Assurance Statement which
details and records our compliance against both GRO and the Wakefield
Council’s policies and procedures. We believe that although these policies and
procedures are well embedded there is a regular need to revisit the various
guidance documents to ensure our knowledge is kept up-to-date.
Staff discuss with their line managers the various elements included in this
document at 1:1s and appraisals. The checklist is completed on a rolling basis
throughout the year; all sections are completed before individual staff annual
appraisals. This document is regularly reviewed to ensure it remains current and
relevant, corporately and legislatively.
The PPCF strategy is considered against service delivery by the service
management team to ensure compliance of all requirements; PPCF is a standing
agenda item at monthly team meetings.
7. Business Continuity Arrangements
The service has in place a Business Continuity Arrangements plan for
2019/2020. The BCA plan is validated by the Service Director and the Council’s
Emergency Planning Manager and is reviewed annually. The plan provides a
strategic framework to enable delivery of critical functions in the event of
disruption to business.
108. Achievement against Key Priorities and Service Deliverables for 2018/2019
1. Respond to the changes in the revised (2018) Public Protection and Counter-
fraud Assurance Framework. Completed, continue to monitor and review
evidence to achieve objectives.
2. Manage the impact of any changes introduced as a result of the Death
Certification Reforms (subject to Department of Health timescales) engaging with
local Hospital Bereavement Office and Senior Coroner
3. Manage the impact of The Registration of Marriages Bill 2018 (subject to
parliamentary progress)
4. Electronic diary next phase; the introduction of on-line certificate ordering and
self-service ceremony booking. Testing of the payment function by finance and IT
underway in respect of online certificate ordering
5. Embed, monitor and review the changes to a single stock delivery model
introduced in April 2018. Complete
6. Embed, monitor and review the provision of death registrations, by appointment,
at Pinderfields Hospital introduced from May 2018. Consider extending the service to
full days once fully staffed
7. Liaise with Maternity Services with regard to the viability of birth registrations on-
site (consultation from January 2019). Not pursued due to staff turnover also not
considered priority due to successful achievement of KPT’s
8. Continue to record, monitor and analyse information associated with statutory Key
Performance Targets to improve achievement.
9. Key Priorities and Service Deliverables for 2019/2020
1. Successful introduction and implementation of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages
and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Act 2019;
• To extend civil partnership to opposite-sex couples and that these provisions
must be implemented no later than 31 December 2019.
• To introduce a schedule system for the registration of marriages moving from a
paper based system to registration in an electronic register which will facilitate the
updating of the marriage entry to include the names of both parents of the couple
instead of just fathers’ names as is currently the case.
2. Contribute to the successful introduction and implementation of the role of a local
Medical Examiner
3. Develop the Registration Service’s digital services to enable customers to help
themselves
114. Develop the Registration Service’s Modernisation Agenda to raise income, reduce
costs and streamline working practices whilst delivering a positive customer
experience
5. Consider the use of the Old Court Room, Wakefield Town Hall for ceremonies on
Saturdays
6. Continue to record, monitor and analyse information associated with statutory Key
Performance Targets to improve achievement.
7. Continue to monitor and review evidence to achieve objectives outlined in the
Public Protection and Counter-fraud Assurance Framework.
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