31 March 2008
The Court Service (otherwise known as the Judicial Greffe and Viscount’s Department) has recently been recognised as an Investor in People organisation for a further three years. The Departments achieved initial recognition in 2004 as separate entities but, as part of the programme to provide greater integration of the Departments, the organisation as a whole underwent an independent review last year.
Viewing the Investors in People standard as a vehicle for development, the Court Service was determined to demonstrate continuous improvement in managing the workforce over a period of years. Director of Services James Lambert said: “It was gratifying to find that this was borne out by the Assessor’s report, which stated that there were palpable signs of a very categorical development journey from the first assessment to the review.” Other key areas of strength picked out by the Assessor included business planning, team focus, making the most of development opportunities, empowerment, and establishing links between development activities undertaken and achievement of key performance measures.
James Lambert continued: “Our team is rather disparate, with sections of the organisation reflecting each division of the court, and based on three sites. In the past it has been a challenge to get people to work across the organisation, but maintaining Investors in People has helped to bring staff and issues together. The Assessor also noted that there is a passionate commitment from senior management in supporting the learning and development needs of staff. This has had a positive impact on the staff and, without such dedication from all quarters, we could not have continued to meet the standard.”