The Home Secretary and Home Office Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft have today welcomed the publication of Wendy Williams' assessment of their department's progress in responding to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review.
Wendy Williams, an inspector at Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), was invited by the Home Secretary to return to the department to examine its progress against the 30 recommendations set out in her initial review, which was published in March 2020.
Following her first report, the department began a significant transformation programme, called One Home Office, to update its working practices and drive changes to the organisation's culture. A new mission statement for the department - A safe, fair and prosperous UK - was created, along with a new set of values.
In today's report, Wendy Williams states that: 'In some ways, the department is very different to the organisation I encountered at the time of my original review'. She commends many of the staff she met in the course of her review, noting the 'excellent behaviours and initiatives' she saw from teams she visited. She also praises the 'positive commitment' of those working on the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Responding to the report, Home Secretary, Priti Patel said:
I am pleased with what we've achieved in the last 2 years and that Wendy Williams has recognised this is a different department from the one she originally saw.
I have laid the foundations for radical change in the department and a total transformation of culture. We have already made significant progress and Wendy highlights many achievements, including the work we have put into becoming a more compassionate and open organisation.
Having said that, there is more to do and I will not falter in my commitment to everyone who was affected by the Windrush scandal. Many people suffered terrible injustices at the hands of successive governments and I will continue working hard to deliver a Home Office worthy of every community we serve.
Permanent Secretary, Matthew Rycroft said:
I'm pleased that this report recognises the significant progress we have made in rising to the challenge Wendy Williams set for us.
We have used her original report to drive transformation of the Home Office. We have empowered staff, brought in new ways to ensure equality and ethics are at the heart of policy making, improved institutional knowledge, and made sure we are working hand in hand with our stakeholders.
I know, however, that the damage caused by the Windrush scandal can never be wholly repaired. There is much more to do. I am committed to long-lasting meaningful improvement of how the Home Office delivers.
In her report, Wendy Williams concludes that 21 of her recommendations have been met or partially met. She acknowledges that the scale of the challenge she set the department was significant and that change on this scale takes time. Therefore she notes it is unsurprising some recommendations have not yet been met. She also notes it's likely that some recommendations will never be met, given the ongoing nature of the work required.
As part of the department's drive to listen and work more collaboratively with external stakeholders, it established the Windrush Working Group in June 2020. The group brings together community organisations with government representatives. Its role has been to help improve the uptake of the Windrush Schemes, design and deliver solutions to provide support to all those affected by the Windrush scandal and provide strategic input to the Home Office's response to Wendy's review. Its work has also resulted in significant improvements to the Windrush Compensation Scheme.
Bishop Webley, co-Chair the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group said:
It has been an honour working with the Home Secretary on such vital life changing work.
The dedication of the department to make the necessary changes in light of the report and their willingness to find alternative ways to work and interact with the people they serve has been encouraging.
I am conscious there is still more work to do and I'm keen to keep working with the department to make sure the good work continues.
Duwayne Brooks chair of the Implementation sub-group of the Wendy Williams Lessons' Learned Review said:
Over the last 2 years, I have seen the hard work and dedication of staff at the Home Office, work through a pandemic to implement the recommendations laid down by Wendy.
Even though Wendy's review acknowledges the hard work undertaken, it would be naive to believe it is a simple task to change the culture and workings of such a big department overnight.
From this point onwards, I genuinely hope the commitment and desire to change continues in the same vein.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme has now offered or paid out over £45 million, with £37.7 million paid across 993 claims. It has also provided over 14,800 individuals with documentation confirming their status or British citizenship.
A Director-General has taken on the role of Ethics Advisor to the Home Office Board. In this position, she will champion ethical behaviour and systems, advise on ethical considerations, challenge the department's commitment, and spearhead the roll-out of a new Ethical Decision Making Model.
The Home Office Strategic Race Board has also been established since the Windrush scandal. The Board's role is to help increase black, Asian and minority ethnic representation across the department, identifying race priorities and monitoring the departments progress and success in these areas.
In September 2020, the department published a Comprehensive Improvement Plan in response to Wendy's first report. It stands by the commitments made in this plan and will continue to work to achieve those goals.
