The Personnel Committee met to discuss and approve an updated performance management policy, and to consider the recruitment process for a new Strategic Director of Adult Social Services, along with associated structural changes. The committee approved the updated Performance Management Policy and endorsed the approach to recruiting a new Strategic Director of Adult Social Services, including the creation of a sub-committee to handle the appointment. They also approved the creation of a new Director of Adult Social Care (Operations) role.

Recruitment to the Strategic Director of Adult Social Services Post

The committee endorsed the outlined approach to the recruitment of the Strategic Director of Adult Social Services, a role which is becoming vacant due to the planned retirement of the current post-holder at the end of March 2026.

The committee agreed to establish a sub-committee to act as an appointment panel for the purposes of recruiting and appointing a Strategic Director of Adult Social Services. The membership of the sub-committee will consist of:

• Councillor Craig, Leader of the Council
• Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Finance and Resources/Chair of Personnel Committee
• Councillor Thomas Frederick Robinson, Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care
• Councillor Astrid Johnson, Deputy Leader of the Green Party (opposition representative)

The Chief Executive of Manchester City Council and the Chief Executive of Manchester Local Care Organisation (MLCO) will also be involved in the appointment process to support the panel.

The job evaluated role profile confirms the grade at SS5 with a salary range of £143,836 to £164,909. The committee approved the updated role profile for the Grade SS5 position of Strategic Director Adult Social Services, which has been updated to reflect changes within the health and care system in Manchester since the previous recruitment.

The recruitment process will commence in September, with shortlisting in November and interviews in December 2025. An Executive Search Company will be engaged to identify suitable candidates.

Senior Structural Changes within Adult Social Care

The committee approved the establishment of a new role of Director of Adult Social Care (Operations) Grade SS4, and the associated evaluated role profile. They also endorsed the recruitment to the roles of Director Commissioning & Transformation and the new post of Director Adult Social Care (Operations).

The creation of the new Director of Adult Social Care (Operations) role, at grade SS4, is intended to provide operational leadership of adult social care services, enabling the Strategic Director to focus on strategic transformation, system and partnership working. The Strategic Director currently has six direct reports, which is considered unsustainable. The new role will also fulfil the role of 'Deputy DASS' to support delivery of statutory requirements.

Funding for this role will require investment of c.£150k, drawn from the corporate ASC contingency budget of £2.1m which was approved as part of the 2025/26 budget setting process.

The existing role of 'Deputy Director' (SS4) will remain primarily as it is, with its focus on leading commissioning and transformation. However, a redesignation of this post to 'Director of ASC – Commissioning and Transformation' was proposed to better reflect the new arrangements.

The committee noted that there will be other subsequent changes to senior arrangements within Adult Social Care to reflect current and future priorities and service changes.

Councillor Robinson paid tribute to the contribution of Bernie Enright, the current Executive Director Adult Social Service, and her positive impact on residents across Manchester.

Performance Management Policy

The committee approved the updated Performance Management Policy (previously titled Capability Policy). The policy was last reviewed in 2012, and the update was required to modernise the policy framework, approach, language and tone. Extensive engagement with key stakeholders, trade union colleagues and staff network groups has taken place to inform the review of this policy.

The purpose of the policy is to support employees to meet the required performance standards of their role and set out the framework for achieving and maintaining satisfactory performance. Managers had indicated that they found the current process impractical and challenging to implement. The new policy provides a simpler and more effective process for both managers and employees.

Key changes proposed in the updated policy include:

• A change in title to reflect the more supportive elements of the policy and to reinforce that the policy covered both informal and formal performance management.
• Alignment to the principles of performance development as set out in the Good Manager's guide.
• A duty on managers to be proactive and work with employees to identify and implement any workplace adjustments¹ for disabled employees or employees with long term-health conditions.
• An increased recognition of the varied factors that can impact on performance, including those that can impact on employees with protected characteristics.
• Additional guidance on the implementation of the policy to avoid a possible indirect negative impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic employees when their performance could be adversely affected by religious or cultural observances/obligations, in line with the Review of the Council's Approach to Race Equality in 2019.
• Shortening of the formal performance management process prior to a hearing taking place.
• Inclusion of a new requirement for managers to complete a Performance Improvement Plan as a tool to help measure performance improvement.
• Reassignment to a role at the same grade as a new potential outcome from a formal performance management process.
• The introduction of an exceptional cases process where there was sufficient evidence to demonstrate any severe risks arising from the performance issues.
• The right to appeal against the formal performance management process now applied only when the employee had received a sanction following a hearing, not following issue of a (previously titled) Capability Improvement Notice.

Trade Unions had raised some concerns linked to Equality Impact Assessment (EIA). However, there were currently so few cases that it was not possible to meaningfully interpret the data on the application of the current policy, but the revised policy had been strengthened to ensure there was robust evidence before initiating the formal process to mitigate adverse impacts on any protected groups. This will be monitored and the EIA will remain a live document which can be edited post implementation, should any patterns be identified.

The Policy will be published with accompanying guidance and there will be a Council wide communications campaign to ensure that all managers and their staff were aware of the improved approach to Performance Management, as set out in the policy including a Good Manager's Guide memo. In addition a set of supporting training offers would also be afforded to managers.