By Gavin Mackintosh-
The Home Office has failed to transform its culture or to become a more compassionate department as it promised to do after the Windrush scandal, according to a critical report in relation to its progress.
In her review , Wendy Williams(pictured),- 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 202
Williams expressed disappointed by ”the lack of tangible progress or drive to achieve the cultural changes required”, whilst acknowledging ambitious progress made in certain areas.
She described the department as being at a “tipping point” , adding that unless improvements were made it was only a matter of time before it would face another crisis.
Her 2020 report, 2 years after she was appointed to investigate causes of the Windrush scandal that saw the Uk accidentally classified thousands of legal residents as illegal residents contained 30 recommendations for Home Office improvements, most of which have still not been met.
Home secretary, Priti Patel, later committed to implementing all of them, promising “to build a fairer, more compassionate” department and committing to “a total transformation of our culture”.
She said that only eight of the 30 recommendations had been fully implemented, Williams said, adding that the department had yet to implement the spirit of her recommendations, as she criticized officials for exaggerating the progress they had made.
“Much more progress is required in policymaking and casework, which will be seen as the major indicators of improvement,” she said.
Wendy Williams said: “I have seen limited evidence that a compassionate approach is being embedded consistently across the department,” she concluded.
Hostile Policies
She was also critical of the department’s failure to review the effectiveness of the hostile environment policies – now known as “compliant environment” policies – that caused so many of the Windrush problems.
“The failure to complete the review of the compliant environment policy will fundamentally hamper the department’s efforts to learn lessons and move on constructively,” she wrote.
The department has failed to appoint a migrants’ commissioner, which Williams views as a key measure “to signpost systemic risks”.
More work needed to be done to increase the level of black, Asian and minority ethnic staff at a senior level. Williams had found that an insufficiently diverse Home Office leadership team had “contributed to some of the errors in thinking which gave rise to the Windrush scandal itself”. Although some steps had been taken to address this issue, “success remains elusive and a much more dynamic approach is needed”, she said.
Williams also expressed concern of the slow pace of the compensation programme. A small poll of applicants to the Windrush compensation scheme conducted by Williams found that 76% said they had not been treated respectfully by Home Office staff, and that 97% said that they did not trust the Home Office to deliver on its commitments. About 386 claimants have waited more than a year for their claims to be resolved, 179 of whom have been waiting more than 18 months.
“I met people who were still in severe financial and personal difficulties two years on from my original review. Some were unable to find work after time away from the job market. Others were in temporary accommodation, having to live with families or facing eviction because of unpaid bills. Some were in serious debt,” she wrote.
“Many still had unmet physical and psychological needs and had experienced a sense of loss and devastation which had fundamentally affected their ability to cope, undermining their sense of identity and feelings of self-worth.”
Several anonymous Home Office staff interviewed by Williams also expressed concern about the scheme. One told her: “Our approach does not scream ‘righting the wrongs’ or compassion, but ‘how little can we get away with paying out’.”
The Windrush compensation scheme has paid out more than £45m on 993 claims. It has also provided more than 14,800 individuals with documentation confirming their status or British citizenship. However, this is a fraction of the amount originally estimated to be paid out, expected to be between £200m and £390m. At least 23 people have died after submitting a claim, but before receiving any payment.
Although the department has taken steps to introduce a training programme to educate Home Office staff about the legacy of empire and colonialism, only 163 people, out of a total headcount of about 38,000, had visited the Windrush learning hub on its internal intranet system.
Responding to the report, Patel said: “I have laid the foundations for radical change in the department and a total transformation of culture. We have already made significant progress.
“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.”