Transparency data

DBS Gender Pay Gap Report 2025

Published 31 March 2026

1. Context

DBS is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employees have equal access to opportunities and rewards. A diverse workforce that reflects the public we serve, with appropriate gender balance at all levels, is essential to achieving this vision.

Gender pay gap reporting is a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010 and forms part of DBS’s compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). It provides transparency and accountability, helping us demonstrate how DBS values equity and inclusion while identifying structural challenges that influence pay outcomes.

It is important to note that the gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay. At DBS, roles are graded and paid consistently within each grade. Differences in the overall pay gap are primarily driven by workforce composition and representation at different levels, rather than unequal pay for equal work.

This report outlines the progress made in 2024/2025, examines the key drivers influencing the gender pay gap, and presents a robust action plan to sustain and build on these achievements. Since the data analysis snapshot date (31 March 2025), steps have already been taken to further reduce the pay gap and provide pay parity across the organisation. It is anticipated that these will be evidenced through the pay gap report for the 2026 data.

For the gender pay gap:

• A positive percentage indicates a gap in favour of men
• A negative percentage indicates a gap in favour of women

For 2024/25, the DBS mean Gender Pay Gap reduced by 1.59 percentage points to 4.24% (from 5.83% in 2024 and 8.03% in 2023). This compares with a mean pay gap of 6.8% at the Home Office and 7.7% at the Cabinet Office. The DBS mean pay gap is now at its lowest level since 2021 (3.93%).

The median pay gap has widened slightly, in favour of women, by 0.16 percentage points to –1.29% (compared with –1.13% in 2024 and –0.03% in 2023).

Through the work already undertaken, which is evidenced in year-on-year reductions in the Gender Pay Gap; DBS remains committed to reducing the gender pay gap further through a holistic approach that extends beyond pay structures. Our strategy includes improving working conditions, addressing female-specific challenges, and fostering an inclusive workplace. The action plan, summarised in Section 12, reflects our continued dedication to these priorities.

2. Background and Progress

The gender pay gap measures the average pay difference between male and female employees across all roles in an organisation. This report presents the gender pay gap analysis for the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as of 31 March 2025.

A high gender pay gap may indicate underlying issues within an organisation, with detailed calculations offering insight into potential areas for improvement.

Under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, all organisations with over 250 employees must publicly report their gender pay gap data.

The regulations require employers to publish:

• their mean gender pay gap in hourly pay
• their median gender pay gap in hourly pay
• their mean bonus gender pay gap
• their median bonus gender pay gap
• the proportion of male and female employees receiving a bonus payment
• the proportion of male and female employees in each pay quartile

As a public sector body, DBS must publish its gender pay gap data annually by 31 March, using a snapshot date of 31 March in the preceding year.

All calculations follow the requirements outlined in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.

Reports will be published on the DBS website for a minimum of three years.

Beyond meeting regulatory requirements, this report analyses gender pay gap data in greater to help target interventions.

DBS acknowledges that gender identity is not limited to male or female categories. While reporting regulations require binary categorisation, DBS values and supports colleagues of all gender identities.

Employees are included in the calculations as “full-pay relevant” if they receive their full usual pay during the snapshot period. Those receiving less than their usual pay due to leave (e.g., statutory sick or maternity leave) are excluded.

DBS has reported its gender pay gap annually since 2017. Over the past three years, significant progress has been made:

The mean gender pay gap dropped from 8.09% in 2023 to 5.83% in 2024, reaching 4.24% in 2025.

The median pay gap has moved from near parity in 2023 to -1.29% in favour of women in 2025.

This improvement is consistent with the intended impact of targeted actions introduced in previous years, including inclusive recruitment practices, leadership development initiatives, and monitoring of pay and bonus distribution.

However, structural challenges remain with an uneven vertical distribution of men and women driving some of the Gender Pay Gap. Women continue to be concentrated in lower grades (AO–HEO), which account for over 83% of the workforce, while representation at the most senior levels (Grade 6 and SCS Equivalent) is limited. These patterns therefore exert a strong influence on the mean pay gap despite equal pay within grades.

Bonus data shows broadly equitable access, with a higher proportion of women receiving bonuses than men, and a median bonus gap of 0%. However, the mean bonus gap of 10.94% is skewed by isolated high-value awards (in favour of men), highlighting the need for continued transparency and monitoring.

3. Trend in Gender Pay Gaps (2023-2025)

DBS has made steady progress in reducing the gender pay gap over the past three years. The lists below illustrate the downward trend in the mean gap and the shift in the median gap, which now favours women:

Mean Gender Pay Gap

• 2023: 8.09%
• 2024: 5.83%
• 2025: 4.24% (in favour of men)

Median Gender Pay Gap

• 2023: 0.03%
• 2024: -1.13%
• 2025: -1.29% (in favour of women)

4. How the Gender Pay Gap is calculated

The Gender Pay Gap measures the difference between the average hourly pay of men and women across the organisation, expressed as a percentage of men’s pay and is calculated according to HM Govt guidance.

• Mean gap: The difference between the average hourly pay for men and women.

• Median gap: The difference between the midpoint hourly pay for men and women.

These figures are based on full-pay relevant employees as of 31 March each year, in line with government reporting guidance. For 2025, the number of full pay relevant employees was 1366.

Bonus gaps are calculated using all relevant employees (1379) and includes both voucher-based and salary-based awards – bonus pay gaps will include all staff who received a bonus within the 12-month period up to 31 March.

5. Workforce profile

As of 31 March 2025, DBS employed 1,379 individuals, an increase of 33 employees compared to 2024. Women continue to make up the majority of the workforce at 62.7% (865), with men representing 37.3% (514), an almost identical split to last year.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 provide a detailed breakdown of the DBS workforce by headcount, gender distribution, and percentage splits across grades, comparing data from 2024 to 2025.

5.1 Figure 1: DBS workforce (headcount)

Grade	31 March 2024		31 March 2025
	Headcount	%	Headcount	%
Administrative Officer (AO)	419	31%	426	30.89%
Executive Officer (EO)	330	25%	326	23.64%
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)	377	28%	396	28.72%
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)	109	8%	119	8.63%
Grade 7	79	6%	82	5.95%
Grade 6	22	2%	20	1.45%
Senior Civil Servant Equivalent (SCS)*	10	1%	10	0.72%
TOTAL	1346		1379

*Public servants at SCS equivalent grades

The overall structure remains broadly stable, with 83% of staff working AO, EO and HEO grades, reflecting DBS’s operational focus on frontline and middle management roles.

5.2 Figure 2: DBS workforce by gender (headcount – all relevant employees)

Grade	31 March 2024		31 March 2025		Change
	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
AO	256	163	253	174	-3	+9
EO	211	119	204	122	-7	+3
HEO	264	113	279	116	+15	+3
SEO	60	49	73	46	+13	-3
Grade 7	41	38	43	39	+2	+1
Grade 6	13	9	10	10	-3	+1
SCS*	2	8	3	7	+1	-1
TOTALS	847	499	865	514	+18	+15
TOTALS	1346		1379		+33

*Public servants at SCS equivalent grades

5.3 Figure 3: DBS workforce by gender (percentage splits)

Grade	31 March 2024		31 March 2025		Change
	Female	Male	Female	Male	Female	Male
AO	61%	39%	59%	41%	-2%	+2%
EO	64%	36%	63%	37%	-1%	+1%
HEO	70%	30%	71%	29%	+1%	-1%
SEO	55%	45%	61%	39%	+6%	-6%
Grade 7	52%	48%	52%	48%	0%	0%
Grade 6	59%	41%	50%	50%	-9%	+9%
SCS*	20%	80%	30%	70%	+10%	-10%
TOTAL	63%	37%	63%	37%	0%	0%

*Public servants at SCS equivalent grades

5.4 Information shown in figures 1 to 3:

The information in figures 1, 2 and 3 shows that:

• 83% of the workforce is employed at AO, EO, and HEO level
• at AO grade, 59% of employees are female and 41% are male
• at EO grade, 63% of employees are female and 37% are male
• at HEO grade, 71% of employees are female and 29% are male *at SEO grade, 61% of employees are female and 39% are male
• at Grade 7, 52% of employees are female and 48% are male
• at Grade 6, 50% of employees are female and 50% are male

For 2025 (as with 2024), in Grade 7, Grade 6, and SCS Equivalent roles, 50% of employees were female at these grades (56 out of 112) – overall representation remains broadly similar, although the balance within individual grades has moved with a decrease in Grade 6 but increase in SCS Equivalent.

Insight one:

Women continue to be concentrated in the AO–HEO grades, which make up over 83% of the workforce, where they represent 64% of employees. In contrast, women make up only 50% at Grade 6 and 30% at SCS Equivalent.

Impact: This structural distribution exerts downward pressure on the organisation’s average female pay and remains a significant driver of the mean gender pay gap, similar to - but slightly more pronounced than - the pattern observed in 2024.

Insight two:

Female representation at Grade 6 reduced from 59% in 2024 to 50% in 2025, while SCS Equivalent remains male‑dominated at 70% male and 30% female.

Impact: Because these are the highest‑paid roles, even small changes in headcount significantly influence the mean gender pay gap. Reduced female presence at Grade 6 is now one of the most material structural contributors to the gap.

Insight three:

Female representation increased at SEO (+6%) and SCS Equivalent (+10%) and remained stable at Grade 7.

Impact: These shifts strengthen the mid‑senior leadership pipeline and support long‑term progress; however, their positive effects are partially offset by the reduction at Grade 6.

6. Mean gender pay gap

As of 31 March 2025, the mean hourly pay for male employees was £18.38, compared to £17.60 for female employees. This represents a mean gender pay gap of 4.24%, meaning male employees earned, on average, £0.78 per hour more than female employees.

This marks a noticeable improvement from 2024, when the mean gender pay gap was 5.83%, equating to a decrease of 1.59 percentage points over the past year. This shows a continuing downward trend (as illustrated in figure 4) from 2023.

On average, the mean gender pay gap indicates that for every £1 earned by men, women earn £0.96.

The mean pay gap has fluctuated in recent years, influenced by factors such as organisational changes, recruitment across all grades, and workforce composition. While the gap increased significantly between 2019 and 2023, the latest reduction is consistent with the direction of our continued efforts to be a more representative organisation.

6.1 Figure 4: Mean pay gap

Year	Mean	Trend
2025	4.24%	decrease
2024	5.83%	decrease
2023	8.09%	increase
2022	6.77%	increase
2021	3.93%	increase
2020	2.90%	increase
2019	2.00%	decrease
2018	3.50%	decrease
2017	5.50%	─

Male:	Mean gender pay gap:	Female:
£18.38	4.24%, £0.78 per hour	£17.60

Insight four:

Whilst the mean gender pay gap continues to favour men; it has reduced from 5.83% in 2024 to 4.24% in 2025, continuing a two‑year downward trend.

Impact: This improvement is consistent with workforce changes, strengthened mid‑senior representation, and ongoing inclusive recruitment and development practices.

7. Median gender pay gap

The median hourly rate of pay for male employees was £15.54, while for female employees it was £15.74.

This results in a median gender pay gap of –1.29%, meaning that at the midpoint, women earn slightly more than men.

The median reflects the middle value when hourly pay is ranked from lowest to highest. In practice, this means that half of all female employees earn £15.74 per hour or less, and half earn more, while half of all male employees earn £15.54 per hour or less, and half earn more.

At the median point of pay, women earn slightly more than men, receiving £1.01 for every £1 earned by men.

Male:	Median gender pay gap:	Female:
£15.54	-1.29%, £0.20 per hour	£15.74

Insight five:

The median gender pay gap continues to favour women at –1.29%, slightly wider than last year.

Impact: Women’s strong representation in the largest workforce segments (AO–HEO) drives the median; meanwhile, men’s over‑representation in the highest‑paid roles drives the mean. This demonstrates that structural representation - not unequal pay - is the primary driver of headline outcomes.

8. Bonus Payments

DBS operates an in‑year reward and recognition scheme, which includes both voucher‑based awards and exceptional one‑off payments made through salary. In line with HM Government gender pay gap reporting guidance, both types of reward are classified as bonus payments for reporting purposes.

For gender bonus gap analysis, the dataset includes all employees who were in post during the March 2025 snapshot month (snapshot date: 31 March 2025) and who received any reward or recognition payment in the preceding 12 months.

In 2024/25, 916 employees received a reward or recognition payment from a snapshot workforce of 1,379.

• Female employees: 597 of 865 received a bonus (69.02%).

• Male employees: 319 of 514 received a bonus (62.06%).

This means that a higher proportion of women received a bonus compared with men, continuing the pattern observed in previous years.

9. Gender bonus gap

Although a greater proportion of women received a reward and recognition payment, the mean gender bonus gap shows that men received an average bonus payment 10.94% higher than women. This outcome is significantly influenced by a single exceptional senior‑level award, which has a disproportionate effect on the mean due to the relatively small number of high‑value payments in the dataset.

The median gender bonus gap is 0.0%, indicating that at the midpoint of bonus payments, women and men received exactly the same value.

Additional analysis of delegated grades (AO to Grade 6) shows a mean gender bonus gap of 7.4% in favour of men. This supplementary analysis helps illustrate bonus patterns across the wider workforce but does not replace the statutory gender pay gap calculations, which must include all eligible employees.

Bonus distribution naturally varies from year to year in response to organisational activity, operational pressures, and the use of exceptional recognition mechanisms. Equality impacts are reviewed annually through workforce monitoring and policy assurance processes, ensuring continued compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Figure 5: chronological history of Mean and Median bonus gap

Year	Mean Bonus Gap	Median Bonus Gap
2025	10.94%	0.00%
2024	8.5%	0.00%
2023	27.8%	0.00%
2022	-1.26%	0.00%
2021	-6.00%	0.00%
2020	36.60%	33.30%
2019	11.30%	0.00%
2018	7.00%	-50.00%
2017	7.20%	36.80%

Insight six:

A higher proportion of women (69.02%) received bonuses compared with men (62.06%).

Impact: Access to rewards remains broadly equitable and reflects the gender composition of the organisation. This supports confidence in fairness of reward distribution across most of the workforce.

Insight seven:

The mean bonus gap of 10.94% in favour of men is driven primarily by a single high‑value senior award.

Impact: This isolated payment has a disproportionate effect due to the small number of senior awards. Median bonus parity (0%) indicates that typical bonus values remain fair and consistent across genders.

10. Hourly pay quartiles

As of 31 March 2025, DBS employed 1,379 individuals, of whom 1,366 were full‑pay relevant employees for gender pay gap reporting purposes. Of these, 62.74% were female and 37.26% were male. In accordance with HM Government guidance, these employees are divided into four equal‑sized pay quartiles based on hourly pay. The quartile analysis shows how women and men are distributed across the organisation’s pay range.

The hourly pay ranges for each quartile are as follows:

• Lowest Quartile: Up to £14.35 (mean £13.36, median £13.32)

• Lower Middle Quartile: £14.35 to £15.62 (mean £15.21, median £15.38)

• Upper Middle Quartile: £15.62 to £18.40 (mean £17.80, median £18.16)

• Upper Quartile: £18.40 and above (mean £25.21, median £22.13)

Because quartiles are created by dividing employees evenly rather than by fixed pay bands, small overlaps in hourly pay may appear at the boundaries between quartiles. This is normal and consistent with government methodology.

In line with reporting guidance, any reward and recognition payments made in the same pay period as the snapshot date are included when calculating hourly pay for quartile placement. This ensures that total remuneration is captured accurately for comparison purposes.

10.1 Figure 6: Hourly pay quartiles (headcount and percentage)

Quartile	Female Count	Female % of quartile	Male count	Male % of quartile	Total
Lower	207	60.53%	135	39.47%	342
Lower Middle	206	60.41%	135	39.59%	341
Upper Middle	242	70.76%	100	29.24%	342
Upper	202	59.24%	139	40.76%	341
Total	857	62.74%	509	37.26%	1366

10.2 Figure 7: Comparative quartile data since 2023

Quartile	% Male	% Female	Total
Lower 2025	39	61	100
Lower 2024	38	62	100
Lower 2023	39	61	100
Lower Middle 2025	40	60	100
Lower Middle 2024	39	61	100
Lower Middle 2023	39	61	100
Upper Middle Quartile 2025	29	71	100
Upper Middle Quartile 2024	33	67	100
Upper Middle Quartile 2023	41	59	100
Upper Quartile 2025	41	59	100
Upper Quartile 2024	40	60	100
Upper Quartile 2023	45	55	100

Female representation exceeds the overall workforce proportion (62.74%) only in the upper middle quartile, where women make up 70.76% of employees. This reflects strong representation at mid‑senior grades, particularly within SEO and Grade 7 roles, which fall largely within this pay range and is an increase on the last two years where women made up 67% in the Upper Middle quartile.

In contrast, female representation in the lowest, lower middle, and upper quartiles sits slightly below the overall workforce average; and is consistent with the last two years. The upper quartile, which includes the highest‑paid roles, has the lowest proportion of women (59.24%) and the highest proportion of men (40.76%), indicating a modest concentration of men at the top of the pay distribution.

Overall, differences between quartile composition and the organisation’s gender profile are relatively small - typically only a few percentage points in either direction. The upper middle quartile is the main exception, showing a notable concentration of women, while the upper quartile continues to show lower female representation. This pattern demonstrates that women are well represented in mid‑to‑upper pay bands, but their underrepresentation in the highest‑paid roles continues to influence the overall mean gender pay gap.

Insight eight:

Women make up 70.76% of the upper middle quartile - higher than their overall workforce representation - reflecting strong presence in mid‑senior roles (particularly SEO and Grade 7)

Impact: This clustering in the upper middle quartile helps moderate the mean gender pay gap and demonstrates positive progression patterns among women.

Insight nine:

Men are modestly over‑represented in the upper quartile (40.76% vs 37.26% overall male workforce share).

Impact: This concentration of men in the highest‑paid roles continues to exert upward pressure on the mean gender pay gap. Improvements at lower quartiles cannot fully offset this structural effect.

Insight ten:

The upper middle quartile is the only pay range where men are under‑represented relative to their workforce share.

Impact: While this helps narrow the pay gap, it also highlights that progression is uneven across the pay structure. Improved balance at the highest quartile remains crucial for further reducing the gap.

Insight eleven:

Taken together, the 2025 data shows that typical pay outcomes (median) favour women, bonus access is broadly equal, and representation across mid‑senior levels continues to improve, but structural imbalances at Grade 6 and SCS Equivalent remain the most influential factors preventing faster reduction of the mean gender pay gap.

Impact: Sustained improvement now depends on strengthening progression pathways into Grade 6 and SCS Equivalent for women, ensuring balanced representation at these levels, and maintaining tight governance of senior‑level reward decisions.

11. Key insights summary

The 2025 Gender Pay Gap results reflect several structural and distributional factors across the organisation. The 2025 data shows continued improvement, but also a clearer picture than 2024 that the mean gap cannot reduce further without improving female representation and pay alignment at Grade 6 and SCS Equivalent. Everything else in the system is broadly balanced or improving - the senior structure is now the decisive limiting factor.

While continued progress has been made in reducing the mean gender pay gap and strengthening female representation in mid‑senior roles, imbalances at the most senior levels and longstanding workforce patterns continue to shape headline outcomes.

The table below summarises the key influences, their estimated effect size, and the direction of their impact. Effect size is expressed qualitatively (Significant, Moderate, Insignificant) to reflect the strength of influence each factor has on the gender pay gap and the direction of impact is highlighted.

Key Drivers	Estimated Effect Size	Impact Direction
Men’s overrepresentation in upper pay quartile	* * * * Significant	Negative
Strong female representation in the upper middle quartile	* * * * Significant	Positive
Clustering of women at AO–HEO grades (reinforcing a worse senior level imbalance)	* Insignificant	Negative
Increased female representation at SEO and SCS Equivalent	* * * Moderate	Positive
Isolated high value senior bonus award	* Insignificant	Negative
Higher proportion of women receiving bonuses	* Insignificant	Positive
Median gender pay gap favouring women again	* * * * Significant	Positive

 Overall Positive Drivers:  * * * * * * * * * * * *                                         

Overall Negative Drivers: * * * * * *                              

11.1 Progress to date

DBS has continued to make sustained progress in reducing the gender pay gap over recent years. The mean gender pay gap has fallen from 8.09% in 2023 to 5.83% in 2024 and now stands at 4.24% in 2025. The median pay gap has continued to favour women, shifting from –1.13% last year to –1.29% in 2025. This reflects women’s strong representation across the lower and mid-level grades where most DBS employees are located.

Bonus data also shows broad fairness in access to recognition. A higher proportion of women (69.02%) received a bonus compared with men (62.06%), and the median bonus gap remains at 0%, indicating parity at the typical award level. While the mean bonus gap of 10.94% is affected by an isolated high value senior award, overall participation patterns demonstrate that reward processes remain equitable.

It is anticipated that due to a number of changes already undertaken through 2025 in relation to the most senior grades in DBS, and the ongoing developments within the Pay Remit that the Gender Pay Gap will further reduce for the March 2026 data analysis.

11.2 Understanding the drivers

Analysis in this report highlights that progress is closely linked to changes in workforce composition and representation across grades. Increased female representation at SEO and SCS Equivalent levels has contributed positively to the overall picture, while women’s continued concentration in AO–HEO grades and reduced representation at Grade 6 exert upward pressure on the mean gender pay gap.

The divergence between the mean and median pay gaps reinforces the structural nature of the challenge. Women’s strong representation at the middle of the pay distribution continues to shape the median gap, while the overrepresentation of men in the highest paid roles (against the representation of men in the whole workforce), particularly at Grade 6 and SCS Equivalent, continues to shape the mean.

11.3 Ongoing commitment

DBS remains committed to advancing pay equity by addressing structural barriers to progression and maintaining transparency in pay and reward practices and has made further progress throughout 2025. The actions set out in this report focus on the areas where DBS can most effectively influence future outcomes, including:

• Strengthening progression pathways and development opportunities to support increased representation at senior grades;
• maintaining robust pay monitoring and assurance through regular equal pay audits and transparent reporting; and
• ensuring fairness and transparency in reward and recognition through clear governance and continued equality impact assessments.

By grounding action in evidence and aligning workforce initiatives with the DBS Strategy and Workforce Strategy, DBS will continue to support progress toward an even more inclusive and equitable workplace, recognising that sustained change requires long term focus and commitment.

12. Action Plan summary

DBS has continued to make progress in reducing the gender pay gap, with improvements in both the mean and median measures. However, structural imbalances in representation and progression remain, particularly at senior grades. The actions set out below focus on areas where DBS can most effectively influence workforce composition, progression, and reward outcomes over the medium to long term.

The action plan aligns with the DBS 2025–2028 Strategy and Workforce Strategy, supporting the organisation’s Equality Objectives and the 5 Is of Inclusion framework. While gender pay gap reporting focuses specifically on workforce pay and progression, these actions contribute to broader strategic aims by strengthening inclusive leadership, decision-making, and transparency.

12.1 Scope for Improvement and Ongoing Actions:

This action plan focuses on four key themes to drive further progress.

Theme one: Equal Pay and Continuous Analysis DBS will continue to ensure transparent, evidence‑based reward systems, with enhanced attention to senior‑grade dynamics. Further developments within the pay remit will continue to reduce disparities within grades.
Ongoing / existing actions	Publish gender pay gap data transparently, alongside sector comparisons. New reporting for ethnicity and disability will be undertaken formally from April 2026. Aim to deliver the Gender Pay Gap much earlier in the year to positively impact pay remit discussions. Conduct year-on-year gender pay gap analyses to continue to inform action planning. Maintain robust pay governance and monitor progress through Executive Team.
New actions	Introduce targeted senior‑grade pay assurance, focusing on SCS Equivalent and Grade 6 to address within‑grade disparity – recognising the temporary arrangements which have been in place throughout this reporting period and into 2026. Increase scrutiny of exceptional bonus awards, ensuring transparent criteria and minimising disproportionate impacts on mean bonus gaps.

Theme two: Culture & Visible leadership DBS will continue to strengthen the leadership pipeline at SEO/G7/G6/SCS Equivalent levels.
Ongoing / existing actions	Support female employees in advancing and promoting female careers through initiatives such as our Women in Tech network, and coaching opportunities. Support female colleagues to have visibility in champion roles and leadership roles related to key DBS initiatives such as DBS Strategy, Workforce Strategy and important causes like protected characteristics. Use staff survey insights to target actions that strengthen organisational culture. Facilitate high-quality development opportunities, including workshops, mentoring, and leadership programmes.
New action	Implement Workforce Strategy initiatives to formalise and revitalise career and development pathways to ensure robust succession planning and stimulate personal development discussions. Recognise and support women to overcome difficulties faced by them wishing to progress in roles particularly related to confidence, medical concerns and wellbeing related issues.

Theme three: Inclusive Employer Evolving flexible working and development environments to improve retention and progression.

Ongoing / existing actions

Ensure recruitment campaigns use inclusive language to attract diverse talent, particularly for senior roles. Promote coaching and leadership development to empower colleagues to advance confidently. Continue to expand the options for flexible working to promote work-life balance and ensure an inclusive workplace for all, particularly supporting retention and career progression for women balancing external responsibilities.

Theme four: Succession Planning and Career Development Building for the future, delivering our workforce strategy to retain talent and support internal development.
New actions	Embed career development discussions in performance cycles, (especially for women in feeder grades). Increase access to development schemes similar to the Future Leaders Scheme and Senior Leaders Scheme. Formalise internal progression pathways to strengthen visibility and readiness for Grade 6 and SCS Equivalent roles.

13. Monitoring and Evaluation:

Progress on these actions will be reviewed regularly, with updates shared through internal governance channels to ensure transparency and accountability.