CSCS Alliance Forum Meeting Summary – 26/11/2026

1. Chair Transition – Jay Parmar and Marion Marsland

– Jay Parmar stepped down after reflecting on Alliance achievements.

– Marion Marsland appointed new Chair, outlining priorities around data, competence and engagement. 

2. Steering Committee Update – Tony Seddon

– Review of terms of reference.

– Call for Alliance representative on CSCS Board.

– Smart Check progress highlighted; nomination for award.

– Succession planning for 2026. 

3. Licensor Update – Sean Kearns and Tony Batchelor

Self‑Assessment Audit:

– Deadline: 1 December.

– 16 schemes completed; 7 in progress.

Compliance:

– 21 schemes fully compliant.

– 15 compliant with outstanding actions.

– 1 non‑compliant (DSA issue).

Non‑Construction Occupations:

– Review of ~90 occupations.

– Schemes asked to provide feedback. 

4. Smart Check Progress – Andy Reakes and Sean Kearns

– 51+ million scans; 2.5–3.5m per month.

– Over half of cardholders scanned at least once.

– API integration growing strongly.

– Planned improvements: account‑based scanning, reason codes, OCR for manual checks, wider deployment. 

5. Big Data Dashboard – Matt Foley

– 7.5m records; 2.3m active cardholders represented.

– Data quality inconsistent across schemes.

– Planned improvements:

  – Move toward full postcodes for local authority mapping.

  – February data workshop.

  – Future exploration of demographic data (not yet required). 

6. Competence & Routes to Competence – Sean Kearns

– Detailed mapping of sector progress shared.

– Green-coded occupations ready for carding pathway mapping.

– Amber/white-coded still in development.

– Need for consistent “step‑down” rules where competence lapses.

– Card revalidation identified as major future challenge. 

Actions Summary

For Schemes:

– Complete audit by 1 December.

– Respond on non‑construction occupations.

– Attend API webinar (10 December).

– Prepare next data submission (6 Feb 2026).

– Begin competence mapping where applicable. 

For CSCS/Licensor:

– Post‑audit analysis and scheme reports.

– Develop Smart Check enhancements.

– Provide infographic assets.

– Deliver Feb 2026 Data Workshop. 

For Alliance/Chair:

– Plan 2026 agendas with more time for competence and data governance.

– Increase face‑to‑face/hybrid meeting formats.