Agenda item

To present the report of the Interim Head of Children’s Services.

The report of the Interim Head of Children’s Services outlining progress to date on the Children’s Services Improvement Plan in response to the findings of CSSIW following its inspection of Children’s Services at the Isle of Anglesey County Council was presented for the Committee’s consideration.

The Chair informed the Committee that the Officer’s report contained restricted information at Appendix 2 and as such he proposed that in accordance with the provisions of Section 100(A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the discussion of this item because it involves the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act. The Committee was in agreement with the Chair’s proposal and it was duly resolved to exclude the press and public from the meeting for the duration of the discussion on this matter.

The Head of Strategic Services (Children) reported on the actions set out in section 4 of the report and he confirmed that the Service Improvement Plan is progressing well with most of the actions listed either completed or on track to be completed by the date shown. However, there are many areas requiring improvement that will need to be embedded over time; work has already commenced on a number of these key areas. The Officer said that particular attention is being given to the following as areas of immediate priority –

•           Developing a framework for the provision of preventative work with children and families. This is a substantial task which draws in a range of services and is being led by the Assistant Chief Executive (Governance and Business Process Transformation) and Director of Social Services.

•           Establishing effective multi-agency quality assurance systems and training arrangements to ensure that thresholds for assessment for statutory children’s services are understood by staff and partners and are applied consistently.

•           Developing a workforce strategy to include short, medium and long term aims for the recruitment and retention of Children’s Services social workers.

•           Reviewing the arrangements for team managers and senior practitioners to ensure there is capacity to provide effective and consistent management oversight of decision making, challenge and direction for staff across the service.

The Officer said that aside from the priority actions above, there is a second tranche of issues that needs to be addressed over the course of the next twelve months and these are set out in paragraphs 8 to 14 of the report.

The Committee considered the information presented and made the following points –

•           The Committee noted that whilst it accepted that the Authority does have policies and procedures in place and is developing others as required, it could not be assured that key policies are understood by the relevant members of staff. The Committee also noted that a system is needed to evidence that the right staff have been targeted, that they understand what the policies mean and that those policies are being implemented and are working.

The Chief Executive said that evaluating the success of the policies which the Authority has in place and is developing is not a task that can be achieved in a short space of time. There will be some aspects regarding which the Authority itself will be able to evaluate progress whilst other aspects will require external verification to provide the assurance that they are having the intended effect on the services for children and the desired outcomes. It is only by asking probing questions that the Authority can be sure it is taking the necessary steps to achieve the requirements set by CSSIW.

•           The Committee noted that the desired outcomes will only be achieved if the Authority has in place the right staff in terms of the mix of skills, competencies and experience which in a context of limited resources presents a challenge.

The Chief Executive said that in the short term the Authority may have to recruit less experienced individuals with a view to developing them to take over from agency staff over time. Whilst this will take time the Authority recognises that a long term approach is required to develop a robust and skilled workforce which will want to remain with Children’s Services at the Council. Less experienced staff will need more support and this may require investment in the short-term. The Authority will also be looking at strengthening its recruitment strategy to attract more Children’s social work professionals to the Children’s Services in Anglesey.

•           The Committee noted that recruitment is one facet of the Workforce Strategy and that having recruited successfully the Authority then needs to ensure that individuals will want to stay within the service to help develop and create a stable and resilient workforce into the future. The Committee also noted that staff retention has at times been a challenge.

The Chief Executive said that an important element of being able to retain staff is the quality of the support and supervision provided for them especially within Children’s Services where the pressure on staff can be significant. This will be addressed through the Improvement Plan.

•           The Committee noted the expectations on Members in relation to being able to challenge performance and it sought clarification of the kind of training and information that they needed to be provided with in order to undertake this function effectively with regard to Children’s Services.

The Chief Executive said that Members can develop expertise and confidence by continually asking searching questions and learning from that process.

•           The Committee noted that in a context where the number of children entering the care system is increasing, the Authority has to seek to change the overall culture in order to reduce the number of children and young people in care. The Committee noted that to be able to achieve this objective it needs to ensure that a comprehensive support package is in place encompassing not only children’s social care services but wider areas which have an impact on the lives of children and young people in the Authority’s care. This includes education, health, housing provision and employment and training opportunities. The Committee noted that Scrutiny needs to be assured that the Authority is making a difference to the lives of the looked after population and that it is able to evidence how that is happening.

The Head of Strategic Services (Children) said that the Authority has to be clear that the prevention activity it puts in place is reaching those individuals that most require it and that it monitors this activity to ensure it is having the desired effect. The Authority knows that many of the children who are likely to escalate through the care system in this generation themselves come from disadvantaged circumstances inherited from their parents. The Authority is often aware early on in the process who is most vulnerable to escalation. However, it is a whole service challenge and is concerned with responding appropriately to the families who are likely to make this journey.

The Chief Executive said that the Action Plan at 4.4 identifies the development of a Corporate Prevention Strategy as a key area and that the Authority must provide a range and level of preventative services across Children and Adults’ Services. Whilst this will not be achieved overnight, the Authority is committed to making it happen.

•           The Committee noted that for the future it would appreciate more detailed information to illustrate the improvements being made.

The Chief Executive said that the Children’s Panel will be putting in place a methodology for evaluating improvement and progress against the Action Plan and for reporting back thereon.

It was resolved that the Corporate Scrutiny Committee is satisfied that the evidence presented to date provides the Executive with high level assurance that the Children’s Services’ improvement journey is on schedule hitherto and is progressing as planned.

NO FURTHER ACTION ENSUING

The Committee at this point returned to open session.