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Agenda item

Report of the Chief Officer for Children’s Services, attached.

Minutes:

The Committee received the Report of the Chief Officer for Children’s Services which provided a performance update on Children’s Social Care, highlighting the key measures of change in areas including the number of children/young people

supported per 10,000, the quality and timeliness of practice, the number of children in care and workforce.

 

The Report outlined the following key points:

 

·       the 12-month average of the rate of referrals in Devon was similar to the national average but higher than statistical neighbours;

·     the capacity and demand in the Initial Response Teams (IRT) continued to impact on the timeliness of assessments;

·       the rate of children per 10,000 with a child protection plan was higher than the national average and statistical neighbours;

·         the rate of children in care per 10,000 is stable and lower than the national and statistical neighbour average;

·       the timeliness of health checks had further reduced in part due to the pandemic;

·       Devon compared favourably with outcomes for 19-21 year old care leavers compared to the national average and statistical neighbours;

·     despite successfully recruiting permanent staff, there had not been an overall net reduction in the use of agency staff; and

·       Supporting the workforce to have manageable numbers of children allocated to them was a priority and there was evidence that Devon had similar and in some incidences more manageable caseloads than other south west local authorities.

 

Members raised the following discussion points and questions with Officers in response to the Report:

 

·       Members were pleased with the layout of the report and thanked officers for their work in formatting the report in a clear and concise manner;

·       In response to how the data was being used to improve outcomes, Members were advised that this information was shared with locality directors and management team to help them understand key issues within the Service and children with a high need;

·       The number of caseloads per staff was exceptionally high in Devon, and the Service would be addressing this by filling vacancies within the Initial Response Team (IRT) and aiming to become an employer of choice for social workers within the southwest region;

·       To increase morale of social workers, Members asked what they could do to help support the Service and for social workers to feel supported in their roles.  Members were informed that positive communication with staff was always beneficial and appreciated; and a letter of thanks had already been drafted to be distributed to staff members. Informal visits to frontline staff, as Covid restrictions were lifted, would also be encouraged to show support to staff;

·       With regard to the high rate of referrals, it was still too early to identify whether this was purely a result of the pandemic or if numbers were already on the rise; however it was believed likely to be a long-term change, potentially due to the complexity of families and anxieties around the Council receiving a negative Ofsted review;

·       Child Protection Conferences – there were concerns around poor performance and timeliness and there had been some sickness levels in families and staff (due to Covid) which had also impacted on attendance at conferences and the need to therefore postpone meetings, causing some delays;

·       Health Assessments – concerns were raised around timeliness and who completed assessments.  Members were advised that the data provided in the report included both initial and annual assessments – however Members may wish to explore this area further at a future meeting;

·       Care experience of young people with accommodation and training needs – Members noted that having spoken to some 18-21year olds, they did not feel ready to manage their own money, food, bills and washing and Officers advised that training packages were being implemented to help support young people;

·       Children in unregistered accommodation – these young people had extensive needs and required specialist accommodation that the Service had been unable to find at this time. Weekly meetings took place to review these children, and work continued to meet their needs or provide secure placements for children with very complex or mental health needs.

 

It was MOVED by Councillor Hannaford SECONDED by Councillor Hellyer and

 

RESOLVED that the timeliness of health assessments be added to the work programme for a future meeting.

 

Supporting documents:


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