Agenda item

Reports Attached

Councillor Smith Cabinet Member for Children and Young People attended the meeting and provided members of the committee with an update on the improvement plan. This included focusing on the ILACS framework along with providing an overview on the progress made to date on the Children’s Improvement Plan, highlighting areas of progress in the last 6 months, providing an overview of current challenges and the areas of focus for the next 3-6 months. The report is organised into two parts the first focusing on the enablers of good practice; and the second considering practice improvement in key areas within Children’s Services. Key points covered were:

-        Quality assurance and performance

-        Systems and support for workers

-        Leadership

-        Workforce 

-        Early help offers

-        Family safeguarding

-        Adolescent/ edge of care offer

-        Fostering

-        Support for care experienced adults

Members raised a question regarding health capacity and concerns being raised, and whether this has been resolved, discussions around this were had and members were assured that this has been improved. Jeanette Richards informed the committee that this concern is around MASH and the commitment from health professionals to give their expertise to help the children.

Discussion took place around audit findings on multi agency working and the reflection of the improved picture, cabinet member addressed the issue around the drop in outstanding results however the improvement of the good statistic, it was explained that although with the drop in outstanding it still decreased the inadequate results.

Members were assured around the issues of inadequate results, given the changes in new team leaders and managers there is a focus on training and development to address these issues. Also relating to the delay in the data due to open cases within social work. Given an expansion of the team it was addressed that team managers are looking to reduce workloads to.

A member question was raised around the size of the sampling within the report and to whether there were specific practitioners within the CAHMS team. Members were informed by Jeanette Richards Executive Director Children and Young People that the sample size was 45, and that there aren’t dedicated practitioners within the CAHMS team specific to looked after children, however assurances were given that children’s services are looking at how best to provide support to our looked after children, recent recruitment of a psychologist that has responsibility for family safeguarding offer focusing on wellbeing and mental health. Work is being delivered through the corporate parenting board to address this as it is a priority for the children who attend.

Councillor Bernstein asked a question regarding what changes will we make over the next 6 months to get people recruited within Bury. Cllr Smith discussed that the council may see a lift in our agency over next 6 months to fill the new teams. It has gone to recruitment children services communications officer. There has been a business case to bring HR support into children’s Services not just the support of the corporate core.

Discussions were had around oversees recruiting, questions from this were was it worth doing officers advised that there were challenges to this due to changes within social work England along with the English language test, which was a key challenge by international colleagues, however the staff employed through the scheme have all stayed with the Council apart from one. There was a question around retention of the staff and whether they were obliged to stay, officers advised that they had a requirement to stay for 12 months but members were assured that there are no concerns that they will leave after this time as regular meetings take place and they are happy with their work.

It was brought up by a member that although the exercise provided its challenges overall it seems to be a success and that the service should be happy with what has been achieved through the exercise of oversees recruitment. Stating that it was worth doing overall.

It was agreed:

-        The report be noted