To: a) inform Cabinet of the outcome of the Department for Education (DfE) Review; b) to inform Cabinet of the outcome of the Herefordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (HSCB) Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Diagnostic; and c) to update Cabinet on the progress to date on the Ofsted Action Plan.

The Cabinet Member, Young People and Children’s Services, introduced an update report on the outcomes of three inspections concerning safeguarding within Children’s Services.

The Director of Children’s Wellbeing and the Head of Safeguarding and Review presented the update.

It was noted that the Department for Education (DfE) review was positive and that steps are being taken to improve the areas that were identified as requiring further attention. The rate of progress is dependent upon sustaining stability and quality of the workforce which is being addressed through a range of recruitment activity with the intention of reducing the proportion of agency workers from 31%. 

There is ongoing support from all agencies and progress is being made despite some issues with capacity, which is being addressed to ensure effective safeguarding.

It is hoped that the DfE will take the decision at the end of March 2015 to lift the intervention notice and this will enable transitional arrangements for effective safeguarding and for the service to then focus on continuous improvement. The appointment of a new Chair of the Herefordshire Safeguarding Children Board will be announced next week.

The Peer Diagnostic pilot scrutinised the functionality of the Safeguarding Board and informed the DfE review. It also recognised that better alignment of partnership working was needed and that the voice of the child needed to be embedded. Both of these matters are being addressed. The review also noted improvements in multi-agency working and in business support and was positive about what has been achieved within the past twelve months.

Progress on the Ofsted action plan was noted; the Safeguarding Board is now responsible for assuring delivery of the plan and this will form the bench-mark for any future Ofsted inspection. Key evidence will be that there is a case by case difference reflected in feedback from families.

In answer to a member’s question regarding sufficient resourcing of the business of the Safeguarding Children Board, the Director of Children’s Wellbeing explained that that there was support from partner agencies to enhance structures. A management of change process is underway and there is confidence that the structure will be fully staffed from April 2015. It was further clarified that there is work across the partnership to ensure that priorities are addressed through the Safeguarding Board.

The leader of the Independent Group asked about the scale of the concerns reported by staff feeling overwhelmed with administrative tasks. The Head of Safeguarding and Review confirmed that capacity in the business support function was being addressed to support the volume of calls to the service, further enhanced by improvements in telephony. The casework management system, Frameworki, is also being modernised to simplify processes.

The Chairman of the General Overview and Scrutiny Committee commented that there is more to be done to ensure stability and that there is an alarming volume of complex cases that remain unreported including those relating to child sexual exploitation.

The leader of the Green group asked for reassurance that there is now focus and strong leadership and that the service can be flexible to the nature of casework without the level of police resources as reported impeding the safeguarding process.  The Director of Children’s Wellbeing explained that the Safeguarding Board has identified priorities and will be held to account.  The leadership role is key here in raising the profile of safeguarding across Herefordshire to ensure that children are protected from harm. She added that child sexual exploitation is both a national and county-wide issue for communities as well as for agencies. As regards police input, it is recognised that there is pressure on all agencies regarding participation in child protection conferences, making it harder to progress some cases. The involvement of Mental Health and General Practitioner services is also being addressed. The focus is on achieving an “outstanding” review to improve lives and to provide high quality work for every family.

A Member observed that, in the context of a forthcoming new administration, the report contained a high number of acronyms, and requested that this be addressed to ensure that reports are accessible. It was noted that a glossary is being developed and this matter will be taken into account in the induction programme for members.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats commented that the focus needs to be on having a strong workforce that is not distracted by process, and cited a social worker who left the service due to increasing administrative tasks. The Director for Children’s Wellbeing explained that safeguarding relies on the judgement of all professionals and that it is governed by regulation and legal process. These factors were previously of poor quality at the time that the service was deemed “inadequate”. A good process protects the interests of all and supports people to perform well and improve outcomes. The Head of Safeguarding and Review added that there is a long term plan underway to ensure a high quality workforce which will pay dividends over time.

The leader of It’s Our County noted the encouraging messages although there is further work ahead and improvement needs to be maintained. He commented that each partner must meet its legal obligations under the Children Act to contribute fully alongside the council, and that the Safeguarding Board and the Scrutiny Committee be held to account. The Head of Safeguarding and Review confirmed that there is support and recognition from partners for growth and despite pressures on police resources, there is active commitment to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub and to child sexual exploitation.

The Deputy Leader placed on record thanks to David McCallum for his work as the outgoing Chair of the Herefordshire Safeguarding Children Board.

RESOLVED:

That         (a)   the outcome of the Department for Education review conducted                on 15 and 16 December 2014 be noted;

(b) the outcome of the Herefordshire Safeguarding Children Board Local Government Association peer diagnostic conducted between 17-19 November 2014 be noted; and

(c)  progress to date on the Ofsted action plan be noted.