Agenda item

The Cabinet considered the Children's Social Care Update. The details were set out in the report.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Families introduced the report. He explained that Trevor Doughty had been appointed by the DfE as Children's Commissioner to review Children's Safeguarding Services in March /April 2017. The Commissioner's conclusion was that Worcestershire services were not safe, and this was accepted by the Council without equivocation.  His recommendations had been incorporated into the Service Improvement Plan.

The report recommended that an improvement partner be appointed and that an Alternative Delivery Model (ADM) be considered. This meant that the Council would continue working on its improvement plan but would in addition need to find a new way of providing services.  Essex County Council was our improvement partner.  Ofsted would be publishing an updated report in October.

It was recognised that the task faced by the Council was not an easy one and required a whole Council approach focussing on four areas:

·         Family Front Door

·         Early help

·         Culture

·         What good looks like

The ADM needed to be a radical change but be carefully planned and executed. The list of options included a 'Do nothing' possibility but the Cabinet Member was adamant that this was not an option.  We had to find a model which worked for the county and its children.

It was recognised that although the timetable appeared tough it was achievable.  Consultation with our young people was vital.

In the ensuing debate the following principal points were raised:

·         It was important to proceed at pace but not so fast that things went wrong. It should be noted that an ADM structure would not automatically deliver improvement by itself. At first services need to meet the accepted standard and in time they could aspire to excellence

·         It was important that the Programme Board had a clear remit and that Councillors understood their role on it

·         Essex County Council were thanked for their beneficial advice and expertise. The Interim improvement Board was also thanked for its work

·         The ADM needed to be right for Worcestershire. A structure needed to be found that concentrated on the best outcome for children, not the structure

·         A Member from outside the Cabinet commented that this situation was welcome as the Council needed to get to grips with the situation. All Councillors needed to be aware of their responsibility and Scrutiny members were ready and willing to play their part in improving the service. Robust KPIs also needed to be put in place

·         The Chief Executive reminded the Cabinet that the Council still held statutory responsibility for these services, whichever ADM was decided upon. The situation was complex but the Council would use its best endeavours, following the indicative timetable in paragraph 22

·         The Leader was delighted with the work diagnostic but how the improvement would occur was still debateable.  However, whichever option was chosen the whole Council needed to get behind the plan and focus on improvement in outcomes for children.  The forthcoming Ofsted report was an important indicator

·         A member from outside the Cabinet felt that some people did not want to accept what happens to young people but it was important for the Council to improve their experience. The young people who had helped the Improvement Board should be thanked for their input and she hoped the Council would ensure that the ADM moved forward rather than back.

RESOLVED: that

(a)  the progress made against the Service Improvement Plan be noted;

(b)  the appraisal of a range of options for the different forms of an alternative delivery models for Children's Social Care Services against the set of key principles outlined in paragraph 21 be approved, with the outcome of this appraisal being reported to Cabinet in December 2017;

(c)  the proposal to commission external expertise to support the Council in considering the range of  alternative delivery models for Children's Social Care Services be approved; and

(d)  responsibility for establishing a Programme Board to develop the ADM be delegated to the Director of Children, Families and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families.