The report of the Strategic Director of Children’s Services (Document “R”) updates the Committee on Workforce Data and Improvement Progress in Children’s Services.

Recommended –

That the Committee reviews, discusses and notes Document “R”.

(Anne Lloyd – 01274 437335)

The report of the Strategic Director of Children’s Services (Document “R”) updated the Committee on Workforce Data and Improvement Progress in Children’s Services.

The Director of Human Resources outlined the wider workforce data and developments which included: recruitment, retention and sickness information.

It was explained that managers were working hard to address absence issues within the Service and working on how things could be done differently to enable them to improve the Service. It was further reported that there were currently a number of vacancies to recruit more social workers as more resources were needed to be put in place to deliver the service which would assist in achieving results.

The audit activity had confirmed that changes in social worker could impact the quality and in particular the timeliness of intervention and as the stability of workforce was a high focus area for Children’s Social Care. Management was introducing new mechanisms to try to further stabilise the workforce.

Members of the Committee were keen to understand if any impact had been made by the new microsite “Bring Heart” since its launch.

In response officers reported that the idea behind “Bring Heart” was to give people an idea of how it feels to be a social worker in Bradford and since it was only launched in December therefore data related to impact made was not available.

Members stated it was worrying that there were higher number of sickness absences for mental health and wanted to know what measures had been taken to identify causes in order to improve.

Members wanted to know if management had been able to identify key reasons behind social workers resigning after conducting the exit interview.

Officers stated that health and wellbeing advice was always provided and appropriate referrals made in order to achieve the best possible outcome. It was explained that some of the key reasons for resignations had been due to the volume of case load, work pressure and other mental health issues.

Members were concerned about agency staff and service continuity of social workers.

Officer advised that management was trying to ensure there was continuity in service especially when there was a changeover in social workers, there was a handover transition period to provide stability and continuity for children and families.

Members were extremely concerned as to why there seemed to be a reluctance in progressing level 2 social workers onto level 3. Given that there was a national shortage of social workers, they felt that management must do more to incentivise the position and ensure there is adequate support and guidance in place to retain staff.

Officers reported that even though a social worker may be eligible for progression, they may not yet be ready to move up a level. It was further explained that in order for progression there were certain criteria that needed to be met and the social worker must be able to demonstrate the required skills. As assurance was given that there was adequate support in place for all staff.

Members were advised that the package for social workers was competitive, employee benefits and wider benefits of working for the Council had been published.

Members were keen to understand what practices were put in place to ensure that a child was not missed when a social worker is off sick.

The Officer reported that if staff were off due to sickness then it was covered by other members of the team. However, additional staff were recruited for prolonged absences.

Members requested additional information on the current average case load of a social worker and what measures were in place to relieve social workers of case load pressure. Furthermore, Members wanted to know if the management had numbers of how many social workers employed by Bradford Council had moved onto other agencies and what checks were carried out for competencies regarding agency staff.

It was reported that management had recently introduced Support Workers that were supporting social workers with admin duties which could be very time consuming in order to alleviate some pressure. Management ensured there was a fair balance in the distribution of case load. Furthermore, extensive and rigorous checks were carried prior to appointment to determine the suitable start level, staff were offered permanent positions with extensive benefits.

Members suggested that perhaps investing in managers to enable them to support staff would be beneficial which could potentially lead to reduced absences.

Officers agreed but also advised that the management was currently working on support pools introducing welfare conversations to enable social workers to debrief after traumatic visits. This would help identify any potential issues and enable management to take appropriate action.

A Member suggested that the Service should look into working with the local university for recruitment purposes.

Committee Members requested data reflecting the longest/shortest term of service of social workers in the Council.

Members were informed that this data is not currently available, however, there are almost 200 staff that have been in service since 2016.

Resolved –

That a further report be presented to the Committee in the new municipal year which also specifically focuses on:

•           The effectiveness of the new recruitment campaign;

•           Retention of staff;

•           Progress on training and growing our own staff;

•           The exact breakdown of workforce establishment for social workers and the level of vacancies at each grade level.

ACTION: Strategic Director of Children’s Services