PART 1
(OPEN TO THE PUBLIC)
ITEM NO.
REPORT OF THE LEAD MEMBER FOR COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL
SERVICES
TO THE CABINET
ON 23 JANUARY 2001
TITLE : PRESSURES ON CHILDREN'S PERSONAL SOCIAL SERVICES
RECOMMENDATIONS :
That growth of £1,000,000 is provided for Community & Social Services for
Children's Services for 2001/2002
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY :
The report highlights the continuing pressure on personal social services for
children in Salford.
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS : NONE
(Available for public inspection)
Cabinet Report 24 October 2000
Report to Social Scrutiny on Foster Carer Payments December 2000
Consultancy Report in the Threshold for Looked After Children July 2000
Adoption Review December 2000
CONTACT OFFICER :
Paul Woltman 793 2243
Keith Darragh 793 3225
WARD(S) TO WHICH REPORT RELATE(S)
N/A
KEY COUNCIL POLICIES: Quality Protects Management Action Plan
DETAILS (See Overleaf)
DETAIL
Background
The pressures on the looked after system was last presented to Cabinet in a
Joint Report on 24th October 2000. That report showed that Salford had
experienced a high level of increase in looked after numbers between 1994
and 2000. Pressures were noted on foster care and residential care and on
social work caseloads. It outlined a need to improve foster carer payments
and the number of family placement workers, staffing in children’s homes
and social worker staffing levels.
Budget Forecast 2001/2
During the budget process, a projection on growth of children looked after
was made using statistics up to October 2000.
The projection indicated an 8.1% annual increase in numbers looked after,
which is significantly less than the rate of growth experienced in 1999/2000,
but still places enormous pressure on the looked after system, both
financially and on staff.
Over the last six years to 31 March 2000, the City has experienced 72%
growth in the number of children looked after (i.e. from 336 in March 1994
to 579 in March 2000).
On average, the growth has been 12% per year for the last six years.
However, this average was greatly surpassed in 1999/2000 where there was
a 20% increase in the looked after number.
Since the budget was forecast based on October statistics, there has been a
slight easing of the numbers looked after. However, it is too early to draw
any conclusions and an upward trend is still anticipated.
It would not be prudent to assume too low a level and the Authority is
recommended to continue with the 8% forecast.
Coping with Service Pressure
In addition there are considerable pressures on social services for children
which have been reported in various ways during 2000 and which
demonstrate that this area of service is:
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 operating under enormous pressure in all aspects; and
 bearing very high levels of risk.
Child Protection Register
The Child Protection Register records children who have been subjected to,
or are highly vulnerable to, abuse. On 31 March 2000, Salford had 175
children on its register, 33 per 10,000 of its child population. This is the
second highest rate in Greater Manchester. Children on the register require
a high level of social work supervision and supportive resources.
Quality Protects Grant
The Annual Quality Protects Grant has been used to improve services in a
variety of ways: partnership homes, foster carer training and recruitment,
implementing the national assessment framework, listening to children,
helping to pay for a new IT system. However, the grant is intended to pay
for improvements to services and is increasingly based on performance. If
performance does not improve the grant is at risk.
Residential Services
Significant improvement has been achieved in residential resources. The
second and third partnership homes were opened with a capacity of 11 and
two small homes were opened by the City with a capacity of 7.
The report to Cabinet in October 2000 noted that progress had been made on
improving the staffing levels in homes but that £214,000 was needed to
reach the level accepted by Community & Social Services Committee in
November 1999. This is the level set in Children Act Guidance and will be
required by the Care Standards Agency when it becomes operational in
2002.
For much of the first half of 2000, the average occupancy of Salford's
children's homes was at or over 100%. At the end of December the figure
had fallen to 86% but the recommended level is 80%. This reduction was
partly as a result of the opening of the latest partnership home. Some of
Salford's homes have also been dealing with extremely difficult children. In
the last three months one member of staff has been injured by a knife thrown
by a young person, and quite separately a child in one home put rat poison in
the milk.
Foster Carers
Problems have been experienced with foster care recruitment. Local
promotion was stopped last summer as requested by Central Government
because of the national recruitment campaign. Unfortunately there has been
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no positive impact from this campaign yet. A local campaign has now been
started in conjunction with the Health Action Zone, Manchester City
Council and Trafford Borough Council to boost recruitment.
External Scrutiny
Two reports commissioned in 2000 (one on Moorfield Children's Home and
one on Salford's threshold to the looked after system) both commented that,
if anything, Salford's threshold for looking after children was too high and
there were some very concerning cases of children being supervised at home
because of the pressures on the looked after system.
The Consultancy Report on Moorfield recommended that the home be
closed and replaced by two small homes. This has been accepted by the
Authority. From our experience of partnership homes it is estimated that
£150,000 will be necessary to establish each of these new homes.
Social Workers – Workload Pressures
The Directorate is now introducing the new National Assessment
Framework for children in need. This sets out a process for initial and
comprehensive process for children in need with timescales which are
monitored by Government. To meet this it has been necessary to establish
Duty / Assessment Teams reducing the number of social workers deployed
to deal with long term looked after children and children on the child
protection register. Numbers of social workers have not been increased
during the years of upward pressure on the looked after system. Three posts
are now being moved from Manchester Children's Hospital to Children and
Families Teams but pressure will remain intense. In Salford East there were
34 looked after children without an allocated social worker at the beginning
of 2001. Two new posts will be allocated here and the third in Salford West.
However, most social workers have caseloads made up almost entirely of
difficult cases. They are working under considerable pressure. It is difficult
to allocate time to activities such as student supervision which are necessary
to ensure we have a supply of new social workers available. A further three
social work posts (recruiting experienced workers) would cost
approximately £80,000.
Foster Care Allowances
Apart from difficulties in recruiting foster carers the Directorate is also
concerned about the level of payments. This was reported to Cabinet on 24
October 2000 and it was noted then that it would require £370,000 to bring
payments to foster carers up to the basic rate recommended by the National
Foster Care Association. Salford is falling behind not only independent
fostering agencies but also other local authorities. This issue has been
reported to Social Scrutiny Committee most recently in December 2000.
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Salford also fares badly in the numbers of family placement workers to
support foster carers. It has a ratio of 1:20 compared 1:16 to 1:10 in
neighbouring authorities.
The recently completed Review of Adoption has recommended that there
should be specialist workers for adoption if we are to give this area the
priority the Government requires. Thus three additional workers would help
to improve performance in this area (£80,000 for experienced workers).
CONCLUSIONS
Thus, the following strengthening of service is urgently needed and will be
implemented if the pressure of growth of looked after numbers allows.
Description
Amount £
Enhance staffing in children's homes to
levels accepted by Community & Social
Services Committee in Nov 1999
(submitted as growth bid for 2001/2 – not
approved)
£214,000
Improve foster carer payments to lower
NFCA rates (submitted as growth bid for
2001/02 – not approved)
£370,000
Three additional family placement
workers
£80,000
Three additional children & families
social workers
£80,000
Establish two small homes to replace
Moorfield
£300,000
Total
£1,044,000.00
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is critical that the growth element of £1m for looked after children be
allocated to Community and Social Services Directorate as outlined in
previous budget reports from the Director of Corporate Services.
However, it should be noted that this funding is insufficient to meet both
a)
the anticipated growth in numbers; and
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b)
the very real base pressures in the looked after system.
It is recommended that
1.
2.
the allocation for pressures on children of £1m continue.
in the absence of the Authority being able to agree to fund growth
proposals for staffing measures in residential homes and the increase
in Foster Allowance rates, the Director of Community and Social
Services Directorate be allowed discretion on the use of the budget
provision on the items shown above.
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