Children’s Social Care Workload
Management System (WMS)
A Two-fold approach
DSLT 16th November 2010
Updated with new SWRB standards
Methodology
• Consultation (special thanks to Bridget Goode and
Gary Irwin)
• Research, including SWTF and our own and other
models and their strengths and weaknesses
• Legislation & Guidance (e.g CA & H&S), Inquiry
Recommendations (e.g. Climbie), Standards (e.g.
GSCC Code of Conduct)
• Councils and Directorate policy (Safeguarding,
Staff Care)
• Articles by the experts (Social Care leaders,
Unions) and from the experts (you and your staff)
Reports to CSC SLT, DSLT, Corporate Board,
LSCB, and Council in 2010 (1)
• CB 12th January – outlining implications of
the SWTF report
• SLT 20th January – exception report
‘dysfunctional behaviours’
• Select Committee 21st January – SWTF
Findings and implications
• DSLT 24th August – summary of pressures
since Baby P
Reports to CSC SLT, DSLT, Corporate Board,
LSCB, and Council in 2010 (2)
• CB 8th September – outcome of multiagency safeguarding audit following Baby P
• SLT 16th September – proposal for CSC
WMS focussing (to begin with) on SWs in
district teams
• SLT 3rd November – CSC WMS progress
report
• DSLT 16th November – CSC WMS model
DSLT 16th November (1)
Purpose of Report
1 To ensure the Council and Director of Children’s
Services duties and responsibilities under Children Act
and Health & Safety Legislation (in respect of
safeguarding children and the health and safety of
District Social Work staff) can be managed as required.
2 To identify an efficient and effective workload
management system (and model) that is fit for purpose,
for front line managers and staff, and for senior
managers and Members.
3 To ensure the Council and Director of Children’s
Services have regular good quality data about the
workloads of District Social Workers on which to make
decisions that will fulfill their duties and
responsibilities
DSLT 16th November (2)
Inspection Evidence:
 Critically reflective supervision, management audit and
oversight are provided for all staff and are resulting in
improving practice. Suitable training for staff is available,
including lessons from serious case reviews where
appropriate, and is contributing to improving practice.
 Staff workloads are manageable, which enables work to be
completed in a timely way to safeguard children.
 Performance indicators reflect good and sustained and/or
improving practice.
An Enabling WMS
To ensure good quality data is available and communicated in
a manner that informs and enables:
1 Members to be accountable for the decisions about the allocation of
resources
2 Directors of Children’s Services to be accountable for ensuring social
work (and other staffs) workloads are managed appropriately
3 Senior managers to work together, to support their front line managers
and staff and keep directorate senior leaders appraised and advised of
the impact of the strategies in place
4 Team Managers to be responsible for ensuring that no case is allocated
to a Social Worker unless and until he/she is satisfied that the allocated
Social Worker has the necessary training, experience and time to deal
with it properly
Climbie Recommendations (1)
52” Directors of social services must ensure that no case is
allocated to a social worker unless and until his or her
manager ensures that he or she has the necessary training,
experience and time to deal with it properly.”
53“When allocating a case to a social worker, the manager
must ensure that the social worker is clear as to what has
been allocated, what action is required and how that action
will be reviewed and supervised.”
Climbie Recommendations (2)
54“Directors of social services must ensure that all cases of
children assessed as needing a service have an allocated
social worker. In cases where this proves to be impossible,
arrangements must be made to maintain contact with the
child. The number, nature and reasons for such unallocated
cases must be reported to social services committee on a
monthly basis.”
55“Directors of social services must ensure that only those
cases in which a social worker is actively engaged in work
with a child and the child’s family are deemed to be
‘allocated’.”
WMS Model
In its simplest terms:
 Support team managers and their staff to identify and
monitor their own chosen system
 Use Business Objects Reports as the basis on which to
produce data to inform performance monitoring
 Provide the necessary information (the story behind) to
enable team managers, senior managers and members
fulfill their duties and responsibilities for the safeguarding
of children and the Health & Safety of their staff
NB: It will not SOLVE pressures, it aims to provide
quality information on which to take quality decisions at
the appropriate levels.
GSCC Standards (1)
Employers:
2.2Effectively managing and supervising staff to support effective
practice and good conduct and supporting staff to address deficiencies
in their performance
2.3Having systems in place to enable social care workers to report
inadequate resources or operational difficulties which might impede
the delivery of safe care and working with them and relevant
authorities to address those issues; and
2.4Supporting social care workers to meet the GSCC’s Code of Practice
for Social Care Workers and not requiring them to do anything that
would put their compliance with that code at risk
GSCC Standards (2)
Employers:
3.4Responding appropriately to social care workers who seek assistance
because they do not feel able or adequately prepared to carry out any
aspects of their work
5.1Informing social care workers about this code and your responsibility
to comply with it
5.2Informing social care workers about the GSCC’s Code of Practice for
Social Care Workers and their personal responsibility to meet that code
GSCC Standards (3)
Social Care Workers:
3.4Bringing to the attention of your employer or the appropriate authority
resource or operational difficulties that might get in the way of the
delivery of safe care
3.5Informing your employer or an appropriate authority where the
practice of colleagues may be unsafe or adversely affecting standards
of care
6.1Meeting relevant standards of practice and working in a lawful, safe
and effective way
6.2Maintaining clear and accurate records as required by procedures
established for your work
SWRB Standards
All employers should:
• Have in place a social work accountability framework
informed by knowledge of good social work practice
and the experience and expertise of service users,
carers and practitioners.
• Use effective workforce planning systems to make sure
that the right number of social workers, with the right
level of skills and experience, are available to meet
current and future service demands.
• Implement transparent systems to manage workload
and case allocation in order to protect service users and
practitioners.
• Make sure that social workers can do their jobs safely
and have the practical tools and resources they need to
practise effectively. Employers should assess risks and
take action to minimise and prevent them.
SWRB Standards
• Ensure that social workers have regular and
appropriate social work supervision.
• Provide opportunities for continuing professional
development, as well as access to research and practice
guidance.
• Ensure social workers can maintain their professional
registration.
• Establish effective partnerships with higher education
institutions and other organisations to support the
delivery of social work education and continuing
professional development.