UNCLASSIFIED
BI-03-05
Agenda Item 13
Paper Status: DRAFT
CHILDREN AND FAMILY COURT ADVISORY AND SUPPORT SERVICES
Paper for the Board Meeting on 6th March 2009
THE USE OF AGENCY STAFFING IN CAFCASS – TRENDS, PATTERNS AND LINKS
WITH WIDER STRATEGIC WORKFORCE PLANNING
1.
AIM AND PURPOSE
1.1
To update the Board on Temporary staffing expenditure incurred within the current
financial year 2008-09 and to outline projections for planned expenditure on agency
staff for the financial year 2009 - 2010.
2.
ACTION FOR BOARD
2.1
To note the contents of this paper within the context of strategic workforce planning
activities to address vacancies and improve permanent capacity by recruiting more
cost effective employed staff or high value self-employed contractors wherever
possible.
3.
RECOMMENDATION
3.1
To note the proposed actions to regulate and decrease reliance on temporary
staffing in some teams, securing improved value for money on any essential
agency expenditure that is required from 2009/10 as follows:
3.1.1 Ensure that any agency staff deployment accords with Procurement
guidelines on preferred agency suppliers;
3.1.2 To introduce tighter monitoring systems to check compliance and ensure
that best value for money is being obtained for each and every agency
assignment.
3.1.3 The Area Business Manager and Area Management Account to regulate the
monitoring system for each operational area with HR Business Partners
feeding regularly into this process, reflecting operational demands and
pressures and the context of workforce planning activities.
3.1.4 The workforce planning framework shall ensure that all other reasonable
options of meeting business need through flexible use of existing internal
resources and SECs are duly considered before any external agency
staffing options are sanctioned;
3.1.4 We are currently working on a number of options of strategic options for
future development of a more agile and flexible workforce e.g. Trainee FCA
model, progressive use of internal secondments, extended use of Bank FCA
provision etc. This should be implemented within the next few months and
will therefore ensure our overall reliance on temporary staffing should
reduce;
1
UNCLASSIFIED
BI-03-05
Agenda Item 13
3.1.5 To ensure that any agency staff expenditure is recorded on the HR database
to enable detailed reporting and more comprehensive management and
audit information to be available about agency staff deployment and
expenditure across the organisation;
3.1.6 To ensure that all vacancies are actively managed between the appointing
manager and HR Business Partner so there is a clear recruitment plan in
place in line with the Recruitment Code of Practice in order to address any
staffing gaps. Managers and HR Business Partners shall also be proactive
and aim to confirm appointments as soon as possible (notwithstanding the
need to ensure rigorous pre employment safeguarding checks to be
undertaken first) so that delays in the recruitment process are kept to an
absolute minimum;
3.1.7 Tribal Resourcing are engaged as Cafcass’s strategic recruitment partner to
improve capacity for e-recruitment and development of on-line Talent Pools
to reduce recruitment lead in times. These developments to practice will be
phased in during 2009 in order to modernise and streamline our overall
recruitment and branding status, aiming at helping us to become an
employer of choice within the market place;
3.1.8 To consider “capping” expenditure to a certain percentage of the overall
budget, say, 5% of the permanent workforce allocation, subject to
emergency operational requirements.
4.
KEY STRATEGIC ISSUES FOR BOARD TO CONSIDER
4.1
There are a total of 149 agency staff currently deployed across Cafcass in a variety
of roles. There are currently a total of 218 vacancies across the entire
organisation. This represents 68% coverage of current vacancies by agency
staffing. The analysis in Appendix A provides a detailed breakdown of agency staff
per Operational area by different grade of role.
4.2
For the financial year ending March 2008 Cafcass had spent £1.954m on agency
staffing. At the end of Jan 2009 the accrued expenditure stands at £3.137m with a
projected total at the end of the financial year of £3.714m.
4.3
The main reasons for deployment of agency staff are typically to reflect unforeseen
peaks and demands in business need within local teams, for example:
1) To provide ‘back fill’ for existing posts pending the appointment of a new
permanent member of staff – (70%)
2) Additional resource required in order to tackle backlogs – (20%)
3) Cover for absence such as long-term sickness, maternity leave, suspensions
etc – (10%)
4) As part of a planned improvement programme or strategy where specific skills
are required and only available via this route
4.4
Based on the above information the key issues for Board to consider are
4.4.1 That there is likely to remain a need for agency resourcing options to be
retained as part of our overall flexible workforce strategy, but that steps are
being taken to scale down non-business critical use of agency staff in favour
of more cost effective internal resourcing solutions;
2
UNCLASSIFIED
BI-03-05
Agenda Item 13
4.4.2 That Cafcass plans to embed robust business support systems to ensure
that agency staffing deployment is tightly authorised, monitored and
regulated for both value for money and audit purposes;
4.4.3 HR will work jointly with ABMs and AMAs to ensure that processes are in
place to ensure agency staffing resources are justified and appropriate to
business need within each operational area;
4.4.4 Clear concise management information and data will be provided to CMT
and Cafcass Board regularly so that trends and patterns of agency staff
deployment can be monitored over time and to check that stated aims to
reduce reliance on agency staff and subsequent expenditure are having the
desired effect;
4.4.5 Where Head of Service areas contain teams with a high dependency on
agency staff, HR Business Partners will ensure that business risks are duly
factored into workforce planning and then shared with ABMs and AMAs;
4.4.6 We believe that with the introduction of a modern apprenticeship and
graduate recruitment scheme, this will enable Business Support services to
significantly reduce temporary staffing options and ensure we take a more
strategic focus on developing our workforce;
4.4.7 The introduction of Trainee FCAs during 2009 will also enable the
organisation to better manage the demands placed on our frontline services.
This is especially so in areas where recruitment and retention remain a
serious difficulty (i.e. London, South East of England).
5.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
5.1
The average cost of an Agency FCA per week is £1290 compared to the average
cost of an employed FCA of £870 per week. The average length of usage is
around 12 weeks although some appointments have lasted up to 1 year due to
acute recruitment difficulties.
5.2
There are 36 agency FCAs engaged with Cafcass at present that equates to an
extra cost of £181k for the year compared to the equivalent cost of a permanent
employee for the same period.
5.3
The average cost of an Administrator is £430 per week (permanent £402) and the
average length of deployment is 22 weeks with some appointments last upto 1
year.
6.
RISKS
6.1
Cafcass’ principle focus is to improve the consistency and standard of front line
services delivered to children and families within every Cafcass office in England.
In many offices agency colleagues make a vital contribution to this agenda
although there are inherent risks involved as there is no contractual obligation and
stability of employment remains is uncertain. It is important that team and
management stability factors are addressed as part of comprehensive HR
workforce planning so that the business risks associated with deployment of front
line agency practitioners are properly managed and controlled
6.2
Cafcass is under an expectation and duty to secure best value for money whilst
spending its staffing budget and these requirements similarly apply to agency
staffing. Improvements in the monitoring and authorisation systems to approve
3
UNCLASSIFIED
BI-03-05
Agenda Item 13
agency staffing, combined with enhanced management information should reduce
risks of adverse or critical audit findings in this area of business operations.
7.
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AGENDA
7.1
Agency staff continue to make a telling contribution to many teams within Cafcass,
ensuring that front line practitioner led services are fully resourced and that
backlogs and waiting times for Cafcass led services are kept to a minimum.
Without essential agency staff fulfilling this requirement the risks of inadequate
services being provided to children and families would increase.
8.
IMPLICATIONS FOR DIVERSITY
8.1
The need for a rich and diverse workforce, which is representative of the
communities served by Cafcass is a clearly stated corporate aim. Diversity
considerations underpin all aspects of Cafcass work, including via the workforce
planning and recruitment processes which are key themes emerging through this
report.
Jabbar Sardar
Head of Human Resources
4