Children’s Social Care Workload Management System (WMS)

1. Children’s Social Care Workload Management System (WMS) A Two-fold approach DSLT 16th November 2010 Updated with new SWRB standards

2. 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)

3. 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

4. Reports to CSC SLT, DSLT, Corporate Board, LSCB, and Council in 2010 (2) • CB 8th September – outcome of multi-agency 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

5. DSLT 16th November (1) Purpose of Report • 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. • 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. • 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

6. 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.

7. An Enabling WMS To ensure good quality data is available and communicated in a manner that informs and enables: • Members to be accountable for the decisions about the allocation of resources • Directors of Children’s Services to be accountable for ensuring social work (and other staffs) workloads are managed appropriately • 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 • 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

8. 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.”

9. 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’.”

10. 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.

11. GSCC Standards (1) Employers: 2.2 Effectively 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 2.4 Supporting 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

12. GSCC Standards (2) Employers: 3.4 Responding 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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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.