Issue - meetings

To consider the Quality Assurance Framework and the Annual Quality Assurance Report.

Jim Leivers, Interim Assistant Director for Children’s Social Care presented the Quality Assurance Framework/Annual Quality Assurance report which was set out on Agenda pages 27-38.

Jim Leivers stated that due to the various changes in the senior leadership structure in the past year, this report was omitted from the Committee’s work programme.  It was now being presented to the Committee for the purpose of historical correctness and to enable the Committee to compare current and future performance with that of previous years.  He stated that another report would be presented to the Committee around April time.

Jim Leivers stated that the Quality Assurance was critical monitor the performance of children’s social care, to access the quality of the work being undertaken to safeguard children. 

Jim Leivers stated that Officers were looking at examples of best practice in other local authorities on how best to obtain information.

Jim Leivers tabled a copy of Appendix 1 of the report.

During the discussion of the item the following comments were made:

·           In response to a question Jim Leivers stated that the audit exercise was spread across the service, he explained that the three outstanding cases did not relate to the same social worker;

·           Carol Cammiss stated that it was known to the management team which social workers needed more help and support, and this was not necessarily linked to caseload, it could be due to inexperience;

·           Members were interested to know how up to date the information was.  Carol Cammiss stated the weekly reports with indicators were sent to all managers in all teams, issues were identified immediately.  However, she pointed out that the increase in demand for services had impacted in the timeliness of recording;

·           Carol Cammiss stated that the service had identified its priorities and that work was being undertaken to improve where necessary;

·           Carol Cammiss stated that performance managers knew when things did not look good and would interrogate accordingly.

Councillor Helliar-Symons stated that social workers would be equipped with tablets to facilitate their admin work.  She also stated that social worker recruitment was particularly difficult in this area, a Social Worker Task and Finish Group was currently looking to find possible solutions to this challenge.  Some of the ideas to improve social worker recruitment were:

·           Conversations were taking place to find a way to facilitate car parking for social workers

·           Discussions were being held about offering housing for key workers

·           Oxford Brook University would be encouraging social workers to stay in Wokingham

·           A recruitment agency had been engaged

·           It was hoped that by increasing the number of social workers the caseloads would be reduced, therefore making Wokingham more attractive to social workers

The Chairman pointed out that it was not always easy to move social workers’ caseloads due to the fact that it was important to cultivate stable relationships between families and social workers.

RESOLVED That the report be noted and that future Quality Assurance reports will be submitted to the Committee.