by Ray Jones, professor of social work, Kingston University and formerly director of social services in WiltshireCommunity Care has been ahead of the game. In a post I contributed in February it was recommended that following the 'Baby Peter' media frenzy which started a year ago this month there should be new performance indicators for children's services (and why not for adult social services as well) focussed on stability and continuity in front-line teams.
It was argued that there should be "performance indicators about the number of social workers, vacancy and turnover rates, and use of agency workers'. The intention was to give focus to what was happening at the front-line, and what the experience was like for front-line practitioners and their immediate managers.
Getting the basics right
It was an attempt to move the attention of senior managers, the inspectors and the government from distractedly focussing primarily on strategies and plans, cross-cutting service development and organisational change. If we do not get the basics right, and get stability in service delivery, the rest is just window dressing whilst the emperor still has no clothes!
And the argument has in part been won. New performance measures are to be introduced with the Department of Children, Schools and Families proposing workforce indicators on staff vacancy and turnover rates.
It is important that these measurements are applied to front-line managers as well as to practitioners. I have long held the view that it is front-line team managers, and not the service director and other senior managers, who determine the day-by-day quality of services and the experience for practitioners.
Top social worker
But in the February post there was another recommendation that "every council appoint a top child protection social worker with a responsibility to report in public to all councillors on the state of child protection services, and to report to the independently chaired safeguarding board on child protection services across all agencies".
This top social worker would not directly manage children's services, as more disruptive and distracting organisational change would just lead to further trauma and turmoil, but would be an independent expert voice monitoring, advising and reporting to politicians and to the community.
Credible scrutiny needed
With the increasing concern about child protection and care services in too many councils, and with the lack confidence in the competence of OFSTED, it becomes even more important that there is credible scrutiny and quality assurance in every council of children's social care services. But unlike the OFSTED model of inspections, there should also be the commitment to help the services to address weaknesses and build on strengths.
Children's services are now often led by a director with a background in teaching and schools. It is crucial that the experience and expertise in child protection and care is rebuilt at the top level, and the recent lesson from Doncaster is that there has to be an accountability to the full council and public reporting beyond mayors and one-party state political cabinets.
Getting the basics right
It was an attempt to move the attention of senior managers, the inspectors and the government from distractedly focussing primarily on strategies and plans, cross-cutting service development and organisational change. If we do not get the basics right, and get stability in service delivery, the rest is just window dressing whilst the emperor still has no clothes!
And the argument has in part been won. New performance measures are to be introduced with the Department of Children, Schools and Families proposing workforce indicators on staff vacancy and turnover rates.
It is important that these measurements are applied to front-line managers as well as to practitioners. I have long held the view that it is front-line team managers, and not the service director and other senior managers, who determine the day-by-day quality of services and the experience for practitioners.
Top social worker
But in the February post there was another recommendation that "every council appoint a top child protection social worker with a responsibility to report in public to all councillors on the state of child protection services, and to report to the independently chaired safeguarding board on child protection services across all agencies".
This top social worker would not directly manage children's services, as more disruptive and distracting organisational change would just lead to further trauma and turmoil, but would be an independent expert voice monitoring, advising and reporting to politicians and to the community.
Credible scrutiny needed
With the increasing concern about child protection and care services in too many councils, and with the lack confidence in the competence of OFSTED, it becomes even more important that there is credible scrutiny and quality assurance in every council of children's social care services. But unlike the OFSTED model of inspections, there should also be the commitment to help the services to address weaknesses and build on strengths.
Children's services are now often led by a director with a background in teaching and schools. It is crucial that the experience and expertise in child protection and care is rebuilt at the top level, and the recent lesson from Doncaster is that there has to be an accountability to the full council and public reporting beyond mayors and one-party state political cabinets.
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