Urgent action on children's social care

URGENT action in response to the Ofsted inspection which condemned children’s social care services at Warrington as “inadequate” has already been taken.
Leader of the council Ian Marks is to launch a revised structure in the service, following a consultation exercise with staff, trade unions and partner organisations.
A report to members of the borough council’s executive board by new director of children and young people’s services Kath O’Dwyer (pictured) has outlined the actions taken and to be taken..
The redesign of the service will require £2.39 million extra money from April in addition to investment within the current financial year to ensure, as far as possible, immediate interim improvements in the service.
Proposals include increase in the number of front-line practitioners – qualified and unqualified – and an increase in the number of front-line manager. There will be a decrease in the number of senior managers.
It is intended to fully implement the changes by February – and the report indicates it is anticipated there may be a further unannounced Ofsted inspection of the service at any time after April 1.
The redesign will restructure the service into three divisions: services to children in need; services to children in care and quality assurance and monitoring. The aim is improve the quality, capacity and competency and skills of the workforce delivering key safeguarding services to the community.
Mrs O’Dwyer says the Ofsted report pointed to serious deficiencies within the children’s social care service and the council continues to risk an inability to meet its statutory duties in relation to children and young people.
“That ongoing risk is attributable to a significant degree to staff and structural shortcomings which the service redesign proposals seek to remedy,” she says.
Her report adds: “Recognising the special urgency of the decisions needed to respond to the Ofsted report and to meet the improvements required within that report within appropriate timescales, the Leader has decided to take all necessary actions t implement the revise4d structure subsequent to the close of the consultation exercise, taking into account the outcome of the Ofsted report, the financial considerations and risk assessment set out in this report, the need for the council to fulfil its statutory obligations towards children and young people and all other material considerations.