Service Plan 2016/17 Children’s Social Care - Bournemouth · Service Plan 2016/17 Children’s Social Care 1. ... assess and take action on any concerns raised regarding ... Families

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Service Plan 2016/17 Children’s Social Care

1. Service Scope

What does the service unit do? Children’s Social Care’s main function is the delivery of statutory services for the protection and wellbeing of vulnerable children and young people. The service works closely with both internal and external partners to:

Provide a clear ‘front door’ to Children’s Social Care, as the assessment and entry point in to the Service, by responding to referrals regarding children at risk of harm and responding with partners to ensure safety and protection through our Children FIRST team.

Investigate, assess and take action on any concerns raised regarding protection of children, including legal action through Children FIRST and Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).

Respond to referrals regarding Children in Need (Children’s Act 1989 S17) leading multi agency assessments and plans to support and deliver more positive outcomes, including Children with Disabilities.

Support and protect children and families affected by Child Sexual Exploitation.

Respond to Private Fostering referrals. This includes young people staying with host families in the town who are attending language schools.

Provide the lead professional role for children who are subject to child protection plans co-ordinating social work and multi-agency intervention and support.

Look after children and young people who cannot live within their own family or friend network by providing and commissioning foster care and residential placements.

Jointly assess families with children who have housing needs.

Support appropriate placements for looked after children.

Support Care Leavers to live independently and well.

Recruit, assess, place and support adopted children and adoptive families.

Provide an Independent Reviewing Service for looked after children and independent chairing of Child Protection Conferences

Provide a statutory Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) service to investigate allegations made against adults who work with children.

The following summary of the main work areas of each of the teams in the service:

Referral, Assessment & Safeguarding Service. This Service provides the coordination of multi agency service provision for children subject to child protection and child in need plans, which means they provide ‘front door’ assessment services for CSC, through the assessment of need and risk, for vulnerable children and young people. Detailed assessments of risks and needs are undertaken by this service to establish correct levels of intervention and service provision. This team also includes Practice Managers involved in the assessment of children at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation. Outcome - The team enable families to identify and act upon areas for development to ensure they meet the holistic needs of their children.

Permanence Planning Service. The Service is also responsible for any legal action and court procedures to initiate care proceedings. Contact Services are facilitated between looked after children and their families through this Service. Outcome - The team ensures that where identified, children who have met the threshold for care proceedings will have their case presented to the courts in a timely manner. It also ensures that Children’s permanence plans are accurate and timely, so that children are not subject to any delays in achieving their outcomes, and where appropriate, that the needs of children can be met appropriately outside of the family. LAC & Care Leavers Service. This Service provides the full range of assessment and care for children and young people who are Looked After by the local authority. This includes, all Adoption service, Fostering & Private Fostering, Residential Care and support for looked after young people over the age of 16, including care leavers. Outcome The team ensures children and young people who are looked after and supported by the local authority,

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will benefit from bespoke packages of care to meet their individual needs and ensure they are healthy, safe, achieve in education and make a positive contribution to both their own plans and the wider society. Quality Assurance & Safeguarding Services. Providing an Independent Reviewing Service and case auditing for looked after children and independent chairing of Child Protection Conferences. The provision of Local Area Designated Officer support, who respond to allegations made against professionals working with children. The services ensures that Quality Assurance will have an independent overview of child protection plans and the care plans of looked after children. This provides rigorous challenge to social works to ensure they work in the best interest of children and young people. All allegations against professionals will be investigated by an independent Local Authority Designated Officer. The Quality Assurance Unit ensures the safety of children and escalate concerns appropriately. Outcome – All children subject to child protection plans, care proceedings or LAC have an independent professional ensuring the Local Authority promotes their best interests. The IRO will challenge any professionals from all disciplines who are not ensuring all needs are met. Principal Social Worker. Responsible for the professional development of the Social Work workforce. The Principal Social Worker will ensure that the social work workforce is a skilled professional group, who can identify and meet the needs of children in Bournemouth. How are we organised?

SERVICE DIRECTOR

Referral Assessment & Safeguarding Service

Manager

Children FIRST

MASH

Assessment & Safeguarding Team 1

Intervention & Assessment Team

Assessment & Safeguarding Team 2

Child Sexual Exploitation

LAC/Care Leavers Service Manager

Looked After Children Team

16+ LAC & Care Leavers Teams

Milton House

Fostering Team

Private Fostering

Adoption Team

Permanence Planning

Service Manager

Younger Children & Families Team

1

Younger Children &

Families Team 2

Family Support & Safeguarding

Team 1


Team 2


Team 3

Contact Team

Safeguarding & Quality Assurance Service Manager

Independent and Quality

Assurance

IRO's

Independent Child Protection

Chairs

Quality Assurance

LADO & Licensing

Principal Social Worker

Practice Development and Quality Assurance

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What are our key risks and assumptions – 2016-17? Risks: 1. Increase in demand for statutory Children’s Social Care services continues to cause budgetary pressures within

the Service. Failure to provide an effective service would increase the risks to children in Bournemouth. 2. Child Sexual Exploitation and Children Missing. There needs to be realignment and strengthening of services

to ensure effective controls, and ensure effective cross business unit work, to provide services that safeguard children from exposure to child sexual exploitation or from going missing.

3. Increasing demands in relation to housing issues for intentionally homeless families are creating additional pressures, including some legal challenges.

4. Care costs for Looked After Children remain high due to market demand and underdevelopment of the market, including post 18 “staying put” provision for young people.

5. Recruitment, development and retention of professional and managerial social care staff. The recruitment and retention of staff in the CSC workforce remains a challenge because of acute national and regional pressures in the workforce market.

Assumptions: 1. A net increase in in-house foster carers through investment and focussed recruitment will result in more LAC

being placed in best value placements closer to home. 2. Plans to establish a new Regional Adoption Agency in Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole along with those

provided by a local voluntary adoption agency, Families for Children were agreed by Bournemouth’s Council’s Cabinet 10th February 2016. The proposal means combining the adoption services of Bournemouth Borough Council, Dorset County Council, Borough of Poole and Families for Children. The proposal follows Government’s expectation that Regional Adoption Agencies are set up across England to enable better targeting for the recruitment of prospective adopters, speed up the matching and placement of children, improve adoption support services and potentially create efficiency savings. Subject to funding and work to develop a business case, it is hoped the RAA would be in operation from April 2017.

3. The Best Care Under Pressure Strategy aims to safely reduce the number and cost of Looked After Children in Bournemouth and stabilise them for the future.

4. Continuation of the generic recruitment campaign will result in reducing the use of agency staff as interims, it is also anticipated that over recruitment will result in permanent staff covering long term absences, rather than using agency staff. The on-going focussed recruitment campaign will also ensure that there are sufficient social workers, that reflect the diversity of the local population, always available and increase the pace of recruiting staff to work with post-16 Looked After Children (LAC) and care leavers.

5. Reduction in care costs through commissioners will stabilise budget. What were our key achievements – 2015-16? 1. As a result of work undertaken on the Ofsted Action Plan and the work following the recent Peer Review of

the Children’s Social Care Service, we have been able to move forward with a more focused service Ambitions Plan. The external PEER review highlighted strengths within the service including aspirations of care leavers being met, children in care services are good, quality and consistency of supervision and management oversight is good, workforce stability improving and elected members are knowledgeable and engaged. The Service has also achieved a refurbishment and occupation of the second floor of Milton House, creating 2 new training flats for looked after young people, to extend the number of young people able to have their first experience of independent living.

2. Ofsted Inspection of residential children’s home as ‘outstanding’. 3. Establishment of a new generic recruitment campaign which has resulted in many new posts being appointed

to and now gives us the ability to start growing our own talent for the future. 4. Appointment of a new Principal Social Worker to lead on a refreshed workforce development strategy. 5. Leading on the establishment of the Regional Adoption Services. 6. Strengthening of the services to support vulnerable children who are at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation.

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7. Creation of the multi agency safeguarding hub. 8. Ensuring that costs and budget implications form part of every decision made regarding the care of children

and young people, has helped to contain budget pressures. 9. Implementation of the Best Care Strategy, which has improved care planning for children on the edge of care,

and reduced numbers. 10. Numbers of children achieving permanence through Adoption remains consistently high in comparison to

National trends and statistical neighbours. 11. Decrease of 7.2% in LAC numbers during 2015/16 which is in contrast to the trend nationally which is rising. 12. The 2015/16 year is the first year in which the number of in house fostering placements have exceeded those

of Independent Fostering Agencies. Customer and stakeholder analysis Children’s Social Care engages in regular stakeholder meetings through the Children’s Trust and LSCB’s frameworks to ensure:

Actions on the findings of external audits and internal/multi agency audits and self-assessment of all services for children and young people, including PEER review, unannounced and announced Ofsted inspections.

All partners within the trust and LSCB are updated on statutory and national issues affecting the delivery services protecting children from harm.

Alignment of planning across all organisations with priority action areas identified in the Plan for Children, Young People and Families to ensure the effective delivery of services.

Involvement of young people on the Corporate Parenting Panel.

Involvement of young people in the recruitment and selection of all front line operational and senior management staff within the workforce.

Access to Resources Team (ART) engage stakeholders to ensure services are monitored and continually meet the needs of the users.

Work with neighbouring Councils and the NHS, to improve contract management arrangements.

Qualitative and quantitative work in relation to development of contracts for Carers takes place – including Leisure Links and Respite Care and the Carers Survey.

In Housing Related Support Services, Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol services have forums supporting service users through advocates.

Equality and Diversity

The Council is committed to equality and diversity. Each service unit is obliged to produce an Equality Action Plan. The 2015/16 Action Plan is available here, and is being updated during 2016, along with the whole directorate equalities gap analysis for 2016/17.

ED Adults Childrens Gap Analysis March 2016 v02.docx

Employee Engagement

Following the 2014 staff survey, the service consulted with staff and prepared and delivered a comprehensive action plan. Children’s Social Care intend to do the same again following the most recent 2015/16 Staff Survey, once the Team results were published 8 April 2016. A new action plan will be prepared, after consultation with teams during July and August 2016, once we have had permission to circulate team responses to the workforce.

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Appraisal Conversations The Appraisal Conversation Policy sets out that Annual Appraisal Conversations will take place within a two month window defined by Service Directors. Interim reviews take place six months later. Our Appraisal Conversations will be completed in July and August of each year. Statistics for 2015/16 are being monitored to ensure compliance with e-first recording of appraisals. All managers have been set a deadline for full compliance by end of August 2016, this means appraisals undertaken, 6 monthly reviews set and all dates recorded on e-first. Information Governance / Management of Personal Data The control of access to information, and the use of personal data, is an ongoing challenge as the level of cross departmental and organisational working increases. Significant work has been undertaken to ensure that appropriate policies, guidance and training are in place to support new way of working. This will continue to develop and evolve to meet new ways of working. The raising of awareness and staff training is key to ensuring that there is a clear and consistent approach that is in line with agreed policies. The provision of training, guidance and advice to all staff around the use and sharing of personal data will be a key area of focus for CSC in the coming year, working alongside the Directorate Services Governance Team, that help us deal with Freedom of Information, Subject Access Requests and learning from Data Breaches.

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2. What are our key activities in 2016/17?

What are the business as usual activities we deliver?

New title but means the same as: What are the core service activities we deliver? Table A

Key activity/action Council priority outcome /

objective / driver Associated performance

measure

2016/17 Performance

target

Performance manager

Referral, Assessment and Safeguarding Services Triage of referrals to Children’s Social Care through Children First Team. Development of the multi agency safeguarding hub (MASH). Development of the services to support vulnerable children and young people at risk of child sexual exploitation or at risk of being missing, including embedding return home interviews that will be completed by either the commissioned Barnardo’s service or by Children’s Social Care. Work continues to develop and agree thresholds with the LSCB and Poole BC. We will also try to obtain agreement on thresholds with our Early Family Support colleagues.

Efficient Council EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

% of referrals with a decision in 24 hours % of referrals moved on from Children FIRST/ MASH in 72 hours All referrers receive a response in 1 working day. (Working Together 2013, Sec 5.32)

90% 90% 100%

Sheila Meakin Sheila Meakin Sheila Meakin

Referral, Assessment and Safeguarding Services – SMART outcomes based, clear and focused plans written for all vulnerable children within Children’s Social Care.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership Active Community

Children in need have a clear SMART plan within statutory timescales and interim safety plan for Child Protection cases. Younger children are the focus of targeted quality specialist

95%

Jan Masterman

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measure

2016/17 Performance

target

Performance manager

AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

assessments by the younger children and family teams. Plans for younger children swiftly implemented through court. The newly formed Assessment and Intervention Service provides specialist assessments and intervention work in relation to Domestic Abuse, Sexually Harmful Behaviours and PAMS).

90 % of all MAAs completed within 45 working days 26 weeks

Referral, Assessment and Safeguarding Services - Intentionally Homeless Families supported. Current arrangements have been reviewed to ensure intentionally homeless families are supported collaboratively between CSC and Housing. A new dedicated social work post has been established and filled, to drive forward issues around intentional homelessness.

Efficient Council EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Children deemed to be in need due to being intentionally homeless receive joint assessment within statutory timescales.

90% Jan Masterman Housing

Permanence Planning. Assessments of risk and need undertaken on vulnerable children and young people identified as at risk of harm.

Efficient Council EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential

Multi Agency Assessments completed within 45 working days of referral. Children who meet threshold for S47 investigation are visited within 1 working day

90% 95%

Jan Masterman Jan Masterman

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measure

2016/17 Performance

target

Performance manager

AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

(same day if child not safe in overnight accommodation).

Permanence Planning - Public Law Outline (PLO) delivery.

Efficient Council EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

% of PLO Meetings held within 10 working days of the issue of PLO Letter. Relevant cases are referred to PSMC for a multi agency response to addiction concerns/risks avoiding drift and delay.

85% Jan Masterman

Permanence Planning - Contact Service delivery. Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe.

Provision of contact workers for LAC supervised contact and subsequent reports to enhance planning and case decision making. Provision of Contact Services for children and families in private and public law proceedings.

100% Jan Masterman ART

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measure

2016/17 Performance

target

Performance manager

LAC & Care Leavers – Ensuring all Looked After Children have an up-to-date care plan and those eligible a pathway plan.


As per statutory regulation, every child will have a care plan which is reviewed on a regular basis, and where necessary a pathway plan will also be established and reviewed on a regular basis.

100%

Sheila Meakin

LAC & Care Leavers - Provision of residential children’s homes.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe.

All Looked After Children in residential settings are placed with providers with at least ‘good’ at their last Ofsted inspection. In house residential provision maintains ‘’outstanding’ Ofsted rating.

80% Sheila Meakin ART

LAC & Care Leavers – Visits to all LAC

Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential

Statutory visits to be completed within timescales.

% under review. Work with RAISE is progressing to enable us to track. Aspiration remains within

Sheila Meakin

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measure

2016/17 Performance

target

Performance manager

AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

statutory timeframe.

LAC & Care Leavers - Ensuring Placement Stability

Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Improve placement stability for all LAC

85% Sheila Meakin

LAC & Care Leavers - Delivery of good Adoption Services and an increase in the number of children gaining permanence through adoption.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Core Service Transformation targets for increased numbers of children placed for adoption. Adoption minimum standards met.

25 adoptions Sheila Meakin

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measure

2016/17 Performance

target

Performance manager

LAC & Care Leavers - Delivery of good in house fostering services and increase in number of households/beds.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Fostering minimum standards met. Fostering team review action plan implemented. Recruit new carers. A 15% increase takes in to account the decrease in year of 9 foster carers who resigned, mainly due to retirement and transfer to SGO arrangements or moved to independent agencies. A new advertising campaign is currently being worked through with Comms and will be established by June 2016.

100% 15% increase in new carers (from 101 to 116 in year new placements).

Sheila Meakin

Safeguarding & Quality Assurance – Ensuring all children’s plans are independently reviewed. (Child Protection and Looked After Children)


Children who need protection and those looked after are robustly reviewed to ensure clear plans for their welfare, currently completed by the IRO team.

100% of CP and LAC audits

Mike Felstead May 2016

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measure

2016/17 Performance

target

Performance manager

Safeguarding & Quality Assurance - Quality Assurance of Child Protection and Looked After Children cases re compliance and areas for improvement.

Efficient Council EC2 Developing our Workforce EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Full compliance with QA framework. Tangible improvements to outcomes and services. Full compliance with Child Protection and Looked After Children procedures and timescales.

100% audits completed and learning extracted and implemented. Increased % in cases audited as ‘good’.

Mike Felstead

Safeguarding & Quality Assurance - Provide robust LADO service

Efficient Council EC2 Developing our Workforce EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Scrutiny and investigation of adults in trusted positions who may pose a risk to children.

100% of referred LADO cases are investigated, managed and completed in timeframe.

Mike Felstead

Principal Social Worker - Continue development of Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (AYSE) programme, and developing the wider social work workforce Responsible for the development and dissemination of policies and procedures that encourage best practice across the front line workforce.

Efficient Council EC2 Developing our Workforce EC5 Working in partnership Efficient Council EC4 Making the best use of our assets.

Rolling programme for up to 15 Newly Qualified Social Workers and 4 x step ups to SW students Working with TriEx to develop and review current policies and procedures.

Continue to reduce number of agency staff working in Children’s Social Care.

Lou Bartlett

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What service development will we undertake in 2016/17? Table B This table should include any activities that you will undertake to improve current service delivery. E.g. streamlining, new IT Software, internal reorganisation.

Key activity/action Council priority outcome

/ objective / driver Associated performance measure and 2016/17 Performance Target

Senior Responsible

Officer

Other key service

dependencies

Whole workforce. Replacement of RAISE. Ensure staff are available to engage in tender process and other analysis activity. Develop and implement a robust CAF process with appropriate systems in place.

Efficient Council EC2 Developing our Workforce EC3 managing sound finances EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership

Review of existing and additional social care requirements to ensure new system can eradicate any duplicate spreadsheet and reporting that currently exists.

Bart Popelier CLC (RAISE replacement team)

Whole workforce. Make full and appropriate use of mobile technology.


Rolling programme of mobile equipment roll out in place.

Rolling training programme in place.

Case notes being loaded in timely way in line with statutory guidelines

Sue Ross IT Mouchel/IT BBC

Whole workforce. Decrease social worker vacancies to improve workforce stability which will reduce numbers of social work changes experienced by children and young people. Refresh retention strategy and develop action plan.


Better workforce stability

Permanent staff able to take on temporary cover arrangements to reduce reliance on agency staff

22 vacancies filled in past 3 months following new generic campaign

Future target is to maintain stable workforce and over complement to ensure long term vacancies covered by permanent staff.

Sue Ross CLC (Directorate Services)

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Senior Responsible

Officer

Other key service

dependencies

Whole workforce. Staff have access to sufficient training to meet changing service needs. Develop a transformational leadership programme across Children’s Services for managers down to tiers 3 and 4 and a training offer for all team managers. Consider whether offering places to partner organisations may not only increase capacity but also improve inter-organisation communication and understanding.

Efficient Council EC2 Developing our Workforce

Each practitioner has 8 CPD days per year. Lou Bartlett HR (workforce development and training team)

Whole workforce. Social workers are engaged with service design and improvement and have a strong voice. Define safe and manageable workload for CSC practitioners, establishing baseline for equitable caseloads dependant on team specific tasks.


Range of mechanisms in place to communicate and listen to social workers.

Lou Bartlett None

LAC & Care Leavers. New Belongings initiative - using the New Belongings methodology to place care leavers at the centre of integrated thinking and planning and at the heart of the community to help Care Leavers to reach their full potential. New Belongings Action plan comprising five key areas:- 1. Increase Aspirations – further education,

employment training and apprenticeships. 2. Increased commitment/offers from Local Authority

and Partners. 3. Preparation for independent living. 4. Increased emotional readiness. 5. Listening to and acting on feedback from LAC.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC5 Working in partnership

90 % of actions completed within timescale and reviewed by New Belongings panel of experts. New Belongings currently in place and care leavers working with New Belongings panellists to develop future plans to move forward when New Belongings cease involvement (8 July 2016).

Sheila Meakin

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Senior Responsible

Officer

Other key service

dependencies

LAC & Care Leavers. Develop a Kinship Support Service to ensure children’s permanent placement with Family is secure, reducing the risk of a move back into care.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC5 Working in partnership

Reduce risk numbers. Increase number of children returning home by 5%.

Sheila Meakin

Planning for Permanence and LAC & Care Leavers. To reduce the number of children entering care through the PPCLP and Best Care Panel. Multi agency response providing good quality resources to support children to stay at home.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

5% reduction on 2015/16 figures, across the cohort of LAC.

Sheila Meakin/ Jan Masterman

Planning for Permanence and LAC & Care Leavers. To increase the number of children returning home to parental/family care. Safely reduce Looked After Children. Increase children placed with families and adopted and SGO appropriately.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC5Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

10% increase on 2015/16 figures. Sheila Meakin

LAC & Care Leavers. To reduce the current number of LAC placed greater than 20 miles from their biological parents address. Increase in local external provision for Looked After Children.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC1 Helping children and young people to achieve their potential

Decrease number of children placed greater than 20 miles away from Bournemouth during 2016/17. At the end of Q4 (14/15) there were 47 greater than 20 miles away from home. At the end of Q2 (15/16) there are 43 children placed greater than 20 miles away from Bournemouth. The target reduction is 5% of 43, this will be achieved by developing new in Borough services with Private and Voluntary providers.

Sheila Meakin

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Senior Responsible

Officer

Other key service

dependencies

LAC & Care Leavers. Increase number of ‘resilience’ carers to look after young people with complex needs. Increase in local external provision for Looked After Children.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC3 Improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities for residents AC5 Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Build a small team of specialist resilience carers (initial target is 3 individual home setting by Dec 2016).

Sheila Meakin CLC Art Team

Planning for Permanence and LAC & Care Leavers. Adapt current services to be able to respond to increases in intentionally homeless families.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC5 Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe Improvement Environment IE2Working with others to meet Bournemouth’s housing needs

Reduction in intentionally homeless families in Children’s Social Care and Housing. Legal Gateway Panel now in place to review homeless families. Scrutiny of need has led to a 50% decrease in families in B&B accommodation. Other families given notice to quit, with support in place to ensure transition in acquired accommodation.

Sheila Meakin Jan Masterman

Legal Services Housing Services

Principal Social Worker. Further develop and refine the content of Step-up to Social Work program, to support the plan for the reduction in agency staff and growing our own talent for the future.


Full programme live and contributing to generic recruitment Yearly recruitment of candidates who complete program, minimum 4 per year.

Lou Bartlett Bournemouth University

Assessment & Safeguarding. Develop Bournemouth focused arrangements to progress in to the next phase of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Efficient Council EC5 Working in partnership Active Community

% of referrals with a decision in 24 hours % of referrals moved on from Children FIRST/ MASH in 72 hours

Bart Popelier Sheila Meakin

Poole BC Children’s Trust Partners

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Senior Responsible

Officer

Other key service

dependencies

AC5 Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

All referrers receive a response in 1 working day. (Working Together 2013, Sec 5.32) MASH staffing and Children First staff located at Poole Police station. Connectivity and IT equipment issues addressed at Poole Police Station. Partner mapping exercise to be conducted and new Partner arrangements agreed. Information sharing protocols all agreed. Threshold tool agreed.

Working with colleagues in CLC to: Update the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). Also consider how we might work with Public Health to refresh this data and make it more relevant to our commissioning needs. Improve the analysis of data from our performance management and quality assurance systems in order that a culture of self-assessment and improvement is created at all levels within the organisation.

Efficient Council EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC5 Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

JSNA informs the strategic direction for commissioning or service development. JSNA becomes baseline tool for planning and developing a common understanding of needs, both with partners and across Children’s Services teams. Better targeting or resources at need. Better prioritisation of limited funds and resources

Sue Ross CYPS (Rachel Gravett and Debra Jones)

Working with colleagues in CYPS to: Clarify and explain the step up and step down processes into Early Help, making it clear how the variety of

Efficient Council EC5 Working in partnership Active Community

Partner mapping to identify areas where Early Help services can positively support services within CSC.

Sue Ross CYPS (Ann Marie Dodds)

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Senior Responsible

Officer

Other key service

dependencies

different Early Help services and processes connect with each other and who provides what. The focus should be on reducing the need for statutory intervention.

AC5 Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

Working with colleagues at the LSCB to: Ensure that the LSCB adds value to our improvement priorities and Bournemouth plays a full part in leading improvements within the LSCB.

Efficient Council EC5 Working in partnership Active Community AC5 Working with others to ensure people are safe and feel safe

More effective partnership monitoring of the performance of the CSC Services

Sue Ross LSCB

What service transformation will we undertake in 2016/17? Table C This table should include any radical change to your service delivery. E.g. outsourcing or fundamental organisational change.

Key activity/action Council priority

outcome / objective / driver

Associated performance measure and 2016/17 Performance Target

Senior Responsible

Officer

Other key service

dependencies

LAC & Care Leavers – Adoption Service – transforming in to Regional Adoption Agency by April 2017.

Efficient Council EC3 managing sound finances EC4 Making the best use of our assets. EC5 Working in partnership

Establishment of the newly formed Regional Adoption Agency (our service will be leading a national transformation programme).

Heather Freeman / Sheila Meakin

Legal Services National Partners/central government

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New activities in 2017/18 and 2018/19 Looking ahead, provide a brief narrative of any new activities, projects or service improvements you are likely to undertake in 2017/18 and 2018/19, whether due to new statutory requirement or local choice. What services/activities will we be stopping? Table D

Activity that will be stopped during 2015/16 Reason for stopping activity

None

Activities likely to stop in 2017/18 and 2018/19 None yet identified. Fees and Charges Proposals 2016/17 What changes will the Service be making to its fees and charges structure for 2016/17. Explain why fees are changing if the change is different to an inflationary increase (this includes explaining why no fee increase will be applied in 2016/17 Table E

Description of Fees/Charges Proposed change from 2015/16 to 2016/17

either a % or £ variation Reasons for applying non-inflationary changes

– including freezing charges

A full review of the Contact Service is underway. It is anticipated that we will be able to create a newly designed service that can be commissioned by other local authorities and Partners requiring supervised contact provision.

Does not currently existing, this will be a new fee earning stream during 2016/17.

Not applicable.

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3. Financial Resources – Children’s Social Care

Expenditure description 2015/16 £’000

2016/17 £’000

2017/18 £’000

2018/19 £’000

Direct salary costs 9,221 7,824 7,824 7,824

Premises costs 167 156 156 156

Transportation costs 235 213 213 213

Supplies and services 810 765 740 740

Internal recharges – expenditure 3,198 3,178 3,178 3,178

Other direct costs 16,580 13,838 13,838 13,838

Service expenditure 30,211 25,974 25,949 25,949

Fees, charges and rents (361) (372) (372) (372)

Grants and contributions (1,868) (50) (50) (50)

Internal recharges – income (22) (22) (22) (22)

Service income (2,251) (444) (444) (444)

Total net budget 27,960 25,530 25,505 25,505

Explanation of year on year variances

The movements between the revised 2015/16 and 2016/17 represent the transfer of the Early Family Support Services budgets from Children’s Social Care into Children and Young People’s Services, plus the directorate budget savings and efficiencies in 2016/2017. For 2017/18 and 2018/19 there are currently only small savings and efficiencies planned.

Staffing Resources – Children’s Social Care

2015/16* 2016/17*

Grade description FTEs No. of

employees FTEs

No. of employees

Service Directors 1 1 1 1

Heads of Service / Service Managers 4 4 4 1

Managers (grades 11 – 13) 24.97 27 22.50 24

Operational (grades 8 – 10) 89.80 95 81.44 74

Admin/Service (grades 5 – 7) 98.25 105 67.46 66

Admin/Service (below grade 5) 13.03 20 10.56 13

Total 231.05 252 186.96 179

Recorded sickness rate (latest rolling 12 months based on the 15/16 FTE rate)

10.3

% of available staffing resource 4.51%

22

Explanation of year on year variances

The movement of employees and FTE between 2015/16 and 2016/17 is primarily due to the Early Family Support Services transfer of staff from Children’s Social Care to Children and Young People’s Services. *The figures are a count as of 1st April in each financial year, and the no of employees figures are counting the numbers of people excluding any vacant posts in order to count the actual numbers of staff employed as at 1st April for each year.

Savings and Efficiencies – Children’s Social Care

2015/16 achieved

£’000

2016/17

£’000

2017/18

£’000

2018/19

£’000

Changes to Local Choice & Private Fostering (115)

Restructure Referral Assessment Safeguarding Service (RASS)

(110)

LAC Commissioning (400)

Agency staff (300)

Adoption (50)

Income generation (60)

Impact of DOLS (previously approved growth)

(50)

Service Redesign (75)

Workforce Development & Training (50) (25)

In Year Total (115) (1,095) (25) 0

Cumulative Total (115) (1,210) (1,235) (1,235)

Budget Pressures – Children’s Social Care

2015/16

£’000

2016/17

£’000

2017/18

£’000

2018/19

£’000

OFSTED Action Plan 158

Workforce Development and Training 75

Cost of Care packages Out of Borough and IFA

2,650

Child Sexual Exploitation 50

Business Analyst 50

In Year Total 2,983 0 0 0

23

Capital bids – for new projects to be considered for inclusion in Capital Programme Please note – These capital bids will be prioritised at CMT. Schemes which CMT support will require a Business case to be approved by the Executive Gateway Board (EGB) before funds are released. Help is available with completion of this form - please contact your relevant accountant.

Proposed project Why is the project required?

Scheme 1 – description

(brief overview of project, key deliverables, timeline and feasibility requirement if needed)

Include key reasons and/or benefits for doing project, e.g. statutory requirements, efficiency savings.

Scheme 2 - description



Scheme 3 - description



Project Finance Council

Priorities¹

2016/17

(£’000)

2017/18 (£’000)

2018/19 (£’000)

2019/20 (£’000)

Total (£’000)

Proposed Cost

Scheme 1 description

Scheme 2 description

Scheme 3 add more lines if needed

Project Costs Total

Identified Funding

Insert funding source



Funding Total

Funding to be identified 2

Note 1 - Which Council corporate priority actions does the proposed project meet? (eg. EC2 Developing our workforce, please see the Corporate Plan 2015/16 for reference http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDemocratic/AboutYourCouncil/PlansandPerformance/CorporatePlan.aspx Note 2 – Have you contacted Sean Hawkins, Corporate Policy and Strategy Officer to see if there are any external grants which can be applied for to finance the project? FD – overall capital in MTFP for additional secondary places, no other bids submitted, but potentially

bringing forward projects once the overall programme is agreed.

Cumulative Total 2,983 2,983 2,983 2,983

http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDemocratic/AboutYourCouncil/PlansandPerformance/CorporatePlan.aspx

http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/CouncilDemocratic/AboutYourCouncil/PlansandPerformance/CorporatePlan.aspx

24

Revenue Impact of Capital Proposals (e.g. Borrowing repayments, change in running costs such as maintenance)

2016/17 (£’000)

2017/18 (£’000)

2018/19 (£’000)

2019/20 (£’000)

Total (£’000)

Savings on running costs should be shown as a negative figure, increases in running costs positive

Savings on running costs should be shown as a negative figure, increases in running costs positive

Service plan sign off This service plan has been agreed for operation from 1 April 2016 by: Portfolio Holder: Councillor Nicola Greene Date: 13 June 2016 Executive Director: Jane Portman Date: 12 May 2016 Service Director: Sue Ross Date: 12 May 2016

Documents

Service Plan 2016/17 Children’s Social Care - Bournemouth · Service Plan 2016/17 Children’s Social Care 1. ... assess and take action on any concerns raised regarding ... Families