Issue - meetings

Child in Need Workload

Meeting: 03/09/2012 - Children Young People and Families Policy and Performance Board (Item 14)

14 Child in Need Workload pdf icon PDF 58 KB

Minutes:

            The Board received a report of the Strategic  Director – Children and Enterprise which provided the opportunity to scrutinise Referral and Assessment activity and provided an update on issues impacting on current performance within the Children in Need (CiN) Service.  Members were advised that the report focused on performance in relation to the end of year data for 2011/12.

 

            The Board was advised of the importance of Members having a good understanding of performance and were satisfied that adequate strategies were in place to ensure that the children in Halton were safeguarded. 

 

            Members were further advised that Children’s Social Care was made up of a number of services and the CiN Service provided contact referral and assessment services to children in need and those in need of protection, including those children with a disability who required a social worker. 

 

It was further reported that the Permanence Team provided services to children in care who had a plan of permanence and the Young People’s  Team proved services to care leavers and Children in Need who were 14+.  In addition the Fostering and Adoption Team undertook family finding and recruitment of carers.

 

            Outlined in the report were details of the following:

 

·         Referrals;

·         Contacts;

·         Completion of Assessments;

·         Caseloads and Social Work Capacity;

·         Child Protection Plans and S47 / Child Protection Enquires;

·         Work Flow;

·         Management Capacity;

·         Performance Data; and

·         Efficiency Review

 

Arsing from discussion of the report Members noted the following:

 

·           the 2 social worker vacancies referred to in the report had now been filled;

 

·           feed back from Climbie visits would be useful, Members requested this be included in future Children in Need reports;

 

·           concerns were raised regarding the large increase in sexual abuse referrals during 2011/12 - from 17 referrals to 88.  Members were advised a portion of this increase was attributable to adults accessing child pornography on line.  It was further noted that there was increased awareness of issues in relation to online sexual abuse which could account for the increase in referrals.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1)    the Board continues to scrutinise and support the work of the Children’s Trust in relation to the development of Team around the Family and early help services; and

 

2)    an update report on the first 2 Quarter performance for 2012/13 be presented to the Board in 6 months to include action taken following the efficiency review and the impact on reducing Social Worker’s Caseloads; and

 

3)    feedback from Climbie visits be added to future Children in Need reports.