Childrens Social Care Workforce Plan

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1 Executive Summary Slough has identified workforce capacity and capability in children's social work as a key theme in its plan to meet the requirements of a recent Ofsted Report and has retained ipeople to help to quickly inform an approach to the recruitment and retention strategy for Children s Social Workers and Managers. Although difficulties for social work recruitment have eased somewhat in the present economic climate i.e. more candidates are available, this then requires better assessment procedures to ensure the right appointments are made. The picture is not uniform and problems remain particularly in recruiting experienced staff, which will continue to need a competitive employment offer and sharp and effective recruitment campaigns. Slough's current vacancy and agency staff position is especially challenging and there is evidence that it is amongst the most difficult in England. Its location places it close to the west London authorities, who not only pay London weighting, but have made significant strides in addressing recruitment and retention issues; and within Berkshire it faces competition from several currently better performing children's social care services. The current employment offer made is probably competitive for social work staff, indeed particularly so for newly qualified staff, not a group the Council particularly wishes to attract in its current position. However, the employment offer is significantly less competitive for front-line manager grades. Where the offer is less competitive that is probably due more to market supplements than to job scales and gradings. In addition some authorities report that salaries between adult and children's social workers are not harmonised, while the Centre for Workforce Information reports that nationally and regionally employers note few difficulties in recruiting to adult social care services and that we may be moving into a period of oversupply of this workforce. There is growing evidence that flexible contracts are very attractive to a largely female workforce that is likely to have caring responsibilities. Given Slough's location with excellent transport links, season ticket loans may add significantly to the employment offer. There is strong evidence that, while headline salaries are significant, employment decisions by social work staff are as or more influenced by the professional environment within which they work.

2 Professionally challenging structures and systems that are also safe and supportive, are much valued. The features that staff see as important within such systems are well known and, in focus groups, staff within Slough confirmed their view were consistent with the national picture. Although important to avoid trite and by now very clichéd recruitment and retention messages about 'a journey', the current Improvement Plan does address many of these exact issues. However, it is not seen as such by most of the staff. While some staff felt that the Improvement Plan was starting to gel, and was part of their reason for staying, most were not engaging with it in this way - seeing it more about performance management and targets rather than providing a springboard to a new and better service that captures the innovation and energy towards a new social work professionalism represented by the Reform Board, the Social Work College and the Munro Review. Although we are not in a position to make a detailed assessment, it may be that front-line managers particularly need to be more supported to help staff make day to day sense of the changes under way and to present them positively for what they are - a thoughtful and purposeful attempt to improve outcomes for children and support staff with the skills, resources and structures they need to do that. Coaching and mentoring has seen a resurgence across the sector, given the need for more creative management skills aimed at ensuring rising demand is both safely met within existing or lessening resources. It is also suggested that the service could develop a simple 'charter', mapped to the Improvement Plan, that both helps internal communication, and therefore retention, and supports front-line staff and managers. If this is accepted, it would be important to monitor its implementation through discussions with, and surveys of, staff and such a process would help both to focus and to enable continuing and open dialogue. Such an approach has been adopted by other authorities with some reported success, and could also be used in any recruitment campaign. That said, there were some very positive messages from the focus groups about working in Slough, one of which was Slough itself, and it may be noteworthy that about a third of staff who work here also live here. Its excellent transport has already been noted, and offers a wider labour pool than some authorities from which to recruit. It was seen as a good place to work with a strong regeneration programme and with good local shopping and other facilities. Its diversity, both in the local community and within the Council was seen as very attractive. It is a small borough, easy to get around, and potentially easy to get to know colleagues, although in practice partnership working was seen to still represent challenges.

3 Secondly, it was seen as offering more local resources than other authorities, both in the community and in public sector, with examples being given of the gold project and the children's centres. The Ofsted annual assessment last year noted a range of good or outstanding services and the recent inspection of the fostering and adoption service was very positive and of which the staff we spoke to were very proud. Thirdly, the sense of team working was felt by the focus groups to be a great strength. There was a strong team spirit expressed within the focus groups, with staff looking for, and getting, help and support from colleagues. Several members of the focus groups had been working in Slough for some time and this team spirit and the culture of goodwill was reported to be an important factor in their remaining with the Council. The report suggests a recruitment approach that builds upon these messages, using a series of advertisements, and suggested amendments to the website, that collectively and cumulatively promote them. The focus groups reported concerns about consistency and clarity within the service and if possible it may be advisable to use the new assistant director to add a personal commitment to messages we are trying to communicate. A carefully worded job-pack in accessible and welcoming language would support a dedicated recruitment team that would quickly encourage applicants to pursue their application. Given the scale of the recruitment and the impact on the service of such a proportionately large number of new entrants, we would recommend using assessment centres to assist the employment decisions. These, or interview days, should be set to commence before the final advertisement goes out to avoid a long delay between the first advertisement and final decision. Alongside the recruitment campaign, the report suggests a way of encouraging agency staff with the appropriate skills to transfer to permanent posts. It suggests that each agency staff member should be individually interviewed. Although resource intensive, it has repeatedly produced significant benefits in a range of authorities. The reduction in the number of agency staff will need to be carefully managed to avoid a significant exodus and ensure that knowledge and understanding can be appropriately transferred. However, the report identifies certain risks in the proposed 'bridging' arrangement of appointing acting managers reporting to retained managers until management training is complete. The report concludes with some comments upon retention issues, primarily focused upon the suggested 'charter' discussed earlier. Most significant is the importance of not only linking training and development

4 activity to the professional capabilities framework, but also of doing so across the entire social work career from NQSW to practice supervisor or manager, continuing to offer processional support and challenge throughout career progression and enabling the authority to 'bring on' more effectively the next cohort of senior staff from within the existing workforce. In making the recommendations below, we are conscious of the work they will require to implement, if accepted. Issues of capacity and timing will need careful consideration.

5 Recommendations & updated action plan In making these, the report is acutely aware of the financial constraints that the Council currently faces. The recommendations will require careful costing to ensure they remain within the available financial 'envelope'. Some are for longer term consideration. They are made in order of the text of the report rather than importance: Consider a market supplement for front-line children's social work staff, which if linked only to certain grades is clearly communicated, explaining the reasons and giving clear progression criteria Agreed and in Place for Consultant Practitioner and Practice Manager Lower the bottom point of the social worker scale for NQSWs, or offer the existing entry point as a career grade targeted at recruiting the best NQSWs and linked to a training and development programme Need to consider most appropriate time to being this in and consider expectation of first year in practice demands balanced against Fresh thinking and other development opportunities that NQSW and students on placement bring. Action to discuss with CFMT Review the proposed pay scales for the post of practice supervisor to offer three scales within the grade Agreed as above Consider whether current guidance offers significant flexibility for appointing above the bottom

6 point of the scale for suitably experienced staff In place Consider whether opportunities for offering flexible contracts are currently maximized To consider further with CFMT after second recruitment Consider whether a season ticket loan could be offered, if not already the case for children's social work staff Mechanism now agreed with Arvato communication to stay to begin Ensure that staff have a clear route by which concerns about their individual contracts can be voiced Dedicated HR Officer CG oversees Children s Social care Reconsider the detailed support currently given to front-line managers to help them undertake the crucial task of promoting the long term vision and positively encouraging and supporting staff in making day to day sense of the changes under way To discuss with CFMT

7 Agree a 'charter', mapped to the Improvement Plan, whose progress is monitored in conjunction with staff and which helps communicate the big picture. If agreed, utilise the charter in external as well as internal advertising To discuss with KF, potential amends and updates required Utilise the key messages noted in the report in a cumulative recruitment campaign that uses, where possible, the voices of existing staff, especially that of a newly appointed assistant director Complete, KF Message to feature in next campaign Develop a job pack that communicates these key messages in an attractive and welcoming style that builds their credibility Complete Web Site Built Support the recruitment campaign with a dedicated internal or external recruitment team that includes operational managers Dedicated HR Team in place, Call back system successfully used for recent advert, consideration of best way to resource next recruitment exercise Use assessment centres to enable the best permanent recruitment decisions are made given the increased numbers of candidates available, consider extending this concept to temporary recruitment roles also

8 Complete Review the use of material on the website with clear links to job information Complete Ensure that the positive messages used in the external recruitment are also widely communicated to existing staff, supporting the 'Charter' if that is agreed Complete Discuss with KF Use the process of this large scale recruitment campaign to reduce agency staff, with each agency worker being offered an individual interview Complete limited success in first campaign 1 temp to perm Consider how to manage the retention of the present knowledge and understanding of agency staff, and the risks that may be attendant upon the proposed bridging arrangement, given the availability of candidates and stringent assessment centre procedures a shorter handover period is therefore advised To be discussed with KF

9 Agree a simple and clear protocol for the future recruitment of any agency staff that is geared to social work Social Work recruitment now reverted to mainstream Pertemps contract, specific criteria included within new tender arrangements Ensure that the training and development plan addresses not only current concerns, but supports staff in continued career progression and helps to bring on the best existing staff Review process started with KF and CMT