1. Social Work Taskforce Health check
Has your authority undertaken a ‘Health Check’ of Children’s Social
Work Teams? See below
If not why not and when will it be completed? NA
If it has can you please provide a copy of the ‘Health check’ you
have completed? NA
Did you complete it in-house or commission a third party to
complete it on behalf of the authority? NA
If you commissioned a third party to complete the health check
which agency did you commission, how much did you pay them and why
did you delegate the health check to a third party? NA
How did you consult with social work staff in completing the Health
check? How did you consult with UNISON in completing the Health check? NA
Staffordshire Children Services took the decision that the Social Work Task Force health check would be incorporated in current service performance self assessment processes that had already been established for social work teams. The self assessment was completed by Heads of Service on a quarterly basis for each Team they managed; Team Managers were aware and contributed to this process. The assessment was then presented to a Review Panel to discuss, challenge and offer solutions to ensure that service quality was maintained / improved. Staffordshire are planning to review this process in the next couple of months.
2. Cases and workload management
Please confirm the authorities definition of 'a case'? g.g. is it
a) an individual child b) a family group of children or a child and
their significant carer/s residing in the household or c) other. A case is a child.
Please provide any relevant document that contains the written
definition.
Does your Authority have written guidelines on levels of caseloads
allocated to Social Workers? If yes, can you provide copies of any
written caseload guidelines for the last 4 (four) financial years
commencing with 2007-2008 No
Does your authority have any tool for workload management? If yes
can you provide us with a written copy? No, we do not have a workload management system.
3. Staffing assignments and flows of work
Please specify the total staffing assignments for all your
Children’s Social Work Teams for the last 4 (four) financial years
commencing with 2007-2008, including a breakdown of different
groups of staff.
Please specify the total number of qualified Social Workers
employed on Children’s Social Work Teams for the last 4 (four)
financial years commencing with 2007-2008
Please see attached spreadsheet.
Please provide the total number of individual children allocated to
children's social work services, specifying the statutory basis for
your involvement, for each of the last 4 (four) financial years
commencing with 2007-2008.
2007/8
Open cases -
CP 385 (on 31.3.08)
LAC 1129 over the year from SSDA903
2008/9
Open cases 6,500 (1.10.08 – 31.3.09) from CiN census. This figures doesn’t include children undergoing assessments
CP 453 (1.10.08 – 31.3.09) from CiN census
LAC 1223 over the year from SSDA903
2009/10
Open cases 14,517 over the year from CiN census
CP 876 over the year from CiN census
LAC 1223 over the year from SSDA903
2010/11
Open cases 12,114 over the year from CiN census
CP 824 over the year from CiN census
LAC 1228 over the year from SSDA903
Please provide the total number of individual unallocated children
who required an allocated social worker for each of the last 4
(four) financial years commencing with 2007-2008.
No children are never allocated to a qualified social worker.
4. Time off in lieu
How is the TOIL monitored and managed on your Children’s Social
Work Teams?
Toil is managed by supervision, recorded on TOIL/Annual Leave cards
5. Sickness absence and work related stress
Please provide the average level of sickness absence on Children’s
Social Work Services in comparison to the Council average?
Please provide the average level of sickness absence as a result of
work related stress on Children’s Social Work Services in
comparison to the Council average?
For the period 01/07/2010 - 30/06/2011, the average number of days lost to sickness absence per employee were:
Staffordshire County Council / Children's Social Work ServicesIncluding schools / Excluding schools
Sickness Absence / 8.26 days / 9.82 days / 10.37 days
Psychological disorders / 1.45 days / 1.66 days / 1.80 days
Please note - as you wasn't clear as to whether or not the county figure should include schools we have provided the figures with and without.