CREATING A CHILDCARE WORKFORCE FIT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

23RD SEPTEMBER 2010

1. Social Work Practice Pilots – Expansion Programme

Andrew Laird
Amber Longstaff
Head of Social Work, Social Care DfE

Key points:
 Help practitioners to carry the burden – emotional
o preparation for entering the workforce
o supervision

 Some children in care have seen 30 social workers during their time in
care.

 A social work practice model is needed.

 Independent social care led – commissioned and independent of LA –

LA is still formal corporate parent.

 Can a social work practice model increase the quality of service for
LAC – decisions are made much closer to the child involving the child
in decision making.

 Pilot is finding – early impacts:

o SW spending more time with children – bureaucracy is reduced
o Able to take decisions much more quickly and turned around
much quicker
o Engagement with children and young people has increased
(included in selection of providers, location of the practice and
able to keep them involved).
o Staff morale is very high – their individual voice is listened to
and they say they have a lot more latitude to make decisions
and to exercise their professional judgement and have
increased responsibility for the child.
o Financial budget is the same as previously but more creativity
and innovation (some examples, of good practice in the pack)
o They have used their work space more creatively for example to
feel more like a drop in centre eg, kitchen used by LAC, break-
out rooms – rooms more like living rooms, graffiti walls.

 Opportunity for LA’s to think about MFL solutions and fit with the
government’s big society idea – increasing engagement with social
enterprise.
o employee owned public services
o charitable sectors

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 We have learned lessons – transition, agreeing cohort, records
transferred and getting governance right.

Offer is £100,000k grant and assistance with market generation in the

community, model contracts – Government wish to help LA’s engage
and join the pilot.
Deadline 14/10 for expressions of interest – then time to think about a
detailed bid – expression does not lock you in.

Questions:

Evidence? – University of Lancashire & Social Services Unit and

Social Care Workforce Unit are carrying this out across 6 LA’s in the
pilot.

Next is a further pilot – not a roll out – and is different/changed from

first pilot.

Implications for integrated working?

Strong partnership between the social care partnership (SCP) and the
LA – currently the SCP is focussed on LAC but role could be widened

2. Meeting the needs of children and young people

Dr Thompson, vice President Education, Royal College for Paediatrics
and Child Health

Recent new thinking:

Achieving Equality and Excellence for Children DoH (new paper)
Report on Health Services and experience of children and young
people – Sir Ian Kennedy

He is the Paediatrics Lead at District Hospital in Cheshire

- 9 paediatrics
- 10 support staff
- 19 trainees

Training together refers to whole team – eg, safeguarding as relevant

to all roles – MDE (multi-disciplinary education) plan

Eg, Safeguarding

MEDE includes other health professionals (seems to be DoH ?social

care)
Four district areas/programmes
- projects and programmes
- events and courses – awards
- CPD
- Revalidation
Partnership and e-learning for healthcare workforce

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 This is done locally, challenge is how to develop this model more
widely ?

3. Developing Early Years Services

Naomi Eisenstadt, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford (an
inspirational speaker and very committed)

EPPE – early education matters!!!

Home learning environment matters 3 x more than any other

influencing factor on literacy
– this is so across all social-economic groups, however it is the hardest
factor to shift!

Evaluation of Sure Start 2008

NESS Evidence 2008 The impact of well-established SSLPs on 3-year-

olds & their families
Of 14 outcomes 7 showed a significant difference between SSLP
and non-SSLP areas, i.e. a SSLP effect
•5 outcomes clearly indicated beneficial effects for SSLPs. These
were for:
•child positive social behaviour (cooperation, sharing, empathy)

•child independence / self-regulation (works things out for self,

perseverance, self-control)

•Parenting Risk Index (observer rating + parent-child relationship,

harsh discipline, home chaos)

•home learning environment

•total service use

•In addition there were better results in SSLPs for:
•child immunisations

•child accidents

But these 2 outcomes could have been influenced by timing

effects

12 Overarching messages: NESS

•Inter-agency collaboration is essential for good services

•Active engagement of health services important for success of Sure

Start. Health has contact with all families and children from pregnancy

•However beneficial services are, children and families need to be in

touch with them; those with the greatest need may be hardest to reach
and engage

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 •Trust is fundamental to parental engagement

•Staff capacity problems, many staff inadequately trained for the work
to be done and staff turnover is very disruptive

•We vastly underestimated the skill requirements in establishing a local

program, particularly true for large capital projects

Workforce massage is – we did not support and develop the staff to do

these things – that is the surestart message and learning. We are
asking staff to do things not done before, we failed on staff capacity
and workforce development. We made mistakes BUT surestart
integrated working has evidenced improved health and social
outcomes for children and young people.

What have we learned about the workforce

•The tasks of working with adults is different from working with children

•Community development methods are essential but not sufficient to

change parenting behaviours

•Skills of interagency working are complex and training is still weak in

this area (exception, National Professional Qualification in integrated
centre leadership)

•Requirement for graduate leadership in children’s centres is not

enough, need graduate EYPS or Teacher in classroom with children

•Skills of working with very young children still undervalued, least

experienced with least training put in baby rooms

Parents like surestart – does not change their behaviour though!!

Questions:

- Early intervention under threat as budget pressures mean

thresholds raise – health visitors are the key they are often the
first professional to identify problems in the family and this
intelligence is underutilised if they do not know what to do with it!!
Midwives are also not used enough – pick up in a universal service,
and share intelligence about the family – not just the bump!
To save money make the best of what is available universally
- GP’s will not attend integrated training eg, safeguarding. Their
contracts really make this difficult.

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4. Inspirational Leadership in the Workforce – NCSL Schools
/Childrens
Catherine Fitt, Strategic Director Children’s Services, NCSL and
Children’s Services

DCS programme

•Developing a leadership framework for Directors of Children’s

Services

•Effective leadership at the local level

•Addressing gender inequalities in the workforce

•Ensuring appropriate leadership, management and supervision

•Developing skills through coherent careers pathways

•Creating a culture of multi-agency working

•Supporting newly qualified staff - motivating high performance

•Promoting the continuing development of the workforce

Measure them as part of the evaluation.

About 100 engaged with this programme.

Catherine says despite the difficulties and challenges she has a “can
do” attitude personally, and in the DCS’s she has worked with and on
the programme.

Simple most effective factor in partnership arrangements is in

getting governance right – research consistently shows this.

Another really significant issue is contributing to the corporate

role and politically whilst championing childrens services.

Effective leadership at the local level

•We all need to do better to give value for money
•The cultural change – another push to building the leadership capacity
of citizens e.g. participative budgeting
•Shared responsibility for improving the life chances of children and
young people e.g. making the business cases to reduce child poverty
•The law of unintended consequences
•Challenge to our values and assumptions – it won’t just be up to
someone else any longer – no point waiting around!
•Everyone is a leader – understand the effect you have on other
people’s lives; what you are responsible and accountable for

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 •Collaboration
•Technical solution and wicked issues
•Courageous conversation
•A system that improves itself

All leaders need to be brave – go out and do it – lots of guidance and

better support than in the past!

Stated Wandsworth – BME women, succession planning as an

example of improved support that is having an impact.

Monroe early report is saying we must respect learning, well motivate

our workforce, when there are mistakes not blame culture – learn and
develop from them.

We must understand child development – recent research in schools

showed practitioners who do are the best practitioners and getting the
desired results for children and young people.

5. Integrated Services – the Health Visiting Workforce

Maggie Ioannou, Director of Nursing, Quality and Safety, NHS Surrey
(an inspirational speaker)

Attending to share work in London to re-energise the health visiting

workforce.

1990 – health visitors had a lead role leading the healthy child
programme, know the population – this has been lost.
Delivers intensive support programme with vulnerable families
challenges in raising their children healthily. Work with midwives –
ideally identify families at risk before child is born.

Transforming community services has lead to “productivity” – volume

measurement not quality.

Skill mix has been the mantra but skills dilution has been the reality.
Multi-agency teams with child at centre are good but Lord Laming has
emphasised role of health visitor as lead professional for health of
children.

Dramatic fall in numbers of health visitors as reductions in training

places since the 1990’s. Health visitors are trained nurses.

Caseload 250 -1500 is the range health visitor individuals carry:

 Reduce bureaucracy
 Release creativity

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 Can address the social care thresholds but need space and funding to
do it! Asked DCS’s to help re. their scrutiny role.

We need positive role models in the media. We have to think critically

about developments in roles in delivering Healthy Child Programme.

GP’s will be likely to commission a health visitor in their surgeries – this

is what she is hearing.

In London done some workforce modelling.

 London has commissioned a fast track course from Kings College
3 years – nursing qualification gained along the way as a health
visitor – entry requirement is a 2:1 degree. A lot are psychology
graduates (a great development re. psychology of change).
 Return to practice campaign and a 3 month course to reintegrate
 Increased commission 40%
 Leadership development

Further actions include:

 career structure
 commissioning contracts must change

6. Raising Awareness – A Children’s Workforce

Sue Berelowitz, Deputy Childrens Commissioner England
(a very inspirational speaker)

21 years in November since the UN Convention – Right of Child

Whilst not law in England often referenced in law proceedings.

We walk in the childs shoes – visit prison, detention centres and can
visit anywhere, but different to inspection eg, ofsted.

Absolutely essential message for the workforce is that from what

children say they experience, it is essential workforce do not work in
silos.

Messages from research with children, young people and families.

Social Care
 People value role of social worker and they want social worker care
for them
 Case conference process is appalling for them not a validating
experience for them – eg, having reports half hour before
conference that they could not read – sitting in a room with 20
professionals not known to them – social workers coming through
their front door and not knowing why they were there or what their
job is

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  LAC – 17 yr old boy had 36 placements, foster placement locked
them out all day, not allowed to sit at table and eat with others –
harrowing stories and not believed by social workers.

When they experience good social worker practice – they say they
really helped me and cared and they felt they mattered to somebody.

There is evidence it can be done:

Hindley YO Institute – largest in Europe – despite the constraints of
Youth Justice System they are doing well – self reflection practice
really helps.

A holistic approach is essential – she sees bad practice with

education, health, residential and others all operating separately.

Children in prison are some of the most damaged and vulnerable

•60% have been maltreated
•50% have problems with peer & family relationships
•66% come from broken families
•33% have been in care
•75% have a history of school exclusion
•33% have severe and complex mental health problems
•25% have learning disabilities
•30% have a physical disability
•More than 50% have communication and literacy problems
•High proportion have history of drug and/or alcohol abuse
•High levels of other health problems
•But children who are troubled, troubling and troublesome are too often
dismissed – they’re hard to deal with and they pose difficult questions
for us as a society and as professionals charged with their care

A good example is drug and alcohol court in family court with a

multi disciplinary team working with families – currently being
evaluated – but very good signs.

Children and young people do want professionals to intervene when

things are bad, show us you care.

Wherever we are in the childrens workforce childrens wellbeing is our

responsibility. She has seen examples of co-location but there are no
integrated processes and discussion of child holistically and working
together.

Question:
Why wasn’t the Social worker talking to children in your example?
Issues re. training and placements of right quality.

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7. Key Issues for the Children’s Workforce
Jon Richards, Senior National Secretary, Education and Childrens
Workforce, Unison

In discussions with the government all is gloomy re. spending

reductions.
Cuts not likely to be aimed at social care and health – cutting youth
work and playwork (careers advice & NEET) and Connexions are early
cuts.

Unison and others(unions) are having a rocky relationship with

Government – various concerns in departments – DfE difficult re.
academies act and speed of introduction.

Changing relationships with social partnership. Changed WAMG now

Education partnership. First draft of TOR purpose for pupil behaviour
and standards, gone was professional development – TDA budget cut
training for support staff.

Unison trying hard to get DfE to understand when they talk about
protecting the front line - they need to be trained and paid
appropriately.

Pay Body for support staff still in place but will government change in
other ways:
 Academies have freedom next to follow national conditions of
services
 Social enterprise into Health will undermine Agenda for Change

What will happen re. Early Years Professionals – contract ends in 2011
will it continue?

Historical perspection of dismantling national pay structures and

localisation has led to outbidding and pushing pay up for professionals
and finding more support posts cut eg, rail, british gas (which has
recentralised recently).

GP commissioning will lead to private sector who are already moving to

lobby GP’s – price will lead this not quality.

Growth in LA’s moving services into social enterprise and LA being

commissioners – not providers.

Unison is lobbying government for a national commissioning

framework. Major issues re safeguarding – a 10 point plan for social
work.

?Money with Skills Funding Agency to be more flexibly used for

example the gap caused by pulling the TDA grant for support staff
training.

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 (Section 75, 7b funding health and Early Years).

8. Improving Outcomes – Children’s Services and Care Homes

Dr Jim Goddard, National Secretary, Care Leavers Association

Care Leavers registered on their website: 5,500

Role is to be representative body for Care Leavers age 20+

Outcomes for Looked After Children

UK Government data (up to March 2009) shows that:
 56% of care leavers still leave school without even attaining one
GCSE or GNVQ. This percentage has increased from 54% in
the previous year
 21% still leave care at 16 (just over 1,800 young people)
 Just under 90% of care leavers are in suitable accommodation
by their 19th birthday: but what is ‘suitable’?
 More than 1/3 of care leavers are not in EET by their 19th
birthday
 More positively – the percentage of young people with whom
local authorities are not in touch has decreased to 6%

We send bulk of LAC out from care at age of 18 and they cannot come
back eg, Xmas, Sunday lunch, etc.

Things LAC remember:

 The workers that go the extra mile and showed they care
 When they are encouraged to take part in decisions this will help
them to speak out on abuse and prevent it – because they are
used to negotiating for example in bad times, pocket money etc.
Negotiation skills are developed and builds the habit.

Research – 2 key issues:

1. leavers ere more positive about residential care than foster homes
2. large number of people leave care when they are studying A levels
but we make them leave at this critical point in their development.

Average age generally of leaving home is 24, but for LAC it is 18.

They are recommending 25.

9. Home-based Childcare – Recognising Diversity and

Professionalism
Gary Thomas, Director England South, NCMA

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 Registered childminders are in a silo.

This should not be they have some of the solutions.

Registered with Ofsted – care they provide includes many services:

o vulnerable children
o filling gap with overnight care
o play
o family learning
o caring for children with disabilities

Good example of what an integrated workforce can do.

21st Century childminders

 Over 50 per cent hold a Level 3 qualification
 16 per cent provide childcare for disabled children
 37 per cent trained in caring for disabled children or children
with learning difficulties
 85 per cent have undertaken safeguarding children training

Services offered
 Approximately 16 per cent of childminders offering childcare
through social services.

 Respite care, teen parent projects, specialist care for disabled

children and children with a learning impairment, or children
waiting for foster families.

 Partnership working, team around the child.

A workforce trained to identify children at risk of child abuse –

safeguarding

A workforce known to work with social care? Take children at risk –

partnerships with social care.

Childminding can be isolating - networks with childrens centres, social

care, LA of quality can make a significant difference.

Three case studies are provided in the slides.

1. Why use childminders to provide social care?

 Inspected and offer the same early years care and education
opportunities as other childcare providers

 Community based, good local knowledge

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  Network coordinators can offer childminders access to
dedicated support.

Early Intervention
 15 per cent of childminders are providing care for children on
behalf of the local authority, including emergency care and caring for
the children of teen parents

 Community childminders are able to offer care near the family

home and can be instrumental in keeping a child out of the formal care
system.

2. Buckinghamshire, A family referred to the Buckinghamshire

Community Childminding Network benefited from temporary early
intervention which kept the family together:
“The BCCN have been a lifeline to this family. Although they have
friends who could offer small amounts of care, the children were being
passed from pillar to post and given a continuous round of treats. As
the father said, “The only time we know where the children are is when
they are with their childminder, and that is the only time when we know
we don’t need to worry.”
Childminder who offered the care on the network

3. Surrey have targeted childminders for recruiting foster carers.

- can provide short term 28 day care – as childminders, plan for
childminders to be included as part of wider childrens workforce and
the wider contribution they can make – networks are critical – CPD is
vital too.

10. Transforming Children’s Social Care

Ray Jones, Professor of Social Work, Kingston University and St
George’s, University of London (Inspirational speaker uses his
experience and learning of investigations – was on Baby P and others
– a strong advocate for integrated working)

 Think family not children only

 Social work – we kept generic training but not generic practice
 Work locally in an integrated way, share information and
problem solve together.
 Keep in touch with front line (as senior managers)
 Real danger that “public sector cuts” will provide chaos for front
line and our children and their outcomes
 Is there an opportunity with coalition plans – get rid of PI’s not
helping – bureaucracy – too extreme.
 Make sure integrated working is embedded to improve
outcomes
 Serious cases from 1973 – have we learned – no?

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 Unfortunately lead to many regulations based on McGregors
Theory X – low trust, led us to rules, procedures – 1989
Childrens Act - ten volumes– Working Together too big and
complex – telling style, measuring, monitoring, reporting – not
facilitating, enabling and involving.

Rather we need:
 To give praise and recognition – work collaboratively
 Less blame, more encouragement
 Being beside you when it goes wrong

Isn’t this where we want to work?!!

Relationship needs to continue – we expect our front line

workers to do this with parents when taking their child away. It
is not a free for all – need a clear vision direction and to be
doing the basics well, phones answered etc.

So senior managers should be alongside front line workers in

the same way at front line practitioners are with their families
and children, whilst still investigating, meeting and dealing with
difficult issues and when things go wrong.

He encourages us to stay around, be consistent, and make a

difference develop a 3 year plan – listen in year 1, plan change
year 2, make the change in year 3, Therefore need to stay
around for 3 years to see difference.

CHILD PROTECTION AND LEARNING ORGANISATIONS

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR CHILD PROTECTION NOW?

USE THE OPPORTUNITIES OF INDEPENDENCE

•TELL IT AS IT IS AND SHAPE THE STORY

•BE COLLECTIVELY STRONGER

•CUT BACK ON THE NOISE AND DISTRACTIONS

CHILD PROTECTION NOW

RE-FRAME SCRs

•CONTEXT AND CULTURE AS WELL AS CASE

•DRILL OUT AS WELL AS DOWN

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 •REALISM NOT PERFECTION

•WHAT KNOWN THEN NOT NOW

•AVOID WHERE POSSIBLE

•WILL NOW BE MORE EDITED AND LIMITED

•REVAMP IMRs AS THE NEW LEARNING FOCUS

Questions:

Real difficulties with social care on the PQ having to ask for

extensions for work/tasks, and leave early, shows not supported
in the workplace to learn. Under investment in training and
managing work leads and pressures is a recipe for disaster. Feeling in
room this will only get worse!
Real concerns about mental health issues with the LAC and the
under-investment. Need more focus on mental health and the
transitions to adulthood.
We must have a whole workforce approach not for example
childminders being sidelined, support often does not come from
statutory sector – result is lots of children not having their needs
met.
PI’s do not include under-spending where families and children do not
access statutory services.

Ray Jones encourages us to invite political leaders (MP visits) to the

front line to help them to understand the experience of their
communities and workforce. Also consider integrated working and all
agencies eg, childminders were key in Baby P and other cases and
recognised issues early but did not know what to do with the
intelligence.

11. Professional Development for Effective Children’s Social Services

– The Contribution from the College of Social Work
Corinne May-Chaha, Joint Chair, College of Social Work

Why a graduate profession?

Volume – nature of work – numbers and professional decision making
 Qualified
 Unqualified
 Paid
 unpaid

 Professional
 judgements
 Risk
 management
 Accountability

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  Legal
 responsibility
 Professional
 Standards

547K referrals requiring judgement

349K initial assessments completed
120K core assessments completed
84K S47 enquiries made
44K child protection conferences
38K CP plans started (25K neglect or emotional abuse)
12.5K become Looked After

Early and Continuing Professional Development; ensuring the on-going

skills of the workforce
 Standards of entry: recruitment levels and processes

 Content of qualifying training: standard setting and supporting

role

 Knowledge exchange

 Continuing Professional Development framework

 NQSW/Assessed Year in Employment

 Specialist training in new and emerging areas

 Supporting CPD framework through accreditation

 Working with the Social Work Reform Board (SWRB) on

capabilities

Expected outcomes from the creation of the College of Social Work

 An authoritative voice for social work
 A resource to support social workers in their role and tasks

 Building on SWTF ‘ambitions for reform’:

 Improved working conditions – with employers signing up to new
standards for the support and supervision of their frontline
workforce that make good practice possible

 Stronger leadership and independence – with the profession

taking more control over its own standards

The Role of The College

 The College will have a role to play in relation to all 15 Task
Force recommendations

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  Working with other bodies (CWDC, SCIE, GSCC (HPC), Skills
for Care, JUCSWEC, Reform Board, Munro Review etc)

 Development
 Aiming to become a legal entity in Spring 2011
 Consultations held with Social Work professionals and people
who use services
 Interim Board in place by October 2010
 Agreement on structure, governance and strategy

 Promote the profession and its standards wherever it is

practiced

 Work with other national colleges and organisations on

common areas (children in need, child protection, family
support)

 Regularly consult with people who use services to ensure their

experiences of services inform The College agenda

Questions:
Is the increase in referrals going to peak and then reduce?
Who knows, unlikely in the current climate.
In countries with developed child protection systems do they
have similar Increasing numbers?
Numbers of children in poverty will increase the thinking was CAF
would reduce issues but it has in fact increased the number of referrals
We need:
o early intervention strategies (a strand of Munroe
Review)
o social workers need improved IT and reduced
bureaucracy enabling them to spend more time with
children

12. Closing Keynote: The Future for children’s Social Care

Owen Davies, Head of Policy and Resources, GSCC

Regulation will be moving to Health professional body, will cover 15

professions. His view is the profession is up for change and challenge.

ALB review
–The GSCC’s functions to be transferred to the Health Professions
Council

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 –We will work with the Government to ensure transition is smooth and
effective

–Maintaining public protection and supporting the process of reforming

the profession

Social work regulation exists to protect the public by ensuring that

social workers are trustworthy and competent

•The reforms will lead to:

–changing and strengthening social work education and training
–Changing and strengthening the way we regulate social workers –
fitness to practise
–Helping employers support social workers more effectively
Our vision

Social work regulation exists to protect the public by ensuring that

social workers are trustworthy and competent

•The reforms will lead to:

–changing and strengthening social work education and training
–Changing and strengthening the way we regulate social workers –
fitness to practise
–Helping employers support social workers more effectively

Closing remark Very important to educate politicians on the role and value of
social workers and the childrens services. Business is good at getting to
politicians – you all need to be good at that too so that they can understand
the issues and champion solutions

Gill Stacey
Strategic Lead Childrens Workforce
23 September 2010

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