Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 This report details the response the Council will make to the recommendations of the Climbie Inquiry Report. This Report was published on 28^th January 2003 and presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State. All Councils must respond to these recommendations and submit a self assessment of Services (and action plan to effect improvements) to the Social Services Inspectorate by 30^th April 2003.

1.2 This report invites members to consider the recommendations in their capacity as corporate parents, and the actions to be taken by officers to respond to the recommendations.

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 Instruct the Director of Social Services to ensure the self-assessment is completed and returned to the Social Services Inspectorate, and that any implications arising from the assessment are reported back to the Executive.

Printed on recycled paper

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The response to the majority of the practice recommendations for social care services will be achieved within existing resources. Provision will need to be made if the following recommendations are implemented:-

(i) the provision of specialist services available to respond to the needs of children and families 24 hours a day, seven days a week (rec : 47)

(ii) the establishment of a 24 hour free helpline referral number for members of the public who wish to report concerns about a child (rec : 33)

(iii) the establishment of a Committee of Members for Children and Families and the Management Board for Services to Children and Families (recs : 6 and 7)

3.2 The Council must ensure that the budget it contributes, along with those from each of the local agencies, in support of vulnerable children and families is identified by the Management Board, so that staff and resources can be used in the most flexible and effective way. (rec : 9)

3.3 The Council must ensure that it makes budgetary provision for carrying out its responsibilities for children, as set out in the Children Act 1989, particularly those relating to child protection.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 The Council has duties under the Children Act 1989 to provide services to families and children in need, including those in need of protection, and to looked after children. These duties are primarily undertaken by the Social Services who work in partnership with other Council Services, statutory agencies and voluntary organisations to identify, assess and provide service to children in need in Bath and North East Somerset.

4.2 Local Authorities, in exercising their social services functions, are required to ensure that there is an Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) covering their area, which brings together representatives of each of the main agencies and professionals responsible for helping to protect children from abuse and neglect. The ACPC is an inter-agency forum for agreeing how the different services and professional groups should co-operate to safeguard children in that area, and for making sure that arrangements work effectively to bring about good outcomes for children. All member agencies of the ACPC are required to implement the Department of Health's Guidance `Working Together to Safeguard Children'.

4.3 The Quality Protects Programme was launched by the Government in September 1998, and established national objectives for Children's Social Services. The programme emphasised the role and responsibilities of all elected members as corporate parents of the children and young people in their Authority.

4.4 The Climbie Inquiry was established under the Chairmanship of Lord Laming, former Chief Inspector of Social Services, to investigate the circumstances of the death, in February 2000, of Victoria Climbie aged 8. The Inquiry reported to the Secretary of State for Health and Secretary of State for the Home Department, and its report was presented to Parliament on 28^th January 2003.

4.5 The Inquiry Report :-

· was highly critical of the local services that failed Victoria.

· concluded that in all agencies there was a low priority given to the task of protecting children.

· highlighted inadequacies in the training of front line staff.

· was highly critical of Directors of Social Services, the Chief Executives and Leaders of Brent and Haringey Council in failing to accept responsibility for the inadequacies of their children's services.

· highlighted the need to correct repeated failures in basic professional practice.

4.6 The Report made 108 recommendations with a range of timescales (3 months, 6 months, 2 years) for implementation. 82 of the 108 are to be implemented within 6 months.

4.7 The recommendations relate to national, regional and local structures, practice issues, training, supervision, management, inter-agency working arrangements - with specific recommendations for social care services, health services and the police.

4.8 The Report recommends the establishment of a ministerial Children and Families Board : a National Agency for Children and Families with a Children's Commissioner for England : and that this National Agency should operate through a regional structure with regional offices. These recommendations are to be implemented within 2 years.

4.9 The Report recommended that each Local Authority establishes a Committee of Members for Children and Families with lay members drawn from the management committees of each of the key services. Further that the Local Authority Chief Executive should chair a Management Board for Services to Children and Families which will report to the Member Committee.

4.10 The Board must :-

· include senior officers from each of the key agencies and must establish strong links with community based organisations.

· appoint a director responsible for ensuring that inter-agency arrangements are appropriate and effective.

· identify the budget contributed by each of the local agencies in support of vulnerable children and families.

· be responsible for the work undertaken by the ACPC.

4.11 The Committee and the Board must be established within six months.

4.12 The report recommends that Chief Executives and lead members of authorities with social services responsibilities must ensure that children's services are explicitly included in their authority's lists of priorities and operational plans.

4.13 Each Council must immediately undertake a self assessment of its services and submit

this and an action plan for effecting any required improvements to the Social Services

Inspectorate by 30^th April 2003. The SSI will then report back to the Secretary of State. This audit framework will be used by the SSI to support future inspections of children's services and other follow up work with the Council.

4.14 The self assessment of the recommendations relating to social care services will be led

5. CONSULTATION

5.2 A copy of this report was sent to the Trades Union on 21^st February 2003.