Agenda item

[Courtney Abbott,Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner for Children and Adults, to lead presentation]

Courtney Abbott, Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner, introduced the report and gave a presentation on the findings of the Children’s Social Work Health Check for 2020. The panel were invited to comment on proposed actions to improve the health of the social work workforce. 

The Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner advised the panel that the Social Work Health Check is done annually as part of the self-assessment work. There is a focus on getting a better understanding of both the quality of social work practice and the conditions in which social work is being delivered. The information from the survey informs the Council’s workforce development planning and supports the continuous improvement of social and children's social work. The survey took place between the 2 November 2020 and 14 December 2020. The start of the survey occurred at the same time as the second lockdown which may have affected responses. In total 115 responses were received.

The Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner commented on the main headline findings from the survey.

The panel queried the figure of 45 per cent of social workers reported stress levels and work done to identify the causes and the impact this was having on the quality of service. The Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner responded that while stress levels have increased the level of stress related sickness has reduced. This year the figure was 5.2 per cent compare to 6.7 per cent reported last year and 11 per cent in 2018.

All social workers are aware of sources of help if they are experiencing work related stress and they can also discuss any concerns at their monthly supervision sessions.

The panel queried the finding in the main report which stated that in 2020 full time workers worked 9.6 hours over their contracted hours, which is higher than the figure when compared to previous years. The issue of extra admin work was given as a cause behind the increase. The panel discussed the impact of the introduction of Eclipse case recording system in reducing workloads. The Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner advised the panel that the Eclipse system introduced in September 2020 is expected to reduce time practitioners spend on completing paperwork as they get more used to using the new system.

The Quality and Improvement Advanced Practitioner gave an overview of the work done to prepare and also involve frontline workers in the development of the system before going live. A practice lead supports provides ongoing support and guidance to practioners. In addition, there is an Eclipse user group, who are champions working across Children's Services, who get feedback from teams weekly. The feedback has been used to implement changes to the system.

Emma Bennett, Director of Children’s and Adults Services, reassured the panel that she was confident that frontline worker would feel able to report any concerns to either their line manager or someone else that could offer support if needed. There is a commitment from members of the senior management team to be visible to frontline workers and provide different opportunities to raise any issues of concern.

The panel wanted reassurance that social workers felt able to report any concerns about equality and diversity issues.

The Director of Children’s and Adults Services responds that the Council has introduced an online safe space portal for people to report concerns in confidence.

The service is available to all Council employees. An issue can also be raised with the Line Manager first or another manager if they do not feel comfortable to do so. In addition, there are race equalities champion within social work services where a person can go to for advice and support around specific issues.

Resolved:

1.    The panel agreed to note the findings of the Children’s Social Work Health Check for 2020.

2.    The panel agreed to endorse the proposed actions to improve the health of the social care workforce.

3.    The panel comments on the findings to be considered in future reports.