Agenda and minutes

There were no items.

There were no declarations made.

[A period not exceeding 20 minutes for statements from up

to 5 members of the public on matters within the

Committee’s remit, proposing action(s) which may be

considered or contribute towards the future development of

the Committee’s work programme].

There were no public statements made.

The Committee gave consideration to the Doncaster Children’s Services Trust (DCST) quarterly report of operational and financial performance.  The following areas were addressed:

Doncaster Children’s Services Trust Transition – In response to a question relating to the Ofsted report where it was stated that scrutiny arrangements between senior leaders of the Council and DCST needed to improve, the officers highlighted that they appreciated the question providing an opportunity to explain work that was being undertaken and to note that the Trust would cease to trade and the service return to DMBC on 1^st September, 2022.  It was noted that a DfE (Department for Education) had appointed an advisor on the Board and every layer of management having a line of sight, with improvements being made since before receipt of the Ofsted report.

It was reported that the Trust was working hard alongside the Council to ensure performance case data from the Mosaic system was able to be collated and accurate.

Support for leadership to ensure strategic and operational functions improve – Following the Ofsted report, it was explained that there were two main areas of support, the line of sight and supervision of front line management.  Work was being undertaken with all staff including the 4x4x4 social care supervision model, lunchtime learning including relationships, what “good services” look like and weekly confidence building sessions with managers.  Supervision was a key theme with Heads of Service and managers meeting weekly with DMBC Assistant Directors and Heads of Service ensuring support was available and a smooth transition back to the Council.

Mosaic – it was noted that the system was used in a number of local authorities with some experiencing the same issues as Doncaster but others having an excellent service.  Follow concerns raised by the Committee with regard to the reliability and the system function the following areas were addressed:-

User capability:  It was noted that when the system was originally introduced, staff did not 100% engage with the system or training provided however, it was noted that the system was not easy to use.  Staff usage was now fully engaged.

System forms:  Originally the Signs of safety forms were used within the system which created compatibility issues.  DCST was currently in the process of moving towards using the forms within the system, but this would take time to complete and hopefully make the system easier to use. 

Data:  This was not being provided correctly by the system therefore no data had been collated.  An example was provided that when a child had been seen and the right box on the system was not completed, this would not automatically transfer into the data set.  It was noted that if information was input wrongly there was no alert system however, the tested system would make certain boxes mandatory to complete.

Improvement to the Mosaic System:  This was being led and overseen by Heads of Service within DCST.

Staff Training:  the original training provided was an elearning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.