Agenda item

The Committee gave consideration to the report received on the Performance Challenge of Doncaster Children’s Services Trust: Quarter 1, 2022/23.

Members recognised that the transfer of services from Doncaster Children’s Services Trust to the Council had only taken place recently, but explained they were particularly interested in what this meant going forward for the organisation.

In response, it was advised that the transition had gone well, and would result in a better integrated level of service for the families of Doncaster in the future.

The following areas were then explored by the committee:

Mosaic – It was noted that the transfer process to Mosaic, a new case management system, was making slow progress. Members were updated that 96% of staff had been retrained to use the system and IT were now in place to support staff with using the system.

Data Quality and Validity – The Committee were assured that the service was able to check the validity of the data input and had an understanding of the practice and performance of the team. It was explained to Members that data within the report required validation and was not yet at a stage of being recorded in the correct way.  Assurances were provided that work was ongoing to rectify this and the quality of data provided in future would continue to improve.

Performance Measure Supervisions – Members noted from the report that staff supervisions were not being recorded accurately or in a timely manner. Officers explained that a new supervision model was recently introduced, and that training on how to use the new model was being provided. It was stressed that supervisions were taking place, and it was hoped that there would be an improvement in the data provided in future reports.

Number of Referrals – It was explained that to improve information exchange and communication between partnership organisations, the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) was now located in the same building. It was anticipated that as a result, the numbers of referrals would initially rise. Officers explained that the partnerships within the MASH were developing well, and there was active work taking place to address the number of inappropriate referrals that the MASH receives.

Caseloads – The Committee was assured that officers were aware of the number of caseloads managed by individual staff and within teams. It was explained that officers could determine within teams, those staff who were part-time and those that were Advanced Practitioners, for example, in order to help manage caseload numbers the service had a Caseload Policy. It was explained that caseload numbers had risen due to high demand and the service also was experiencing a high number of vacancies. Members heard that the recruitment programme had been hindered by the transfer of the Trust to the Council, and it was expected that caseload numbers would improve as newly qualified Social Workers formed their own caseloads alongside improved recruitment levels.

Corporate Risks (Red) – In response to a question, it was explained that the reported Red performance indicator for ‘the corporate risk of safeguarding children and young people’, was due to the instability of transferring DCST back to the Council and the volatile environment that this created. It was explained that as the service stabilised, the workforce and improved practice would help to mitigate the risks. To reassure Members, it was highlighted that an Ofsted inspection had found no children were at risk. It was also noted that the service faced major challenges, such as, increased levels of deprivation, increased numbers of referrals, the challenging financial position of the Council and the cost of living crisis. Members were therefore advised that it maybe some time before the level of risk reduced and that the current risk management arrangements would mean this indicator remained in focus.

RESOLVED that:-

The Doncaster Children’s Services Trust performance outcomes, finances and the contribution the Trust makes to support the Council’s strategic priorities relating to safeguarding the Borough’s children, be noted.