Agenda item

This item provides an update on Ofsted’s Focused Visit in January 2022. Ofsted undertakes these visits between standard and short inspections to evaluate performance management and oversight, supervision, quality assurance, and professional development of the workforce.

Amana Gordon (Operational Director, Children and Young Peoples Service) presented the item on the Ofsted focused visit that took place on 19 and 20 January 2022. The visit focused on the effectiveness of the Council’s services and arrangements of the Front Door including:

·       Arrangements of Early Help

·       Contact and referrals

·       Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and shared services

·       Thresholds for statutory interventions

·       Effectiveness of supervision and management oversight

·       Quality assurance and performance management

Amana Gordon said the inspectors felt the visit had been overwhelmingly positive with many strengths and some exemplary practice displayed. The main area of improvement related to social work caseloads in the child assessment service. In response to this the services had put together a business case for additional resource to address capacity and ensure more effective service delivery. Support had already been secured for significant additional resource and preparations for recruitment of a fourth Front Door team were underway.

Nandini Ganesh asked if the inspectors had spoken with families and children and if so, what process was followed to select those families. Amana Gordon said the inspectors were given a list of all Front Door cases and they selected a sample to evaluate. The service would then arrange sessions for the families to meet with inspectors and provide feedback.

Nandini Ganesh and Councillor Mercy Umeh asked for more information on the fourth Front Door team and the impact on casework. Amana Gordon said the addition of a fourth team would reduce the number of cases for each social worker and allow them to be more effective.

Councillor Umeh asked how families were supported through the assessment process. Amana Gordon said it could be difficult for families to recognise they needed social work intervention and there were statutory processes the service had to follow. Social workers did their best to explain the process and options to families, but families also had the option to request independent advocacy.

Councillor Aliya Afzal-Khan asked what additional resources had been identified and what support was available to social workers when under pressure. Amana Gordon said support for social workers was given by senior management through supervision and there was a clinical team that provided support and practice workshops.

The Chair asked how recruitment for the new Front Door team would be managed considering shortages in the sector. Amana Gordon said recruiting social workers was a challenge, but she said it was beneficial to be able to recruit the whole team at once – it showed significant investment by the Council and a commitment to reducing caseloads. The goal was to recruit permanently rather than rely on short-term locums. The Chair suggested officers work with the Business Intelligence team on predictive modelling to support recruitment and caseload management.

ACTION: Amana Gordon

Councillor Afzal-Khan asked what percentage of H&F’s social workers lived in the borough. Jacqui McShannon (Strategic Director of Children’s Services) said there was a West London Step Up to social work programme which encouraged social workers to train with West London authorities and then apply for jobs in West London authorities.

Councillor Afzal-Khan asked what percentage of the services were delivered remotely. Amana Gordon said the nature of social work services meant they couldn’t be delivered remotely. Some check-ins between visits could be done online but that hadn’t replaced in-person contact.

The Chair summed up the discussion and thanked officers for their report.