Aquick glance at the key indicators for children’s services in Southampton suggests a council that has been going through a largely stable period: social worker turnover and absence levels were the same or below the England average in 2020 and looked-after children rates have fallen since 2015 at a time when they have grown nationally (see graphics).
Yet scratch the surface and a more complex picture emerges of a department that has undergone a turbulent few years as a result of workplace disharmony.
Culture of fear
In August 2020, the council was forced to apologise unreservedly after an independent probe into its children’s social care service found a “culture of fear”. The report by senior troubleshooter and former director of children’s service Malcolm Newsam, upheld most of the complaints raised earlier that year by 31 whistleblowers, mostly managers in the department, about the leadership of the service and the safety of children.
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