Staff at 'inadequate' council to strike as DCS quits

Members of trade union Unison voted for strike action in response to concerns around working conditions at Kirklees Council, which was graded inadequate by Ofsted in November 2016.

At the same time, DCS Sarah Callaghan announced she was leaving the authority despite only being in post since April last year.

Ofsted's report stated that since Callaghan had assumed her post, the council had made "considerable efforts" to accelerate the improvement of children's services. 

However, inspectors said many recent developments were yet to be embedded, and that more than 500 children were receiving a poor service, with some "remaining in unsafe environments".

The Department for Education responded by appointing Eleanor Brazil, who has worked with other struggling children's services such as Slough, as commissioner of children's services at the local authority.

However, Unison branch secretary Paul Holmes said social workers are still citing issues including high caseloads, inconsistent support for staff, and poor IT systems.

"People are resigning," Holmes said.

"People leave in droves. Agency workers can turn stuff down and walk away. The permanent workers can't. They feel responsible for something that they feel is unsafe. We don't want any children to be at risk."

Holmes said staff are also frustrated by receiving lower salaries than neighbouring local authorities offer. He added that Callaghan's departure would further destabilise children's services.

"It just increases the uncertainty in the department. Social workers feel completely leaderless and abandoned," he said.