Joint working: Laming lays down his judgment on child protection

As the dust settles following the publication last week of Lord Laming's review of child protection services, his exasperated words "now just do it" ring out.

While giving credit to the legislation and guidance instigated by the government's Every Child Matters and Working Together to Safeguard Children frameworks, Laming criticised the lack of "robust and consistent" implementation of these policies.

From the Cabinet and senior management to inspection and frontline intervention, the report highlights the need to "make good practice standard practice".

Central to the report is the crisis in recruitment and retention of social workers, a symptom of the low morale in the profession.

Cinderella profession

Describing it as a "Cinderella profession", Laming says there's an urgent need to address the "inadequacy" of the training and supply of social workers.

Mike Wardle, chief executive of the General Social Care Council, says: "The degree is quite a recent qualification and it is timely to have a look again to see if it is doing what it needs to."

Reflecting on the call for a postgraduate qualification for experienced social workers, Wardle adds: "I believe there are certain types of social workers that shouldn't be allowed to practice unless they have undertaken certain postgraduate training. We are willing to work with the government and other relevant agencies to address this."

The report voices palpable surprise at the fact social workers can go through their entire degree without any true on-the-ground experience and yet can be lumbered with a full caseload on their first day.

Jane Haywood, chief executive of the Children's Workforce Development Council, says: "Newly qualified social workers should be given cases that are appropriate to their skills allowing a gradual progression. I agree that within the degree there should be more practice placements but we must not lose sight of the fact that there needs to be a rigorous academic underpinning."

Inspection concerns

Ofsted has been responsible for inspecting children's social care since April 2007 and while recognising the steps the agency has taken to improve, Laming states: "The inspection process has not been as effective in scrutinising practice in safeguarding as it has in education."

Laming also expresses concern that the extension of Ofsted's responsibilities has meant the development function that the Commission for Social Care Inspection provided for children's social care has been lost and not effectively replaced.

Barry Sheerman, chair of the Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families, says: "Ofsted hasn't come to terms with the need for different inspections, the need for hands-on work rather than paper reports. What is urgently needed is for inspectors to have the knowledge to go out with social workers, look at training and caseloads and sit around tables in discussions actually looking people in the eye."

National indicators

Laming has also placed the onus on the government to create an effective system of performance management, highlighting the concerns that: "Current indicators focus on processes and timescales, and are not helpful in creating shared safeguarding priorities."

Currently, less than 10 per cent of local authorities choose to adopt targets on child protection indicators as part of their local area agreements.

Despite the Working Together guidance, Laming's review stresses the fact that "significant problems in the day-to-day reality of working across organisational boundaries and culture" still exist.

Evidence of this can be seen at the highest levels, with Laming calling for collaboration between the secretaries of state for health, justice, the Home Office and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Sheerman says: "Justice and health have got to come in as full partners. I still think health is a weak partner whether it is in accident emergency or GPs. There needs to be greater information training. You will know the most vulnerable families in your area and you should be talking about them regularly."

Information sharing

In urging the full acceptance of the practice of information sharing, Laming calls on every children's trust to monitor whether best practice guidance is being followed.

John Freeman, director of the Raising Expectations Action Programme, says Laming's emphasis on integrated working as a vital tool in early intervention, gives authority to those working on the ground.

He says: "The systems are in place for integrated working. But now social workers have got the moral authority to go to their senior managers, who can in turn go to directors of children's services (DCSs) who can go to primary care trust chief executives to say 'this is not good enough'."

But as well as underlining the need for people to embrace joint working, Laming says the current Integrated Children's Systems used at local level, to support children in need, are "hampering progress".

He explains: "Many are being compromised by an over-complicated tick-box assessment recording system. The direct interaction and engagement with children and their families is said to be at risk."

Demand for accountability

When presenting his findings, Laming demanded accountability from chief executives and lead members as well as DCSs. He stressed the need for all senior managers to be trained in safeguarding practice.

He said: "I have a strongly held view that senior managers must have the public accountability that goes with the job. Their performance must be judged solely on the quality of services delivered."

Maggie Atkinson, president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services, says: "Laming's report makes it clear that it is a strong team that will make the difference, not whether the DCSs comes from an education or social work background.

"We welcome the emphasis that children's services is everybody's business and the urgency on health, police and justice to make absolutely sure we are in this together."

- See the full report at: cypnow.co.uk/doc

VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN ENGLAND

Of 11 million children in England ...

235,000 children are "children in need" supported by a local authority

200,000 children live in households where there is a known high risk of domestic abuse and violence

60,000 are looked after by a local authority

37,000 are the subject of a care order

29,000 are the subject of a child protection plan

1,300 are privately fostered

300 are in secure children's homes

Source: The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report, March 2009

LAMING'S KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

- A National Safeguarding Delivery Unit should be established to report to cabinet and Parliament to drive forward improvement

- Government should introduce new statutory targets as quickly as possible and revise the existing indicators on safeguarding and child protection for inclusion in local area agreements

- Ofsted should revise the inspection and improvement regime for schools

- Every children's trust should ensure that partners consistently apply information sharing guidance

- The Social Work Taskforce should work with the Children's Workforce Development Council and other partners to implement clear progression routes for children's social workers

- The General Social Care Council, together with relevant government departments, should put in place a comprehensive inspection regime to raise the quality and consistency of social work degrees

- The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills should introduce a fully-funded practice-focused children's social work postgraduate qualification for experienced social workers

- Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, HMI Constabulary and HMI Probation should take action to ensure their staff have the appropriate skills to inspect the safeguarding and child protection elements of frontline service

- The same person should not chair the children's trust and local safeguarding children boards

- The DCSF, Department of Health and the Home Office, together with the Treasury, must ensure children's services, police and health services have protected budgets for the staffing and training of child protection services

- The Ministry of Justice should appoint an independent person to undertake a review of the impact of court fees for care proceedings. If they are found to be a deterrent they should be abolished

THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE

Children's Secretary Ed Balls reacted to Lord Laming's report by accepting all 58 recommendations.

Announcing the immediate measures to be taken by the government, Balls confirmed the appointment of a chief adviser on the safety of children, Sir Roger Singleton, who will report to Parliament on safeguarding children.

A new cross-government National Safeguarding Delivery Unit to drive improvement in practice, will provide support to every local authority and children's trust to help them fulfil safeguarding responsibilities.

Balls confirmed that he will require chairs for all local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs) to be independent. Two members of the general public will also be appointed to every board.

More guidance is promised. As well as revising Working Together to Safeguard Children - the child protection manual for all those who work with children and young people, guidance on the relationship between children's trusts and LSCBs will be published.

There will be more leadership training to increase confidence and skills, and improved support for frontline social workers to address recruitment and retention problems.

Francis Plowden, from the Judicial Appointments Commission, will lead a review into whether court fees in public law cases act as a deterrent to local authorities commencing care proceedings to safeguard children.

The government has promised a detailed action plan in response to the recommendations by the end of April. A review of safeguarding targets will take place and a new framework published in the autumn.

Advice from the Social Work Taskforce will form an action plan on improving frontline practice to be published by the end of April.