ADCS presidency 'contributed to decline of council's children's services'

Children's services at Kirklees Council were rated "inadequate" in November 2016 after Ofsted inspectors identified a host of concerns including unrecognised neglect and abuse. Services had previously been rated as "good" following an inspection in November 2011.

A report into whether the council should be stripped of responsibility for children's services, which was completed in March but was not published until this week, said that prior to late 2014 there was "no significant concern about the quality of practice in Kirklees".

It points to one of the reasons behind the slide being director of children's services Alison O'Sullivan taking on the role of ADCS vice president in April 2014, going on to become president of the organisation in April 2015.

"The two years in which [O'Sullivan] held those roles inevitably meant considerable time spent, especially the presidential year, outside the authority on national issues," the report, put together by Eleanor Brazil, who was appointed as commissioner of children's services in Kirklees by the DfE to oversee improvement efforts, states.

"This also coincided with the additional responsibilities of adult services, at a time when quality assurance systems were not robust."

The report states that once she became aware of the issues in 2015, O'Sullivan reduced her commitments outside Kirklees to spend more time tackling the practice concerns.

In February 2016, she announced plans to retire when her year-long term came to an end in March 2016.

Brazil's report says the fact that O'Sullivan was spending much of her time in a national role was not properly compensated for within Kirklees Council.

"Where a director has substantial additional responsibilities, it is essential that good deputies are in place in the local authority to ensure issues are appropriately managed, and the council has in place good scrutiny and performance management arrangements so that the director and members can be confident that the service will continue to progress positively during this extended period of holding an important national role," the report states.

"In Kirklees, the year of the vice presidency was also the year in which the experienced assistant director responsible for children's social care was allowed to spend time training to be an Ofsted inspector, which involved being part of inspections in other local authorities. He was also due to retire early in 2016."

As a result of these factors, the report says children's social care in Kirklees "were not inward looking".

"They took part in regional ADCS activities to support social work development, but unfortunately did not use the opportunity of a peer challenge review to focus on social care, but on school improvement," it states.

"It is possible that the practice issues might have become more visible earlier. The lack of awareness by the local safeguarding children board which is apparent from the review undertaken in 2015 will also not have helped."

The ADCS said it recognises the demands that the role of president places on postholders.

Sarah Caton, ADCS chief officer, said: "We understand that the role of ADCS president is demanding and during their year in office the president is supported by a central staff team and leadership is widely dispersed across a number of policy leads as well as the vice and immediate past presidents.

"Directors wishing to stand for this important role require the full support and endorsement of their executive and political leadership and the association makes a payment to the authority of the serving president which can be used to support any necessary cover arrangements within their local authority."

Brazil's report concludes that Kirklees "does not currently have the leadership and management capacity and capability to drive forward the changes necessary to achieve the required standards in children's social care and alternatives need to be considered".

It recommends that Leeds Council be drafted into a long-term formal partnership with Kirklees to support improvement, a move that was announced last month by the two authorities.