Timpson reveals initial action to tackle children's services 'failures'

Writing for CYP Now about the reasons why more government intervention is needed to improve children's services, Timpson announced:

• Independent children's commissioners will be installed at Norfolk and Sandwell councils
• A children's services trust will be created in Sunderland, with oversight from Nick Whitfield, director of children's services at Achieving for Children in Kingston and Richmond
• £20m investment in creating a "What Works Centre" to identify and disseminate examples of high-quality and innovative practice in children's social work
• Creation of a "Partners in Practice" programme that identifies councils – of which the first six are also announced – delivering "exemplary" models of working from which others can learn
• A commitment to invest £100m in expanding fast-track social work training modules

Timpson described the government action as a "watershed moment – a new line in the sand" for children's services.

He added: "Today we are saying ‘enough’. Enough to inadequacy, enough to vulnerable children and families being left to flounder for years and years, enough to failing local authorities not being held to account. A compassionate society should not sit back and simply accept it as a fact of life."

Timpson's comments followed a speech made earlier today by Prime Minister David Cameron, who outlined that children's services departments judged "inadequate" by Ofsted will have an independent commissioner appointed if they fail to improve within six months, with the possibility services could then be taken over by high-performing councils or charities.

Children's minister Edward Timpson writes:

"I’ve spoken often about my childhood and the direct impact it’s had on my life. From growing up with more than 80 fostered brothers and sisters, to becoming a Family Barrister and now my current role as Children and Families Minister, there’s been a single, silver thread running through my life – an unwavering belief that protecting vulnerable children is the most profound and important responsibility we have as a society.

Because I know that the children I shared my family home with, the families I supported and represented in the court room and the children across the country who have benefitted from our reforms are the fortunate ones.

The children rescued from a life of abuse and neglect by dedicated experts and innovative children’s services, who have gone on to transform their lives and those of their families, closing the door on difficult and complex problems, and getting them back on track.

Let me be clear – this is truly life-changing work. Frontline children’s social care is a noble and demanding vocation, and one that demands a level of trust and respect every bit as great as that of doctors or barristers, police officers or teachers.

That’s why we’ve worked so hard to strengthen the child protection system – not with headline gimmicks and knee-jerk reactions, but with major reforms to children’s social care and an ambitious drive for innovation throughout the system.

We’ve seen the creation of the Doncaster Trust – England’s first independent social care trust. And we’ve supported local authorities so they can set up new models of delivery themselves as they’ve done in Richmond and Kingston.

In London, the Triborough councils have overseen a complete redesign of children’s social care from top to bottom, so professionals can spend more time with children and families – something they came into the job to do.

And in North Yorkshire, where the council has redesigned its residential and edge of care services, and achieved a 50% rise in the number of young people they support – while also achieving significant cost savings in the process.

This is work to be rightly proud of, and work that is making a tangible change every single day to the lives of some of our most vulnerable children and families. But for every family that is supported to change their lives for the better, in towns and cities across the country, children in the most desperate circumstances are being allowed to slip through the cracks.

This simply isn’t good enough. We have to acknowledge that there remain too many children’s services failing our children in the most fundamental sense of the word. Too many that aren’t making the sort of difference they need to make.

If we take the national picture as a whole, one in four councils is failing to deliver adequate children’s services, with not a single one outstanding. Our children deserve better.

And so today we are saying ‘enough’. Enough to inadequacy, enough to vulnerable children and families being left to flounder for years and years, enough to failing local authorities not being held to account. A compassionate society should not sit back and simply accept it as a fact of life.

So I can announce that from today, children’s services that are persistently failing will face immediate intervention – initially in the guise of an independent commissioner who will provide expert support and advice to transform children’s services, but ultimately resulting in the handing over of these services to high performing councils and experts in child protection if improvement isn’t swift and sustained.

This is a watershed moment – a new line in the sand. And to demonstrate the seriousness of our intent, I can announce the creation of a voluntary trust in Sunderland – supported by Nick Whitfield, who has worked tirelessly to transform children’s services in Kingston and Richmond.

We are also appointing new commissioners in Norfolk and Sandwell following years of  failure – Dave Hill and Eleanor Brazil. Together, Nick, Dave and Eleanor will ensure the best possible outcomes for children and families, and deliver the services they need to live a safe, happy and successful life.

And to ensure these councils – and others – are able to learn from the very best in children’s social care, we are today announcing the first six ‘Partners in Practice’ – North Yorkshire, Hampshire, the Tri-borough, Leeds, Durham, and Richmond and Kingston.

These six exemplary local authorities will model excellence and innovation in the delivery of children’s social care services, and will lead the way in demonstrating to others how these changes can be achieved.

And just as we have given outstanding schools the freedom to innovate, trusting that they know what’s best for the children and families they serve, we will explore with these councils the potential for greater freedoms and provide support in developing new ways of working – removing bureaucratic or legislative barriers to excellence, and a chance to deliver new operating models and structures in children’s services.

We are investing £20m in a brand new What Works Centre, which will make sure social workers are able to learn from the best practice in the country, with a focus on quality and innovation.

Above all, what we need is a consistently excellent children’s social work profession that focuses on the frontline, attracts the very highest calibre individuals, and is confident in its expertise and achievements.

That’s why we are today committing a further £100m investment to expand our successful fast-track social work training models to get excellent graduates into social work.

So this is a reiteration of our determination to do whatever it takes to find new and better ways of delivering for the most vulnerable children – and supporting children’s services across the country to bring about a brighter future for the young lives in their hands.

This is our top priority – and I know it’s one we share with professionals across the country. So let's work together to truly transform the lives of every child who needs our help."