Agenda item

The Childrens Services Update on Financial Performance and Improvement Plan was provided to the Scrutiny Board by Julie Daniels (Director of Children’s Social Care and Early Help) and Andy Cooper (Senior Finance Manager).

The Senior Finance Manager provided a summary of the current financial position of Children’s Social Care, Members noted that for 1.1. of the report directorate had benefited from significant additional financial investment over recent years, due to the recognition of the demand pressures faced by Children’s Social Care. The resources have been invested to algin budgets to expenditure in demand led services, strengthen the management structure and to expand the cohort of social workers.

Members noted that for 1.2 of the report that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in March 2023 reported the financial position for 2022/23 at month 9 which at the time was highlighting a pressure of £13.171m for Childrens Social Care. In addition, it was explained by the Senior Finance Manager that this had increased in the final quarter of 2022/23 and an overspend of £13.806m was reported at the end of the fiscal year.

The Senior Finance Manager noted that a Cabinet meeting on 12 December 2022 approved the report Children’s Services Investment proposals which had outlined an investment of £14.700m for 2023/24. This would compromise of £11.800m recurrent funding to stabilise the financial position and one-off funding of £2.900m into several invest to save initiatives.

The Senior Finance Manager noted in 1.3 of the report that the Council’s forecasted revenue position for 2023/24 on 31^st December (month 9) was projecting an adverse variance of £16.642m.

The Senior Finance Manager noted that there are 16 current placements projected to 31^st March 2024 with a weekly cost that is higher than the average and the highest cost per week was £22,085 equivalent to £1.148m per annum. In addition, it was also noted that the overspend was netted down to 8.88m by a forecast over recovery of £0.776m on continuing Health Care Contributions. The other areas of significant placement related pressures are semi-independence for 16- to 18-year-olds with a forecast overspend of £2.225m and the use of Independent Fostering Agencies £0.450m.

It was reported in 1.8 of the report that Oldham had signed up to the Greater Manchester (GM) Pledge which would mean that any agency workers starting employment from the 1^st November 2023 would have to be paid at standard rates across GM. The rates would apply to social workers, senior social workers and senior practitioners and team managers however the standard rates arrangements would not apply to existing staff.

It was reported by the Senior Finance Manager that offsetting the overspends are underspends of £0.301m and £0.317m respectively within the Childrens Safeguarding and Children’s Services- integration; both predominantly as a result of staffing underspends.

It was reported in 2.1 of the report that since post pandemic, there had been an increase in demand particularly in the Northwest due to poverty, deprivation and the cost of living which had an impact on children and young people in Oldham.

It was noted in the report at point 2.2. that there had been a sustained elevated level of people contacting Children’s and Social Care and Early Help for advice and support with an associated increase in referrals for statutory social work services. As a consequence of this, there had been an increase in the number in children and young people across all cohorts by 50% compared to 3 years ago.

The Senior Finance Manager gave an update on the “Getting to Good Programme Update,” with programme intended to enhance the quality of frontline practise to support vulnerable children, young people, and their families. As well as to continue to effectively manage the continued elevated levels of demand the programme may face, by sustaining performance of some key indicators and improving the stability of the workforce.

The “Getting to Good Programme” focused upon four key strategic priorities which was Practise, People, Partnerships and Processes. It was noted that the improvement priorities in 20224 are an agile programme which would be able to focus on the targeted improvements required to meet the complex needs of children, young people and their families as outlined in point 3.7 table.

An update was provided on Children’s transformation and sustainability programme, with the ambition for the programme being to be the best borough for the children, young people and the staff and services that collaborate with them. It was noted that the authority had made a £14.7 million investment into children’s social care and family support services in the borough.

In addition, Members noted that Children Social Care had been undertaking work around independent foster services to ensure that children placed into foster care remail in Oldham.

In response to questions concerning why the authorities pay for children and young people placed into the justice system, the response was due to their status as looked after children.

In response to questions by Members about how the demand was sustainable long term, it was noted that the authority was trying to manage the long-term impact by introducing early intervention to balance resources.

In response to questions concerning the level of supervision social workers receive, Members were informed that their line manager would operate the clinical supervision, with mentorships in place for 1^st year social workers, who in high end cases may need emotional support, as well as health and wellbeing support from the authority itself.

In response to questions regarding the mapping of early help cases, it was noted that they are mapped geographically with the most demand in the central district of Oldham.

Chair requested that this report to be brought back to Scrutiny Board in 6 months’ time.

Resolved that-

1)    That Members of the Scrutiny Board noted the Childrens Services update on Financial Performances and Improvement Plan.