UNISON Edinburgh Childrens Services Grievance

The Crisis in Childrens Services

EDINBURGH INQUIRY REPORT - COLLECTIVE GRIEVANCE

This is the appeal submission in the Social Work Childrens Service Grievance. The Council agreed to make a clear statement about the risks staff work with, make a joint approach to the Scottish Executive for more funding and called for further reports from the Director. The Council also made a total of £2 million more available for placements over two years.

1. THE INITIAL GRIEVANCE

This grievance was lodged on behalf of UNISON members involved in the provision of Childrens Services in the Department of Social Work and was focussed on the failure of the Department and the Council to allocate the resources necessary to ensure the first four recommendations of the Edinburgh Inquiry are fully met.

2. THE CURRENT POSITION

2.1 There have been constructive discussions between UNISON and the Director of Social Work at Stage 2 of the procedure. Those discussions identified a number of Departmental issues which could be addressed to more effectively work towards achieving the aims and principles of the Edinburgh Inquiry recommendations.

2.2 UNISON is satisfied that the issues acted upon in the short term, and further proposals and discussions in the longer term, reflect a genuine attempt by the Department to address elements of the grievance.

2.3 However, we have now reached a point where UNISON believes that there are still outstanding issues in the grievance which the Department is unable to address. These refer to:

a) the Corporate Responsibility of the Council in terms of Childrens Services and the recommendations of the Edinburgh Inquiry

b) the allocation of resources necessary to fulfill the Council's commitment to implement the recommendations of the Edinburgh Inquiry.

3. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EDINBURGH INQUIRY

UNISON believes that a full resolution to its grievance on the following first four recommendations of the Edinburgh Inquiry has not been met:-

1. The Council as a whole should explicitly acknowledge its corporate responsibility for children looked after by them and its determination to ensure that this is fully reflected in policy formulation and practice.

2. The Council should publicly acknowledge their acceptance that there are risks involved both in keeping children in the community and in looking after them, and should ensure that its professional staff feel supported in implementing decisions arising from risk assessments.

3. The Council, through the Chief Executive, should devise a comprehensive care strategy which recognises residential care as part of a continuum.

It should draw on the expertise of all departments of the Council and should include a clear strategy for community based support for children and young people in order to avoid inappropriate use of residential resources. Residential care must be used and available where it is a positive choice for young people.

4. Provision of residential units must be at such a level as to allow a genuine choice of placements to best meet the needs of young people. In implementing this recommendation, the Council must accept that this will require units to operate at times at less than maximum capacity.

4. FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1. The Social Work Department has not provided enough residential resources to avoid 'inappropriate use', to fulfill the aim of 'positive choice' or to allow 'a genuine choice' for most children. Large numbers of children are assessed as needing residential provision and it cannot be provided. Edinburgh was once proud of its record on ensuring under 12's were not placed, except in exceptional circumstances, in residential care. However, currently children under 12 are placed in units which were not designed for this purpose.

4.2. The first available place, rather than a 'matched' resource is the criteria for placement in most cases. Some reports suggest between 10 and 20 young people are waiting for a care placement at any given time and a similar number are inappropriately placed. Funding has not been available to meet the needs of young people who require the specific resources of units outwith the authority. The authority has no provision for residential schooling for girls.

4.3. The number of residential resources since the Edinburgh Inquiry have reduced while demand has been maintained or increased.

4.4 The pressure on resources has a cumulative effect. The absence of, for example, residential school or foster placements results in other units being 'log-jammed', thereby undermining the issues of 'positive' and 'genuine' choice. This sometimes leads to children assessed as needing a placement having no placement at all.

4.5. The Department is unable to meet its commitments in these areas due to a lack of financial resources provided by the Council. All this leads to an inadequate service for children.

5. EFFECTS ON STAFF MEMBERS

5.1 These issues lead to staff facing intolerable pressures and experiencing the stress of trying to manage avoidable risk in the absence of an appropriate resource.

5.2 They lead to very low morale in the service and a crisis in recruitment and retention of staff.

5.3 Staff feel that the circumstances they find themselves in can lead to a compromising of professional standards and acceptable child care policy.

5.4 Especially in light of the future registration of Social Work professionals, staff are concerned about the effects on their professional practice and ultimately their employment.

6. RESOLUTION OF THE GRIEVANCE

The resolution to this grievance lies both in the planning and implementation of interim and long term strategies.

6.1 Interim Measures

a) The Council requires to recognise this as a corporate issue and the Chief Executive's Management Team should bring forward an appropriate package of additional resources to allow immediate problems to be addressed in line with the Edinburgh Inquiry recommendations which the Council accepted, especially in relation to provision for under 12's.

b) The Council should make an explicit statement of support for staff who require to work with risk on a daily basis. This should explicitly recognise the additional stresses created by resource pressures.

c) The Council should maintain its position, with the funding to make it a reality, that posts in Childrens Services should be exempt from any 'performance factor' in terms of filling of vacancies.

d) The Council should recognise that current staffing levels are inadequate to maintain a stable and consistent service. It should authorise a review of staffing levels and make the necessary resources available to fulfill the principles of the Edinburgh Inquiry.

e) The Council should make provision immediately available to the Social Work Department to address the issue of inappropriately placed under-twelves and other inappopriately placed young people - and for young people assessed as requiring residential school or foster care placements.

f) The Council should appoint an appropriate official for an initial 12 month period to oversee and co-ordinate the response to this grievance. Resources should be made available for the necessary technology and information systems to allow such an officer to audit, project and assess future needs and the resources required to meet those needs

g) An injection of emergency funds is required to address the immediate crisis. The Council should therefore join with CoSLA (recognising that the problem is shared with other local authorities) and UNISON to make representations to the Scottish Executive for such funds at this point, pending the implementation of a longer term strategy.

6.2 Longer Term Measures

a) The Council requires to join with other interested parties in calling on the Scottish Executive to recognise the crisis which exists in Social Work and seeking an independent inquiry of Social Work services across Scotland. The Inquiry would replicate the Scottish Executive's work in relation to Education.

b) the Council requires to make sufficient funding available to fulfill recommendations 3 and 4 in its own financial planning.

c) To build on 5.2(g) above, the Council should join with other interested parties to lobby the Scottish Executive in terms of a longer term strategic funding.

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