Worcestershire social services were at one time among the best of places to work and the management and professionalism were highly regarded. So either Ofsted have got it wrong (which is always a distinct possibility) in this Community Care article http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/08/05/115045/progress-at-worcestershire-childrens-services-limited.htm or things are getting really bad.
It is true of other places that Wilt comes across on his travels. Previously highly regarded local authority social services are really struggling to the point of near collapse.
Of course budget stress, staffing levels and the surge in referrals following Baby P are all factors coming into play. Wilt is not convinced that it is always or necessarily common place that staffing compliments are too low, it is certainly not pay levels (social workers earn far more than Wilt ever did even when he was a team leader many moons ago) nor is it lack of commitment from individuals.
It is to do with staff vacancy levels, how teams are organised and because in part social work core services are run by local authorities – whether it could ever be fully achieved is open to debate, but both the private and voluntary (private by any other description) sectors need to take over via outsourcing. All local authorities should do is ‘commission’ services. That has begun to some extent in terms of setting up ‘looked after’ children’s team pilots – not a resounding success in Sandwell, but then it is Sandwell. What would you expect?
What is there to stop outsourcing things such as child protection? The private sector culture of reducing waste, focusing on achievable results, minimal bureaucracy, trying new ways of working and sensible employment practices gives them the edge over local authorities who are cumbersome and slow to change, for a variety of reasons.
For example, in the private sector if someone is not up to the job, they are either encouraged to leave or if not sacked – unlike their local authority counterpart who would first go of sick for six months on full pay, a further six months half-pay and could end up (at huge expense to the taxpayer) achieving early retirement or taken to tribunal for something or other and potentially end up paying out compensation (also at great expense to Wilt and others pockets).
We think we will drop a line to our man Eric Pickles (Communities Secretary) and David (call me Dave) Cameron – the “big society thing” but in Wilt’s version with bells and whistles.
Wilt
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