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| Ian Lindley - determined to put things right, but is he capable? |
A SHAKE-UP is on the cards for the Children's Service department at North East Lincolnshire Council.
This follows a scathing report from inspectors who were dismayed by what they discovered when they came calling last month.
Already heads are rolling.
Department chief Lisa Arthey is leaving the authority after almost two years - eight months of those as director.
It is not known who else will be shown the door, but there will be intense pressure on the responsible cabinet portfolio holder Cllr Ian Lindley to step down.
According to an Ofsted report, ever aspect of Children Services is "inadequate" - in some case worse than when they sounded the alarm after previous visits - in March and October, 2019 - identified "significant weaknesses".
This has been to the detriment of up to 582 children living in unfavourable circumstances.
Lead inspector Matt Reed headlines the failures thus:
* The impact of leaders on social work practice with children and families: Inadequate
* The experiences and progress of children who need help and protection: Inadequate
* The experiences and progress of children in care and care leavers: Inadequate
* Overall effectiveness: Inadequate
* Services to children and families in North East Lincolnshire: Inadequate.
Back in 2017, NELC was judged to be "good", and the spiral of decline seems to coincide with the Conservatives having taken control of the authority (though the initial rot set in under a Labour administration).
Says Mrs Reed: "Our inspection has identified widespread weaknesses in assessment, planning and management decision-making, leaving many children at risk of harm.
"There is weak oversight of work.
"Risk assessment and management systems that should provide robust oversight of practice are ineffective.
"Corporate leaders and senior managers do not have sufficient understanding about the quality of practice and the level of risk and need that children are experiencing.
"Corporate decision-making is not prioritising the needs of children or providing the necessary resources to drive or sustain the systemic improvements that are required to make a difference to children’s lives."
He continues: "The high turnover of social workers and managers has had a profound impact, resulting in multiple changes for children and families, inconsistency in planning, and drift and delay.
"Some children’s cases are closed or stepped down without risk and need being fully understood or addressed, leaving children at risk, for instance during evenings and at weekends."
"Too many children’s needs are left unaddressed - some families have gone into crisis.
"The quality of professional practice and management oversight is weak, and the service is insufficiently resourced.
"High staff turnover across the service means that many children are experiencing frequent changes of social worker.
"This is inhibiting children’s ability to form stable, trusting and meaningful relationships with professionals.
"Assessments and interventions stop and start as social workers and managers change.
"Many assessments lack depth, lack professional curiosity and are missing detailed analysis of history and risk to inform planning.
"Some children remain in situations of harm for too long - for many, their views and experiences are poorly understood."
The lead inspector goes on: "The impact of domestic abuse is not clearly understood.
"Too often, the safety plan puts unrealistic expectations on the victims of the abuse.
"There is over-optimism with regard to parents’ ability to change and a failure to recognise non-compliance."
"When children make allegations of abuse by professionals, the local authority response is not robust."
On the plus side, disabled children are mostly said to receive a better service.
In response to the damning report, the leader of the Council, Cllr Philip Jackson, said today: "We recognise and accept Ofsted’s findings - we will work with all concerned to keep our children safe."
Agreed Cllr Ian Lindley: "We are determined to meet these challenges - we will rise to them."
However, Ofsted evidently has little confidence in these pledges - it has appointed a specialist commissioner to oversee changes.
The Grimsby News says: How depressing to learn, in the run-up to the 'festive' season, that so many local children have been left vulnerable by the very people at North East Lincolnshire Council entrusted to safeguard their wellbeing. The Conservative administration is obviously chiefly to blame, but why have the opposition parties not shone a light on the failings? It seems they, too, have been asleep. As the independent commissioner seeks to sort out the tangle, the portfolio holder, Cllr Lindley, should fall on his sword. He failed to act effectively on previous warnings and, despite his protestations to the contrary, seems incapable of rising to the challenges.
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