Chapter 7 Leadership and direction
We evaluated the leadership and direction of social work services in Renfrewshire to be good with important strengths and some areas for improvement.
The chief executive provided effective leadership. He had high expectations of corporate working and a strong focus on the major challenges of poor health, long-term unemployment and a widening gap between the council's most and least deprived areas.
The vision for social work services was well understood across all staff groups. The director had a strong presence and was thought of highly by staff, partners and stakeholders. The heads of service for community care and children and families and criminal justice needed to raise their profile, particularly with staff.
There was an effective and developing partnership with health. The political leadership had shown initiative in taking forward joint planning commitments.
Elected members across all parties were committed to services to reduce disadvantage and there was a positive approach to improving services across social work and health. We thought that elected members should develop a better understanding of particular areas that were under pressure, such as foster placements. They may wish to pose more questions of social work services with regard to these concerns and possible alternative action that needs to be considered.
The rate of change had been measured but was now gathering pace in recognition that some innovation was required. There was a need to prioritise areas for action. However, there was also the need to consider possible risks associated with long-term planning becoming slowed down by resource constraints in the short-term. The service had made progress in redesigning and modernising some services but still faced a considerable challenge to achieve more personalised services.
Vision, values and aims
Promotion of vision and values
The vision for Renfrewshire Council's social work services was Changing Lives, Promoting Independence, Protecting Vulnerable People. This had been developed in consultation with staff and elected members. The vision for social work services was further reflected in the Council Plan 2008/12 and the Community Plan 2008/17 which specifically highlighted support for vulnerable people and achieving outcomes for children and vulnerable adults. The first single outcome agreement in June 2008 reflected a joint commitment by the council and its partners to address key national indicators such as improving the life chances of children, young people and families at risk.
This vision and underpinning values were also central to children's services and child protection plans, and to the North Strathclyde Community Justice Plan. The council's responsibility for adult protection was clearly reported in both the Council and Community Plans reflecting joint co-ordination with partners.
The vision for social work was reflected in a range of joint approaches with health including children's services, learning disability and older adults mental health. There had been evidence of developing better shared responsibilities such as addressing public health improvement through better access to primary health care. The director of the RCHP and the director of social work provided regular briefings to elected members on developments.
Strategic planning across the council and with partners reflected the contribution which social work was making to corporate policies and approaches. The chief executive saw social work services at the heart of the local authority and the services traditional domain of adult and child protection, alcohol and drugs and unemployment reflected major challenges within the strategic plan.
In 2006 the council formalised its partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the RCHP. The council was represented on the NHS Board by the council leader, who chaired the RCHP. This also included the chief executive, director of social work and the head of children's services. The RCHP director's accountability is located within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and he reports directly to the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. There had been significant financial challenges inherited from the previous Argyll and Clyde NHS. Senior managers told us of the commitment by the health board to invest in Renfrewshire to ensure service provision became equitable with other areas.
The council were still addressing a range of service modernisation challenges. We were told by senior managers about a range of reviews that were taking place to assist the direction of this agenda, however we believe they require prioritising to ensure focus and progress. We found that reviews had either taken some time to complete or lacked clear objectives and timescales. The council still faced significant budgetary commitments and challenges which required it to become more innovative and to ensure greater workforce efficiency and flexibility. The council and its healthcare partners identified the present economic recession as a potential challenge to joint working, and were concerned about possible retrenchment to individual core business.
Role of elected members
Elected members expressed a strong commitment to social work. The Community and Family Care Policy Board ( CFCPB) was the body responsible for exercising social work functions and policy development within the council. They received regular and appropriate reports from the director of social work, whose advice and contribution was viewed positively by members and the chief executive.
The depute leader was convenor of the CFCPB which raised the profile of social work within the council. Members were well briefed on social work matters and the political balance of the council had required good all party communication by the director. The new administration had established clear policy commitments, reflecting the council's strategic plans, with support to implement these. The leader of the council tried to ensure proportionality of party representation on boards across the council.
Elected members understood their responsibilities as corporate parents and showed strong commitment and awareness of the council's statutory responsibilities. The council had appointed an elected member as a children's champion, who had been developing direct contact with young people. These actions were supported by other elected members, but without any direct reporting on the overall contribution this could be making to corporate parenting. Although members were genuinely concerned to discharge their role as corporate parents they appeared less sighted on the range of placement options directly provided by social work services.
Renfrewshire had more children in foster placements purchased from independent providers than with their own foster carers. Social work services ongoing reliance on independent foster care placements, which were incurring higher budgetary costs, had been reported to members. We found that whilst elected members were aware of the growth and development of services there was a lack of questioning as to what alternatives might exist for developing greater capacity within social work services own resources.
The chief executive had commissioned a report on looked after and accommodated young people, aimed at studying outcomes on a longitudinal basis. This was done in recognition of the council's responsibilities towards these young people as they matured into early adulthood.
Role of the Chief Social Work Officer ( CSWO)
As CSWO, the director saw advantages within the present structure for clear lines of accountability to full council. The combined roles of director of social work and CSWO had ensured that at the highest levels within the council there was effective management of risk for social work services. This had also ensured a strong input by social work to corporate strategies and key priorities such as poor health and high unemployment as well as broadening council-wide and partner engagement.
The council had received the first annual report from the CSWO in September 2008. This was a comprehensive report including details of specific challenges, such as children awaiting permanency. There was scope to add to this process effectively and positively in the future through greater scrutiny by elected members.
As CSWO the director had continued to attend the child and adult protection committees, as well as other forums. He also acknowledged that contributions by heads of service would afford a future opportunity for a less hands on role by him. It is important that he allows this to happen to enable his senior management team to mature into their respective roles. It is now time for the senior management team to reflect on the different roles they have adopted and how these need to be adjusted to deliver change in the future.
We have made a recommendation earlier in the report in relation to the role of the qualified social worker and the tasks undertaken by non-social work qualified staff. It is crucial that in keeping with the recommendations of Changing Lives the CSWO ensures sound governance of practice in this area.
Leadership of people
The council had experienced some political challenges in the past, but a minority administration with a more cohesive and productive approach was now in place. We spoke to the leader of the council, the leader of the opposition and a range of elected members who all stated their commitment to working together. They were in agreement about social work services in Renfrewshire and debate was healthy and focused on how best to achieve their shared objectives.
The director of social work was held in high regard by elected members, the chief executive and key partners. Elected members trusted him and appreciated the time he took to explain areas that needed clarification, and that he was responsive to new or emerging issues. Other directors and colleagues within the council spoke of good working relationships and sound communication with the director and senior managers. They commented that the director was a key influence within the council.
Just under half of the respondents to our staff survey agreed social work was highly valued by elected members and that there was effective leadership of change. This was higher than the average findings from inspections to date. The convener had visited social work teams and the leader had attended extended senior management meetings.
The majority (52%) of respondents agreed that senior managers communicated well, which was higher than the average to date. However during fieldwork many staff we met felt communication could be improved. Trade union representatives in particular thought this was an area for improvement. Area managers no longer held full staff meetings and information was expected to be cascaded downwards. There was less evidence of how frontline service experiences were communicated upwards to senior managers. There was regular e-mail and intranet communication but this did not always seem to be the best mechanism.
At the first meeting of the staff panel issues of communication and change, as raised in the services own survey, were considered by attendees. It was too early to evaluate the effectiveness of the staff panel but it was a positive response to meet and listen to what staff had to say.
The director and heads of service had undertaken a programme of visits to workplace meetings and events to promote the vision for social work. The majority (52%) of respondents to our staff survey agreed that there was a clear vision for social work. This finding was significantly higher than the average to date. The director had been prominent in his briefings to members and staff on issues of corporate parenting, child protection and on the content of performance inspections by HMIE and SWIA. These appeared to have had a positive effect on staff by raising the profile of social work across staff groups.
The senior management team was relatively new with the director and two heads of service being appointed within the previous 18 months, although the director and head of children and families and criminal justice came from posts within Renfrewshire social work services. Most staff we met thought the director of social work had a strong presence and was approachable. They thought the heads of community care and children and families and criminal justice could make themselves more visible. However staff did tell us about times when unfortunate events had taken place that was upsetting for them and senior managers had been both visible and supportive to frontline staff.
In the main stakeholders who responded to our survey had positive views on leadership and management both in social work services and the council. This was echoed by the majority of partners and stakeholders we met during fieldwork. Health colleagues thought partnership working was strong and effective which we have commented on in Chapter 6. They thought the leader of the council had an influential voice and reinforced a strong commitment to health strategies.
Leadership of change and improvement
The chief executive was aware of the financial constraints on the council and the impact of local and national economic factors, including the level of central grant available to Renfrewshire. This required the council to seek a high level of return from existing resources, identifying opportunities for innovation, best value and partnership working. There had been some attempt at service personalisation, although there was some way to go especially in areas of adults with learning disabilities and older people remaining in their own homes.
Developments such as telecare had been important in enabling a shift in the balance of care, and elected members commented favourably on the tangible benefits which they had witnessed through their constituents. However, further developments to shift the balance of care had been slower and were still underdeveloped. Many of the problems we have reported in relation to home care are significant in addressing this. Elected members and senior managers recognised that further improvements would require better information on which to measure the services' performance in relation to outcomes.
Social work services were in the throes of wide-ranging change. Some services had become more innovative and some key service areas were in need of modernisation. We had some concerns that too broad and brisk changes might affect sustainability in areas of older people's care and in re-focusing services for adults with learning disabilities which can only become possible over longer term planning cycles. We have highlighted in Chapter 8 that efficiencies were to be made in the 2009/10 budget. Senior managers stated this would have an impact on the roll out of modern working practices associated with the review of area-based services. They needed to consider how this may impact on future plans.
Recommendation 13
Social work services need to consider the range of reviews taking place and prioritise areas for action over a well planned timeframe that ensures the right changes are implemented.
In the SEQ social work services acknowledged that they needed to take a more developed strategic management approach and the extended senior management team had taken time out to consider this. A new post of strategic change and development manager had been created to provide impetus for the modernisation agenda. There was also consideration of how social work might contribute to and derive benefit from the council's service improvement direction.
The need to seek efficiencies within existing resources requires innovation and flexibility from staff, trust and confidence from service users and carers, and a reliance on increased partnership working. This will be challenging as it runs a risk that financial and staff resource constraints might slow down partnership developments at a time when the council itself, is likely to be challenged in its capacity to move towards a more personalised service.