Post on 20-Jan-2016
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Progress and ChallengesHertfordshire Children’s Services
External Support Team
Headline Report – May 2008
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
Context
Progress against agreed Indicators
Beyond External Support - Residual Risks
Final Report Headlines
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Context
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
External Support Team
• Children First is a collaboration between Mouchel Management Consultancy and Outcomes UK
• Appointed through a competitive process led jointly by Herts CC and DCSF
• Requirement from DCSF following inspection and welcomed by Herts
• Project ran from Sept 07 until April 2008
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
External Support Team
• GO East chaired - Multi-agency Project Board on behalf of DCSF
• CX, DCS and PCT CX on the Project Board • Consultancy Team and Interim Head of Service• Later Interim Chair of HSCB• Diagnostic process/challenge followed by support to
implement change and improvement• Outcomes of the diagnostic were accepted by the
Project Board as the main areas for the work of the external support team
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Safeguarding 1 Inadequate
Looked After Children 1 Inadequate
Service Management 2 Adequate
Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities 2 Adequate
Capacity to Improve 3 Good
Context - 2007 JAR
Despite improvements made throughout 2006 the key judgements were:
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Key Improvement Themes
• Safeguarding - this included safe staffing processes and undertaking development work with the HSCB
• Interim management of fieldwork services• Performance management• Partnerships
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
• Ensure safe staffing processes are robust• Improve operational fieldwork performance in social
care – assessment and Looked After Children• Improve data quality and target setting• Improve effectiveness of Children Schools and Families
Board and extended board in managing others• Refocus Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board
Performance Improvement Aims
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
4 Key Strategic Risk Areas
• Leadership and performance management• Integrated Children’s System – In other authorities this
has impacted on assessment performance• Accountability Framework• Common Assessment Framework implementation
requires agreed thresholds
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Strong commitment to improve from Members, Officers and Children’s Trust partners – by October provide evidence of changed practice
• HCC and partners agreed a Post Inspection Action plan and allocated additional funds
• Openness to challenge and support from DCSF, GO East and External Support Team partners - this provides a sound baseline for Hertfordshire CSF as a self improving organisation
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Overall there has been good and rapid improvement in children’s services over the past six months
• First milestones are mostly achieved delivering acceptable performance in most areas
• Overall the capacity to improve is good if plans are implemented in a timely manner
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Leadership by the DCS and CSF board is now more focused on Performance Management and committed to ensuring greater consistency in management practice and Members can have confidence in this
• CSF have developed with a comprehensive Performance Improvement Action plan
• Safe staffing processes are in place and working
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Agreed key indicator outcomes of 12 previously judged Red (significantly underperforming) against comparators they are now –
• 5 Green – equal to or exceeding comparators• 5 Amber – 4 of which exceeded the March 08
target set but are still below comparators but should be achieved by September 08 if progress is maintained
• 2 Red – still in need of significant improvement
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Achieving targets set and agreed for September 2008 will evidence sustainability and consistent performance against comparators
• Achieving targets set and agreed for March 2009
will show good performance against comparators
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Strengthening PM corporately will help sustain improvements in CSF
• Recognition that all managers need to improve PM – training is a requirement for all - this shows a high level of commitment from DCS and CSF board
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Training must lead to genuine behaviour change• Strengthening PM across partnerships is a
continuing need • Systems for managing poor performance need
to be consistent and make use of full range of management tools
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Agreement of Local Area Agreement 2 indicators –these show a clear emphasis on vulnerable and there is suitable tie up with the Children and Young Persons Plan
• Need to revise Corporate Plan
Current aim by 2009 - work has started following development of the Community Plan
• Therefore the new Children’s Services targets are not currently reflected in the Corporate plan
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Executive Summary
• Agreement for facilitation and development programme for Members
• To enable Members to keep pace with the performance management improvements
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Key Quantitative Indicators
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Initial Assessments
Rate per 10,000 of IA's Approved
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
Sept2007
Oct2007
Nov2007
Dec2007
Jan2008
Feb2008
Rate per10,000 InitialAssessments(Rolling Year)06/07
Target
Trendline
%IA's Approved in time
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
Sept2007
Oct2007
Nov2007
Dec2007
Jan2008
Feb2008
% InitialAssessmentsApproved inTime06/07
Target
Trendline
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Core Assessments
Rate per 10,000 of CA's Completed
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Sept2007
Oct 2007 Nov 2007 Dec 2007 Jan 2008 Feb 2008
Rate per10,000 CoreAssessments (RollingYear)06/07
target
Trendline
%CA's Approved in time
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
Sept2007
Oct 2007 Nov 2007 Dec 2007 Jan 2008 Feb 2008
% CoreAssessmentsCompleted inTime
06/07
Target
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Progress
• More children and families are receiving assessments in Herts than comparator authorities
• Timeliness still needs to improve to match comparators some assessments falling just outside timescale
• Performance on timeliness for core assessments still variable in teams
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
LAC Worker Allocation
%LAC Allocated to Appropriate worker
96.5
97
97.5
98
98.5
99
99.5
100
Sept2007
Oct 2007 Nov2007
Dec2007
Jan 2008 Feb2008
% LACallocated to anappropriatew orker
06/07
Target
Trendline
%LAC allocated to Named Qualified Social Worker
68
70
72
74
76
78
80
82
Sept2007
Oct 2007 Nov2007
Dec2007
Jan 2008 Feb2008
% LACallocated to anamedqualif iedsocial w orker06/07
Target
Trendline
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Progress
• Now full CP allocation• Some improvement in qualified LAC allocation• But appropriate worker 100%• Child Protection reviews on time are 100% • De-registration is timely • Re-registrations are lower than other LAs• The rate of BME children on the CPR and in
LAC is lower than similar LA’s
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Review and Participation
%LAC with all Reviews in time
58
63
68
73
78
83
Sept2007
Oct2007
Nov2007
Dec2007
Jan2008
Feb2008
% LAC w ith allreview s in time(rolling year-PAF definition)
06/07
Target
Trendline
%LAC Participated in their Review (Rolling Year)
66.0
68.0
70.0
72.0
74.0
76.0
78.0
80.0
82.0
Sept2007
Oct2007
Nov2007
Dec2007
Jan2008
Feb2008
% LAC w hoParticipated intheir review(rolling year -PAF definition)06/07
Target
Trendline
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Key Qualitative Indicators
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
• Performance is discussed more frequently than it was and with greater forensic attention to detail
• Middle managers say that they are now more clearly focussed on outcomes and use performance information
• Corporate expectations for middle managers’ role in PM set out in paper to SMB on Performance Management
Progress - PM
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
• All members of CSF Board have an agreed data set for which they are held to account
• Monthly performance monitoring reports are used by Board to challenge progress
• Corporate expectation that a Performance Agreement will be put in place between every member of staff and their manager is a positive step forward
Progress - PM
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Progress - Safeguarding • Improved number and timeliness of assessments• Secured multi-agency agreement to thresholds
and eligibility criteria
• Improved the working style and accountability of
HSCB and leadership
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Progress – Safe Staffing
• Comprehensive file review including historical checks
• Revised policy and procedures communicated to staff
• Staff vetted including redeployed staff • Reducing vacancies for qualified social workers in
fieldwork teams but still some way to go• Monthly case meetings to progress “live issues”
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Progress – Fieldwork PM
• Fieldwork service has made significant improvement in performance management
• Confidence in data is significantly improved • Front line and service managers are more
consistently using data to monitor performance• Aim to spread this throughout other services
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Progress - Partnerships
• Trust partnership – has reviewed role and function - plans to recast roles by September
• Shadow board established - proposed future link to Exec
• HSCB and HCTB Executive developed Compacts• Core Executive – re-focussed on an ECM
outcomes based approach and improved partnership working through Outcomes leads
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Beyond External Support
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
What Needs to be Embedded/Sustained?
• Full delivery of the Performance management Improvement programme
• Performance management training for members, senior leaders and corporate link
• Compacts embedded with Partnerships• Need to link performance agreements to appraisal
process • Need to integrate and align processes not add more
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
HR Case File cleansing and Historical CRB check
Finalise new files and backdated checks and ensure evidence is recorded on all files as planned by May
Aligning PM improvement in Children’s Services with Corporate
Performance Management Improvement programme agreed. PID Produced and Project Management approach begun
CAF Implementation and understanding of agreed multi agency thresholds
Training commenced in all districts. Multi agency thresholds agreed – Close Project monitoring required
Assessment and Looked After Children KPI’s
Continuing drive on improvement. Implement action plans from clinics
Residual Risks
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Senior and middle managers do not model best practice in PM
Training to be implemented and progress tested by Children First through autumn review
Functionality of ICS to produce appropriate reports and alerts to enable proactive PM
Need to clarify that what bespoke output reports are needed to assist sustained PM
Unwillingness of partners to accept the need for improved performance management
LSCB and Trust Board formally signed up to the CYPP. Finalise and implement Compacts
Unable to maintain social worker recruitment
Revisit recruitment strategy and flexible case management for LAC and Care leavers
Different systems recording key data for Safe Staffing
Ensure integrated HR IT systems interface SAP/ Checkpoint/ Access database
Residual Risks
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Residual Risks – Actions
• Continued drive on operational risk areas• ICS to deliver timely and accurate reports for
managers through implementing Business Objects software
• CAF implementation and monitor impact of referrals to Social Care by District
• Ensure systematic prevention services are developed including Integrated Youth Support
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Residual Risks – Action
• Complete HR file update – due this month (May)• HR, Members and senior officers need to continue
to assist middle leaders and provide confidence so that managers take appropriate action to manage performance
• Communicate to staff turnover and outcomes from disciplinary, capability and absence action
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Residual Risks – Action on KPI’s
• Still to improve - still below comparator authorities Core and Initial Assessments in time, Reviews on time and Participation, PEPs, Pathway Plans, Health and Dental checks
• Implement action plans from Performance Clinics and develop further
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
October Review – Check Sustainability and Improvement Embedded
3 Phases- • Desktop Review
KPI data against agreed targets APA Self Assessment Fieldwork – Focus Groups, Interviews and
Observations• Written Report
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Proposals for October Review
• Review and analyse progress on agreed KPI’s• Identify further evidence of improvement against the
agreed qualitative indicators• Check perception of HR support – evidence of
changing behaviour of managers and impact on performance
• File Health Check on Safe Staffing
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Proposals for October Review
• Check delivery of performance management improvement plan
• Check join up of plans Corporate/LAA/CYPP• Check evidence of children and young people’s
input• Look at individual performance agreements to
check if priorities go down to individual level
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
John Harris DCS
Hertfordshire Children’s Services Response
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
Questions and Comments
Simon Westwood – Mouchel 2008
thank you