Growth and development.pdf
Growth and development.pdf Growth and development.pdf
HighlandStaff6. StaffingVacanciesWTE1999actualWTE1999per 1,000Managers & central staff 98 0.5 3 121 0.6 3Frontline staff 854 4.1 3 637 3.1 4Other 280 1.3 2 294 1.4 1Total 1,233 5.9 3 1,052 5.0 4Vacancies2000 % Vacancies2000Quartile1999% Vacancies2000ScotlandWTE2000actualWTE2000per 1,000Vacancies2001 % Vacancies2001Quartile2000% Vacancies2001ScotlandSWs with adults 5 15.4 7.8 5 6.9 10.9SWs with children 4 6.4 7.4 8 9.2 10.7SWs with offenders 2 9.0 7.5 3 18.2 7.2Generic workers 9 11.7 8.0 3 16.2 12.7Total 19 10.6 7.7 18 9.9 10.5The total rate of staff is low compared to other authorities, having dropped between 1999 and2000. The rate of managers and central staff has increased, but still remains low. The rate offrontline staff has decreased significantly. The total level of staff vacancies is a little belowaverage, but the level is higher than average in criminal justice services.Social care facilities support the survival of local communities by providing employment as wellas key services. Recruitment and retention present problems. Highland has experiencedincreased difficulty in recruiting qualified social workers over the last year. This has beencompounded by the significant effect of experienced staff moving into fixed-term projects onsecondment. On the other hand, there has been less difficulty in recruiting managers. Inaddition:• Highland has no training establishment to attract new blood; and• there are serious difficulties in attracting home care staff and occupational therapists.Previously concentrated in the rural areas, these pressures have now spread to some of thechildcare teams even in Inverness.The Council’s central strategy is to train its own staff, and it works closely with the local enterprisecompany to train its unqualified childcare team in different parts of Highland.Initiatives in training are:• a trainee/sponsorship scheme for graduates who will go on to train as social workers, withthe offer of sponsored training;• sponsorship of final year students;• small bursaries for self-funding students; and• (in prospect) a practice teaching post to address some of the problems of providing practiceplacements – which frequently lead to employment.149
To attract staff into social care the Council has improved advertising and notification of vacancies(including an e-mail database) and adopted more consistent and efficient recruitment procedures.To introduce more flexible employment, the Council has launched a pilot project for portfolioworking by support staff who can work within the department’s units and also provide homecare.It is hoped that the strengthening of management experience and expertise in the discreteareas of work, i.e. Criminal Justice, Community Care and Children’s Services, will improve staffsupport and have a positive effect on retention of staff.7. Modernising servicesHighland Council has had long experience with two minority communities – Gaelic speakers inthe west, and travellers, particularly during the summer months. This has provided insights forworking with some black and ethnic minority families resident in the Highlands. The Council’sapproach to developing a Race Equality Scheme is based on a corporate equality policy, but itremains to mainstream the Scheme within social work services.Digital Highland embraces modernising initiatives such as e-procurement, a CustomerRelationship Management system and support for delivering services in Highland’s 8 areas.Social work services have not been immediately involved in these developments, the priorityhaving been to address the needs of routine high-volume customers.The Social Work Service is upgrading its client information system. Most social work staff haveeither a desktop PC or a laptop (given the large amount of travel for some staff). Residential andday centre units are linked to the Council’s Intranet. Internet access is provided in allestablishments and offices to Team Managers and Strategic staff.8. The FutureThe Council and its health partner now need to carry through into purposeful planning andimplementation within measurable time their agreement to align budgets and integratemanagement of community care services.The Council should prepare an action plan to bring together a series of measures to improveand make more flexible the home care service, taking account of the diversity of needs andcircumstances across Highland, and to indicate the resource priorities required to implementthe changes. This would support the strategic decision to shift the emphasis of provision ofcare for older people from residential to community-based options.To enhance services to people with a learning disability and mental health, the positive lessonsof improved joint working between social work and health care staff derived from experiencein Ross and Cromarty should be applied to the other 7 local areas of Highland.In addition, the quality of learning disability services would benefit from closer links betweensocial and health care and education and training interests.Now that it has been decided to use a locally prepared tool for single shared assessment, theCouncil can now determine the necessary processes and provide training for its use inpreparation for implementing new arrangements by a target date.150
- Page 99 and 100: The rate of children on child prote
- Page 101 and 102: 5. FinanceService Area(£000)Childr
- Page 103 and 104: 8. The FutureThrough its onecity re
- Page 105 and 106: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 107 and 108: The Comhairle and NHS Western Isles
- Page 109 and 110: A partnership approach is taken to
- Page 111 and 112: Specific action which calls for con
- Page 113 and 114: 2. Coileanadh: Cùram Coimhearsnach
- Page 115 and 116: Tha a’ Chomhairle agus NHS nan Ei
- Page 117 and 118: Tha dòigh-obrach com-pàirteachais
- Page 119 and 120: Tha na leanas am measg nan gnìomha
- Page 121 and 122: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 123 and 124: 3. Performance: Children and Famili
- Page 125 and 126: 5. FinanceService Area(£000)Childr
- Page 127 and 128: 8. The FutureAfter the best value r
- Page 129 and 130: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 131 and 132: 3. Performance: Children and Famili
- Page 133 and 134: 5. FinanceService Area(£000)Childr
- Page 135 and 136: 134
- Page 137 and 138: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 139 and 140: The rate of child protection referr
- Page 141 and 142: 5. FinanceService Area(£000)Childr
- Page 143 and 144: 7. Modernising servicesThere is a h
- Page 145 and 146: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 147 and 148: 3. Performance: Children and Famili
- Page 149: A relatively low rate of social enq
- Page 153 and 154: 152
- Page 155 and 156: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 157 and 158: Joint action is in progress to impl
- Page 159 and 160: Staff6. StaffingVacanciesWTE1999act
- Page 161 and 162: 160
- Page 163 and 164: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 165 and 166: The rate of child protection referr
- Page 167 and 168: 5. FinanceService Area(£000)Childr
- Page 169 and 170: 8. The FutureThe Council and its he
- Page 171 and 172: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 173 and 174: 3. Performance: Children and Famili
- Page 175 and 176: 5. FinanceService Area(£000)Childr
- Page 177 and 178: 176
- Page 179 and 180: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 181 and 182: 3. Performance: Children and Famili
- Page 183 and 184: A substantial increase in community
- Page 185 and 186: Social work staff have access to a
- Page 187 and 188: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 189 and 190: There are low rates of child protec
- Page 191 and 192: Staff6. StaffingManagers & central
- Page 193 and 194: 192
- Page 195 and 196: 2. Performance: Community CareBalan
- Page 197 and 198: 3. Performance: Children and Famili
- Page 199 and 200: 5. FinanceService Area(£000)Childr
Highl<strong>and</strong>Staff6. StaffingVacanciesWTE1999actualWTE1999per 1,000Managers & central staff 98 0.5 3 121 0.6 3Frontline staff 854 4.1 3 637 3.1 4Other 280 1.3 2 294 1.4 1Total 1,233 5.9 3 1,052 5.0 4Vacancies2000 % Vacancies2000Quartile1999% Vacancies2000Scotl<strong>and</strong>WTE2000actualWTE2000per 1,000Vacancies2001 % Vacancies2001Quartile2000% Vacancies2001Scotl<strong>and</strong>SWs with adults 5 15.4 7.8 5 6.9 10.9SWs with children 4 6.4 7.4 8 9.2 10.7SWs with offenders 2 9.0 7.5 3 18.2 7.2Generic workers 9 11.7 8.0 3 16.2 12.7Total 19 10.6 7.7 18 9.9 10.5The total rate of staff is low compared to other authorities, having dropped between 1999 <strong>and</strong>2000. The rate of managers <strong>and</strong> central staff has increased, but still remains low. The rate offrontline staff has decreased significantly. The total level of staff vacancies is a little belowaverage, but the level is higher than average in criminal justice services.Social care facilities support the survival of local communities by providing employment as wellas key services. Recruitment <strong>and</strong> retention present problems. Highl<strong>and</strong> has experiencedincreased difficulty in recruiting qualified social workers over the last year. This has beencompounded by the significant effect of experienced staff moving into fixed-term projects onsecondment. On the other h<strong>and</strong>, there has been less difficulty in recruiting managers. Inaddition:• Highl<strong>and</strong> has no training establishment to attract new blood; <strong>and</strong>• there are serious difficulties in attracting home care staff <strong>and</strong> occupational therapists.Previously concentrated in the rural areas, these pressures have now spread to some of thechildcare teams even in Inverness.The Council’s central strategy is to train its own staff, <strong>and</strong> it works closely with the local enterprisecompany to train its unqualified childcare team in different parts of Highl<strong>and</strong>.Initiatives in training are:• a trainee/sponsorship scheme for graduates who will go on to train as social workers, withthe offer of sponsored training;• sponsorship of final year students;• small bursaries for self-funding students; <strong>and</strong>• (in prospect) a practice teaching post to address some of the problems of providing practiceplacements – which frequently lead to employment.149
Change language