Growth and development.pdf

MidlothianStaff rates are lower than many other authorities and the rate of managers and central staff isparticularly low. Vacancy levels are a little above average and particularly high in children’sservices. The department has faced recruitment problems, primarily in children and familiesteams, where pressures have increased through a rise in the demands on staff from childprotection referrals, or children referred as a result of neglect associated with parental drugabuse. Promotion prospects in a small authority like Midlothian are limited, making retention ofable and ambitious staff more difficult.The Council created a providers’ forum, across public, private and voluntary sectors, initially forlearning disability but now covering additional care groups. The forum facilitates consistency ofstandards and allows gaps in provision to be addressed systematically and co-operatively.A career path has been created for social care staff, beginning with those home care staffcharged with personal care tasks. Staff now make use of the competency framework. Finalyear students have been targeted, with a good degree of success. Workers supported throughtraining are required to work for the Council for two years after completion.7. Modernising servicesMidlothian Council is committed to the Rooting Out Racism initiative for Lothian and Borders areaand to developing an action plan to meet the implications of the Race Relations (Amendment)Act 2000. Prompted by a corporate initiative each department has carried out the Racial EqualityMeans Quality audit. The audit was at a high level in social work, and needs to be pursuedthrough each individual part of the service. The process of considering the implications of thelegislation includes discussion between the Commission for Racial Equality and Council membersand senior officers. The Council has no local ethnic minorities’ forum to allow consultation andneeds to look urgently to other bodies in the Lothian region to provide expert support.The Council’s Modernising Government action plan includes developing the IT infrastructure toenable robust back-office systems to be supported. All staff are to be trained to the EuropeanComputer Driving Licence (ECDL) standard by 2004. The Council’s network is being extendedto remote social work sites where staff can share in improvements to data quality, informationgathering, service planning and communication and have access to the client index, e-mail andthe internet. The intranet site has been expanded and will allow staff to have online access tochildren and families procedures. Connection to the Government Secure Extranet (GSX) in thenear future should allow secure transmission between various justice agencies.Social work client information systems have corporate priority for upgrading, which will involvethe purchase of new software, and allow interactivity with health, education and otherinformation systems. This software is unlikely to be operational before 2003. A joint bid hasbeen made with Edinburgh, East Lothian and Lothian Health for second round ModernisingGovernment funding to develop a system for online ordering from the joint equipment stores.167