Growth and development.pdf

Staff6. StaffingManagers & central staff 95 0.9 1 80 0.7 2Frontline staff 539 4.9 2 536 4.9 2Other 135 1.2 3 150 1.4 1Total 769 7.0 2 767 7.0 2VacanciesWTE1999actualWTE1999per 1,000Vacancies2000 % Vacancies2000Quartile1999% Vacancies2000ScotlandWTE2000actualWTE2000per 1,000Vacancies2001 % Vacancies2001Quartile2000% Vacancies2001ScotlandSWs with adults 5 12.9 7.8 3 8.9 10.9SWs with children 2 5.3 7.4 3 6.5 10.7SWs with offenders 0 0 7.5 3 15.6 7.2Generic workers 0 0 8.0 0 0 12.7Total 7 7.6 7.7 8 9.0 10.5The Council has relatively high rates of managerial and front-line staff, although the number ofmanagers has fallen between 1999 and 2000. Vacancy levels in 2001 were lower than thenational average, but high in the area of criminal justice. Vacancy rates have increased inchildren’s services since 2001. Early in 2002 the vacancy rate among qualified childcare staffwas 9%. New services in community schools and youth justice had the effect of attractingstaff from core services. A working group is reviewing proposals for ensuring all qualified staffspend time in children’s services, developing traineeships, and improving partnerships witheducation and training colleges.Neither community care nor criminal justice teams currently have significant social workervacancy rates. Community care staff can be recruited from a mix of professions wider thansocial work. While there is a growing number of home care vacancies, the restructuring of thehome care service, with a greater emphasis on personal care, is expected to address the problem.7. Modernising servicesAt the 1991 census, the largest ethnic minority population in Angus was Chinese. AngusCouncil engages with the local community in a variety of initiatives. Angus has been thesubject of research into racism in rural areas. In preparation for the Race Equality Scheme, thesocial work department has been particularly involved in staff training and an audit of theneeds of ethnic minority service users.Angus Council is part of the Modernising Government funded Citizen Focus initiative developedby a number of councils. The initiative focuses on the development of one-stop shops andbroadband links between local communities. Social work staff expect limited benefits for socialwork service users from this initiative.30