TAMESIDE Council’s ‘inadequate’ children’s services department will be overseen by a government-appointed commissioner for three years after being blasted in a report.
But it will not go into a centrally-run trust nor be taken over by a neighbouring local authority – even though children and families have been ‘let down.’
However, a ‘strategic partner’ will be appointed at least for a similar length of time and it has been told it must accept responsibility.
Andy Couldrick was brought in to report on the service after it was rated as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted inspectors.
And even though he stopped just short of taking it out of the authority’s control, he did not rule out it being so in future.
He also painted a grim picture, with staff describing the culture with the words fear, bullying, intimidating and toxic.
Mr Couldrick also believes Tameside will not be able to maintain sustained improvement.
In a withering report, he said: “I believe the council has not adequately understood, cared about, or engaged with its role and responsibilities towards its most vulnerable children.
“Children and families have been let down, and not exclusively by service leaders, but by the whole council, political and corporate.
“If the council is to retain control of its services, and these services are to achieve the standards families in the borough should expect, this has to change quickly.
“Tameside MBC has provided poorly performing children’s services for too long. The overall picture is of an authority unable to effect sustained improvement over a considerable period.
“The council has neither enabled good services nor had mechanisms in place to spot service failure.
“As well as new children’s services leaders, the chief executive and leader are relatively new in post. While they demonstrate a commitment to service improvement, there is also a reluctance to accept responsibility collectively and corporately for the long-term service failure.
“It is my view the council currently does not have the capacity and capability to affect the necessary and sustainable improvements without oversight and support.
“The council, corporate and political, is quick to blame for failure – individuals, frontline staff, partners, advisors, Government departments.
“There is far less reflection as to its own role to enable successful service delivery, know how services are performing, deliver tailored corporate support, or recognise its collective accountability.
“Children’s services failure does not happen in a vacuum – high-performing councils deliver strong services.
“I have been left with a powerful sense of a council slow to spot, and slower still to accept responsibility for, its weaknesses and challenges.
“These failures have not been caused by individuals, nor by the actions of partners. They are caused by an organisation that has failed to establish the conditions for good children’s services to thrive, that has not sought the right advice and support, or not used it well.
“This must change under the relatively new political and corporate leadership.”
Mr Couldrick, who told of poor planning, took aim at how Tameside Council makes its decisions, highlighting: “Papers go to cabinet without being shared and signed off collectively by the corporate leadership team.
“I observed an entire paper which set out the need and context for additional investment in children’s services end up as four lines in a cabinet report of the director of resources, without the director of children’s services even being aware that the decision was being taken.
“Leading politicians are committed to improving services for the borough’s children and families. Nonetheless, there has been too much passivity in this leadership to date, and a consequent over-reliance on officers to ‘get it right.’”
Tameside Council is looking for a new director of children’s services following the resignation of Allison Parkinson – politically, Cllr Teresa Smith recently replaced Cllr Bill Fairfoull.
Whoever comes in faces a challenge as Mr Couldrick added: “Many staff and partners have frequently used similar words to describe the culture, including ‘fear’, ‘bullying’, ‘intimidating’, ‘toxic’. There is nervousness to speak out.
“A common complaint from staff and frontline managers has been that their direction is constantly changing.
“Staff describe feeling, at times, bewildered and criticised for their practice when leaders have consistently failed to create and sustain a way of working that everyone can understand, endorse and operationalise.
“Staff describe leaders in the past as distant, remote and invisible. They describe changes in leadership and management as happening without explanation.
“Leaders did not know or understand the weakness of their services to children and families. Staff also describe a ‘brutal’ regime, where senior leaders have been exited from the organisation as a rapid response to an adverse review or inspection.
“This has created a strong sense of unease, uncertainty and ‘frozen watchfulness’ in the workforce.”
Mr Couldrick did see an ‘impressive start in discharging care orders for children living with their parents and has a programme of work pursuing special guardianship orders for children permanently placed with relatives or long-term carers.’
He also told how an improvement board, ‘has the right membership and is well-chaired, with an emerging rhythm of scrutiny, accountability, and challenge.’
But again, he pointed out: “The chief executive is relatively new to the role, albeit long-serving in the borough, as are the council leader and lead member.
“They all accept that their services have not been of an acceptable standard and have expressed both ambition and determination to provide better for the borough’s vulnerable children and families.
“What remains untested is their willingness to take responsibility for enabling and driving that improvement, given the tendency to place blame on individuals for failures.
“Tameside cannot delegate its responsibility for improving outcomes for its most vulnerable children.
“Currently, it tends to shift accountability by adopting a blaming and ‘othering’ approach.
“The council needs to take responsibility, collectively, act to support sustainable improvement, create the conditions that make this happen, and establish the oversight to know that it is happening.”
Tameside Council’s senior leadership said it acknowledges and supports the recommendations and it is undertaking a national recruitment process to secure a permanent director of children’s services.
Executive leader, Cllr Gerald Cooney, said: “We accept there are still improvements needed and we fully take responsibility and apologise that children and families in Tameside are not yet receiving the quality support they need and deserve.
“Demand is at unprecedented levels, but with our dedicated workforce and partners, and the significant financial investment into children’s services, I am confident our ambitious plans can be delivered, and improvements made at pace.
“I know there are no quick fixes, but we can and will deliver better outcomes and a more resilient service for children and families in Tameside.”
Cllr Smith added: “Improving our service is not just about improving an Ofsted rating, this is about making sure our children benefit from the best services, care and support possible, and can grow and thrive in a safe and protected environment where they are inspired to achieve their potential and fulfil their hopes and ambitions.”
And chief executive Sandra Stewart commented: “We have already started to put in place the key building blocks needed to deliver an improved and stronger Children’s Service that will support better outcomes for families.
“Recruitment and retention of social workers remains a significant challenge and we are taking steps to address this, by having a more permanent workforce and reducing the reliance on agency social workers.
“I am pleased the commissioner highlights areas of ‘impressive’ and ‘good practice’ such as our contextual safeguarding service, early help, commissioning and care order discharges and that we are working on a number of fronts at pace to improve services. However, I accept there is still much work to do.”