Minute of Children and Families Management Team
Held on Monday 7th September 2009,
at 10 am, in the Council Chambers, Kilmory
Present:-
Douglas Dunlop (Chair)
Billy Moore
Gordon Higgins
Donna Carvill
Jon Belton
Mark Lines
Rodger Wilson
Alison MacKenzie
Liling Payne
David Hanley
Alex Taylor
Apologies:-
John Duncan
Joy Daniels
Janice Frank
Liz Strang
Liz McDonald / Head of Service – Children and Families
Children’s Placement Manager
Integrated Children’s Service Lead Officer
Area Children’s Manager MAKI
Service Manager – Criminal Justice
Service Manager – Service Standards
Service Manager – Resources
Principal Officer Early Years
Principal Officer - CABD
Service Officer – Quality Assurance
Service Manager - Operations
Area Children’s Manager – Bute & Cowal
Area Children’s Manager – H&L
Area Children’s Manager - OLI
Lead Officer – Child Protection
Admin Officer Children & Families (minutes)
Item No / Item / By Whom / Date
1. / Minute of previous meeting – 3rd August 09
Agreed as accurate
2. / Matters Arising
(i) Standby – Alex Taylor attending a meeting this
afternoon and will report updates to the next CFMT
meeting.
(ii) Admin Review – Dates have been set for Fiona
Ferguson, Linda Thomson and Karen Aspinall to visit each area office to review the effects of the Admin Review. Fiona will submit a report once visits completed. Karen Aspinall has visited Helensburgh office and has dates set to visit the other area offices to discuss specific Children & Families issues. Karen will also submit a report once visits have been completed. Admin Review to be discussed at next CMG on 13th October 09.
Some issues still ongoing regarding re-grading of
admin posts, particularly within CABD. Mark Lines & Liling Payne to discuss issues with Lynn Finlay.
(iii) Swine Flu Vaccinations – Rodger Wilson attended a
meeting with Emergency Planning on Friday 4th September at which it was agreed that staff in Area Teams and Foster Carers are to be informed of the importance of having staff cover should a pandemic situation arise. Staff are to be encouraged to have the vaccination but it is also understood that they are under no obligation to do so. List of nominated staff is to be sent to Carol Keeley by 21st September 09 with a copy sent to Dougie Dunlop/Liz McDonald.
(iv) CLAS – all systems have now been updated and ready
for uplift. Staff efforts to ensure information now complete was acknowledged.
3. / Budget
It was reported that Children & Families are looking at a projected overspend of £435,000. The main reasons are an increase in the number of children being looked after and within this increase in the costs of external residential placements; increase in foster care payments; and the cost of community support services for CABD. Agreed that IRO would look at higher cost care packages to ascertain if any costs could be reduced.
It was noted that there has been an increase in support packages to families affected by parental substance misuse where there are child protection issues.
Alison MacKenzie to speak to Jill Hughes regarding training for Community Childminders. At present Community Childminders are trained separately, Alison suggested that Childminders are included already available courses to avoid duplication of costs.
It was emphasised that all expenditure must be strictly limited to P1/P2 and that a key issue would be to try to reduce the numbers of children who are looked after and accommodated.
4. / Area Team Capacity/Long-Term Care Planning
DD reported that the Department is taking legal advice regarding children placed with named carers being
considered as looked after and accommodated. This would increase the number of LAAC to 140.
It was felt that parental substance misuse is increasing which in turn increases the number of children at risk and inevitably coming into care.
The effectiveness of long-term care plans discussed .
It was agreed that there is a genuine capacity issue within Area Teams and with the increase in child protection cases in all areas, the staff are travelling significant distances to try to implement care plans. It was suggested that some staff from within the Children’s Units take on some of the care plan work in conjunction with the area offices. Discussion to take place with Alex Taylor, Rodger Wilson, Billy Moore and ACM’s regarding the possibility of putting a member of Unit staff into Area Team to assist in this area. Rodger and Billy to discuss skills base of Unit staff and report to meeting on 24th September.
As part of the GIRFEC agenda Gordon Higgins/David Bain and Patricia Renfrew are developing the provision of specific LAC staff from Education and Health.
The issue of a response to long-term care planning needs will be discussed further at the CMG on 13th October 09 with a view to formulating the service response to this.
5. / Children 1st/Family Mediation
Rodger Wilson is meeting with Children 1st this afternoon to discuss the current arrangements regarding Family Group Conferences. It was felt that Family Group Conferencing is not progressing as well as expected with ongoing problems regarding issues with IT, premises and travel budgets.
Family Mediation continue to work with some of the Department’s most difficult cases and Alex Taylor will continue to liaise with them as the service develops.
6. / Viewpoint
IT issues still ongoing regarding Viewpoint compatibility with Applemac systems used in schools.
Liling Payne completed Viewpoint questionnaire with CABD child last week. Liling felt the form was generally good.
Issue raised of children having access to Council systems within Units whilst completing Viewpoint forms. To be discussed with IT.
7. / Pyramid
Summary of Thematic Services tabled and discussed with the following changes to be made:
CP11 – Alex Taylor to look into reporting issues
CA21 & CA22 – Billy Moore to check accuracy
CA28a – subject to change pending legal advice
CA42 – despite being red, there has been a significant increase since last ¼
CABD50 – Information received from both Malcolm Thomson and Social Work. Liling to speak to Helen Kidd regarding reporting processes. (to be copied to DD/LMcD)
CJ – now have more accurate reports from staff
MA – number of case files to be audited is 5 per Team Leader totalling 45. Agreed to amend this to each area office completing 10 files per month, but reduce total for Islay to 5 per month.
MA74 – figure missing. We know figure is 29 from Carefirst. AT to check with KA/YM
FS86 – noted that new Careassess system can make distinction between S22 and S23 reports.
FS90 & FS93 – question raised that if CCS has low rating from Care Commission, then they should not be CCS.
8. / Carefirst Report – August 09
Report tabled and discussed with the following noted:
Page 11 – staff have worked to get number of unallocated cases down since last report.
Page 12 – again this figure has improved.
9. / Case File Audit
Report by Alex Taylor re Q4 tabled and discussed. Joy Daniels, John Duncan and Janice Frank noted an improvement in case recording. Donna Carvill felt that whilst recording was still good in case files it was not as good as had been in the first audit.
Alex Taylor to submit report for Q1 & Q2 2009 at next meeting.
David Hanley reminded the group that there is a full audit by Quality Assurance due to take place in December of this year which will include care plans, risk assessments. David to submit an audit methodology to the next meeting.
10. / A.O.C.B.
(i) Date has been set for new Adoption Act training day
on 12th October 09. ACM’s to diary this item and ensure staff attend.
(ii) Child Trusts – No payments have been made for last
2 years. E-mail to be copied to DD, ML, AT, MW
(iii) IRD – Liz Strang had meeting with Lorraine
MacDonald & Lynn Merrylees . Main point of discussion was the difficulties in ensuring that the initial points of contacts for IRD’s (Alice McCorquodale, Lynn Merryless or Patricia Renfrew) are available. Mark Lines to submit an update on this to DD.
(iv) Girfec Pilot – the recent Girfec pilot in Helensburgh
To be discussed at Argyll & Bute’s Children meeting on 6th October 2009.
(v) C&F 3 year Plan – DD has updated this with a view to
the final draft being presented to SWMT on 5th October 2009. ML/AS will undertake further work to complete this.
(vi) Date of next meeting – Monday 9th November 09, at
2pm in the Members Room, Kilmory
Douglas Dunlop
Head of Service – Children and Families
10th September 2009