Children services 'miss targets'

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A report on a council's social services for children and young people has found it is set to miss most of its key annual performance targets.

A Cardiff council internal report shows that out of 20 key targets for 2008-9 it is likely to hit just two.

Problems include finding adoption placements and the allocation of social workers to children in care.

The council said many of the targets not met still showed improvements over the previous year's figures.

The report, by the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee, assessed the department's performance in the first quarter of the 2008-9 year.

They discussed its findings on Tuesday.

The report comes two years after the city's social services were brought out of special measures by the Welsh Assembly Government after the department was heavily criticised for the way it dealt with protecting vulnerable children.

I would agree that the first quarter's figures doesn't make comfortable reading for me but there have been exceptional pressures Coun John Dixon, Cardiff Council

In 2002, it had one of the worst inspection reports in Wales and England and was monitored every three months by an assembly body until September 2006.

The latest report found:

• The percentage of initial assessments carried out within seven working days reduced during the year;

• The percentage of core assessments carried out within 35 working days was also down and had not reached the target;

• The percentage of initial assessments of a child by a social worker was below the level expected;

• Some information about clients, such as religion and first language, was not being recorded and failed to meet targets set;

• The percentage of children on the Child Protection Register who have an allocated social worker had reduced;

• That not one child who at least six months previously had been recommended for adoption, had been placed for adoption in the period reviewed. The annual target is 85%.

The Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee report pointed out the department's performance had been affected by difficulties in recruiting and retaining social workers and that management were trying to address this issue.

A period of staff sickness, exceeding a level that could be absorbed, was also blamed.

'Sustained improvements'

Coun John Dixon, Cardiff Council's executive member for social care and health, said that many of the critical targets that were not met still showed significant improvements over the previous year's figures.

"I'm not disagreeing that there are figures that still concern me - for initial assessments being made within seven days and the core assessments within 35 days - but as the last CSSIW (Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales) performance evaluation report acknowledges, the council has made consistent and sustained improvements over the last two years.

"I would agree that the first quarter's figures doesn't make comfortable reading for me but there have been exceptional pressures - about a 20% increase in referrals at the same time as a significant number of new social work recruits were starting.

"That means that we have to train the new staff, and maintain the service against a backdrop of increasing demand.

"I have met with the Corporate Director and Head of Childrens Social Services and am confident that performance against these indicators will improve over the year."