'Limited Life' of Social Care Services

West Berkshire Council has promised to intervene despite not being legally responsible for the care of residents in three homes put at risk by the collapse of the country's largest private care home operator Southern Cross.

However, after receiving many similar public assurances and only weeks after being given a four-month period of grace to find a solution managers have forced the Darlington-based company to close and it will be broken up.

Trading in shares ceased as a plan was proposed which would see shareholders 'wiped out'. Under this scheme 250 homes are to be transferred to current landlords holding care accreditation and the remaining 500 are expected to be sold to other operators.

Problems arose as the company's economic model became unsustainable when property rental increases of 30% combined with consistent inflation of 4-5% over several years and reduced public fees caused by recent cuts to council budgets. The company posted losses of £311m in the last financial year and proposed slashing its workforce by 3,000. Shares trading at £6 each in late 2007 were suspended at 6.25p earlier this week.

Of the 752 centres threatened, the homes in Hungerford, Tilehurst and Burghfield Common providing places for 67 people are among those designated as on 'limited life', while six other residential facitilies in the county face a 'worrying wait' over their fate, including one with 137 residents in Rodway Road, Tilehurst, and those  on London Road, Ascot and Murdoch Road, Wokingham.

English Community Care Association chief executive, Martin Green, explained that the collapse of Southern Cross indicated funding in the independent care sector "is very much an issue that other providers are facing because of the levels of resource that they have to deliver care on."

David Rogers from the Local Government Association concentrated on the immediate, commenting, "a solution has been found which will hopefully avoid major upheaval for the vulnerable people involved."

Meanwhile Tracey Morgan, chief executive of Berkshire East Age Concern, 'hit out' at 'cracks in the system' of social care to back calls made by the Dilnot Commission in its' report 'How Will We Pay For Elderly Care?' fornational standards to raise the threshold for funded care by from £23,250 to £100,000, which should provide wider access for additional numbers of people as an aging population is squeezed by the double-whammy of rising costs and low personal savings.

Records show 3,052 people in Slough benefitted from adult social care last year, more than 2% of inhabitants, including 263 in residential care and 202 in nursing homes. The Economist reports demand for adult care has risen 9% in four years nationwide, but councils are now facing 5-8% cuts in this area.

Writing in a post in which she gives her backing to the coalition government's response to the Dilnot Commission report, 'Vision for adult social care: capable communities and active citizens', Labour's Cllr Rachel Eden trumpets Reading's signing of a cross-party declaration, arguing that 'now is the time to reform Adult Social Care'.

She also highlights the growing pressure on services as an aging population increases demand, blaming a  'postcode lottery' and budget cuts which she says are the product of low economic growth.

Wokingham's Conservative MP John Redwood discusses the proposals, casting the spectre of new taxes such as Dilnot's preferred option of National Insurance contributions to be paid by retirees or the resurrection of Labour's notorious 'Death Tax'.

LibDems understandably offered only muted support for Labour's move to support a Parliamentary Early Day Motion and their calls to 'build consensus on meaningful reform'.

Cllr Daisy Benson gives an extensive explanation that even according to the council's own findings council policies fail to meet the needs of carers, and emphasising the needs of formal care over informal care ends up putting more of a burden on the 'hidden heroes' who look after loved ones in their own homes and are often in an even more vulnerable position - she estimates there are more than 11,000 informal carers living in Reading alone, almost 1-in-10 of the whole population!

Gareth Epps is more sanguine about the Dilnot report, pointing out that the price of blanket funding increases for the 'baby-boomer' generation is likely to off-set by 'unjust' reductions for younger generations, contravening guidelines to ensure equality across age-groups in dealing with the spending implications of policy changes.

As if to prove his point Slough Borough Council came under heavy criticism by Ofsted inspectors in a recent report into child protection services.

Auditors described 'inadequate quality of risk assessment, care planning, managerial oversight' and highlighted several challenges in case work, such as cases where reviews to reflect changes in family situation were not undertaken, and difficulties in enforcing care agreements caused by insufficient and inaccurate communication with families.

They found a lack of contingency planning had resulted in 'systemic failure', although praise was reserved for consideration of equality and diversity issues and integration with other agencies.

The responsiveness of consultation with service recipients can also be seen in the open manner Slough Link publishes the results of surveys, although questions could be raised about any conclusions drawn given the size and relevance of a sample group from which only 76 responses included the most from pupils of Slough Grammar School.

The array of council-funded websites and directories for young people's services in Slough is remarkable, reflecting the borough's bold 2006 plan for young people and the active organisation of elections for a regular CYP Cabinet since then.

However Slough's officially-endorsed statement that their commitment made in the light of 'high-profile cases of child abuse, neglect and death' to make 'staying safe' their most important priority, and the promise in their statement of intent to provide 'safe access' to children and young people's services, will now be placed firmly under the spotlight as a new risk assessment of all current cases will be undertaken "to ensure the serious shortcomings in quality assurance arrangements are addressed by strengthening management oversight."

Since the authority was assessed 'good' in all departmental areas by a Joint Area Review in 2006 and began to implement measures to raise standards to 'outstanding' this updated report indicates major complacency has crept in and raises major concerns similar to those seen only recently in Wokingham and Reading.


Oranjepan says:
Whether from economic, financial or demographic pressure, or the bungling of management and the public ability to access services, social care in Berkshire is a precious resource which hits right at the heart of personal quality-of-life measures which could affect us all at some stage. Anything which destabilises support invariably has a disproportionate effect creating insecurity and chaos for those least able to cope - causing severe trouble for those who fall through the gaps when appropriate intervention is missed, not forgetting the wider social impact and problems of clear-up.

Calls for politicians and officers to 'get a grip' are all well and good, but events also show just how easy it is for them to lose their grip.

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More on Social Care Services

Stephen Barber Appointed Chair of Joint-LSCB

Wokingham Newsblog draws our attention to the appointment of Stephen Barber as chair of the new joint Local Safeguarding Children's Board (LSCB).

The board is the umbrella organisation which will bring together and help coordinate efforts between the local authoritiy, the police, the probation service, the health service, youth service Connexions and other the voluntary sector workers 'to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people'.

Wokingham, West Berkshire and Reading borough councils all praised the high-profile appointment in their press releases announcing his 30-years worth of experience at the top of his profession in some of the most demanding inner-city boroughs in the country which was followed up by a succession of significant regional postings including Oxford Brookes University, Making Children Count project, Oxfordshire Council for Voluntary Children's Service, Parents and Children Together (Reading) and the Hampshire and Thames Valley Circles of Support and Accountability. He is also a member of the registration and conduct committee for the General Social Care Council.

Mr Barber said of his appointment "I am looking forward to making my contribution to protecting children by chairing the safeguarding boards from an independent position."

Oranjepan says:
He is clearly the outstanding candidate for the role, who is also blessed with exceptional local knowledge.

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Meanwhile elected representatives on the blogosphere have exposed the political divide illuminated by the issue.

Redlands LibDem, Cllr Daisy Benson offers a comprehensive view as she wishes Mr Barber the best of luck.

She explains the context of the systemic problems in the field which led to the criticisms of Berkshire councils resulting from the lack of scrutiny undertaken by councillors. But, she argues, it is not a party political point to ensure elected representative are held accountable for the services they are responsible for.

She highlights LibDem calls for more focus and effort in scrutiny, because without openness and accountability the real-world problems which we read about in media headlines and aggravations we all experience just get swept under the carpet and are allowed to continue unabated. In an illuminating comment she writes:

"Scrutiny has helped drive improvement in adult social care services where previously performance has been regarded as weak by inspectors - so much so that the Lead Member himself credited scrutiny with helping to improve the service."

On the other side of the fence Peppard Conservative Cllr Richard Willis reproduces the press release with an additional comment from his party's opposition spokesperson and chief scrutineer for children's services Cllr Jaimie Chowdhary.

Cllr Chowdhary uses the platform provided by his ward colleague to attack the "worrying under-performance" exposed by recent audits.

Cllr Willis concludes by welcoming Mr Barber to the job and offers the hope that "he is successful in ensuring that everything possible is done to keep children safe".

Oranjepan asks:
If opposition spokespeople are happy to complain in the media after the event, why didn't they do their jobs on the relevant committees at the time to prevent recurrence of problems (for which they are paid through the allowance system)?

Do the Conservatives expect the independent chair of the LCSB to do their job for them?

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Click here for more background coverage on our local Children's Services

Scrutiny of Childrens Services Ongoing

With the recent attention given to the scandals in Reading Borough Council's Children's Services department political the issue has turned into something of a hot potato.

So when statistics were presented to the council's own scrutiny panel showing assessments completed on time to have dropped significantly since management changes were put in place, questions were certain to be raised.

Labour lead councillor for the service Cllr John Ennis and Conservative opposition spokesperson Cllr Jamie Chowdhary engaged in a tit-for-tat slanging match over the relevance of the statistics, while LibDem spokesperson Cllr Kirsten Bayes stuck to the task and wrote to RBC chief executive Michael Coughlin asking for a more detailed explanation.

Mr Coughlin provided a full statement detailing how changes to the management procedures meant statistics are now being collected in a slightly different way. He said that although this would inevitably create a lag in reporting as the changes funnelled through the administrative system he was confident that "no children are being placed at undue risk because of this improvement in our process and recording."

Cllr Bayes was not prepared to comment on the response, but offered her hope that this would indeed prove to be the case as future statistics are published.

Childcare Changes Starting To Take Effect - Part3

An announcement that 17 local authorities in England are already moving ahead with plans to roll out the controversial ContactPoint database has received a sturdy response from a variety of concerns.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation said it is "almost certainly illegal", while a spokesperson for Reading NO2ID described it as "utter overkill".

Local LibDems are seriously concerned about the prospective risks of a centralised database.

Leader of the RBC LibDem group Cllr Kirsten Bayes argues forcefully that such as system - which prevents any opt-out once instigated - is not only hugely expensive, but will permanently change the relationship between individuals and the state. She says, "it is a waste of time and money, and should be scrapped."

Cllr Warren Swaine pulls even fewer punches, saying things don't get any worse than spending "£224m on a paedophiles' A-to-Z"!

And if you needed any further convincing of the risks of placing complete trust in digital systems, the matter was recently placed in stark relief when West Berkshire Council 'blundered' by sending intimate sensitive healthcare reports from a similar database to the wrong recipients. West Berkshire spokesperson Keith Ulyatt attempted to reassure the public that although human error can never be eliminated entirely, the incident was isolated.

Nevertheless despite such concerted opposition lead councillor for Children's Services Labour's Cllr John Ennis has refused to budge from his determination that anything which could save lives is worthwhile, and swept aside concerns stating warnings that information was being collected have been circulated for the past two years.

ContactPoint is due to be introduced by Reading Borough Council over the next couple of months.

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Update: Mike McNamara posts a comprehensive round-up on the issues relating to ContactPoint. He is very concerned that the prospect of an all-controlling state, stating "Big Brother gets closer by the day".

Childcare Changes Starting To Take Effect - Part2

Wokingham Borough Council has appointed Andy Couldrick as the new head of it's children's services department.

Mr Couldrick currently occupies a similar position for Oxfordshire County Council and will start his new job in September. The overhaul of the service is currently being overseen on an interim basis by Steve Liddicott, a respected childcare profession, with assistance from Gerald Meehan on secondment from Halton Borough Council.

Wokingham Borough Council, along with Reading Borough Council, was one of nine councils across the nation criticised for 'fundamental' weaknesses in the service provision. Problematic safeguarding, including high staff turnover and limited management capacity in children’s social care resulted in poor child protection work and poor case recording, leading to "significant risk".

Childcare Changes Starting To Take Effect - Part1

Following the announcement of the closure of Reading University's respected School of Health and Social Care, it has been announced that Thames Valley University is to close it's doors to trainees from 2015 - due to 'falling demand'.

However the closure of the TVU campus at Slough will simultaneously send as many as 650 student nurses to it's Reading campus.

Fears are already growing that the increased barriers to study will lead to further shortages of qualified staff in one of the areas which may be expected to pick up some of the slack.

New Questions For RBC Children's Services Head

The report into allegations of bullying within Reading Borough Council's social services team has been published amid speculation that no action will be taken against any individual.

Michael Hake interviewed 38 members of staff during his investigation.

He found significant numbers who felt they had been bullied, but that their descriptions did not match accepted definitions based on ACAS guidelines. He concluded that a change of management in 2006/7 had resulted in "a mismatch in expectations, misunderstandings, frictions and a measure of disengagement by some staff" as bad communication left some staff feeling unsupported.

RBC Chief Executive Michael Coughlin echoed the findings of the report and downplayed public fears about the local service which became entangled in the series of scandals gripping the nation.

Mr Coughlin expressed regret for the events which made the the investigation necessary as he reiterated the call for better management.

Meanwhile Janestheone has published a letter detailing how similar allegations of bullying continue to dog Reading's director of Children's Service's, Anna Wright.

W Tyler writes to explain that Ms Wright was employed as Director of Schools at Surrey County Council for 2 years, before moving to Reading in 2006 as part of the new management team criticised in the new investigation.

During her time at Surrey controversy struck as a popular headteacher was forced to quit her job after a concerted campaign was launched by governors as they undertook a political campaign seeking to change the status of the school [1].

At a hearing in March this year the former headteacher was awarded £407,700 in damages against the local authority as it was found that Anna Wright was guilty of 'excessive tolerance' and a 'lack of timely intervention'.

Summing up Judge Williams described Ms Wright as more interested in appeasing the vocal campaigners than considering the welfare of the school and its staff.

Representatives for the claimant explained that Surrey CC had "flouted its legal duties... despite repeated warnings" and were responsible for unnecessarily contributing to a situation which created a culture of fear and neglect, thereby placing individuals at serious risk.

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Update: Cllr Swaine adds to the knowledge in the public sphere by explaining that the council workers' trade union pre-agreed definitions of 'intent' which made the results of the finding virtually secure from the outset.

Oranjepan asks:
Is it only coincidence that Ms Wright has been in charge during two periods of scandal in different local authorities which have lead to similar criticism of the management in her department?

Suspicion of Whitewash Hits Council Over 'Shreddergate'

Following initial reports of the inappropriate disposal of files pertinent to the ongoing investigation into RBC children's services, Labour Council leader, Cllr Jo Lovelock is facing accusations that she may be assisting a cover-up.

It has emerged the members of staff alleged to have destroyed 25 bags of evidence may have been those suspended pending the investigation.

LibDem group leader, Cllr Gareth Epps placed a formal written question calling for an investigation into security procedures and review of disciplinary procedures.

Cllr Lovelock answered that she could confirm there were "no identified breaches of security", and although there was some misunderstanding procedures had already been amended.

Janestheone casts some doubt over the independence of the internal investigation and the accuracy of its findings.

Mick Spreader knows what happened and why.

Oranjepan asks:
At what point are the police going to get involved?

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Update: Mick Spreader has uncovered further detailed information!

University Council Votes to Close SHSC

Reading University's Council has voted to close it's School of Health and Social Care.

The decision is reported to have been made with 23 votes in favour of the proposal, 4 against and 1 abstention.

The news comes as a blow to activists who have mounted a vigorous campaign to save the facility which united staff, students, professionals, local residents, borough councillors and which attracted widespread support against the unpopular move.

The British Association of Social Workers offered a stark warning about how the future of the profession will be affected by the closure, already suffering from a lack of adequate training in what is a highly sensitive area. Numerous local authorities have been hit by scandal as the the pool of proficient social workers has not been able to fulfill needs and this situation is only expected to worsen.

The school has about 350 students enrolled on courses, graduating 65 new social workers each year, in addition to providing a high-level education for nurses and counsellors.

The school has closed its doors to new registrations and will now set up a restructuring committee and transition management group.

LibDem Councillor, Daisy Benson, who proposed a motion opposing the closure which gained all-party support, writes her view of the story here.

She describes the decision as 'arrogant and illogical', explaining that the decision contravenes the University's strategic plan by talking up its responsibility to staff and students while ignoring its statutory responsibility to competent economic management and to serve community interests.

SHSC administrators have flatly denied there is a financial case for the closure, pointing out that the school is profitable overall and actually provides sizable contributions to the University's balance sheet.

However the University of Reading remains under financial pressure after a 4% reduction in grant funding from HEFCE*.

Meanwhile it is also reported that University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Gordon Marshall, who oversees and directs policy at the institution, received an inflation-busting 8% increase to his personal salary to £217,513 pa.

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*The HEFCE grant allocation formula stresses research funding. Reading's funding reduction stems from a similar decision to close the internationally-renowned physics department, which had a specialisation in research.

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Update: Reading Chronicle provides a unique insight - into the depth and bredth of it's reporting abilities.

107fm crackles to life.

Heart arrives, late on the scene.

'Shreddergate' Breaks

More news emerges of behind-the-scenes goings-on at Reading Civic Centre.

REP reports an 'insider' who claims to have seen evidence of a cover-up operation by staff, which may or may not relate to the investigation into Children's Services in the borough following the death of Child T (and which has uncovered a mass of bad practice and scandal in the local political administration dating back years).

Janestheone has jumped immediately to take the bait and used it as further evidence to condemn her former colleagues.

Oranjepan asks:
Someone has a guilty conscience, but who and why?

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Update: Cllr Warren Swaine is not surprised, but is still outraged by the news.

Cllr Richard Willis has his say, playing judge, jury and executioner, while stating that investigations remain ongoing.

Howard Thomas has his say.

Support For Campaign Against Course Closures Come From Far Afield

South-coast local authority representatives Cllr John De Mierre and Cllr Pat Arculus have offered official backing from West Sussex County Council to help the campaign against Reading University's proposed closure of its School of Health and Social Care.

The councillors, who are the West Sussex Cabinet members for Adults’ Services and for Children and Young People’s Services respectively, have written to Secretary of State Ed Balls to say that "With the present shortage of social workers nationally, such a proposal causes us deep concern."

Conservative-dominated West Sussex is one of eight councils across the country reported by Ofsted for providing 'inadequate' levels of care for children, but according to Ombudsmen still has 'a long way to go' to make sufficient improvements.

The government has intervened with nine councils, as 22 local authorities showed a decline in performance. A massive shake-up in assessment has been announced following the loss of confidence in the system of 'star-ratings'.

University Senate Vote

Yesterday Reading University Senate supported the recommendation by managers to close the School of Health and Social Care, despite a concerted campaign by students, staff, residents, professional and democratic representatives and everyone all the way up to and including Reading Borough Council Chief Executive, Michael Coughlin.

Ann Quinn, of the UCU staff body at the school, complained that University bookkeepers were attempting to make the decision in isolation, without any accountability. The school is financially self-sustaining and performs an essential public service role training skilled social workers in a sensitive sector with many vacancies.

The decision will now move to a final stage where it will require confirmation by the University Council on 20th March.

Redlands LibDems have reported back on the decision to go ahead with the closure.

UCU branch secretary Ian Bland notes that the campaigning efforts have not been wasted as the Senate was split over the decision, returning a vote of 32 for the closure, 27 against with 6 abstentions - ie by a plurality of votes, not an overall majority.

This actual result of the vote shows how contentious the decision is proving to be, and that it could yet be reversed as pressure mounts.

LibDem Parliamentary spokesman for Reading East, Cllr Gareth Epps, has also commented, explaining how the proposed closure contravenes recommendations made in the Laming Report - a view also held by Michael Gove MP.

A public meeting has been organised for 7.00pm-9.00pm on 16th March in Waterhouse Chambers, Reading Town Hall.

University Senate to Decide Fate of Department

Campaigners will receive the support of University College Union General Secretary Sally Hunt at a protest tommorrow as local residents, staff and students unite to lobby a meeting of the University Senate against the proposed closure of Reading University's School of Health and Social Care.

"There is no logic whatsoever in closing this school. It provides invaluable training and is completely self-sustaining... Reading should be at the forefront of provision not scaling things back," said Ann Quinn, representative of Reading UCU.

Protesters will meet at 1.30pm tomorrow outside the Agriculture Building on the Earley Gate Campus ahead of the Senate meeting which is due to start at 2.30pm.

Save SHSC Campaign Grows

Michael Coughlin, Chief Executive of Reading Borough Council has written to Reading University to express his 'deep concern' at the proposal to close the School of Health and Social Care at the end of the current intake of students in 2011.

Borough councillors unanimously passed a LibDem motion condemning the move on 24th February, which comes after the tragic death of Child T, ultimately caused by a lack of properly trained social workers and bad management practices, and despite reports stating the school remains profitable overall.

Councillors insist that the public service case is therefore unanswerable and that a stay of execution until the autumn is the minimum acceptable decision for the University Senate, as this would at least allow the publication of a report by the government-appointed Social Work Taskforce into the provision of training and support for the sector.

A lobby protest outside the Senate Meeting on 11th March has been announced and a further public meeting on 16th March at Reading Civic Centre will take place.

Update: Wokingham LibDems have joined the chorus.

'Save Social Care School' Campaign Steps Up

The campaign to save Reading University's School of Health and Social Care stepped up a gear as LibDem councillors staged a public protest against the closure.

Campaigners have received the support of the University and College Union who pointed out that the department is facing the axe despite being profitable. They joined the chorus of disapproval against the University of Reading's decision to close the school which flies in the face of government advice and said they would be "fighting these plans all the way".

On 11th March Reading University will discuss the decision before making a recommendation. The final decision will be taken at the University Council meeting on 20th March.

Meanwhile Reading Evening Post reports on the funding position of our local higher Education institutions. Vice Chancellor Professor Gordon Marshall said the budget cut of about 2% would mainly effect the University's best-performing departments.

Elsewhere a local conference will be held by Reading Voluntary Action to discuss proposals to partially privatise the provision of social care.

HE Under The Spotlight

BBC South Today reports that the proposed closure of Reading University's School of Health and Social Services in only part of a wider problem.

Oranjepan asks:
Can the needs of society be reconciled with our economic concerns?

Politicians Show United Front

Whoever said politicians spend all their time bickering was proven wrong by the sight of Reading councillors reaching consensual agreement in support of a LibDem motion to counteract the University of Reading's proposed closure of the School of Health and Social Care.

Oranjepan says:
Ok, so there's always a bit of banter, but we'd never know what everyone really thought if there wasn't!

Update: Cllr Daisy Benson refocuses attention on the substance of this important matter, stating that "no politician or political party in Reading should feel complacent" about the issues on which our taxes are spent.

Reading Chronicle belatedly reports.

Recommended Reading List #9

Bronagh Miskelly writes about Reading University's commercial imperative, while Daniel Lombard goes into greater depth on the axing of the School of Health and Social Care.

Children's Services Fallout Hits Wokingham

Ofsted's Joint Area Review into the provision of children's services in Wokingham has claimed it's first major scalp as it emerged directorate boss Wendy Woodcock has resigned.

Meanwhile, Wokingham's opposition LibDems are furious that papers released under a Freedom of Information request show ex-council leader and the then lead member of children’s services for the Conservatives, Cllr Frank Browne, was told by officers before September 2007 that 'children’s social care was underfunded and there was an over-reliance on agency staff'.

LibDem group leader Prue Bray placed the blame squared at the door of the political adminstration. "You are all collectively responsible," she said.

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For full coverage of the events which have rocked Reading since the death of Child T and the continuing political fallout, go to the Special Report on Children's Services in Reading (see sidebar).

University Decision 'Ridiculous', 'Deplorable' and 'Irresponsible' say Protesters

A snowball of outrage has started gathering momentum since the University of Reading announced on 9th January it's decision to close it's School of Health and Social Care for corporate reasons.

Here's how Reading List first reported the announcement.

An online petition is growing rapidly and a facebook group has been set up to keep campaigners informed of developments.

Meanwhile Reading LibDems have called the decision 'irresponsible and short-sighted', explaining that is it in contravention of recent ministerial guidelines and said they will be presenting a motion to council urging for the decision to be reversed.

Redlands Councillor Daisy Benson goes into greater detail and Green Party member Adrian Windisch offers his support.

Ann Quinn, Director of Social Work Studies at the University of Reading, said "I know we have good programmes, strong links with local partner agencies and with people who use services, and very committed students. The university has a responsibility to local social work services and service users, and must reconsider its decision."

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For full coverage of the events which have rocked Reading since the death of Child T and the continuing political fallout, go to the Special Report on Children's Services in Reading (see sidebar).