Date 14/10/09. Date 15/10/09. Date 29/10/09. Date 29/10/09. Name of TU rep. Colin Petrie issues only) Date 23/09/09. Date 21/10/09.

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1 DELEGATED POWERS REPORT NO. 917 SUBJECT: New Post in Safeguarding and Social Care Participation Worker Children in Care Control sheet All of the following actions MUST be completed at each stage of the process and the signed and dated report MUST be passed to Democratic Service for publishing All reports 1. Democratic Services receive draft report 2. Democratic Services cleared draft report as being constitutionally appropriate 3. Finance clearance obtained (report author to complete) 4. Staff and other resources issues clearance obtained Nick Musgrove Date 15/10/09 Name of Fin. officer Karen Balam Date 29/10/09 Name of Res. officer Date 29/10/09 Jacquie McGeachie 5. Trade Union response received (Staffing Name of TU rep. Colin Petrie issues only) Date 23/09/09 6. Legal clearance obtained from (report author to complete) 7. Policy & Partnerships clearance obtained 8. Equalities & Diversity clearance obtained 9. The above process has been checked and verified by Director, Head of Service or Deputy 10. Signed & dated report, scanned or hard copy received by Democratic Services for publishing 11. Report published by Dem Services to website Officer reports: 12. Head of Service informed report is published and can be implemented. Name of Legal officer Date 21/10/09 Name of P&P officer Suzannah Hargreaves Julie Pal Name of officer Julie Pal Name Date 30/09/09 Date 6/7/10 Date 12/7/10 Date 12/7/10 Robert McCulloch- Graham Cabinet Member reports: 13. Expiry of call-in period Date 14. Report circulated for call-in purposes to COSC members & copied to Cabinet & Head of Date Service Date

2 ACTION TAKEN UNDER DELEGATED POWERS BY OFFICER (COUNCIL FUNCTION) Subject Officer taking decision New Post in Safeguarding and Social Care Participation Worker Children in Care Director of Children s Service Date of decision 6 July 2010 Summary Officer Contributors Status (public or exempt) Wards affected Enclosures This report proposes that a new post is created in safeguarding and social care to strengthen the participation of children in care and care leavers in service delivery and development across the children s service and with partner agencies. Marion Ingram Acting Deputy Director Gina Filose Corporate Parenting Team Manager Christian McMullen Voice of the Child Coordinator Public All Appendix Job Description and Role Profile Contact for further information: Christian McMullen, Voice of the Child Coordinator, or Gina Filose, Corporate Parenting Team Manager, Serial No.

3 1. RELEVANT PREVIOUS DECISIONS 1.1 None. 2. CORPORATE PRIORITIES AND POLICY CONSIDERATIONS 2.1 The new post will contribute to all of the corporate priorities and has specific relevance to the priorities: A bright future for children and young people, Promoting independence, More choice better value. These priorities will be met by children and young people in care being supported to take more control over their lives through the development of a children in care council, being able to engage in skills development training. Ensuring that children in care have a voice within the senior management of the children s service and campaigning for better services for children in care. Structures will be put in place that ensure the Children in Care Council have access to Councillors and the Senior Leadership team through the Children in care Council support worker and by arranged meetings with all parties on an ongoing basis. 2.2 Policies relevant to this post are: DCSF Every Child Matters Making a Positive Contribution Outcome, DCSF Care Matters Paper Promoting the Voice of the Child in Care. These policies outline the importance of children in care attaining the five every child matter outcomes as a priority for the Children s Service and The Council. These policies outline the importance of involving service users in local authority provision in this case children in care being involved in the development of service provision and their participation in ensuring a better social care service. These policies will be used in the CAA inspection criteria on announced and unannounced government visits. 2.3 The proposal is relevant to the Barnet Children and Young People Plan Increase opportunities for young people s civic engagement by building a children in care council and enhancing the involvement of children in care in their statutory reviews. 3. RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUES 3.1 By not strengthening this area the children s service will be unable to comprehensively fulfil its obligations outlined in the Care Matters agenda and the Children and Young Persons Act The new 2009 inspection framework, which contributes to the Comprehensive Area Assessments, prioritises the voice of children and young people and will take account of the extent to which service providers have been sought and acted on the views of children. 4. EQUALITIES AND DIVERSITY ISSUES 4.1 This proposal complies with the Council s Equalities Policy. Which supports the Council in meeting its equalities policies. The postholder will assist the service in promoting the right of the child to be heard.

4 5. USE OF RESOURCES IMPLICATIONS (Finance, Procurement, Performance & Value for Money, Staffing, IT, Property, Sustainability) 5.1 This new post has been created and evaluated by human resources and has been graded at SCP and will be funded through resources attached to the implementation of Care Matters and the Children and Young Persons Act. Since April 2008 funding for Care Matters is provided to local authorities via the ABG and in setting the budget for , additional resources of 130,000 was allocated to Children s Service for these additional responsibilities. 5.2 This post will be based in the Corporate Parenting Team and, as such, all arrangements for resources will be met from the established team and the Care Matters budget, part of the Area Based Grant. Funding is initially available for three years (starting 2008), the post will be a permanent contract and the impact on children s participation and the outcomes of this will be monitored and evaluated on an ongoing basis. 5.3 At SCP the current salary will be 30,390 using the lower-mid point SCP 34 and 40,330 including on costs. An allocation of 40,000 has been committed in the Care Matters Budget. There are no further resource implications arising from this post. 6. LEGAL ISSUES 6.1 None. 7. CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS 7.1 The Council s constitution in Part 3, Responsibility for Functions states in paragraph 6.3 that specific Chief Officers have powers to deal with staffing and other statutory matters for which the Council is responsible. 7.2 The Council s constitution in Part 3, Responsibility for Functions states in paragraph 6.2 states that Chief Officers may use whatever means they consider appropriate to discharge the functions allocated to them including engaging and deploying staff. 7.3 This is a minor decision that does not fall within the criteria requiring a decision by the General Functions Committee. 8. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 8.1 The Children s Service currently has 329 children and young people in care and over 200 care leavers. Children in care are amongst Barnet s most vulnerable children and it is imperative that their voice is heard throughout the Children s Service and the Borough. 8.2 This new post will ensure that safeguarding and social care have the necessary resources to ensure that children and young people in care are involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of services on an on-going basis.

5 8.3 Recent government policy including Every Child Matters and Care Matters has given a mandate for the participation of service users. It is essential that the Children s Service actively seeks the views of all children and young people, including those who are in or have left care if it wishes to meet this agenda. User engagement is a key strand in the new OfSTED inspection framework and will be a significant feature of the pending inspections. 8.4 The Council has achieved national recognition for its commitment to Corporate Parenting and this post will enable the authority to embrace its new responsibilities in relation to Corporate Parenting. 8.5 The Council has the necessary structures in place within both the Voice of the Child service area and The Corporate Parenting Team to make this post successful and deliver improved outcomes for children in care. 9. LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS 9.1 Care Matters. 9.2 The Children and Young Persons Act Every Child Matters. 9.4 The Children Act The Children and Young People Plan. 9.6 Any person wishing to inspect the background papers listed above should telephone Chris McMullen on or Gina Filose on OFFICER S DECISION I authorise the following action: 10.1 That the post of Safeguarding and Social Care Participation Worker be created at SCP 33 SCP 36 with the attached job description and role profile That the post be advertised for recruitment for the above position. Signed Robert McCulloch-Graham Director of Children s Service Date 6 July 2010