The Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee of Herefordshire County Council met on Thursday, 13 June 2024, to discuss workforce challenges in children's services. The committee reviewed the current state of the workforce, including the balance between agency and permanent staff, and explored strategies to improve recruitment and retention. Several recommendations were made to enhance the workforce strategy and ensure better outcomes for children and young people in Herefordshire.

Workforce Challenges in Children's Services

Overview and Current State

Tracy Sampson, Director of HR and OD, presented the main report on workforce challenges. The report included three appendices:

• Appendix A: Agency and Permanent Workforce Profile
• Appendix B: Draft Workforce Strategy
• Appendix C: Employee Survey Summary 2022

Sampson emphasized the need to address reputational issues to improve recruitment and retention. She noted that while significant improvements had been made, challenges remained, particularly in stabilizing the workforce and reducing reliance on agency staff.

Key Points of Discussion

Recruitment and Retention

The committee discussed the importance of having a stable and permanent workforce. Rachel Gillett highlighted that the current proportion of agency workers was a significant concern, impacting continuity of care for children and families. The committee was informed that the goal was to achieve an 80:20 ratio of permanent to agency staff within two years.

Training and Development

The committee explored the role of training in improving workforce stability. It was noted that the council had invested in various training programs, including restorative practice, which had shown positive impacts on both staff culture and service delivery.

Impact on Service Delivery

The committee stressed the importance of measuring the impact of workforce changes on service delivery. Tracy Sampson mentioned that key indicators such as the proportion of agency workers, the proportion of permanent team managers, and caseloads were being monitored to assess progress.

Recommendations

The committee made several recommendations to enhance the workforce strategy:

1. Identify Measures of Success: Establish clear metrics for each strand of the workforce strategy.
2. Link Strategies: Ensure the children and young people workforce strategy aligns with the council's corporate workforce strategy.
3. Build Links and Invest: Develop connections with local schools and voluntary organizations to encourage careers in children's services and consider investing in these organizations.
4. Encourage Career Switching: Promote opportunities for career switching into children's services within the council.
5. Incorporate Children's Voices: Ensure that the voices of children inform the workforce strategy.
6. Theory of Change: Describe the link between activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact using a theory of change model.

Conclusion

The committee concluded that while progress had been made, ongoing efforts were needed to stabilize the workforce and improve service delivery. The recommendations aimed to create a more robust and effective workforce strategy, ultimately benefiting the children and young people of Herefordshire.

For more details, you can access the agenda frontsheet and the public reports pack.