The Chair invited Clair Pyper,
Strategic Director for Education and Children’s Services, and
David Jennings, Service Manager, to give a presentation on
Professor Eileen Munro’s report – copy of slides
attached. Among Professor Munro’s recommendations
are
- More
child focus & greater attention to the voice of the
child
- More
local judgement and less reliance on tick boxes & central
prescription
- Much
higher priority for, and improved quality of, risk
assessment
- Raising the skill- and, in particular, experience-levels of
front-line social workers.
In response to Members’
questions the following points were made
- Slough
Borough Council employs about 65 staff in front line practice
management roles.
- Munro
will mean senior & more experienced staff dealing with the most
difficult cases at an earlier stage.
- The
Social Work profession needs to be stronger, including its
regulatory bodies.
- The
Council cannot deliver the Munro agenda on its own. The
Council’s partner organisations also need to be fully
involved and signed up for improvement to happen.
- The
impact on costs will depend on how well the changes work. If
children in the greatest need receive intensive intervention
earlier, the long-term financial effect may be that fewer children
reach high levels of need. A key challenge will be to ensure better
resource targeting.
- Members’ role in safeguarding needs further definition and
awareness e.g. through the Member Development
Programme.
Resolved:-
1.
To thank Clair Pyper and David Jennings for the
clarity of their presentation.
2.
To ask that the Member Development Programme include
a session on Members’ Role in Child Protection.