Record referrals place "unsustainable" strain on Children's Services

Friday 10 February 2017

A steep rise in referrals has created an "unsustainable workload strain" on the Children's Services, which could put children's welfare at risk.

In November last year, 244 cases were handed to the Service - approximately double the usual monthly quantity.

The news comes as the States ramps up its Children's Services funding from £5.5 million last year to £6 million this year. The extra funding is expected to cover the recruitment of 20 new social workers, as well as four team managers, four senior practitioners, and four social workers who have already been recruited.

With demand remaining high, the Children's Initial Response Team (CIRT) - responsible for assessing children's circumstances in the first instance - have been placed under a "heavy burden", which could cause risks to children resulting from potential delays.

Susan Devlin, Managing Director of Community and Social Services, commented: "The ‘bulge’ at the front door of Children’s Services has caused an unsustainable workload strain on our Children’s Initial Response Team. These staff are very committed to their task, however this is too much for one team and immediate action has been necessary to reduce the inherent risk in dealing with the needs of vulnerable children and families in a timely manner."

Pictured: Susan Devlin said that the department is committed to ensuring that vulnerable children are not put at risk.

As well as the new recruits, interim steps are now being taken to ensure that workloads are adequately managed. The measures include regular Children's Services social workers lending a hand to the CIRT.

“This is a case of us using our resources across the service in a different way to meet unprecedented demand. The protection of vulnerable children is the core business of Children’s Services and I’m very grateful to the staff who have stepped up at this time of need,” Ms Devlin said.

“Timely assessment is paramount – without it we cannot know a child’s circumstances... We need to know the level of risk and seriousness for all referrals, as there may be a number where children are in serious danger and need protection.

“In the medium to longer-term we are working on restructuring Children’s Services, and the recruitment of extra social workers remains ongoing, but action in this area was required straight away, and that’s why we’ve brought in these interim measures,” she added.

Investigations into an on-Island training course for social work are also being undertaken, while recruitment for the permanent post of Director of Children's Social work is ongoing, ahead of the imminent publication of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry.

Pictured: The Jersey Care Inquiry report is due to be published shortly.