Lead Member and DCS Support

Workstream:	Personalisation, Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and Criminal Justice
Title:	Lead Member and DCS Support
Scope:	Regional
Funds awarded:	£330,000
Lead contact:	Carole White, Strategic Adviser for Children and Young People’s Services
Background:	1.1 In the past three months, following the national publicity regarding several high profile safeguarding cases both in the region and nationally, council leaders and chief executives in Local Government Yorkshire and Humber (LGYH) have acknowledged the particular challenges facing both the elected members with lead responsibility for local children’s services (the lead members) and directors of children’s services and have recognised that, as a priority, YoHr Space should provide appropriate support to strengthen their regional networks and regional partnership working. 1.2 In recognition of the importance and complexities of the improvement agenda for local authority services for children and young people, since January 2009 YoHr Space has worked with key regional partners to establish an improvement support framework for children and young people’s services in the region. This framework was formally established in March 2009. 1.3 YoHr Space has established a strategic support group to support the region’s sector led improvement agenda for children and young people’s services. This comprises senior representatives from the YoHr Space, LGYH, Government Office, the IDEA as well as the chairs of the DCS and lead member networks. It is intended that this group will meet quarterly to consider the ongoing support programme for children and young people’s services. A strategic adviser has also been appointed to advise LGYH and the YoHr Space on the children and young people’s agenda. It is intended that this support framework will work alongside and complement the DCSF’s improvement support framework. This will continue to be led and managed by Government Office.
Delivery:	1.1 It is proposed that the full time project manager post is continued for a further two years until May 2011. However, in order to ensure a shared understanding of the role and ensure that employment roles and responsibilities are properly fulfilled, it is suggested that the job description for this post is reviewed and updated and that contractual and performance management accountabilities and roles and responsibilities are clarified. 1.2 The current project manager is an officer employed by York City Council who was seconded to this post in 2007. Following discussions with the chair of the lead member network and with the project manager, it is proposed that this secondment should continue, subject to the agreement of York City Council. 1.3 It is also recommended that the YoHr Space strategic adviser for children’s services advises the chair of the network on clarifying the roles and responsibilities as outlined in the current job description for the project manager and putting in place appropriate performance management and staff appraisal processes. 5.13 The current chair of the DCS network is Elaine McHale, Director of Family Services in Wakefield MBC. Following discussions with Elaine, it is proposed that the best way forward to secure dedicated business and administrative support for the network will be for YoHr Space to approve support funding that can be used flexibly provide this support either by funding additional hours for staff who are currently working part-time in Wakefield MBC or to contract with agency staff. 5.14 It is proposed that the strategic adviser drafts a sample job description for this administrative support role. Duties would include: 5.14.1 providing administrative support for the DCS network including sending out calling notices, agendas and papers; taking minutes; progress chasing agreed follow up actions; keeping financial accounts and chasing up payments; 5.14.2 co-ordinating regional activity at DCS level, including distributing notes of meetings and chasing up agreed follow up action; and 5.14.3 supporting the delivery of regional projects including scoping, costing, setting up events, chasing up applications and managing finance.
Outcomes:	2.7 The proposed objectives for the lead member support programme for 2009 - 2011 are to: 2.7.1 provide support for individual lead members of children’s services that will be tailored to meet their particular needs and circumstances; 2.7.2 fund three places a year on the IDeA (and other relevant) Lead Member for Children’s Services Academy (which also attracts subsidy from the IDeA nationally) and enable three lead members to participate in the IDeA (and other relevant) peer mentoring programmes; 2.7.3 provide ongoing project management and administrative support for the lead member regional network; 2.7.4 provide lead members with briefings on key policy developments within children’s services, with a particular focus on key regional issues as they have been identified in local area agreements (LAAs) and in CAA outcomes; and 2.7.5 link to the IDeA national network for children’s portfolio-holders and IDeA Children’s Services Advisers and share learning with other regions; 2.7.6 support the YoHr Space improvement support framework and advise on proposals for support that concern children and young people’s services. 5.12 The proposed objectives for the 2009 – 2011 DCS support programme are to: 5.12.1 provide dedicated business and administrative support for the DCS network; and 5.12.2 provide support for the project management of the network’s proposed collaborative programme to improve and develop safeguarding practice in all authorities across the region.
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