Agenda and minutes

Performance Scrutiny Committee - People - Tuesday, 26th March, 2024 10.00 am

Venue: Hybrid Meeting

Contact: Samantha Schanzer  Scrutiny Adviser

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Cllrs Bright and B Davies

 

2.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

None.

 

3.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 159 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 16th January 2024 were agreed as a true and accurate record.

 

4.

Recruitment and Retention Report pdf icon PDF 117 KB

a) Officer presentation

b) Committee questioning and discussion

c) Formation of comments and recommendations

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Invitees:

Sally Ann-Jenkins (Strategic Director for Social Services)
Luke Butcher (Senior HR & OD Business Partner),
Caroline Ryan-Phillips (Head of Prevention and Inclusion),
Mary Ryan (Head of Adult Services),
Cllr Jason Hughes (Cabinet Member for Social Services (Adult Services)),
Cllr Stephen Marshall (Cabinet Member for Social Services (Children Services)),
Cllr Debbie Harvey (Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing)

The Strategic Director for Social Services presented the report. 

The Committee discussed the following:

·       The Committee asked for the percentage of vacant posts. The Strategic Director informed Committee that the current annual turnover was 11.7% and agreed to provide the information requested.

·       The Committee queried what impact vacancies had on service provision. The Strategic Director informed Committee that some areas of the service had a stable workforce, and the challenge was in specific areas including residential care, the Child Protection Team and the Youth Service. They noted that the largest impact was pressure increasing for staff and noted the challenge in recruiting and retaining staff with the required knowledge and skills. POINT OF CLARIFICATION: As of 31st March 2024, there were 30.42 FTE vacant across social services, and as per the data in the report 150 people were recruited in 12 months between February 2023 – February 2024.

·       The Committee noted the implicit dangers of relying on agency staff and asked what alternatives had been tried. The Strategic Director informed Committee that ensuring a permanent workforce was the aim, and that the main use of agency staff was within residential care. They informed Committee that cover was encouraged within existing teams where appropriate before using agency. They informed Committee that discussions to build a regional bank of relief staff for children’s residential care were ongoing, but it was a challenging area. They highlighted that work had been done to manage agency payments across all Welsh local authorities to ensure payments were kept down to disincentivise staff leaving for agency work.

 

·       The Committee enquired whether there had been any collaboration with the NHS regarding the bank system. The Strategic Director informed Committee that they were not working with the NHS as more tailored system would be required.

·       The Committee enquired whether deterring agency work could impact internal training. The Strategic Director informed the Committee that the 11.7% turnover was not being covered entirely with agency staff and the use of agency staff was not substantial. They informed that there were  constant reviews of pay scales and that pay in Newport was high regionally. They noted the promotion of benefits when working for the local authority including training and pension.

·       The Committee queried whether agencies were taking money out of the service. The Head of Adult Services informed Committee that staff work across the 3 residential sites to provide stability and familiarity. They highlighted that some agency staff had been recruited by NCC and have had previous staff return after leaving for agency work.

·       The Committee enquired what collaborative work was done with other local authorities. The Strategic Director informed Committee that not having shared  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Scrutiny Adviser Reports pdf icon PDF 141 KB

a)      Forward Work Programme Update (Appendix 1)

b)      Actions Arising (Appendix 2)

c)      Information Reports (Appendix 3)

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

a.      Forward Work Programme Update

The Scrutiny Advisor informed the Committee that this is the final meeting of the year, and the next meeting is scheduled for the 11th June 2024.

b.      Actions Arising

The Scrutiny Advisor informed the Committee that there are a few outstanding items that will be carried into the next year.

c.      Information Reports

The Scrutiny Advisor informed the Committee that there have been a few information reports circulated but no comments from the Committee.

 

6.

Meeting Recording

Minutes:

The meeting recording can be watched here.