Venue: Hybrid Meeting
Contact: Samantha Schanzer Scrutiny Adviser
No. | Item |
---|---|
Apologies Minutes: Cllrs Bright and B Davies
|
|
Declarations of Interest Minutes: None.
|
|
Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 16th January 2024 were agreed as a true and accurate record.
|
|
Recruitment and Retention Report 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) 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. |
|
Scrutiny Adviser Reports 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.
|
|
Meeting Recording Minutes: The meeting recording can be watched here.
|