Agenda item

The Chair invited Heather Wills, Principal Adviser (Improvement), to introduce the report, which summarised the LGA’s policy and improvement activity to address workforce capacity challenges in local government and sought the Board’s feedback on priorities for future activity. This would be fed back to the Resources Board and Executive Advisory Board.

Members comments:

·       A member raised the need for a national cap to be implemented on the amount agency workers in health and social care should be paid, as there was increasing competition between councils for the same people leading to bidding wars. Also, the issues that arise when you cannot employ one agency worker, you must employ a team. Ofsted shared this concern. In this member’s local area, a solution was sought in the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation which ensured councils stopped outbidding each other.

·       A member raised concern for the high turnover of staff, as many people leave councils after being trained because they can receive higher compensation elsewhere in roles such as specialist teaching assistants. Thus, there is a need to incentivise working for a council such as additional time off, flexibility, benefits, and work culture to create loyalty.

·       A member raised the restrictions placed on training of staff, for instance only a small number of educational psychologists can be trained by councils each year and suggested that conversations should begin with universities and other bodies to expand training.

·       There was a request for the LGA to consider the advantages and disadvantages of international recruitment in social care and how to manage this.

Louise Smith, Senior Adviser advised that the LGA, DfE and ADCS had been in discussions surrounding the agency issues mentioned, creating proposals on how to better manage these issues which had been awaiting ministerial approval. A formal response is anticipated when the response to the care review would be released.

In response to Members, Heather Wills made the following comments:

·       The LGA is lobbying to ensure that the NHS workforce strategy is integrated, including adult social care. This demonstrated the need for a holistic approach which could be mirrored for children and families

·       The LGA currently work with councils to help deliver different models of working, such as flexibility and improved culture.

·       Work is being started to map out pathways to develop each profession and understand where conversations need to be had with academic institutions.

·       HR advice is that it will usually be preferable to recruit locally, but there is understanding of the urgency of the situation and so consideration was being given to how international recruitment can be best supported.

Heather Wills thanked members for their input, which will be integrated into the drafting of a paper for Executive Advisory Board. Members were advised that the LGA would be engaging with government on consultation children and families social workforce consultation.

Decision

The Children and Young People Board noted the LGA’s policy and improvement activity to address workforce capacity challenges in local government and endorsed the next steps set out in paragraph 58 of the report.