Child Protection Improvement Programme report

Annex D: Leadership and Workforce Development Map

This paper provides an outline of the current landscape of governance and leadership structures relevant to Child Protection and the organisations with an interest in or responsibility for leadership and workforce development in this context. It is intended to identify the routes to effective cultural and practice change.

Local Leadership/Governance Structures

The structures in place around leadership vary across the country, however below is a sample representation of what the governance structure may look like.

Governance Structures Overview

Local Government

• Elected members have a strategic role in ensuring that their council is discharging their statutory responsibilities and that, in line with these responsibilities, there are appropriate arrangements in place for helping to keep children safe.

Chief Officers (Public Protection) Groups

• The Chief Officers Group is made up of Local Police Commanders and Chief Executives of health boards and local authorities. The Chief Officers are responsible for ensuring that their agencies, individually and collectively, work to protect children and young people as effectively as possible. They also have responsibility for maximising the involvement of those agencies not under their direct control, including the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the third sector. The Chief Officer Groups across Scotland are individually and collectively responsible for the leadership, direction and scrutiny of their respective child protection services and their Child Protection Committees. The Chief Officers are also responsible for overseeing the commissioning of all child protection services and are accountable for this work and its effectiveness. They are individually responsible for promoting child protection across all areas of their individual services and agencies, thus ensuring a corporate approach. This responsibility applies equally to the public, private and third sectors.

Child Protection Committees

• Child Protection Committees ( CPCs) are locally-based, inter-agency strategic partnerships responsible for the design, development, publication, distribution, dissemination, implementation and evaluation of child protection policy and practice across the public, private and wider third sectors in their locality and in partnership across Scotland. Their role, through their respective local structures and memberships, is to provide individual and collective leadership and direction for the management of child protection services across Scotland. There is a CPC within each local authority area and they report to the relevant Chief Officers Group.

Community Planning Partnerships

• There is a Community Planning Partnership ( CPP) covering each local authority area. The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 gives community planning a statutory purpose focused on improving outcomes and reducing inequalities of outcome on local priorities. It introduces specific duties for CPPs around this, focused on securing community participation (having regard in particular to bodies representing persons experiencing inequalities of outcome resulting from socio-economic disadvantage), planning for better local outcomes and reporting to local communities on progress. This includes agreeing Local Outcome Improvement Plans ( LOIPs), and also locality plans for smaller communities in their area which experience the poorest outcomes.
• The Act also introduces specific duties on the community planning partners who make up the community planning partnership, i.e. local authorities and public sector bodies (such as NHS boards, integration joint boards and Police Scotland) to make effective community planning happen. This includes:
  • providing resources, both to deliver CPP priorities and to secure participation of community bodies, particularly those representing groups who may experience disadvantage;
  • working collaboratively in carrying out community planning
  • taking account of CPP plans in carrying out their own functions
• CPPs do not have either formal delivery nor governance responsibilities for child protection. Community planning should focus on a small number of locally identified priorities where the CPP can add most value as a partnership to improve the achievement of outcomes resulting from, or contributed by, the provision of services delivered by or on behalf of community planning partners. However, CPPs can choose to reflect child protection issues within the priorities they set for themselves. CPPs also provide a vehicle through which public sector bodies can work together to discharge their own child protection delivery and governance.
• Children's Services Partnerships have traditionally been the vehicle for the development of the Integrated Children's Services plan. These typically fit within the CPP structure.

Local Authorities

• As outlined above a local authority Chief Executive as Chief Officer has particular responsibilities in relation to child protection.
• Each Local Authority is required to have in place a Chief Social Work Officer ( CSWO) who has a specific role in relation to the governance and decision making in relation to protecting children. The responsibilities of CSWOs are principally set out in statutory guidance, but sometimes are conferred directly be statute,- - see http://www.gov.scot/publications/role-chief-social-work-officer//downloads . CSWOs also produce Annual Reports which provide useful summaries of all aspects of social work services delivery, including Child Protection, in their local area - see: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/social-services-workforce/people/cswa-annual-reports

Integration Joint Boards

• The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 puts in place arrangements for integrating health and social care, in order to improve outcomes for patients, service users, carers and their families. The Act requires health boards and local authorities to work together effectively to agree a model of integration to deliver quality, sustainable care services. NHS Highland and Highland Council have opted for a lead agency model where the health board is responsible for adult health and social care services and the local authority is responsible for children's social care and community health care services. The other health boards and local authorities have put in place a body corporate model, where an Integration Joint Board has been established. This will see health boards and local authorities delegate a significant number of functions and resource to the Integration Joint Board who will be responsible for the planning of integrated arrangements and onward service delivery.
• Each of Scotland's 30 Integration Joint Boards has a Chief Officer. Chief Officers of Integration Joint Boards play a crucial role in the implementation of health and social care integration. A Chief Officers Network has been created to help support implementation of health and social care integration. This network meets regularly to exchange information and to discuss common challenges as integration arrangements progress.
• In areas where children's health and social work are delegated functions/part of integration scheme, Integration Joint Boards may also have a role in planning and commissioning child protection services.

National Organisations and Groups Which Have a Leadership Role

There are a number of national organisations and groups that bring together senior leaders and which may be positioned to provide support and advice in regard to child protection and wider children's services. They are networks or membership organisations rather than decision-making or authorising bodies. These include:

• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ( COSLA) - the representative voice of Scottish local government, for 28 out of 32 councils in Scotland. COSLA promotes and protects the interests of councils in Scotland and the people and communities they serve by representing their views to Scottish, UK and European governments and legislatures, other bodies and the public.
• The Scottish Local Government Partnership ( SLGP) - established in March 2015. The SLGP provides a voice and representation for its member Councils (currently 4) on priority issues that affect local government.
• Society of Local Authority Chief Executives ( SOLACE) - the representative body for Chief Executives and senior managers working in the public sector in the UK. There is a Scotland Branch.
• Child Protection Committees Scotland ( CPCS) - plays a leading role in the development and promotion of child protection policy, agrees common standards and efficient and effective procedures. CPC Scotland informs national child protection policy, working alongside the Scottish Government in order to make a positive difference to the lives of vulnerable children and young people.
• Social Work Scotland - the professional leadership body for the social work and social care professions. It is a membership organisation which represents social workers and other professionals who lead and support social work across all sectors.
• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland ( ADES) - an independent professional network for leaders and managers in education and children's services. It informs and influences education policy in Scotland, working in partnership with local and national government and other agencies. ADES also offer a range of professional development activities and opportunities for members.
• Society of Local Authority Lawyers and Administrators in Scotland ( SOLAR) - for all matters affecting local government, promoting sound administrative and legal practice within Scottish local authorities and aiming to promote and develop the professional knowledge and talents of SOLAR members.
• Scottish Leaders Forum - The Scottish Leaders Forum ( SLF) is a network of leaders at the heart of public services in Scotland. They meet to discuss and collaborate on the important policy issues facing Scotland. The SLF collaborates, shares, and improves on co-produced outcomes across all public services for the people of Scotland.
• Social Work Services Strategic Forum - established in late 2013 as a partnership forum of key stakeholders from across the social services sector. It was established to develop and implement a Vision and Strategy for the sector with a strong commitment to working in partnership across organisations and with government to deliver its vision for high quality and effective social services. The Forum is chaired by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years and facilitated by the Office of the Chief Social Work Adviser in the Scottish Government.
• Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland - CCPS work to identify, represent, promote and safeguard the interests of third sector and not-for-profit social care and support providers in Scotland, so that they can maximise the impact they have on meeting social need.

Leadership and Workforce Development

There are a number of organisations in Scotland which have responsibility for or interest in leadership and workforce development across a wide range of workers including those working in children's services. They may also have responsibility or capacity for leadership development. These include:

Professional Regulatory Bodies

• The General Teaching Council for Scotland ( GTCS) - maintains a register of teachers in Scotland and carries out a wide range of statutory functions and initiatives to promote, support and develop the professional learning of teachers.
• Nursing and Midwifery Council ( NMC) - regulates nurses and midwives in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Sets standards of education, training, conduct and performance so that nurses and midwives can deliver high quality healthcare throughout their careers.
• General Medical Council ( GMC) - regulatory body for doctors. Protects patients and improves medical education and practice in the UK by setting standards for students and doctors. Supports them in achieving and exceeding those standards, and take action when they are not met.
• Scottish Social Services Council ( SSSC) - the regulator for the social service workforce in Scotland. The SSSC works to ensure that the people of Scotland can count on social services being provided by a trusted, skilled and confident workforce. They protect the public by registering social service workers, setting standards for their practice, conduct, training and education and by supporting their development. Where people fall below the standards of practice and conduct they can investigate and take action. The SSSC also facilitates the development and implementation of the Leadership Strategy for Social Services in Scotland
• The General Dental Council - they regulate the professions by setting standards, quality assuring education, and registering dentists and dental care professionals. They also take action against those who work outside the law

Scrutiny Bodies

• Care Inspectorate - regulates and inspects care services in Scotland to make sure that they meet the right standards. They also jointly inspect with other regulators to check how well different organisations in local areas work to support adults and children.
• Healthcare Improvement Scotland ( HIS) - the national healthcare improvement organisation for Scotland. They work with staff who provide care in hospitals, GP practices, clinics, NHS boards and with patients, carers, communities and the public. HIS delivers scrutiny activity, provides improvement support to healthcare providers and provides clinical standards, guidelines and advice based on the best available evidence.
• Education Scotland - Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency charged with supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education. In addition to their inspection function, they work with a range of national partners and with practitioners to ensure that professional development across the education system is effective and impacts positively on outcomes for all learners.
• Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland - Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary ( HMIC) independently assesses police forces and policing across activity in the public interest.

Practice Improvement Bodies

• Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland ( CELCIS) -dedicated to making positive and lasting improvements in the wellbeing of children and young people living in and on the edges of care, and their families, across the whole country, and the globe. In their partnership work with carers, social workers, teachers, nurses, charities, the police, local authorities and the Scottish Government CELCIS work to understand the issues, introduce the best possible practice and develop solutions.
• Scottish College of Educational Leadership ( SCEL) - supports teachers' and early years' practitioners professional learning in leadership
• NHS Education for Scotland - an education and training body and a special health board within NHS Scotland, with responsibility of developing and delivering education and training for the healthcare workforce in Scotland.
• Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice - supports improvement in youth justice, contributing to better lives for individuals and communities
• IRISS - a charitable company that promotes positive outcomes for the people who use Scotland's social services, by enhancing the capacity and capability of the social services workforce, to access and make use of knowledge and research for service innovation and improvement.