Local authority and children’s services leaders have called for greater scrutiny of private sector children’s social care providers in a bid to minimise the risks posed by a large operator collapsing. The Local Government Association (LGA) said it would like to see the creation of a role to monitor the financial health of large children’s social care placement providers, while the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) wants to see changes to the regulatory system to require providers to be registered instead of settings. The concerns were raised in responses to the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) call for evidence on the children’s social care market study. Launched in March on the request of Care Review chair Josh MacAlister, the CMA market study – responses to which have just been published - could lead to a full investigation later this year. In their submissions, both organisations said they were concerned about the growing influence of private equity (PE) investors in the children’s social care sector. The LGA cites research that shows private equity-owned provision “carries a higher financial risk profile than other types of providers”. It states: “Four of the seven largest groups of independent providers carry more debts and liabilities than tangible assets, with all of these being PE-owned. In total, six of the 20 groups of providers (the largest in the market) in the study reported negative net assets, with all but one of these having PE ownership.” The LGA highlights that the collapse of adult care home provider Southern Cross in 2011 led to a legal duty for the Care Quality Commission to monitor the financial health of the “most difficult to replace” adult social care service providers – but that no such duty exists for the children’s sector. “We would like to see a role introduced to oversee the financial health of large children’s social care placement providers to prevent a ‘Southern Cross situation’ in children’s social care, and also incorporate consideration of how mergers and acquisitions impact on quality of care and the experiences and outcomes of children,” it states. In its submission, the ADCS echoes growing concerns about the role of private equity in the residential care sector and its impact on the stability of providers. It states: “For some time, ADCS members have been concerned about how private equity is driving rapid changes in the ownership, financial models and service delivery in residential services for vulnerable children. “The proportion of the market controlled by just a small number of providers, along with multi-million-pound mergers between providers who are diversifying across the sector and buying up smaller firms, increases the risk within the system. The risks associated with the impact of provider failure are significant and only increase as ownership continues to contract.” The ADCS highlights that the current regulatory framework is nearly 20 years old and focused on the performance of individual homes rather than “the efficacy of the increasingly common large provider chains/organisations or the contribution they make to children’s outcomes”. There is little focus on – or scrutiny of – the financial stability of parent companies, no single record of who owns the services that deliver care for children available for authorities to refer to as corporate parents, nor a mechanism for recording or managing the risk of provider failure, it adds. Moving to a system that registered providers instead of settings “would allow the flexibility needed to make emergency/crisis placements while also allowing authorities to tailor the care and support around the individual needs of children and young people”, it added. The CMA received submissions from 35 organisations to its study. A decision on whether to hold an investigation will be made by September. Source: www.cypnow.co.uk The government has announced an additional £51m to support care leavers and young people transitioning to independence. The funding will extend existing Department for Education flagship schemes Staying Put and Staying Close for an additional year. The package includes:
The DfE is also set to provide more than 5,000 more laptops for care leavers through the Get Help with Technology scheme, which will help to prevent loneliness and isolation among this group of young people. The laptops and routers will mean they can more easily keep in touch with their personal advisers and wider support networks, as well as helping them access support services such as for education, mental health support and searching for employment opportunities online. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “Every young person in care deserves to live in accommodation that meets their needs and keeps them safe – anything less is unacceptable, and so continuing to prioritise children in care or leaving care is absolutely vital. “The measures build on our shared ambition across government to level up outcomes and opportunities for everyone, but especially the most vulnerable – by providing safer homes, reducing isolation among young people leaving care, and by making sure they have a strong support network to rely on as they take steps into adult life.” "This new funding will help care leavers as they navigate the sometimes perilous transition into living independently, whether that's through advice from a personal adviser or rapid support if they find themselves with no roof over their head,” he said. "Taken together with the recent exemption from the shared accommodation rate, this is a real step forward for care leavers." Meanwhile, a report by charity Barnardo’s reveals the extent of unsafe, unsuitable and unhealthy accommodation offered to vulnerable young people when they leave care and how this differs from that offered to children. Its survey of 2,000 adults found that only one in five received no support from parents when they first moved out of the family home to live independently. Interviews the charity did with 23 care leavers about their experiences found an overwhelming proportion reported having little or no choice about where they moved after leaving care, many found the whole process of finding somewhere to live and moving in to be "scary" and did not feel ready to live independently. Its No Place Like Home report calls on the government to provide more support for the Staying Close scheme, double to £4,000 the ‘setting up home’ grant, and develop robust standards for semi-independent accommodation. Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: “Many young people leaving the care system enter adulthood without a strong support network, leaving them particularly vulnerable. “Having a safe and stable home is one of the most important factors in helping care leavers to recover from past trauma, gain qualifications and secure stable employment. Yet our research has demonstrated that care leavers are too often expected to live in conditions that are unsuitable and at worst unsafe. “The government has a unique opportunity to improve the system for care leavers, through the Independent Review of Children's Social Care. We must also make it easier for young people to stay with their foster carers up to the age of 21; and when they do live independently, accommodation must be safe and appropriate to meet their needs.” Source: www.cypnow.co.uk Location: Homebased (East Midlands) Salary: Up to £37,290 p.a + £1,500 Out of Hours Allowance p.a.+ £750 Home Working Allowance p.a. Closing Date: 16/06/2021 Interview Date: 28/06/2021 Hours: 35 Hours Per Week TACT, the UK’s largest fostering charity now has over 500 dedicated carers, who look after over 600 children and young people across the country. Our reputation and growth rests upon our strength in providing successful placements. As a charity, we do not have shareholders who receive profits, and we invest all of our surplus income into service, staff, carers, and children’s development.
Our vision is to provide better lives for our children and young people. Find out more about our values here We currently have a vacancy for a Senior Supervising Social Worker. The right candidate fror this role will be someone for whom quality of service is paramount and who shares our commitment to working in partnership with our children and foster carers. The majority of the caseload is in Northamptonshire so this would suit someone who lives within reasonable distance of Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes or West Bedfordshire. As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, we put the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about this as we are. As a Homebased Senior Supervising Social Worker, you will support and supervise the foster families and placements we have in the areas mentioned above remotely and in person when it’s safe to do so. The successful candidate will also need to evidence flexibility and have the willingness to travel to all areas associated with the TACT East Midlands region. TACT is a homebased workforce. We recognise the benefits that flexible home working creates for both the employer and the employee. As a remote working organisation, we are committed to work with our staff to enable consistent inclusion and engagement across the organisation to ensure the optimum standards of service for our carers and children and their foster carers in the development of our services. The ideal candidate for this Senior Supervising Social Worker role should have post qualifying experience in family placement work or other childcare settings as well as a good working knowledge of relevant legislation and child protection procedures. Main requirements:
TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
Please see the Job Information Pack and Job Description for further information. You will need to be DipSW, CSS or CQSW qualified and registered with Social Work England. An enhanced DBS clearance is also required and will be processed by TACT on your behalf. The successful applicant will be required to support Duty and Out of Hours on a rota basis and will be paid an out of hours’ allowance of £1,500 per annum once participating in the rota. Closing: Wednesday 16th June 2021 Interviews: Monday 28th June 2021 (via Microsoft Teams) Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believe that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies. TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them. TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Full details and application documents here Location: Barnardo's North West Fostering Service Contract type: Permanent Hours: 37 Salary: £39,358 - £50,040 (FTE) Closing Date: 4 June 2021 Interview Date: 14 June 2021 We are looking for an experienced and highly skilled Operations Manager (Registered Manager) for our North West Fostering Service in the North West area.
Initial Specific Responsibilities
When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described. Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore are open to offering flexible working arrangements. About Barnardo's At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role. Barnardo's is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and male candidates as they are under-represented within Barnardo's. Our basis and values Full details and application documents here |
News & JobsNews stories and job vacancies from our member agencies, the fostering sector and the world of child protection and safeguarding as a whole. Browse Categories
All
|