Council's social work provision for children and adults

The request was refused by Middlesbrough Council.

Dear Middlesbrough Council,

This request concerns the Council's social work provision for both children and adults for the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 budget years.

Should the following questions exceed your time and budgetary restrictions, we ask that as per Section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act you kindly assist us in formulating our request before the statutory 20 days waiting time. We are available to discuss this over the phone on 07940074548 if more convenient.

First, please provide a basic definition for permanent social workers and a definition for agency workers (i.e. staff who are used temporarily to cover shortfalls in permanent staffing levels).

Then for each of the three years separately, please detail:

Wage:
a) the average annual salary for permanent social workers in the team, and the annual salary for the most junior level of permanent social worker you employ.
b) The hourly equivalent of these annual salaries, based only on working hours and not on allotted annual leave, bank holidays, development days etc. (i.e. annual salary divided by contracted work hours)
c) the average hourly wage for agency staff.
d) the agency fee, and how this works, i.e. is it a one off up-front cost or an hourly commission for each agency staff member? If it is the latter, please highlight whether this is included within the hourly agency staff wage or is an additional cost on top.

Hours:
a) the total number of annual contracted hours for permanent social workers. Please divide this into working hours, and non-working hours (i.e. annual leave entitlement, bank holidays, development days etc.).
b) the actual number of permanent staff hours worked in total across the whole team.
c) the actual number of agency staff hours worked in total.
d) The percentage of total agency hours that covered permanent staff vacancies, rather than maternity or sick leave.
e) the average timeframe that individual agency staff members worked within the service (i.e. how long do they normally stay?).

Benefits:
a) Any additional benefits offered/given to permanent staff members including pension contributions (and the total cost of these), and any additional benefits offered/given to agency staff members, including pension contributions (and the total cost of these).
b) Any costs that permanent staff members can claim back, but which agency staff members have to absorb themselves - for example travel/petrol costs. In such cases, please detail the total cost of these permanent staff claims.
c) Any incentives you offer as part of the recruitment of social workers, either to social workers themselves or recruitment consultants, for example relocation packages (and the cost of these).

Total Cost:
a) The total cost of permanent staff members and the total cost of agency staff members.

Then, looking at the current situation:
How many permanent full time equivalent staff members are currently employed?
how many full time equivalent agency staff are currently employed covering permanent positions (not maternity or sick leave)?
What are the names of the agencies used by the council to provide temporary social workers?
What was the number of applications you had for the last five permanent social worker roles that were advertised (and over what time-period this was)?

If there are questions for which you do not hold the information, please tell us why this is, where this information can be found, and who to contact.

Please provide all information in a machine readable format, i.e. an Excel spreadsheet or similar, and not in a scanned pdf format.

Thank you in advance,

Matt Richards and Anais Charles

foi, Middlesbrough Council

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Dear Mr Richards

 

REF NO: 012965

 

Thank you for your recent enquiry, received on 11/06/2018, in relation to
social work provision.  I can confirm that your enquiry is receiving
attention and a response will be provided within 20 working days following
receipt of your enquiry as allowed under the Freedom of Information Act
legislation.

 

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, I will
let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me direct on (01642) 729696/729698 or
email [Middlesbrough Council request email] should you require any further advice or
assistance with this or any other matter.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Public Information Officer

 

Finance Governance & Support

Performance & Partnerships

Middlesbrough Council

 

 

 

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foi, Middlesbrough Council

 

Dear Mr Richards 

 

REF NO: 012965  

 

I am writing to confirm that Middlesbrough Council has now completed its
search for the information you requested on 11 June 2018.

 

In your request you asked for the following information:

The Council's social work provision for both children and adults for the
2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 budget years.

 

First, please provide a basic definition for permanent social workers and
a definition for agency workers (i.e. staff who are used temporarily to
cover shortfalls in permanent staffing levels).

 

Response:

 

The Freedom of Information Act only applies to information held, a
definition is asking for an interpretation NOT information we hold

and so exempt under Freedom of Information Act.

 

Then for each of the three years separately, please detail:

 

Wage:

a)     the average annual salary for permanent social workers in the team,
and the annual salary for the most junior level of permanent social worker
you employ.

 

Response:     

 

Grade I - J - K, £25,463 to £32,233

 

b)     The hourly equivalent of these annual salaries, based only on
working hours and not on allotted annual leave, bank holidays, development
days etc. (i.e. annual salary divided by contracted work hours)

 

Response:     

 

Grade I hourly rate £13.19 to £14.18

Grade J hourly rate £14.62 to £15.50

Grade K hourly rate £15.94 to £16.70

 

c)     the average hourly wage for agency staff.

 

Response:

 

I can advise you that the Council does hold the requested information. 

 

Section 12 of the Freedom of Information  Act allows public authorities to
refuse to answer requests for information if the cost of complying would
exceed the "appropriate limit" prescribed in the Regulations. The
appropriate limit as set out in the Act is £450 (an hourly rate of £25 per
person per hour for a maximum of 18 hours in total).
To fully comply with your request we have estimated it would breach the
appropriate fees limit of £450. The Council feels that at this time we do
not have the resources to carry out the above search for a fee and
therefore we must partially refuse your request.

 

d)     the agency fee, and how this works, i.e. is it a one off up-front
cost or an hourly commission for each agency staff member? If it is the
latter, please highlight whether this is included within the hourly agency
staff wage or is an additional cost on top.

 

Response:

 

Middlesbrough Council started to utilise the NEPO508 Vendor Neutral
Managed Service for Temporary Agency Workers from 12^th December 2017 and
as such we are only able to provide information from this date.  The
agency fee is based either on an hourly or daily rate and is confirmed as
part of the procurement of the agency work. 

 

Hours:

a)     the total number of annual contracted hours for permanent social
workers. Please divide this into working hours, and non-working hours
(i.e. annual leave entitlement, bank holidays, development days etc.).

 

Response:

 

I can advise you that the Council does hold the requested information. 

 

Section 12 of the Freedom of Information  Act allows public authorities to
refuse to answer requests for information if the cost of complying would
exceed the "appropriate limit" prescribed in the Regulations. The
appropriate limit as set out in the Act is £450 (an hourly rate of £25 per
person per hour for a maximum of 18 hours in total).
To fully comply with your request we have estimated it would breach the
appropriate fees limit of £450. The Council feels that at this time we do
not have the resources to carry out the above search for a fee and
therefore we must partially refuse your request.

 

b)     the actual number of permanent staff hours worked in total across
the whole team.

 

Response:

 

Please see above response provided for question a.

 

c)     the actual number of agency staff hours worked in total.

 

Response:

 

Hours procured through the NEPO508 Vendor Neutral Managed Service for
Temporary Agency Workers since 12^th December 2017 to date it has been
12,395 hours.

 

d)     The percentage of total agency hours that covered permanent staff
vacancies, rather than maternity or sick leave.

 

Response:

 

We do not hold the requested information.

 

e)     the average timeframe that individual agency staff members worked
within the service (i.e. how long do they normally stay?).

 

Response:

 

3 months

 

Benefits:

a)     Any additional benefits offered/given to permanent staff members
including pension contributions (and the total cost of these), and any
additional benefits offered/given to agency staff members, including
pension contributions (and the total cost of these).

 

Response: 

 

Local Government Pension Scheme is offered to Permanent Staff. The rest of
the this response falls under Section 12

 

b)     Any costs that permanent staff members can claim back, but which
agency staff members have to absorb themselves - for example travel/petrol
costs. In such cases, please detail the total cost of these permanent
staff claims.

 

Response:

 

I can advise you that the Council does hold the requested information. 

 

Section 12 of the Freedom of Information  Act allows public authorities to
refuse to answer requests for information if the cost of complying would
exceed the "appropriate limit" prescribed in the Regulations. The
appropriate limit as set out in the Act is £450 (an hourly rate of £25 per
person per hour for a maximum of 18 hours in total).
To fully comply with your request we have estimated it would breach the
appropriate fees limit of £450. The Council feels that at this time we do
not have the resources to carry out the above search for a fee and
therefore we must partially refuse your request.

 

c)     Any incentives you offer as part of the recruitment of social
workers, either to social workers themselves or recruitment consultants,
for example relocation packages (and the cost of these).

 

Response:

 

Recruitment and Retention was only implemented from this year, therefore
not relevant to the years in question.

 

Total Cost:

 

a)     The total cost of permanent staff members and the total cost of
agency staff members.

 

Response:

 

I can advise you that the Council does hold the requested information. 

 

Section 12 of the Freedom of Information  Act allows public authorities to
refuse to answer requests for information if the cost of complying would
exceed the "appropriate limit" prescribed in the Regulations. The
appropriate limit as set out in the Act is £450 (an hourly rate of £25 per
person per hour for a maximum of 18 hours in total).
To fully comply with your request we have estimated it would breach the
appropriate fees limit of £450. The Council feels that at this time we do
not have the resources to carry out the above search for a fee and
therefore we must partially refuse your request.

 

Then, looking at the current situation:

 

a)     How many permanent full time equivalent staff members are currently
employed?

 

Response:

 

As at May 2018 - 2451.13

 

b)     how many full time equivalent agency staff are currently employed
covering permanent positions (not maternity or sick leave)?

 

Response:

 

This falls under Section 12

 

c)     What are the names of the agencies used by the council to provide
temporary social workers?

 

Response:

 

Middlesbrough Council use the NEPO508 Vendor Neutral Managed Service for
Temporary Agency Workers, which is delivered via Geometric Results. Inc.
(GRI) and the agencies used have been:

o Badenoch & Clark

o   Liquid Personnel

o   Diverse Rec. Ltd

o   Sanctuary

o   Caritas

o   HCL Social Care

o   Temp Recruitment Limited

o   Nova Payroll Management

o   Castleview Group

o Just Specialist

 

d)     What was the number of applications you had for the last five
permanent social worker roles that were advertised (and over what
time-period this was)?

 

Response:

 

I can advise you that the Council does hold the requested information.  In
order to provide this information, it would require an extensive manual
search as we are currently in a transitional period between two
recruitment systems. Also, the systems do not allow to undertake aa search
for a job title.

 

Section 12 of the Freedom of Information  Act allows public authorities to
refuse to answer requests for information if the cost of complying would
exceed the "appropriate limit" prescribed in the Regulations. The
appropriate limit as set out in the Act is £450 (an hourly rate of £25 per
person per hour for a maximum of 18 hours in total).
To fully comply with your request we have estimated it would breach the
appropriate fees limit of £450. The Council feels that at this time we do
not have the resources to carry out the above search for a fee and
therefore we must partially refuse your request.

 

If you have any queries about this response, please do not hesitate to
contact me direct on (01642) 729696/729698 or email
[1][Middlesbrough Council request email]. Please remember to quote the reference number
shown above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled you may ask
for an internal review within 40 days of receipt of the response. You
should write to:-

Ann-Marie Johnstone

Corporate Strategy Manager

P.O. Box 500,

Civic Centre,

Middlesbrough.

TS1 9FT

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for an
independent review. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: -

 

Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

 

Steph Robson

Information & Compliance Officer

 

Finance, Governance & Support

P.O. Box 500,

Civic Centre,

Middlesbrough.

TS1 9FT

Tel. 01642 729696

 

Email: [2][Middlesbrough Council request email]

 

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