Who's who in Children's Services

The request was partially successful.

Dear Cheshire West and Chester Council,

1. Please provide an organisational chart of your Childrens Services Department from Director down to Team Managers providing the names of current postholders as appropriate (Director down to Service Manager would be excellent including Heads of Service, Principal Offficers).

2. Please identify who within Children’s Services and your Human Resources Department takes lead responsibility on social worker recruitment and retention.

3. What steps if any have you taken or intend to take to incentivise social worker retention?

Yours faithfully,

James Judge

Cheshire West and Chester Council

Case Reference: 101004787129
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RE: Your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

Case Reference: 101004787129

Dear Mr Judge

Thank you for your email.

It will be treated as a request within the meaning of the Act: this means that we will send you a full response within 20 working days, either supplying you with the information which you want, or explaining to you why we cannot supply it.

If we need any further clarification or there is any problem we will be in touch.

In the meantime if you wish to discuss this further please contact FOI WEST. It would be helpful if you could quote the log number.

Yours sincerely

FOI Unit

Solutions Team

Cheshire West and Chester Council

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FOI West, Cheshire West and Chester Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Judge  

 

Thank you for your request for information of 01 August 2017 which has
been logged as 4787129 and has been dealt with under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.  We confirm that Cheshire West and Chester Council
hold information relating to your request. 

 

For the purpose of clarity your request has been reproduced below:

 

1. Please provide an organisational chart of your Childrens Services
Department from Director down to Team Managers providing the names of
current postholders as appropriate (Director down to Service Manager would
be excellent including Heads of Service, Principal Officers).

 

Please see Children’s Social Care organisational chart attached.

 

You will note the Council has excluded details (name) of Officers below
Tier 4 from the structure information provided. This is in accordance with
guidance from the ICO, ‘Requests for Information about Public Authority
Employees’ which confirms that junior officers’ details should not be
disclosed.

 

2. Please identify who within Children’s Services and your Human Resources
Department takes lead responsibility on social worker recruitment and
retention.

 

Amanda Jones, Senior Manager and Principal Social Worker -  Strategic
overview

A Social Work Team Manager – leads on this

 

3. What steps if any have you taken or intend to take to incentivise
social worker retention?

 

We have undertaken a number of different approaches to creatively engage
and develop the workforce to support stability and retention. This has
included a Recruitment and Retention Strategy; Task and Finish groups
focusing on Retention ; we have consulted with the Workforce through
regular Social Work Forums lead by the Director and Principal Social
Worker to engage the workforce share ideas and listen to their views.
Through this we have developed our Social Work Offer which is available on
the Children’s Social care mirco  site. [1]http://cwcrecruitment.co.uk/ .
We are currently undertaking our third Social Work Health Check which
ensures that we are listening to the views and wishes of the workforce and
informs how we invest in and develop the service. We are supported by the
council’s Communication Team in driving forward an active recruitment and
retention campaign.

 

 

We have invested in Continuous  Professional  Development and have a
programme to support career development to support stability and
succession planning across the workforce. This has been delivered  through
a suit of bespoke Aspiring Programmes for Team Managers and Senior
Practice Lead. We have a career progression programme to support Social
Work development for Newly Qualified Social Workers through to experienced
Social Workers. The role of Senior Practice Leads is pivotal across the
service in promoting best practice and supporting newly qualified Social
Workers.

 

We offer developmental opportunities  across the workforce to develop and
widen the skills of the workforce and support this through a learning and
development programme that meets workforce need. We also invest and
support the workforce through regular supervision and peer group session
to support practitioners in developing their practice.

 

We trust this answers your enquiry.

 

The Council considers that your request has been answered in full by
either confirming that information is not held, providing you with the
information requested, or explaining why any information has been withheld
and the reasons for any redaction.    Where applicable, the Council has
also told you the reasons for the delay in responding to your request.

 

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled you can request a review by writing to the Information Disclosures
Team within 40 working days from the date of the Council’s response. 

 

You are entitled to a review by the Council if:       

·         You are dissatisfied with the Council’s explanation of why the
application was not dealt with within the 20 working day time limit.

·         All the information requested is not being disclosed and you
have not received an explanation why some information is not being
disclosed.

·         A reason for the disclosures under the request being refused is
not received.

·         You consider that exemptions have been wrongly applied, and/or

·         You consider that a fee has been wrongly applied.

 

Please set out your grounds for seeking a review together with what
specific part of your request those grounds apply to and the outcome you
are seeking.  The Council reserves the right to ask you for clarification
of the grounds for your review request if the grounds are not clear, and
to delay commencing the review if such grounds are not provided.

 

The Information Disclosures Team can be contacted by email via: 
[2][Cheshire West and Chester Council request email] or at the following address:

 

Information Governance

Cheshire West and Chester Council

HQ

58 Nicholas Street

Chester

CH1 2NP

 

The Information Disclosures Team will acknowledge a request for an
internal review within 5 working days and complete the review as soon as
possible and no later than 40 working days from receipt of the request.

 

More information about the Council’s internal review process can be found
via:

[3]http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk...

 

If you remain dissatisfied following the outcome of your review, you have
a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

 

The Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

 

Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45

Website: [4]www.ico.org.uk

 

There is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Information Governance

Cheshire West and Chester Council

 

References

Visible links
1. http://cwcrecruitment.co.uk/
2. mailto:[Cheshire West and Chester Council request email]
3. http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk...
4. http://www.ico.org.uk/