Details of social workers employed in children's social services subjected to disciplinary action

The request was successful.

Dear Somerset County Council

I would like to request the information under the freedom of information (FOI) statistical information for the following Financial Years 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2017-18 April to August only.

The number of social workers employed by Children's Services who have be subject to disciplinary action on the following criteria:
A. Failure to declare conflicts of interest
B. Failure to declare acceptance of gifts or services which exceeds the authority limits
C. The number of social workers employed either as council employed - permanent, agency , or under contractual arrangements who have accesed confidential case notes without an acceptable reason to do so.

Please provide details of governance arrangements for when these official documents within the selected years these polices where reviewed , including the governance to ensure adherence.

At a public fitness to practice hearing with the appropriate regulatory body the evidence provided from this department outlined areas ineffective governance and deviation from statements made under FOI requests.

The request is for statistical information and not identifiable to individuals, however if the request is declined then please outline the governance arrangements to ensure information provide to regulatory bodies is in accordance with current protocols.

Kind regards and thank you for your consideration of this FOI.

Yours faithfully,

NS Wright

Somerset County Council,

Somerset County Council Information Request Team
Information request
Our reference: 2867765

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Please Note: When responding to this email please do not edit the subject
line as this will affect the correct routing of your correspondence.

Dear Mr Wright
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Thank you for your request for information about Details of social worker
disciplinary action which we received on 26 September 2017.

We are currently dealing with your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and we aim to send our response to you on or before
24 October 2017.
 
Please note that we are experiencing a high level of requests at the
moment, and there may be a delay in responding to your request. We will
aim to keep you informed should this be the case.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 may restrict the release of some or
all of the information you have requested.  If this is the case we
will carry out an assessment and will inform you of any exemptions that
apply.
 
In some cases, a fee may be payable. If this happens, we will send you a
fees notice detailing a summary of the proposed cost, and terms of
payment, which would need to be paid before we are able to proceed.

If you have any further queries or would like to discuss your request
please contact me quoting your reference detailed at the top of this
email.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Simon Butt
Information Request Officer
Communications
01823359359
 
 

Somerset County Council,

Information request
Our reference: 2867765

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Dear Mr Wright
 
Thank you for your request for information, which falls under the 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
I am writing to ask you to clarify your request. This is because we are
not certain that we have understood your request correctly
Your fourth question asks.
" Please provide details of governance arrangements for when these
official documents within the selected years these polices where reviewed,
including the governance to ensure adherence"

I'm afraid that I don't understand what information you are seeking.
 
I will not be able to process your request without this extra information
from you. Please let me know as soon as possible but in any event by
the 06/10/2017.
 
If we do not receive the information we need by this date, I will assume
that you do not wish to continue with your request and I will consider it
closed. 
 
If you would like to discuss your request with me, please contact me
on 01823359359or by return email.

 
Please quote the reference number 2867765 in any future communications.

If you feel your request has not been answered in sufficient detail, or if
you wish to clarify the information given, please contact me, and I will
be happy to address the issues you raise.

Alternatively, if you are not satisfied with our response you may request
an internal review. This is an independent investigation into the handling
of your request, which is carried out by the Information Governance Team.
The conclusions of this investigation, and if applicable, a fresh decision
about the information to be provided, should be sent to you within twenty
working days of receipt of the internal review request.

To request an Internal Review please respond to the originating email
detailing why you are not satisfied (please do not change the subject line
of the email, as this will affect the routing of your request).
 

 If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you may
then appeal directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office with your
complaint.
The Information commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Web address: www.ico.gov.uk 
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Simon Butt
Information Request Officer
Communications
01823359359
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Dear Somerset County Council,

FOI request Your reference 2867765.
Your request for clarification under question 4

The request was for the governance arrangements for when these official policies within the selected years where reviewed and the policy to within your governance procedures to ensure there was adherence within the cohort of staff from which the request was made.

Most public authorities regularly review their conflict of interest policies and lay down specific conditions that all conflicts should be declared . Therefore statistical details of persons within this cohort against the official policy.
The second part is self explanatory some public authorities provide a nominal montary value though the years this has been reviewed -
The third part is around information govenence accessing clients notes which is not part of their work , or without a reason to do so .
The governance arrangements is where this cohort of professionals have not acted in accordance with information governance and been subject to disciplinary action.
Much of which is outlined within their regulators code of conduct. I am looking for the response this FOI request to
amendments have been made the arrangements to ensure there is absolute adherence and where this in not the case the numbers who have been disciplined or subject to any form of disciplinary action .
The later part of the FOI provided an escape clause to prevent the identification of any individual who may have been sanctioned by the regulatory body as evidence provided in fitness to practice hearings is whether thin the public domain and the evidence provided is in accordance with your FOI statement .

I was of the understanding though this forum gender identity was not provided your reqest for clarification has indentified a status which may not be correct .
Therefore if the gender of the originator of the request is no given an internal review is required in how you apply your equality assessment
Yours sincerely,

Ns wright

Somerset County Council,

Information request
Our reference: 2867765

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Dear Sir/Madam
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Firstly I must apologise for assigning a gender to you, when you did not
indicate it yourself, our records have been corrected.
 
Secondly I am sorry that I was not here to take you call yesterday
afternoon.You asked me to phone you, but unfortunately I could not hear
your telephone number. 
 
Most of you request is perfectly clear. The only part of it that I was not
sure about was your fourth question. Following the voice mail that you
left yesterday may I paraphrase it as:
 
 Copies of all policies and procedures and governance arrangements that
are intended  to ensure that social workers 1. declare  conflicts of
interest, 2. do not accept gifts, and  3. do not access confidential
client information information without acceptable reasons."?
 
Yours faithfully
 
 
Simon Butt
Information Request Officer
Communications
01823359359
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Somerset County Council,

1 Attachment

Information request
Our reference: 2867765

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Dear Sir/Madam
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 29 September 2017.
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
Yours faithfully
 
 
Simon Butt
Information Request Officer
Communications
01823359359
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.