Children’s Services Cabinet Member – Minutes – 26 May 2015

1          (1) APPOINTMENT OF LOCAL AUTHORITY SCHOOL GOVERNORS The Director of People submitted a report which sought consideration for the appointment or reappointment of suitable candidates to serve as local authority governors.

On 29 October 2014 the process for the selection and nomination of local authority governors was agreed by cabinet member.  The revised process met the requirements of guidance which required Local Authorities to match applicants’ skills against governing bodies’ requirements.

Where a vacancy occurred, or a local authority governor’s end of term of office was approaching, the process required governing bodies to identify the skills they ideally required from any potential applicants.  All potential applicants were required to complete an application form identifying the skills they held and the contribution they could make to the effective governance of the school.

Option 1 sought to match each applicant to the most appropriate governing body based on their skills, knowledge and experience.  This matching process provided the opportunity for each authority governor to maximise the use of their abilities to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Resolved – (a) That the following persons be appointed as Authority School Governor on the school listed, subject to the relevant CRB checks:

Haxey C of E Primary                                                            Mrs Carol Lindley

Bottesford Infants                                                      Mrs Bernadette Glabus

 

The corresponding report of the following item (Minute 213 refers) contains exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

2          (2) DELETION OF 13 TEAM LEADER POSTS AND CREATION OF 13 PRACTICE SUPERVISORS WITHIN CHILDREN’S SERVICES The Director of People submitted a report which sought approval to delete 13 Team Leader posts and create 13 practice supervisors in order to strengthen the quality of the front line supervision and decision making within statutory children’s work by creating a career progression pathway for front line staff.

To reflect the increasing complexities of managing frontline child protection and statutory care decisions with children and young people, it was important to recognise the developing need for highly motivated supervisors who had the qualifications, training and experience to provide support, guidance and oversight of cases throughout the child’s journey.

The recruitment and retention of experienced social workers was an increasing challenge and it was considered that the creation of a progression pathway for frontline staff would significantly support the retention of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

It was proposed that this would be achieved through the creation of a career pathway for front line staff that had responsibility for practice supervision and decision making.

Further details were outlined within the report and associated appendix.

Resolved – That the creation of a career pathway for front line staff through the deletion of 13 team leader posts and the creation of 13 practice supervisor’s posts be approved.

Note: Where there is no report this is because it is exempt, as it contains information which is considered to be of a confidential nature, as detailed in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act.