July 2016 MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION The South West Regional Partnership for the Management of Children’s Social Workers Between: Bath and North East Somerset Council Bournemouth Borough Council Bristol City Council Cornwall Council Devon County Council Dorset County Council Gloucestershire County Council North Somerset Council Plymouth City Council Poole Borough Council Somerset County Council South Gloucestershire Council Swindon Borough Council Torbay Council Author: Emily Till, Swindon Borough Council Wiltshire Council Date: 1st July 2016 Page 1 of 8 Context The increased demand, reduced supply, and increased cost of Agency Children’s Social Workers has been an area of focus on a national scale for a number of years. To manage agency and permanent worker supply and demand, and the costs associated with this, there is a need for a more collaborative and strategic approach. The Directors of Children’s Services for the 15 Local Authorities in the South West have come together to develop and agree a set of terms and protocols through a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to ensure: The hourly pay for social work staff within Children’s Services is capped, to prevent spiralling costs and growing competition between South West Local Authorities, and to mitigate the increasing discrepancy between an agency social worker’s level of skill and experience and the rates of pay they have been able to demand Agencies providing social work staff within Children’s Services comply with agreed standards and protocols, to ensure a stable and high quality workforce is maintained This MoC provides an opportunity for South West Local Authorities to work more collaboratively and effectively in managing the demand and supply of Children’s Social Workers. Scope This MoC applies to Agency Children’s Social Worker roles of: Social Workers, Experienced Social Workers, and Specialist (Advanced/Practitioner) Social Workers, Assistant Team Managers, and Team Managers & IRO roles. Full definitions of these roles have been agreed by all South West Councils. This MoC does not apply to Agency Adult Social Worker roles. Effective date of implementation The hourly pay caps apply to all new agency roles joining authorities from the 1st July 2016, to align with financial reporting. A 9 month period of grace for the pay caps to apply to existing agency workers (already engaged) has been agreed to prevent drift. All engaged Agency Children’s Social Workers, whose roles are in scope of the MoC, will not be paid over the MoC pay caps from the 1st April 2017. All other terms and protocols included in this MoC will be effective from the 1st July 2016. Legal status of the MoC This MoC is not a legally binding agreement, but a “statement of intent” by the collaborating South West Authorities, with the aim to address key workforce issues affecting children’s social workers. The Memorandum does not take away local decision-making. Governance The Regional Directors of Children’s Services for each Local Authority will be accountable for ensuring that their Service Managers and Directors/Heads of HR and agency suppliers adopt the protocols. Progress updates and, where necessary, decisions will be discussed at the Regional ADCS Group meetings at agreed intervals. Initially this is expected to be quarterly. Page 2 of 8 Pay caps All Local Authorities in the South West agree to manage Agency Children’s Social Worker pay within the following pay caps: Role Ltd / PAYE Pay cap PAYE Agency Social Worker £28 Ltd Company PAYE Agency Experienced Social Worker £31 Ltd Company Specialist (Advanced/ Consultant) PAYE Agency £35 Social Worker Ltd Company PAYE Agency Assistant Team Manager £38 Ltd Company PAYE Agency Team Manager & IROs £41 Ltd Company These rates are exclusive of the additional costs paid to the agency provider. Review period The terms and protocols included in this MoC, including the pay caps, will be reviewed 12 months after go-live, with the ambition to: Establish a separate PAYE hourly pay cap Consider further cost efficiencies Consider a ‘no recruitment’ or agency engagement policy for workers who have voluntarily left permanent employment in the region and joined agencies e.g. for 6 or 12 months Review additional protocols and terms to include in the MoC, to further improve the supply and quality of agency and permanent Children’s Social Workers Standard reference template To ensure that objective, complete and accurate feedback is provided by South West Local Authorities at the end of engagement with agency staff, South West Local Authorities agree to the use of a standard referencing template to be completed at the end of an assignment. This minimum standard will then be available for any Authority looking to engage with an agency worker before a new assignment begins. These checks are in addition to standard checks that must be undertaken on all agency workers to establish their right to work in the UK and their medical fitness to undertake the work assignment. Further guidance on pre-employment standards is available. Headhunting South West Authorities have committed to not to proactively or aggressively headhunt staff, either agency or permanent, directly from other participating South West Authorities. This includes knowingly offering or promoting a role if the individual is already working on behalf of another authority in the South West. This excludes standard recruitment campaigns and promotions. Measuring success A full data capture exercise of the ‘current state’ of children’s agency worker supply, spend and use across the region will take place when the MoC goes live. This will provide a benchmarking set for measuring the direct impact of the MoC annually. Furthermore, reports will be requested from agency suppliers every six months by South West Councils, to monitor and review compliance with the pay caps. Page 3 of 8 Sign-off We, the undersigned, endorse and agree to uphold the protocols outlined in this Memorandum of Cooperation, dated 1st July 2016. Signed: Signed: Name: Mike Bowden Name: William Harding Director, People and Communities Head of HR Bath and North East Somerset Council Bath and North East Somerset Council Signed: Signed: Name: Jane Portman Name: Sorrelle Ford Executive Director - Adults & Children HR Business Partner Bournemouth Borough Council Bournemouth Borough Council Signed: Signed: Name: John Readman Name: Richard Billingham Strategic Director, People Director of HR Bristol City Council Bristol City Council Page 4 of 8 Signed: Signed: Name: Trevor Doughty Name: Val Smith Corporate Director Education, Health and Senior HR Business Partner Social Care Cornwall Council Cornwall Council Signed: Signed: Name: Jo Olsson Name: John Smith Director of Children’s Services Director of HR Devon County Council Devon County Council Signed: Signed: Name: Sara Tough Name: Sheralyn Huntingford Director of Children’s Services Head of HR&OD Dorset County Council Dorset County Council Page 5 of 8 Signed: Signed: Name: Linda Uren Name: Bridget Taylor Commissioning Director of Children and Interim Director of HR Families Gloucestershire County Council Gloucestershire County Council Signed: Signed: Name: Sheila Smith Name: Paul Morris Director, People and Communities Head of HR North Somerset Council North Somerset Council Signed: Signed: Name: Carole Burgoyne Name: Dawn Aunger Director of People Assistant Director of HR and Organisational Development Plymouth City Council Plymouth City Council Page 6 of 8 Signed: Signed: Name: Jan Thurgood Name: Carl Wilcox Strategic Director for People Services Director of HR Poole Borough Council Poole Borough Council Signed: Signed: Name: Julian Wooster Name: Chris Squire Director of Children’s Services Director of HR Somerset County Council Somerset County Council Signed: Signed: Name: Peter Murphy Name: Claire Kerswill Director for Children, Adults and Health Head of HR South Gloucestershire Council South Gloucestershire Council Page 7 of 8 Signed: Signed: Name: Karen Reeve Name: Sonia Grewal Director of Children’s Services Head of HR and OD Swindon Borough Council Swindon Borough Council Signed: Signed: Name: Jacqui Jensen Name: Sue Wiltshire Assistant Director – Children’s Safeguarding Director of HR Torbay Council Torbay Council Signed: Signed: Name: Carolyn Godfrey Name: Jo Pitt Director of Children’s Services Head of HR and OD Wiltshire Council Wiltshire Council End. 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