"They just blame everyone else"

Adam Hewitt • Published 22 Jan 2009 09:00 12 Comments

READING is raiding its dwindling coffers to offer salaries of nearly £50,000 for new social workers but staff say the real problem is senior management.

Borough children's services leader Cllr Pete Ruhemann quit on Monday in the wake of the department's terrible Ofsted performance, but all its senior officials are still at their desks.

One social services employee, who spoke to The Chronicle on condition of anonymity, said: "Staff morale is at an all-time low.

"Staff have been saying that children's services has been in difficulty for over two years with massive case loads and 70% of workers' time spent in front of the computer instead of visiting children.

"Staff leaving creates lots of vacancies coupled with a computer filing system that doesn't do its job and a senior management team that only started sorting out these problems once Ofsted came in.

"Staff are in fear for their jobs and won't speak out because they will be disciplined but senior managers won't take any responsibility, they just blame everyone else."

Ironically the Ofsted Joint Area Review did praise senior management for forcing through vital measures, which have included a complete restructuring, IT system overhaul and several disciplinary procedures resulting in demotions and a sacking.

Council chiefs say if Ofsted re-inspected today, as compared to the inspection in September, child protection in Reading would score better than most other councils.

Officials have also acknowledged the need for more well-trained staff, so are offering social worker jobs at salaries of up to £41,963, while mentors and managers' jobs are being advertised at up to £47,732. Government figures show the typical starting salary for a social worker is around £23,000, and around £24,000-£40,000 for managers with good experience.

At a council meeting last week, education director Anna Wright said despite shortlisting 16 social workers in a recent recruitment exercise, only three ultimately accepted jobs. She said the child protection team still has seven vacancies and that recruitment has got much harder since Haringey Council's shocking Baby P case.

She said: "We are getting there, but we still feel like we are pushing a boulder to the top of a hill and we are near the top. The tipping point is getting more staff."

- PETE Ruhemann has been part of children's and social services in the town since the mid-1980s and was left to carry the can for a damning Ofsted report branding the safeguarding of vulnerable children 'inadequate'.

But in his resignation speech at Monday's cabinet meeting, he blamed opposition parties for forcing him out, saying: "I go with my head held high. I go with real regret that there have been children who have not been as well served as they should by this council, but with real knowledge that I have done everything in my power to put it right."

Tory leader Cllr Andrew Cumpsty acknowledged recent improvements, but said: "For many years he has failed the children of Reading in their protection.

"He has been unable or unwilling to provide the leadership needed in this vital area and it is time for someone else to take the helm. Politicians are ultimately accountable to the public for their actions."

Deputy Labour leader Cllr Tony Page defended him and said: "His commitment, knowledge and expertise are pre-eminent in the country."

But he told the opposition parties: "You can't send out pious statements supporting the staff, pretending they weren't involved in the mistakes that were made and say it was all Cllr Ruhemann. It doesn't work like that."

Lib Dem leader Cllr Gareth Epps accused Labour of trying to "mislead the public rather than take responsibility for a shocking lapse in standards".

The Ofsted report accused the council of never implementing recommendations made after the 2006 death of two-year-old Trae-Blue Layne, poisoned by methadone prescribed to her drug addict mother, despite 25 visits by social workers.

But it did reserve praise for senior management, saying: "Lead councillors and the new chief executive are providing strong leadership by driving through urgent measures to ensure rapid improvement."

Reading West MP Martin Salter said this meant the Tory and Lib Dem demands for Cllr Ruhemann to go were "spiteful party political games", adding: "They have conspired to deprive Reading of the lead councillor who was providing that strong leadership, and Reading will be the worse for it."

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 22 Jan 09

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