Lack of progress on children’s social care an ‘embarrassment’

AN all-time record of more than 4,000 children in care in Northern Ireland is only getting worse, with the author of a major report calling the lack of progress an “embarrassment”.

Professor Ray Jones led an independent review of children’s services, published in June 2023.

Six months ago, as social workers went on strike over concerns chronic staff shortages were putting children at risk, Prof Jones told the Irish News that the recommendations in his report were relatively inexpensive and within reach.

They included creating a regional, arms-length body for children’s social care to ensure the sector was not sidelined by competing health priorities, and measures to help retain staff.

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Next week, Prof Jones will return to Belfast for a conference to review progress but said it would be an “embarrassment” if the health minister Mike Nesbitt did not have something substantial to say on the issue.

“To be honest, very little has happened in terms of progress. We’re now 18 months on from the review being completed and recommendations being made,” he said.

“We’re also a year on from the end of the public consultation, but we’re still waiting for a political decision about the recommendations in the report.

“During that period of time, the number of children in care has continued to increase month by month.

“It’s now over 4,100, a record number in Northern Ireland.

“The voluntary sector is struggling in terms of its funding and families are still not getting the help they need.”

He said measures to retain staff like extra holiday leave and pay recognitions after three and five years of service should be simple.

“These are not big money issues, but somebody has to make a decision to act upon it and give recognition to the workforce,” he said.

“At the moment, what’s happening in Northern Ireland is that nobody seems to be able to take a decision.

“The health trusts can’t make decisions because they’re waiting for the Department of Health.

“The department seems to have a lot of activity like working parties, but not a lot of action.

He continued: “I’m more than frustrated, I’m quite concerned that families aren’t getting the help they need.

“The review was first commissioned back in August 2021 because of these same issues, now it’s nearly 2025 and we’re still waiting for decisions to be made.”

While having sympathy for the other pressures facing the minister and health trusts, he added: “Lots of families are getting help because people are working really hard, but there’s other families under considerable stress, strain and increasing poverty.

“They’re not getting the help they need, which is why we’re seeing increasing numbers of children coming into social care.”

Ahead of next week’s conference, he said: “I’m desperately hoping the minister will have something really constructive to say, otherwise to be honest it’s going to be an embarrassment all round.”

In a response the Department of Health said: “The Review of Children’s Social Care Services covered significant ground and made a number of wide-ranging recommendations, including the establishment of a Children and Families Arm’s Length Body (ALB) and the appointment of a Minister for Children and Families. It also made recommendations that are the direct responsibility of other Executive Ministers.

“As set out in Minister Nesbitt’s Written Ministerial Statement of 10 July, the minister is engaging with Executive colleagues on the Review’s recommendations that are cross-cutting or the policy responsibilities of other departments.

“While engagement with other ministers is ongoing, the minister has already decided to implement 34 recommendations and 27 of these have been formally assigned to the Children’s Social Care Strategic Reform Programme. A small number of recommendations are now complete, will not be taken forward or are considered beyond the scope of the Review.

“The Children’s Social Care Strategic Reform Programme was established in April 2023 and is intended to address a range of challenges in a strategic and systemic way. This includes addressing the challenges within residential care and foster care, ongoing workforce difficulties and better supporting families at an earlier stage as recommended by the Review.

It is the minister’s intention to issue a formal response on all of the Review recommendations by way of a statement to the Assembly as soon as possible after engagement with other ministers concludes.”