In this post we will;
*Paint a picture of the possibilities for Q8 & Q4 from RBWM’s 2023/24 Budget Survey.
*What is the background to Children’s Services and Adults Services?
*What are the significant figures for Children’s Services and Adults Services?
*Give you Examples of what you could say in Q8 & Q4?
WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND TO CHILDREN’S SERVICES AND ADULTS SERVICES?
Children’s & Adult’s Services comprise 65% of the activity of our Council and probably 90% of the risk
This directorate includes All age Education
• Schools.
• Safeguarding assurance
• Adult social care
• Housing
• Environmental health
• Trading standards.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNIFICANT FIGURES FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES AND ADULTS SERVICES?
In Children’s Services and Adults Services our Council delivers its responsibility for the most vulnerable in our society.
Yet it is these two services which are being cut most extremely. 81% of the cost cuts, that is £13m or the £16m cost cuts. See image below
Children’s Services are facing 36%, £5.8m, of the costs and services being cut. More information at www.shorturl.at/glsFK
Adult Services & Housing, mainly Adult Social Care services, being cut to the tune of £7.3m More information at www.shorturl.at/glPR0
Mahatma Ghandi once said, “The True Measure Of Any Society Can Be Found In How It Treats Its Most Vulnerable Members”
We would hate for us to become and uncivilised and barbaric society.
EXAMPLES OF WHAT YOU COULD SAY IN Q8 CHILDREN’S SERVICES AND Q4 ADULTS SERVICES?
Prevention is always better than cure.
Public consultation costing £’000s has held pre-covid which resulting in the closure of many children’s centres (not activity centres) and the retention of some family hubs which were to become one stop shop, hubs, for health visitors & family support officers who provided early help programmes, supporting families ideally to prevent statutory intervention.
80% of family hub activity is early help but sadly, the proposed budget wants to remove ALL early help and ALL not-statutory support.
Although this will give a saving of £480,000, losing the early help support runs a high risk of much higher costs as families escalate to statutory intervention due to lack of early intervention,
However, we are talking about people’s lives. For every child that ends up in statutory support, with a care plan, in Council Care, usually results in further harm being caused to that child, which has an impact on lifelong outcomes i.e. these children will suffer for the rest of their lives including lower educational achievement, physical health problems, greater mental heath issues, lower job and career prospects, poorer financial and economic wellbeing, greater cost of to the country as people become more dependent on benefits, ,igher levels of suicide, greater levels of addictions, and greater levels of criminality and imprisonment.
By cutting this budget we condemn people to blighted lives which will cost our local authority and country much more in the long run.
Example Recommendation for Children’s Services Q8: Reverse the “Removal of all non-statutory Family Hub services”. Corporate Plan criteria;
• Thriving communities – Where families and individuals are empowered to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential
• Invest in prevention, and intervene early to address problems before they escalate
• Empower and enable individuals, communities and businesses to maximise their potential
• Make the most effective use of resources – delivering the best value for money.
In Adult Services we have problems with recruitment as our recruitment packages are much lower that neighbouring boroughs which results is a reliance on often expensive and unreliable agencies.
By improving the salary, incentive and recruitment packages for social workers we can ensure better long term relationships with our charges, improved domiciliary care, better health outcomes for people in care and, improved job satisfaction for our staff.
Example Recommendation for Adult Services Q4: Increase number of permanent social workers by improving recruitment and retention packages
Corporate Plan criteria;
• Thriving communities – Where families and individuals are empowered to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential
• Invest in prevention, and intervene early to address problems before they escalate
• Empower and enable individuals, communities and businesses to maximise their potential
• Make the most effective use of resources – delivering the best value for money.
Onwards and upwards together people.
Best wishes,
Carole
Cllr. Carole Da Costa
Clewer & Dedworth West, Windsor
West Windsor Residents Association