Issue - meetings

(i)       to note that officers would build a ‘how we will do it’ column into the workforce plan;

(ii)       to note that the potential impacts of the national social work agency were currently unclear but that the Chief Officer – Children’s Social Work and Family Support would bring detail to Committee on this once clarity was available;

(iii)      to note that the workforce plan available in Appendix A aligned with the vision, values and goals of the Children’s Social Work service, and was in line with the Children’s Services Plan 2023-2026;

(iv)      to note the focus on employee wellbeing as a necessary component to ensure the workforce grew in confidence and competence to meet the increasingly complex needs of the most vulnerable children and their families;

(v)      to instruct the Chief Officer - Children’s Social Work and Family Support to align the service Learning and Development programme to the workforce plan; and

(vi)      to instruct the Chief Officer - Children’s Social Work and Family Support to present an evaluation of progress against the workforce plan to Committee in 2027.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director Families and Communities which presented a Children’s Social Work Workforce Plan (set out at Appendix A) designed to build the capacity needed to meet demand based on analysis of current and future need.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that the Workforce Plan available in Appendix A aligned with the vision, values and goals of the Children’s Social Work service, and was in line with the Children’s Services Plan 2023-2026;

(b)      note the focus on employee wellbeing as a necessary component to ensure the workforce grows in confidence and competence to meet the increasingly complex needs of the most vulnerable children and their families;

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer - Children’s Social Work and Family Support to align the service Learning and Development programme to the workforce plan; and

(d)      instruct the Chief Officer - Children’s Social Work and Family Support to present an evaluation of progress against the workforce plan to Committee in 2027.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that officers would build a ‘how we will do it’ column into the workforce plan;

(ii)       to note that the potential impacts of the national social work agency were currently unclear but that the Chief Officer – Children’s Social Work and Family Support would bring detail to Committee on this once clarity was available; and

(iii)      to approve the recommendations.

-     COUNCILLOR MARTIN GREIG, Convener