Report reveals 'toxic and bullying' culture at failing children's services department

Children's services in Tameside have been 'too weak for too long'.

That is the damning finding of Children's Serviced Commissioner Andy Couldrick following his long investigation into the failing department.

His report reveals children's services - which was rated 'inadequate' in its latest Ofsted inspection - is failing in all areas, including leadership and its ability to retain staff.

And he has ruled that the management of the department must be overseen by a trust and outside authority to make sure improvements are made.

Mr Couldrick said: "The overall picture is of an authority unable to effect sustained improvement over a considerable period.

"This is largely because the council has failed to recruit and retain strong leaders and a sufficiently stable workforce.

"The council has neither enabled good services nor had mechanisms in place to spot service failure.

"A review of previous Ofsted recommendations and areas for improvement highlight weaknesses in political, corporate and senior leadership and weaknesses in social work practice and the leadership of practice as recurring themes since 2016.

"It is my view that the council currently does not have the capacity and capability to effect the necessary and sustainable improvements in children's services without oversight and support.

"The council, corporate and political is quick to blame for failure: individuals, frontline staff, partners, advisors and government departments.

"I cannot ignore issues relating to the culture in the Council. Many staff and partners have frequently used similar words to describe the culture, including ‘fear’, ‘bullying’, ‘intimidating’, ‘toxic’. There is nervousness to speak out.

"People have observed leaders responding badly to poor performance or to challenge. They have also seen significant staff and managers ‘disappear’ without explanation, so they have become less likely to risk raising issues themselves. If this has the effect of suppressing
escalation and inviting only good news, then the organisation continues to be, and to feel, unsafe and unreliable.

"I am asked to make a recommendation about whether the Council should retain control of its Children’s Services or whether some form of alternative delivery model is necessary."

One of the options available to the commissioner was the formation of a children's trust to govern the department - effectively taking the day-to-day management out of the council's hands.

Mr Couldrick said: "Most of the characteristics of failing services that have moved into Children’s Trusts elsewhere are evident in Tameside: a weak corporate and cultural context; unstable and inconsistent leadership over a protracted period; high churn in the workforce, linked to the leadership inconsistency; a weak partnership system.

"I have considered recommending a Children’s Trust. At this point, however, I have not done so. Tameside cannot delegate its responsibility for improving outcomes for its most vulnerable children.

"Currently, it tends to shift accountability by adopting a blaming and 'othering' approach. The Council needs to take responsibility, collectively, act to support sustainable improvement, create the conditions that make this happen, and establish the oversight to know that it is happening.

"In addition, Children’s Trusts can be costly to implement and take time to establish. Tameside’s most vulnerable children do not have this time.

"It is clear to me that Tameside Council must not be without support and oversight as it looks to establish lasting improvement. I am therefore recommending both the retention of a Commissioner and the commissioning of a Good local authority or Children’s Trust to act as a Strategic Partner.

"This long-term relationship is designed to build consistency and resilience, as well as innovation and enterprise, into the DNA of Children’s Services in Tameside."

In a statement, Tameside Council acknowledged the recommendations made to set out the next steps for its children’s services improvement journey.

It read" "Following an Ofsted inspection in December 2023, which rated Tameside Children’s Services as inadequate and with two inadequate judgements within a five year period, the Secretary of State for Education put in place a Children’s Commissioner to undertake a review into the capability and capacity of the Council to deliver Children’s Services looking over the past 5 years.  

"The Children’s Commissioner’s report, published today has recommended the Council retains control over Children’s Services with the ongoing support of a Commissioner, and the engagement of a good rated local authority or Children’s Trust to act as a strategic partner in a long term relationship to build consistency and resilience as well as innovation and enterprise.

"Tameside Council’s senior leadership acknowledges and supports the recommendations made by the Commissioner to help the authority achieve substantial and sustainable improvements and are committed to taking action to address them.  

"The Council is currently undertaking a national recruitment process to secure a permanent Director of Children Services to support the stability that is needed to take forward our improvements.   

Tameside Council Executive Leader Cllr Gerald Cooney said: “Our ongoing Children’s Service improvement journey is an absolute priority to us.  We accept there are still improvements needed and we fully take responsibility and apologise that children and families in Tameside are not yet receiving the quality support they need and deserve.  We are fully aware of the issues highlighted in the report and they are all addressed in our improvement plan.

“I am pleased the Children’s Commissioner recognises we are making progress and that we are committed to improving services for the borough’s children and families.  Demand is at unprecedented levels, but with our dedicated workforce and partners, and the significant financial investment into Children’s Services, I am confident our ambitious plans can be delivered, and improvements made at pace.

“I know there are no quick fixes, but we can, and will deliver better outcomes and a more resilient service for children and families in Tameside.” 

Tameside Council Executive Member for Children Cllr Teresa Smith, who came into post last month, said: “I have worked in education for over 40 years and have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by local families and the local services that support them.  I really care about our children and recognise my role and responsibility towards them and the work that lies ahead in my new role.

“Improving our service is not just about improving an Ofsted rating, this is about making sure our children benefit from the best services, care and support possible, and can grow and thrive in a safe and protected environment where they are inspired to achieve their potential and fulfil their hopes and ambitions.

“I’m passionate about supporting children to achieve their best outcomes in safe and caring environments and I’m absolutely committed to working alongside the Children’s Service, partners, young people and families so we can get the fundamentals right to achieve this.”

Tameside Council Chief Executive Sandra Stewart said: “We acknowledge and support the recommendations made by the Commissioner to help us achieve the substantial and sustainable improvements we are striving for. 

“We have already started to put in place the key building blocks needed to deliver an improved and stronger Children’s Service that will support better outcomes for families in Tameside. We are committed – as a whole organisation and with our partners – to taking swift and positive action to build on these foundations and creating the stability needed in our workforce to progress. 

“Recruitment and retention of social workers remains a significant challenge and we are taking steps to address this, by having a more permanent workforce and reducing the reliance on agency social workers. The recent introduction of our Social Work Academy is an important step in our improvement journey and I am pleased that social workers report feeling well supported with manageable workloads. 

“We have very dedicated and experienced staff who continue to work hard to deliver the improvements needed and I thank all our staff and partners for their ongoing support. I am pleased the Commissioner highlights areas of ‘impressive’ and ‘good practice’ such as our contextual safeguarding service, early help, commissioning and care order discharges and that we are working on a number of fronts at pace to improve services. However I accept there is still much work to do.

“Our new Corporate Plan demonstrates our commitment to improving our service for children and families, and our SEND services.  We want to continue to build trust, confidence, be visible and approachable and work together as whole organisation – and with our partners and local families - to drive improvement, monitor performance and prioritise corporate support.”