Debate contribution: Children’s Social Care Services

Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on 8 October 2024.

MLA

Ms Liz Kimmins

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

8 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Committee Business

Heading

Children’s Social Care Services

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4581533

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Let me begin by first acknowledging that the scale and magnitude of the challenges in children's social care services are well rehearsed and widely accepted. The pressures and challenges that exist in the provision of children's social care services predate the damaging impact that the COVID pandemic has had. Indeed, in the independent review of children's social care services, Professor Ray Jones, who led the review, observed that the difficulties in children's social care services were both "systemic and endemic". The report outlined that children's social care statistics showed that, on 31 March 2023, 22,875 children in the North were known to social services as a child in need; 2,171 children were listed on the child protection register; and 3,801 children and young people were in care. We understand from a recent written briefing from the Department that the latest unpublished figures show that the number of children in care has risen since March 2023, and the figure now sits at 4,134. That is an increase of almost 9% in just 18 months. Growing demand for services, increasing complexity of need and serious workforce-related pressures, including high levels of staff vacancy and high absence rates, all add pressure to an already struggling service, and, without a workforce, no plans will be deliverable. At our meeting on 21 March this year, the Committee was extremely concerned to hear from Department of Health officials that, at the end of January 2024, there was a combined vacancy/absence rate of 358 social workers across the five trusts. One of the most alarming consequences of that is that a total of 1,479 cases were still waiting to be allocated to a social worker: that is 1,479 children. Following that, when the Committee met representatives of NIPSA in June this year, we heard harrowing reports of how matters had deteriorated further since the publication of the review report. That included reports of instances in trusts of no existing social work teams, children not having a social worker assigned to them and, in other trusts, social work teams operating with a less than 50% complement of staff. The Committee agreed that the situation puts children and staff at immense risk and cannot continue, and we subsequently wrote to the Health Minister to ask that that be addressed as a matter of urgency. The Health Committee knows from its meetings and contact with children's stakeholders that our services are overwhelmed and struggle to meet the demand. It is therefore unsurprising that the independent review of children's social care services carried out by Professor Jones found that we have a higher rate of children being referred to children's services than England, Scotland and Wales; a higher proportion of children in need of help; a higher proportion of children with child protection plans in place; and a record number of children in care. None of that is anything to be proud of. I put on record the Health Committee's appreciation for the work of Professor Jones, his advisory panel and the secretariat that was involved in carrying out the review of children's social care services. The report, which was published in June 2023, was the culmination of 16 months of endeavour that included wide consultation and engagement across the children's social care sector. It is very evident from the review report that the contribution of the children, young people, parents, carers and social care workers with whom Professor Jones engaged heavily shaped the review's conclusions and recommendations. Professor Jones and the children's organisations that we have heard from emphasised that children and young people want to be involved and engaged in the ongoing outworkings of the review. We ask the Minister to ensure that his Department makes that commitment going forward. In June this year, Professor Jones briefed the Committee on the findings of the review. His passion to see the review recommendations taken forward to effect real change was evident to Committee members. The report contains 53 recommendations. Whilst the majority of the recommendations fall within the responsibility of the Department of Health, the Committee recognises that a number of recommendations cross into the policy responsibility of other Departments. A number of the recommendations are significant, including recommendation 7, which is to establish a region-wide children and families arm's-length body, and recommendation 39, which is to appoint a Minister for children and families. The Department has acknowledged that the review report provides a robust road map that will facilitate improvement and deliver better outcomes for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our society. The Department also accepts that change will create the conditions that encourage social workers and social care workers into a career in children's social care. The Committee agrees, and that is why we have made children's social care services a priority in and a focus of our work programme. As a Committee, we believe that we can use our role to maintain focus, emphasis and pressure to ensure that the reform that is needed is progressed by the Department. The Committee can think of no better priority than to support the changes that will improve the lives of our most vulnerable children and families. We welcome the establishment of the Department's children's social care services strategic reform programme and commend the Department for progressing that in advance of the review's conclusion in order to begin to strategically address the range of challenges that evidently exist in children's social care. At our meeting on 26 September, the Committee noted the most recent update on the work that the reform programme has undertaken since its establishment in April last year, including actions that relate to nine programme work streams. However, as individual members and as a Committee, we have been advised by children's social care stakeholders that the impact of the programme of work is not yet being felt by those on the ground who work directly with children and their families. Professor Jones shared with the Committee his frustration at the slow rate of progress when he briefed us in June. At last week's Committee meeting, we heard from representatives of the Reimagine Children's Collective. The collective is a collaboration of 10 charities working with children and young people and their families. Its goal is to advocate for the implementation of the independent review's recommendations. I thank the collective's representatives for attending last week's meeting and for laying out, in sometimes stark terms, the urgent need for transformation and reform. It is important to emphasise that, despite the challenges described, the organisations that we heard from believe that transformation is possible and that it is possible to make lasting change. We ask the Minister to commit to driving forward the change that is needed with urgency. The most vulnerable children in our society deserve better. Delay has a profound impact, and change will come too late for many of the young people who need our support. That was heard loud and clear from the review findings. I want to emphasise that the Health Committee does not underestimate the extent of the changes required to transform children's social care services, but the time for change is now. When Professor Jones briefed the Health Committee in June, he said something that resonated with the Committee about the need to drive forward real and tangible change:

"There is a lot of activity but not enough action."

We all know that reform is needed. Professor Jones's report makes that point clearly. We now need to progress that reform at pace. In the motion, the Committee calls for the Minister to work collaboratively with the community and voluntary sector, which knows the needs of children and young people. Organisations and charities in the sector were the constant in the lives of those children and families. While social workers were challenged and overstretched and changed frequently, the community and voluntary sector was there in the difficult times. We need to utilise the expertise, innovation and agility of the community and voluntary sector to respond to the needs of our most vulnerable children and families. The Health Committee implores the Minister to take the action that is needed to bring about meaningful and lasting change. As Professor Jones recommends in his report:

"Now is the time for action".

That action needs to be taken without drift or delay. I look forward to the debate today. I commend the motion to the House.

1,402 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:12 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification