AN exodus of social workers meant Surrey County Council lost an entire year’s worth of staff in-take for children’s services over a three-year period,

Of the 23 members of staff recruited to the council’s failing children services department in 2013, all had left the county council by 2016.

Retention has improved since then but the council has suffered a ‘poor reputation’ affecting its staff recruitment, according to a report to Surrey’s Children and Education Select Committee earlier this month.

In a bid to ensure the council provides better support, a training academy is being set up for all members of children’s services and partner organisations including police, teachers, doctors and volunteer organisations.

The move is part of major plan to address the failings identified by Ofsted inspectors, who again rated the service inadequate, in its latest report in April.

The report stated turnover of staff remained a ‘significant difficulty’ added to by recruitment and retention pressures faced in the South East.

The scale of problems and failings within children’s services at Surrey County Council is far worse than managers first thought.

The whole service is being transformed in a bid to make children in Surrey safe. Here is a list of what is happening to address concerns raised by Ofsted inspectors:–

•Service re-design

Families will receive help and assessments at the earliest opportunity to prevent statutory services being overwhelmed

Five new directors have been bought in to help with leadership covering innovation, quality, early help and safeguarding, looked after children and care leavers and education, lifelong learning and culture.

MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs) have been re-shaped into family hubs to direct families to get the right level of help.

SEND and CAMHS will be integrated into the hubs.

The entire department will be restructured by April 1, 2019.

A partnership plan is being developed and will involve young people

•New models of intervention based on local authorities with designed practice – are being developed including:–

Family Safeguarding (Hertfordshire) – co-locates help for domestic abuse, substance misuse, child and mental health, reducing the numbers of children in child protection –all adopted by Peterborough, Luton, West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest

No Wrong Door (North Yorkshire) – increases support for adolescents in the home and reduces the need for them to be looked after

Mockingbird – support model for foster carers

New academy – (Essex) already set up in Surrey for social workers it will provide training and support for all staff.

•What happens now?

After the latest Ofsted report, Surrey’s children’s commissioner will submit his report back to the Secretary of State on September 27.