16 May 2003
Chief executives and social services directors must clarify their roles and lines of accountability to ensure there is no repeat of the Anna Climbié case, a report has warned.
Shared responsibilities such as the management of available resources and ensuring effective inter-agency relationships must be clearly identified, and the expected contribution of each officer understood.
The report, produced jointly by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and the Association of Directors of Social Services, is intended to provide guidance to authorities on how to implement the findings of the Laming Inquiry.
This looked into the death of Anna Climbié, who was abused and killed by her great aunt, and called for each authority to set up a management committee formed of all the agencies involved in child protection to stop other vulnerable children from slipping through the net.
ADSS president David Behan said the report set out a blueprint that councils could adopt to suit local circumstances.
`It is vital that elected members, chief executives and directors of social services sit down and work to establish protocols which will give flesh to the structures we have agreed,' he added.
The report also highlighted the potential for tension between officers and members and emphasised the need to take `a corporate approach', recognising the `clear dividing line between political authority and managerial authority'.
In such cases, it said, the relationship between resources and performance should be made clear, and directors and chief executives should ensure their advice is made available to all members.
PFmay2003
