The Director for Improvement and Corporate Services introduced the Comensura report and provided background information for new Members of the Committee. Initial concerns regarding the implementation of Comensura and that it would lead to the resignation of agency social workers as employment agencies would not accept new terms and conditions. Fears were that this would leave the Council with insufficient numbers of social workers to support the service, however since the beginning of the contract with Comensura these fears had proved unfounded.

The Chief People Officer delivered a presentation to the Committee, in light of which the following queries were raised:-

·           Why the Council was employing agency staff and not its own permanent employees. In response the Chief People Officer explained the complexities of the Social Worker ‘market’ and that qualified Social Workers could command a very high remuneration which could not be matched by the Council.  Many Authorities found themselves in a similar position and to address this the Council had set up a Social Worker Academy, which would lead to more qualified social workers being employed directly by the Council.  However, this  was a long term solution so the use of agency staff was currently essential.

Members acknowledged that the department were operating and delivering services within complicated contractual confines and accepted the financial savings which had been made since the new provider took over the service.

RECOMMENDED that the Committee acknowledge the progress of the Comensura contract and the subsequent financial savings which had been exceeded since April 2014.