Report of the Strategic Director Children and Education Services

In 2015, the Government announced its intention to legislate to ensure that all local authority adoption services have merged with neighbouring services to form larger regional adoption agencies (RAA) the target date set for this was 2020 at the latest. In 2017, the Senior Management Team (SMT), Executive Member for Children’s and Education Services and Executive supported a proposal from the Strategic Director of Children’s Services for Manchester’s adoption service to merge with four other local authorities (Stockport, Trafford, Salford, and Cheshire East) and two voluntary adoption agencies (Adoption Matters and Caritas) to form a regional adoption agency which is known as ‘Adoption Counts’.

Stockport were nominated as the host organisation for the regional adoption agency, and it was agreed in 2017 to temporarily second adoption staff from Manchester, Trafford, Salford and Cheshire East into Stockport whilst the RAA was established and developed.

This report seeks approval to formally and permanently transfer staff from Manchester into Stockport Council (host organisation) under TUPE regulations.

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director (Children and Education Services) which sought approval to formally and permanently transfer staff from Manchester into Stockport Council (the host organisation) under TUPE regulations.  The report explained that in 2015, the Government had announced its intention to legislate to ensure that all local authority adoption services had merged with neighbouring services to form larger regional adoption agencies (RAA) and that, in 2017, the Senior Management Team (SMT), Executive Member for Children’s and Education Services and Executive had supported a proposal from the Strategic Director of Children’s Services for Manchester’s adoption service to merge with four other local authorities (Stockport, Trafford, Salford, and Cheshire East) and two voluntary adoption agencies (Adoption Matters and Caritas) to form a regional adoption agency which was known as ‘Adoption Counts’.  It stated that Stockport had been nominated as the host organisation for the regional adoption agency, and it was agreed in 2017 to temporarily second adoption staff from Manchester, Trafford, Salford and Cheshire East into Stockport whilst the RAA was established and developed.

The main points and themes within the report included:

• Objectives of the Regional Adoption Agency;
• The structure of the Regional Adoption Agency;
• Reporting and governance;
• Performance of the Regional Adoption Agency;
• Workforce implications;
• Legal implications - contractual arrangements;
• Information Technology;
• Commissioning;
• Risks/mitigation; and
• Financial implications.

The Executive Member for Children’s Services advised that information appeared to demonstrate that Adoption Counts was delivering positive outcomes for Manchester’s children and that it, therefore, made sense to move to these more formal arrangements.

Some of the key points and themes that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

• The benefits of a regional adoption agency which broadened the search for suitable adoptive parents for Our Children;
• Whether staff’s views would be taken into consideration, given that the staff consultation was taking place after Executive approval had been sought; and
• Whether Manchester staff would need to adapt to a different work culture if they transferred to Stockport Council.

The Deputy Director of Children’s Services assured Members that there was a well-established HR protocol relating to staff consultation and advised that staff concerns often related to their individual circumstances, which would be taken into consideration.  He reported that Adoption Counts had been operating since 2017, with Manchester staff having been seconded to the service since then, and that staff would remain on Manchester City Council’s terms and conditions so he did not anticipate that this transfer would create many cultural issues.  He informed the Committee that staff could also choose not to transfer to Stockport and instead to be found an alternative position within Manchester City Council.  In response to a question from the Chair, he advised that Stockport’s HR and back office support had been very good, although he did not have the information on how Stockport had been chosen as the hosting organisation from 2017.

The Chair requested that the Committee receive a report on adoption at a future meeting which included what difference the move to Adoption Counts had made in providing stable adoption placements for Our Children and what happened when an adoption broke down.

Decisions

1.            To receive a report on adoption at a future meeting which included what difference the move to Adoption Counts has made in providing stable adoption placements for Our Children and what happens when an adoption breaks down.

2.            To endorse the recommendation that the Executive is recommended to agree to the adoption service for MCC being integrated into the Regional Adoption Agency ‘Adoption Counts’, approve the transfer of the service and note that staff who are assigned to the service will transfer to Stockport under TUPE regulations.