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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Birmingham City Council's children's services to be run by a trust | Birmingham City Council's children's services to be run by a trust |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Birmingham's children's services will be run by a trust after years of failings which saw the department named "a national disgrace" by inspectors. | Birmingham's children's services will be run by a trust after years of failings which saw the department named "a national disgrace" by inspectors. |
| Ofsted has rated the service "inadequate" since 2009 and improvement has "not gone far enough, fast enough", the Department for Education has said. | Ofsted has rated the service "inadequate" since 2009 and improvement has "not gone far enough, fast enough", the Department for Education has said. |
| Child deaths include Khyra Ishaq, seven, who starved and Keanu Williams, two, who was murdered by his mother. | Child deaths include Khyra Ishaq, seven, who starved and Keanu Williams, two, who was murdered by his mother. |
| The council said the voluntary decision will be finalised by the cabinet. | The council said the voluntary decision will be finalised by the cabinet. |
| Latest reaction and updates | Latest reaction and updates |
| Birmingham children's services: A timeline of the problems | Birmingham children's services: A timeline of the problems |
| An authority spokesman said: "This is something we have been discussing for some time with the Department for Education (DfE) and this is the next logical step on our improvement journey." | An authority spokesman said: "This is something we have been discussing for some time with the Department for Education (DfE) and this is the next logical step on our improvement journey." |
| He said the council would work with partners on how the trust will operate but the authority wanted to keep control of the design and delivery of services. | He said the council would work with partners on how the trust will operate but the authority wanted to keep control of the design and delivery of services. |
| 'Significant improvements' | 'Significant improvements' |
| The government appointed Lord Warner as an external commissioner to oversee the running of children's services in the city in March 2014. | The government appointed Lord Warner as an external commissioner to oversee the running of children's services in the city in March 2014. |
| Since then, he found there had been "significant improvements" but more was needed. | Since then, he found there had been "significant improvements" but more was needed. |
| Andrew Christie from Westminster City Council replaced Lord Warner in December 2015 to continue a three-year review of the department. | Andrew Christie from Westminster City Council replaced Lord Warner in December 2015 to continue a three-year review of the department. |
| Alison Holt, BBC social affairs correspondent, said the announcement of the voluntary trust was brought forward because of a Channel 4 Dispatches programme to be broadcast this week. | Alison Holt, BBC social affairs correspondent, said the announcement of the voluntary trust was brought forward because of a Channel 4 Dispatches programme to be broadcast this week. |
| She said: "Similar children's trusts have been established to run services in places where there have been problems such as Doncaster and Slough. | She said: "Similar children's trusts have been established to run services in places where there have been problems such as Doncaster and Slough. |
| "They often rely on groups of experts, charities and high-performing local authorities to provide support." | "They often rely on groups of experts, charities and high-performing local authorities to provide support." |
| Analysis | |
| by Phil Mackie, BBC News correspondent | |
| Insiders have been telling me that while improvements have been made to Birmingham children's services, the department still struggles to retain staff and therefore relies heavily on agency workers. | Insiders have been telling me that while improvements have been made to Birmingham children's services, the department still struggles to retain staff and therefore relies heavily on agency workers. |
| They also say that social workers can still be dealing with between 20 and 30 individual cases, even though a maximum of 15 is recommended. | They also say that social workers can still be dealing with between 20 and 30 individual cases, even though a maximum of 15 is recommended. |
| Critics of the council have been calling for a change along these lines for years, but it's unlikely that the new voluntary trust, however it is set up, will be a panacea for the city's problems. | Critics of the council have been calling for a change along these lines for years, but it's unlikely that the new voluntary trust, however it is set up, will be a panacea for the city's problems. |
| Birmingham's central belt is one of the most deprived areas in the country and the city's population is rapidly growing. | Birmingham's central belt is one of the most deprived areas in the country and the city's population is rapidly growing. |
| Whoever takes charge will have to address recruitment and morale as a matter of urgency. | Whoever takes charge will have to address recruitment and morale as a matter of urgency. |
| A blogger who runs Facebook page Social Work Tutor said he had been contacted by a social worker filmed for Dispatches. | |
| He said: "She told me the team have been under intense pressure because they were having what they thought were confidential conversations. | |
| "As you've seen, it talks about exposing a service which is struggling, where decision-making is clouded and the protection of children isn't good." | |
| He added: "Somebody, somewhere has had the responsibility to turn this around. Three years is a long time when the cost of failure isn't monetary, it isn't logistical, it is children dying and children seriously injured. | |
| "Doncaster was the first authority in England to go into a trust and has seen a fall in referrals. A trust will bring an added level of accountability. The evidence we've seen from Doncaster is that this can only be a good thing for staff, children and social workers." |