Number of complaints to Havering Council Children’s Services increases by a third.

The behaviour of staff, standards not being met, and poor communication were the most common areas, according to a report published this week.

Local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann today reports on the increase in the number of Council complaints.

The number of complaints made about Havering Council’s children’s services increased last year by a third.

Some 101 complaints were recorded in 2023/24, compared to 76 the year before.

The behaviour of staff, standards not being met, and poor communication were the most common areas, according to a report published this week. Council data from 2022/23 showed the same set of problems.

However, the council says that many complaints about staff members’ behaviour were in relation to parents being “unhappy about the decisions that had been made”.

Havering’s children’s services cover schools, safeguarding, and support for young people in the borough.

The number of children entering care increased by a quarter last year, and the council said the availability and capacity of staff to meet the ever-growing demand in the borough was its “biggest challenge”.

It expects demand to continue to rise, as a result of both the cost-of-living crisis and the linger impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s mental health.

A damning Ofsted report in February rated the council’s children’s service “inadequate” and said users were being put “at risk”.

Though the council – which teetered on the edge of bankruptcy earlier this year – has begun implementing a raft of changes, the increasing costs are weighing heavily on its finances.

This month’s cabinet meeting heard that Havering had so far overspent by £18million, and children’s services were pegged as the biggest financial burden. The number of children in care requiring homes has risen “over the anticipated level,” councillors heard, as has the number of disabled children requiring support.

In a bid to calm complaints, the council intends to offer more meetings with families to resolve issues earlier and improve its level of communication with users. Staff will also look to identify “bottlenecks” forming in the process.

Despite more complaints being lodged, the number of those actually upheld decreased by around 15%. The council also received more ‘compliments’ across its services.

The vast majority of complainants were white British, which the council said was in keeping with the borough’s demographic.

A total of 124 were also lodged with the council’s adult’s services, which oversees and supports carers, blue badges and financial assessments. That constituted a 7.8% increase, up from 115 the year before.

The bulk were linked to the council’s earlier decommissioning of the CM2000 care management software, which had led to delays with invoices being paid.

Havering said its focus last year was on providing support for vulnerable adults amid the wider financial challenges. There is still a need for more workers to “ensure service users and family members receive appropriate, relevant and accurate information,” it says.

A total of £6,535 was spent on complaints. That was a reduction of £3,965 compared to the year before.

2023 also saw five data protection breaches, which Havering called “concerning”.

The authority stressed staff were “constantly reminded” to adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules, and they would undergo new training.

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