A council spent £300,000 bringing in experts on £700-a-day rates after its child protection service was branded 'inadequate' – only to get exactly the same rating three years later.
Salford's children's services has been in turmoil since the death in 2008 of toddler Demi-Leigh Mahon – murdered by babysitter Karl McCluney after being let down by social workers 12 times.
Since then department chief Jill Baker has been sacked and child protection boss Michael Kemp has resigned.
The protection service – first branded 'inadequate' by watchdog Ofsted in November 2007 – received the same rating after a snap inspection earlier this year.
Now the M.E.N can reveal that after the first report, Salford council spent £300,000 drafting in two £700-a-day consultants and an interim assistant director to turn the department around.
The consultants started work in June 2008 – just weeks before Demi Leigh died – and remained for nine months.
In June 2009, one of the two consultants was re-commissioned to assess the council's restructuring of the department – at a cost of another £30,000.
And another outside manager, plus four social workers, were employed for a further £40,000 through the same specialist agency for a few months' work.
Council leader John Merry said last night the consultants had helped the department meet the terms of a government improvement plan.
He said that without their involvement, the government might have stepped in to run Salford's children's services by itself.
But Norman Owen, leader of the opposition Lib Dem group, said: “Considerable expenditure on consultants has clearly not resulted in a successful turn-around of the department.
“The fragmentation of the department with so many departures of senior management has not helped either.
“The root cause of the failure in safeguarding services is woeful political leadership.”
The consultants were brought in after the original Ofsted report gave the safeguarding children unit a rock-bottom rating of 'inadequate'.
The unit monitors and provides support for children living in the community deemed to be at risk from neglect or abuse.
After Demi Leigh's death, at a flat in Liverpool Road, Eccles, in July 2008, an official report found police, neighbours and the toddler's own grandmother had alerted social services with concerns about her welfare a total of 12 times.
Ms Baker was sacked for gross misconduct after saying no one in her department would be disciplined. She intends to take the council to a tribunal.
Mr Kemp resigned after the second Ofsted report – published last month – branded his child protection unit 'inadequate' in seven out of 15 categories.
Coun Merry said: “In addressing the concerns raised in the 2007 Ofsted report we took the sensible step, agreed with the minister, of bringing in additional support to meet the targets set us.
“As a result of their contribution we were able to meet every target set us in the improvement plan. I understand why people might question the cost of these consultants but the reality is that it would have cost considerably more had there been a formal intervention to run the service.”
Coun Merry admitted that the 'depth and pace of improvement' in the department had been 'too slow'.
"I have accepted that management changes may cause uncertainty for staff but the changes have been necessary,” he said. “We are now in the process of recruiting permanent employees to these important roles as soon as possible. In the meantime, these posts cannot remain unfilled.
"We have demonstrated that we will do what is necessary to do the best we can for the city’s most vulnerable children and we will continue to do so.”
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Here we go again, Salford City Council wasting my money on things like this, they are looking to save £30m, firstly I would sack Cllr Murry and that would save over 150k a year, and then stop sponsoring the BBC Phil, that would save £20m, only now need to save 850k, wonder where that could come from ?? From all the waste that this council has spend over the last few years, The Ice Rink (which lost money) Proms in ther Park (Which lost money) Oh and maybe try getting the loan back from Salford City Reds of (If I recall £2m), there you go £30m saved in a few minutes typing.
Robin Hood took from the rich and gave the poor
Councillor Merry take from the poor and gives to the Rich.
Its about time that merry went,the money he wastes is unbelievable.
"We have demonstrated that we will do what is necessary to do the best we can for the city’s most vulnerable children and we will continue to do so.”
Translates to.
We should have the right staff in the right roles in the Council already. Alas we dont, so we'll spend even more money hiring consultants at exorbitant day rates. Maybe then we can hang on to our jobs.
Merry, you are a disgrace, do the decent thing and resign instead of making excuses for this wholly inadequate department - and yourself.
Big Stu pulling figures from the air, how will sacking Councillor Merry save £150,000 a year, as leader of the council he earns about £37,000 a year, look in councillors expenses section of council website, plus he would have to be replaced by another leader on £37,000 a year. The £20m sponsorship of the BBC Phil helped get the BBC relocated in Salford along with all the add-ons that brings possibly creating about 10,000 jobs in the long run spending money in Salford and if they live in Salford paying Council tax, The Proms in the park shou;d make money this year, most of the cost was for security, but there will be more sponsorship this year. The ice rink gace thousands of kids a go at something different and as for Salford City Reds they are the only professional sports team in the city, the new ground will bring in new fans from the surrounding area and again bring in revenue for the city. Reading your comments I see you would prefer to live in a dull city with no culture, sport or entertainment, and also one where adults neglect and batter children for fun, Look at the bigger picture, your council tax is froozen this year and Salford announced that before the Fib Dem Con pact came in, I bet you are Norman "miserable" Owen and I claim my £5.00.
People with the right priorities in the right place at the right time. Clear the dead wood out. Positive conscious caring people need only apply.
It is the labour way. Throw money at it in the hope that it might improve and low and behold it doesn't improve it just cost's more.
"It is the labour way"
Indeed it is, as Labour seem to think money grows on trees & that taxpayer's money is THEIR money.
All Council's squander money on these consultants. That's about the going rate actually. It's all jobs for the boys where the public sector is concerned.
They needed to bring in consultants because their current heads of departments Ms Baker and Mr Kemp were totally incompetant.......why were they in the jobs in the first place....and why is Merry still head of Salford City Council....because the people of Salford re-elected him last May thats why.
All Councils squander money on these types of consultants. It's the going rate actually. Should be a scandal but it's not because nobody cares really. Why are they allowed to be paid so much? Nobody ever asks (apart from me). There again, it's all jobs for the boys in local authority circles.
Why doesn't every single person commenting on this story contact Salford Council and demand to know why they are paying so much of the tax payers money to useless fraudsters? I've done it in my own Council and have been labelled as a trouble maker but it will not stop me challenging waste and theft!
To Knowall, if my council tax was frozen this year why I am paying higher than I did last year ?????
As indicated before the top brass are just the "headliners". There's *loads* of managers on 30K+ with nothing to do other than get in the way of staff trying to get the work done.
Three questions - what was the background of the "consultants" and how had they been chosen? Why after spending so much has there not been massive improvements? Finally , why is it that Local Authorities are not being proactive and actually changing the way they work themselves without having to spend these sums of money on consultants or is it that managers have a dead mans shoes approach to thier jobs ( ie I cant be sacked because its a job for life)?
As far as I am concerned, I bet that 75% of the time is spent on meetings and paperwork ( which doesnt help protect children) and a quarter of the time is spent being lied to by absent or feckless parents . Something is wrong with the UK model of social work and it needs to change because the paper work, computer centered , quality system obsessed culture of Salford City Council as well as most local authorities doesnt work when you are dealing with adults who lie, obstruct , prevaricate and tell half truths day in and day out and the present system doesnt put the child first.
Before I even read the detail regarding this criminal waste of taxpayers money I thought this has to be Salford council. Who else has proven to be more profligate, fast and loose, inefficient, and morally corrupt than this bunch of socialist leeches?
"Were we go again, Salford City Council wasting my money on things like this, they are looking to save £30m, firstly I would sack Cllr Murry and that would save over 150k a year, and then stop sponsoring the BBC Phil, that would save £20m, only now need to save 850k"
I agree however those sums would leave 9mil 850k.
It really is not just SCC who are guilty of this squandering. All Councils do this.
Who eat all the pies - Your comments are spot on. You must work for the Council ha ha....These fat cats are stealing from us everyday, massive bank balances and great lifestyles all on the backs of the taxpayers who are constantly scrimping and searching for the next penny. Makes me SCREAM with anger.