THE man in charge of all council-run children’s homes in Salford is facing the sack after being accused of gross misconduct.
Mike Kelly is due to attend a disciplinary hearing in the near future as he is alleged to have failed to reveal to senior management that one of the homes had been given a poor inspection report last year.
But social services sources claimed he was being made a scapegoat after a turbulent 12 months for the council, in which its standards of care for children at risk have come under intense scrutiny.
Teams from watchdog Ofsted arrived unannounced to carry out inspections at three children’s homes in March this year and all were found to be unsatisfactory.
Concerns were raised over insufficient training for staff, poor record keeping and facilities in the buildings.
But one of the three homes was also checked in September last year and again found to be unsatisfactory.
Mr Kelly, principal manager for ‘inclusion services’, allegedly did not alert the head of children’s services, Jill Baker.
Our sister paper, the Manchester Evening News, established that Ofsted sent a copy of the inspection report following the visit in September to Mr Kelly and to the manager of the home on October 21 last year.
No report was sent by Ofsted to Ms Baker.
Councillor John Warmisham, Salford City Council children’s services spokesman, has said senior management were ‘mortified’ when the three homes were branded unsatisfactory and he blamed ‘bad management and people being lackadaisical’.
Cllr Warmisham said he was unable to comment further due to the pending disciplinary hearing.
However one source said: "Given that the council has had a poor report regarding child care earlier last year, and all hell broke loose, it is incredible top management didn’t know about the Ofsted visit and report.
"Normal protocol would mean that they were informed too. It would appear Mr Kelly is being made a scapegoat."
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So the people at the top have found some poor sucker to carry the can. Warmisham and Baker should accept responsibility for the failings which occur during their period of tenure. The failings at these childrens homes have been made known in the past and for the powers that be to pass the blame to someone else is nothing short of disgusting. Is it asking too much of Baker for her to make her own unannounced inspections or is she too comfortable in her office drinking coffee. She should either get off her backside and find out what is going on or better still resign
I am in complete agreement with Mr Sullivan. The number of times that ‘defects’ in the systems, procedures and processes within Children’s Services have come to light in the last year has been amazing. How Ms Baker can believe she should still be in post, how Cllr Warmisham can hold his head up on the streets of Salford, both beggar belief! To use Mike Kelly as a scapegoat is atrocious; those at the top should always take the blame. It is illogical and incredible that those ‘in charge’ should not be completely and utterly culpable - they should be the ones to ‘fall on their swords’ and not push someone else to the guillotine just to cover their own failings and inability.
Is it possible that the Ofsted team did not inform the Director of Children's Services directly of their findings? - Difficult to believe. I'm afraid Mrs Baker needs to take responsibility on this occasion and resign. She has encouraged many other senior managers who she felt to be inadequate to do just that during her reign in Salford, most of them senior loyal, reliable and effective members of staff. Bite the bullet and do the right thing Mrs Baker! Children first!