SOME children’s services currently being delivered by Dorset Council could be ‘outsourced’.

The news comes part-way through a consultation with staff over service delivery in the future.

It aims to be more child-centred, based around getting the right decision, first time, which should result in fewer children coming into the care of the local authority.

Director of the service Sarah Parker says the changes could save at least £1 million a year and be better for children and families.

The possible changes are not likely to affect mainstream child protection social work, although some staff may find themselves having to move to a different office where they will be alongside early intervention staff which are already locality-based.

She told councillors on Monday that many social workers are welcoming the new approach although a few ‘might grumble’ and have to be persuaded of the merits of change.

She admitted that the council has been working with a consultancy firm to see what services, if any, could be better delivered by different methods. These may include setting up a joint venture company, a local authority-owned trading company, an ‘arms-length’ community interest company or even a staff-owned venture.

The key area of focus at the moment is fostering, although the director says that nothing has been decided and proposals will only emerge when the consultation process is completed towards the end of November.

She says that many other councils are already operating what is known as ‘alternative delivery models’ successfully.

“We are working with Mutual Ventures (whose costs are met by central government grant) to explore where delivering a service through an alternative delivery model would benefit the service delivery and the commercial opportunities,” said Sarah Parker.

“Local authorities nationally have various models across children’s services...

“We are currently in conversation with our fostering colleagues if we should consider this for our service.”

She says that any firm proposals would need to be signed off at the political level and would then require further talks, including with foster carers, if it were to proceed to the next level.

She also revealed that changes are being planned for the Community Resource Workers team, largely zero-hours part-time staff who carry out a range of tasks including supervising contacts, transporting vulnerable children and young people, and supporting children and young people out of mainstream school as well as occasional work in the remaining residential home.

“Community Resource Workers are still needed and in the proposed structure will be managed within the adolescent service and continue to be a valued resource to us. We are considering commissioning the voluntary and community sector to deliver contact and believe that our CRWs who enjoy undertaking contact with be able to continue to do this under the direction of our VCS provider,” she said.

The nature of CRW work means that the authority would not be liable for redundancy or any other payments if changes were to be made the existing contracts of those part-time workers.

The existing 'Blueprint for Change' formal consultation runs until the last week in November.