1. How many Child Care legal professionals (or equivalent) are employed by the Council?
18 (Solicitors, Legal Executives and Legal Assistants)
2. Does the Council have a specific risk assessment for legal employees undertaking child care work which deals with the potential harm of being exposed to vicarious trauma?
The Council has a specific stress risk assessment for employees who report suffering from stress at work which is available via the link below:
3. On average how many child care case files do the legal professionals have?
Average is 12 cases for each file holder, although we should clarify that some of the legal professionals are support roles.
4. What policies (if any) are in place which highlight the risk of Council employees experiencing ill health as a result of exposure to vicarious trauma?
The Council has a Mental health and Wellbeing Policy which is available via the link below:
5. What steps has the Council implemented to minimise the risk to its employees’ health as a result of being exposed to vicarious trauma?
The Council has an Employee Assistance Programme which includes providing access to Counselling services. Details of this can be seen online at:
Please also refer to the policy set out in response to question 4 above.
6. Within the last 6 years how many legal professionals working in child care have submitted sick notes for stress or other mental health condition, citing their work as a contributing factor?
None
7. Within the last 6 years, how many working days have been lost by child care Solicitors or similar legal professionals, citing stress or other mental health condition as a contributing factor for their absence?
None
8. For the last 6 years, please advise as to the number of claims made against the Council for negligence and/or breach of the Human Rights Act in relation to deprivation of liberty and/or failure to act or remove children?
We may hold this information but to confirm it, identify, locate and compile it would require a manual review of all child case files for the last six years. We estimate this would take in excess of the 18 hour appropriate time limit allowed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 Section 12 Cost of Compliance, meaning we are not obliged to provide this information. However, if you were able to refine your request, for example, to a shorter time period, we may be able to provide some information, bearing in mind that other considerations, such as the Section 40(2) Personal data exemption may apply
.