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Gwynedd Council has made inadequate progress in developing modern social services which help vulnerable people to lead full and independent lives, and its many good intentions since the last joint review in 2001 have not been delivered.
The latest joint review report published today judged the council as delivering inconsistent services and being badly placed to sustain and further improve services. Many service users are receiving help, care and support which is enabling them to lead independent lives. But these levels of care are inconsistent with problems of flexibility, choice and consistent geographical coverage.
Reviewers were particularly concerned that in adult services many improvements that had been planned have not been implemented, and there is an urgent need for a more radical shift in the pattern of services being delivered. Although staff are working hard to deliver a service which is valued by service users, access to services is variable and assessments of need for social services are still not consistently focused enough on achieving good outcomes for people.
In children’s services, the review found that more has been done to improve aspects of practice and service following concerns about performance. Since the last review the Council has invested in a number of services for children which have been developed in partnership with other organisations and these are helping to support multi agency working arrangements. However, concerns still remain over some key areas, including the lack of consistency in assessment and care planning, compliance with regulations and guidance in these areas. There is a need to address key gaps in services such as family support services and services for looked after children.
Efforts have been made since the last joint review to increase spending on social services. However, reviewers concluded that recent expenditure has not been used to best effect and the Council needs to focus more on making the best use of the resources available. Commissioning and performance management are other areas that require significant improvement, and the review concluded that there is a need for councillors and corporate officers to take a lead in driving forward the substantial changes required to ensure that sustained improvements can be achieved.
The report identifies a number of priorities for action including the need to:
- Demonstrate sound corporate management and political leadership of change for social services;
- Develop effective leadership within social services and improve the management of change across all service areas;
- Ensure that the needs of children and families are met;
- Set a clear direction for adult services, which allows service users more choice and enables them to live independently;
- Have robust systems in place to ensure effective performance management;
- Ensure resources are used effectively to provide services which are responsive to need and provide value for money.
The Chief Inspector of CSSIW, Rob Pickford said today:
“The review team has judged that social services in Gwynedd are inconsistent and improvements need to be made urgently in order to bring them up to the required standard. The council has not moved in the right direction to address its shortfalls, and it now needs to clearly demonstrate that it can address an increasingly challenging agenda and develop an effective response to the concerns raised in this joint review”.
Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman said today:
“Gwynedd is failing to provide social services which consistently meet the needs of all service users and is unable to demonstrate that investment in services has been used to best effect. The Council needs to focus on developing a broad range of modern services, which provide better all round value for the resources expended.”
Notes to Editors:
- This report is part of a second series of joint reviews, a rolling five-year programme to assess the performance of individual social service authorities in Wales. The review of Gwynedd took place between April 2007 and July 2007.
- Joint reviews are conducted jointly by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales and the Wales Audit Office.
- Joint reviews are carried out in accordance with the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, which gives the Welsh Ministers the power to conduct reviews of the way in which local authorities discharge their social services functions.
- Joint reviews set out to answer two key questions: How good are the social services that people in the area receive and how well placed is the Council to sustain and improve services?
- Further information can be found on the joint review web-site: www.joint-reviews.gov.uk
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