Pat on the back for care services (From Gazette Series)

Pat on the back for care services

PEOPLE across the county who rely on local council social care services are receiving a good standard of care.

Gloucestershire County Council is celebrating the news that external assessors consider services to people to be good.

Social Services as a whole has moved up from one to two stars in its annual performance assessment, while services for children and young people has been awarded 3 out of 4 for current performance, and 4 out of 4 for the council's ability to make further improvements. The report highlights many achievements in all these areas.

For services for children and young people the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and Ofsted conducted a joint assessment of Education and Children's Social Care services. To get the 3 out of 4 rating, inspectors highlighted:

* Very good early years' provision * Educational achievement is good * A good balance between child protection and family support work, indicated by the fact that, while numbers on the Child Protection Register have increased, the rate is lower than in similar authorities * The system of reviewing child protection cases is operating effectively * Improvements in outcomes for looked after children and young people * The number of young people in employment, education or training is above the national average

The council's lead cabinet member for children's services Cllr Jackie Hall said: "This is an excellent report which has only been achieved through the hard work of everyone in the county working with children, young people and their families. There is still much we want to do to improve further in areas like promoting children and young people's mental health and addressing support to tackle poor behaviour; the timing of initial assessments of referrals of children in need; underachievement by some children and young people and further work to prevent youth offending."

The council's social services department is delighted to have moved up from a one star to two star rating this year.

Overall the council has been rated as serving most children well with excellent capacity for improvement and serving some adults well and a promising capacity for improvement.

The summary of improvements in adult social care detailed in the report include: * An improvement in the speed of transfer of care from hospital * Two extra care sheltered housing schemes have opened within the last year * Good progress with the Supporting People agenda that enables many people to live independently at home * Equipment and minor adaptations are being delivered more quickly * Good partnership working across neighbourhoods to support older people effectively.

Cllr Tony Hicks, lead cabinet member for adult services, said: "This is an excellent achievement and a credit to the hard work of staff across the council. There are still improvements to make in the coming year. Priorities include providing more intensive home care services; enabling more vulnerable people to stay at home such as those with a physical disability and continue tackling ongoing recruitment problems."