« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
CHAPTER 2 Context
The inspection of Inverclyde social work services took place from January to May 2006. Our inspection team consisted of SWIA inspectors, a lay inspector, a carer inspector and a number of associate inspectors.
During that period we read a wide selection of material about the local authority and the social work services it provides or commissions. We spent four days reading case files and a further two weeks in Inverclyde looking at services. We spoke to people who use services and their carers, and to people who are responsible for delivering or arranging services. We met with representatives from a range of organisations and groups as well as elected members and other stakeholders. We visited places where social work services are provided. We also analysed questionnaires received from staff, carers, people who use services, stakeholders and children and young people.
This report gives an overview of social work services in Inverclyde and the areas where improvements are needed. It does not duplicate the inspection of services which are regulated by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission).
Area profile
Inverclyde is one of the smaller mainland Scottish local authorities. Inverclyde has a population of 84,203. The area is located twenty five miles west of Glasgow and the main centres of population are Greenock, Port Glasgow and Gourock and the villages of Kilmacolm, Inverkip and Wemyss Bay.
The population of Inverclyde has been in steady decline for some time and is projected to decrease by a further 11% by 2017 (compared with a 1-2% fall for Scotland as a whole). It is one of the poorest local authorities in Scotland, with 47% of the total population living in, or on the margins of poverty. Life expectancy is 3 years below the Scottish average for males and 1.7 years below for females. The death rate is 14-15% higher than for Scotland as a whole.
Inverclyde has traditionally been dependent on heavy industry and manufacturing. However, following the decline of the shipping trade, employment has shifted toward technology and communications industries. The unemployment rate in Inverclyde is 5.8%, which is higher than the Scottish average (3.3%).
Inverclyde Council has twenty elected members with the following political representation: 13 Scottish Liberal Democrat, 6 Scottish Labour and 1 independent.
Organisation of social work services in Inverclyde
The corporate service structure is organised on a functional basis under the direction of a chief executive. These include education, corporate services, community services, environment and regeneration services. Social work services employ just over 1,000 people.
At the start of our inspection, there were two heads of service - a head of social work services (who is also the chief social work officer) with responsibility for children and families, criminal justice and support services; and a head of community care, planning and strategy. A third head of service joined in April 2006 and assumed responsibility for support services. Social work services also have responsibility for the homeless service. This was inspected by Communities Scotland in 2005. A copy of the report is available from their website.
Inverclyde Council has its headquarters in Greenock. This is also the location of a number of local offices delivering of a range of services. There is also a local office in Port Glasgow.
Appendix two contains a diagram of the structure of social work services.
Corporate context
Audit Scotland did a best value and community planning audit of Inverclyde Council. 1 The report published in May 2005 identified serious failures in a number of key areas. These were:
- weaknesses in leadership and direction by both elected members and senior managers
- lack of a performance management and continuous improvement culture
- weak financial management.
The Audit Scotland report says that education and social work services were performing relatively well. The report states, "Social work services also operate well in delivering vital services to a very vulnerable community".
Inverclyde developed a recovery plan in response to the Audit Scotland report. In September 2005, the chief executive of Inverclyde Council left. The new chief executive was appointed in March 2006.
Inverclyde's director of social work retired in October 2004. The then chief executive of the council took responsibility for managing social work services. The Audit Scotland report states, "there are concerns in the department that there is a risk that services to vulnerable people could suffer while the future shape, size and position of social work within the council's management structure has remained unclear over such a protracted period". In June 2006, Inverclyde Council advertised the new post of corporate director of education and social work services.
Audit Scotland did a follow up visit to Inverclyde Council and the report was published in November 2005. 2 The main findings of the follow up report were that the council should increase the momentum of its drive for change by:
- immediately beginning the process for the recruitment of a new chief executive
- immediately drawing up a robust project plan with key milestones and timescales to cover the next 12-18 months
- ensuring that the interim management arrangements are strengthened to address all of the needs of the Council at this time.
Health
In May 2005, the Scottish Executive announced the dissolution of NHS Argyll and Clyde. Healthcare provision in Inverclyde Council's area is now the responsibility of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The change has resulted in a period of uncertainty for Inverclyde Council as the new arrangements take time to bed in.
Community health partnerships ( CHPs) should have been in place in every local authority in Scotland by April 2006. The aim of CHPs is to benefit patients and the NHS by streamlining and integrating NHS organisations, ensuring that organisational boundaries do not get in the way of seamless patient care, and devolving responsibility and decision making as far as possible to front line healthcare organisations and staff that are closest to patients and their needs.
Inverclyde CHP is not in place. Two other CHPs in Scotland are not yet in place. Inverclyde Council are now working in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to put the Inverclyde CHP in place. At the time of our inspection, there was no timescale for the CHP
to be up and running.
Inspection methodology and process
The structure of this report is based on the SWIA performance inspection model, which asks six key questions:
1. What key outcomes have we achieved?
2. What impact have we had on people who use our services and other stakeholders?
3. How good is our delivery of key processes?
4. How good is our management?
5. How good is our leadership?
6. What is our capacity for improvement?
The following chapters address each of these questions in turn.
A more detailed description of the inspection methodology and they way in which we carried out our inspection are included in appendix one.
Criminal justice services
Local authority criminal justice social work services are the subject of a separate inspection programme that has been running since October 2004. Inverclyde were inspected as part of the Renfrewshire grouping of criminal justice social work services. This report was published in June 2005 and is available from SWIA at www.swia.gov.uk.
Map 1: Inverclyde
« Previous | Contents | Next »