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CHAPTER 1 Summary, evaluation and recommendations
Summary
The performance inspection was undertaken during a period of structural change and immediately following the Scottish Parliament and local elections. The social work service was in the process of implementing the recommendations of an independent scrutiny review which aimed to streamline services within clear service user structures and improve strategic leadership of service delivery. There were clear indications that the service was committed to addressing an improvement agenda. There was an improved commitment to change from senior officers and key elected members.
We found that these aims were also viewed positively by staff and other stakeholders although they had been less enthusiastic about the journey. Many staff lacked confidence in strategic leadership. Staff generally worked well with key partners at a local level and were committed to delivering high quality services.
Social work services in Argyll and Bute had achieved some good outcomes for people who use services and in several areas showed signs of continued improvement. The council had worked well with partners to achieve better outcomes for children and families although the development of an improved range of community options was at an early stage.
Progress had been made in developing agreed outcomes measures. However the modernisation and development of services for older people had been slow. We found some innovative practice in some communities but in general the shift of the balance of care and an increased level of home care support was not evident.
Feedback from people who use services was mixed. Those who were in receipt of support were generally positive about the quality of the services that they received. Others spoke of difficulties in accessing information and delays in receiving assistance following assessment. The social work service had engaged with the local carers' network in prioritising support for carers.
The best practice we saw was often specific to a particular locality and more could have been done to roll out successful initiatives across the council area.
Difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff had been addressed although staff sickness and morale continued to be a problem in some staff groups.
The council had begun to address improvement in the delivery of key processes of assessment and care planning.
Strategic planning varied across services and there was a need for improved planning supported by management information.
Many of the developments were at too early a stage to evidence sustained improvement although they should provide the building blocks to underpin the developments required within this report.
Evaluation
Ratings for the 10 areas of evaluation | Rating |
|---|
Outcomes for people who use services | Adequate |
Impact on adults, carers, children and young people who use services | Weak |
Impact on staff | Adequate |
Impact on the community | Adequate |
Delivery of key processes | Weak |
Policy and service development, planning and performance management | Adequate |
Management and support of staff | Adequate |
Resources and capacity building | Adequate |
Leadership and direction | Weak |
Capacity for improvement | Good |
Recommendations
Key Outcomes
Recommendation 1
The social work service should continue to develop a systematic approach to recording, measuring and analysing planned outcomes for people who use social work services and reporting any findings.
Recommendation 2
The council should move quickly to implement the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review to reduce the need for children to be placed out of the authority.
Recommendation 3
The social work service should take steps to ensure that they provide SCRA with reports within the required timescale.
Recommendation 4
The social work service should consider benchmarking with comparative authorities and interrogate the information further to ensure that their targeting of services is the best way of meeting needs.
Impact on people who use our services
Recommendation 5
The social work service should increase the number of carers' assessments they offer. They should monitor performance in relation to the number of carers' assessments they do.
Impact on the community
Recommendation 6
In order to inform strategic planning the social work service should move more quickly to ensure that it has a clear profile of the community it serves and of current and potential future need of all service user groups.
Recommendation 7
The social work service should work with community groups to target resources to meet priorities identified in the community plan and social work services plan.
Recommendation 8
The social work service should establish a public information strategy, including producing a comprehensive range of leaflets and complementary web pages. Information should cover eligibility, and the range of services provided.
Recommendation 9
The social work service should review the system of allocation of resources for care packages at a local level. Building on existing practice, this should include the further development of inter-agency arrangements, and a scheme of delegated financial authority.
Recommendation 10
Building on existing management information, social work senior managers should strengthen reporting and monitoring of unallocated work. From this, there should be a clear set of actions designed to ensure that service priorities are being consistently met, and that any unmet need is clearly and accurately drawn to the attention of elected members.
Recommendation 11
Service managers should ensure that all care plans including looked after and accommodated children and adults have clearly targeted outcomes which are monitored and reviewed.
Recommendation 12
The social work service should develop and implement a systematic and comprehensive approach to the assessment and management of risk, building on the work carried out to date in relation to child protection, adult protection and criminal justice services.
Policy and service development, planning and performance management
Recommendation 13
The social work service should produce a three year plan, to be updated annually, clearly setting out priorities, targets and resource implications for modernising social work services. The plan should demonstrate progress against the social work Scrutiny Review recommendations and include joint targets where these have been agreed.
Recommendation 14
A framework for operational and unit plans with clear targets and priorities should be agreed and implemented by the social work service to support decision making and target setting by service managers. Locality managers in the Argyll and Bute CHP should be included in the development of joint plans.
Recommendation 15
The social work service along with its partners should increase and support the active involvement and participation of people who use services and their representatives in strategic joint planning structures and arrangements.
Recommendation 16
In order to ensure that their proposals to develop a more integrated approach to planning and delivering services come to fruition, the partner agencies should work more closely together to develop a comprehensive and specific action plan. This must include establishing clear funding and governance arrangements.
Management and support of staff
Recommendation 17
The social work service should review its practice in relation to staff working regular weekly hours whilst being employed on zero hours contracts.
Recommendation 18
The social work service should ensure that team leaders have clear criteria about what work requires the professional skills of a qualified social worker and that which other staff can appropriately carry out. An audit process should be put in place to ensure that these criteria are applied consistently.
Recommendation 19
The social work service should develop an over-arching strategy for workforce planning, including staff support and development. Training priorities should be aligned with service plans and clearly linked to supervision and appraisal processes.
Resources and capacity building
Recommendation 20
The social work service should ensure that service plans are clearly linked to, and supported by, available resources and identified in detailed financial plans.
Recommendation 21
All policies concerned with the safety and well-being of staff should be reviewed and up-dated at three-yearly intervals as a minimum standard.
Recommendation 22
The social work service needs to move more quickly to remove any unnecessary barriers to information-sharing. This should include affording all social work staff appropriate access to electronic case records.
Recommendation 23
The social work service should move more quickly to develop commissioning strategies across each service sector.
Leadership and direction
Recommendation 24
Senior managers should improve their communications with staff at all levels in the organisation to ensure they sustain the current commitment to change.
Such strategy should actively seek to secure staff commitment to the implementation of the vision for planning, delivery and continuous improvement of services across Argyll and Bute, particularly with frontline staff.
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