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| The Inspection |
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| The inspection aimed to assist
those involved in social work with people with a sensory impairment to put into place
robust, adaptable models of service delivery for the future. |
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| The Remit |
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- to examine how services are planned, delivered,
commissioned, managed
- to clarify how these social work services link with
services provided by health, education and voluntary organisations
- to understand the separate concerns of people with a
visual impairment, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and deafblind people
- to identify the training needs of staff
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| The Inspection Team |
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| A team of inspectors from Social
Work Services Inspectorate (SWSI) carried out the inspection. They were helped by a lay
member. |
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| Methods of Inspection |
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- questionnaires for all Scottish local authorities
- analysis of community care plans
- submissions from interested organisations
- fieldwork in six local authorities, including a survey of
people who use services and interviews with families and service providers
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| The Services |
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| for People with a Visual
Impairment |
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| The inspection found that: |
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- Over half the people surveyed commented positively about the
service they received, although there was evidence of delays in people being assessed.
- Good information services are related to the existence of
specialised resource centres. Access to such centres affects a person's ability to learn
about and test specialist equipment.
- Equipment budgets are uneven.
- There is a shortage of qualified rehabilitation officers.
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| for People who are Deaf and
Hard of Hearing |
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| The inspection found that: |
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- Over half the people surveyed commented positively about the
service they received.
- Social work staff know little about deafness and there is
little joint working with specialist staff.
- Lip-speaking is a rare skill.
- More sign language interpreters are needed.
- More specialist equipment is needed.
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| for Deafblind People |
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| The inspection found that: |
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- Assessment and review arrangements are led by specialist
sensory impairment staff. Arrangements are at best often ad hoc. There is concern as to
whether smaller authorities can identify and prioritise needs where people have additional
disabilities.
- There is no distinct local authority provision for deafblind
people.
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| Working Together |
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| The inspection team found that
social work, health and education staff had variable knowledge of each other's work.
Examples of collaboration demonstrated the value of forging closer working links. |
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| There was widespread concern
around the planning for children's lives after they have left school. Education staff's
knowledge about social work services was heavily dependent on personal contact.
Interdepartmental strategies assisted better working practices. |
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| Staff Training |
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| Training staff differ in their
ability to identify and meet sensory impairment training needs. A consequence is that
training needs are not properly addressed. |
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| Sensing Progress ... next
steps |
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| "It is essential that
future services cover the range of needs from the simple to the most complex and to the
highest standards. Underlying all our recommendations is the belief that people who use
services should be at the heart of developments in those services. Their active
participation ...will ensure that opportunities are made available for them to lead
ordinary lives as valued members of society." |
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| SWS Inspection Team
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| Recommendations |
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| The inspection team made seven
recommendations to ensure that services develop to meet the range of needs. |
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1. Local authorities should take the lead in
establishing multi-agency strategy and resource groups by April 2000.
2. Local authorities and their partners in children
services planning should review their existing arrangements to make sure that the
recommendations made at Future Needs Assessments (FNAs) are carried out.
3. The Beattie Committee should consider the
concerns expressed in this report about effective joint working and FNAs. This Scottish
Office committee was recently set up to consider post school education and training for
young people with special needs.
4. The Scottish Office should convene a working
group on certification and registration.
5. Local authorities should review their assessment
arrangements for people who have a sensory impairment by April 1999.
6. Local authorities should immediately look to:
- increase the numbers of staff with fluency in British Sign
Language
- provide sensory impairment awareness training
- increase the number of guide/ communicators.
7. The Scottish Office should incorporate
consideration of the training needs of those who work with people with a sensory
impairment into its wider consultations about future development of education and training
in social work services.
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| Copies of the full report Sensing
Progress in Large Print are available from: |
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The Stationery Office Bookshop
Mail, Telephone and Fax orders
71 Lothian Road
Edinburgh EH3 9AZ |
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| Telephone orders: 0131 228 4181
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| Fax orders: 0131 622 7017
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| The report is also available, on
request, in the following formats from: |
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Social Work Services
Inspectorate
James Craig Walk
Edinburgh EH13 BA |
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| TEL: 0131-244-3530 (Text 'phone)
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| FAX: 0131-244-5496 |
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- Computer disk (complete report);
- The Internet (complete report) [Web site address
www.scotland.gov.uk];
- Video-tape in British Sign Language, describing key features
of the report;
- Audio-tape (an edited version of the report).
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