CYP services in Aberdeen generally good but areas could improve
A joint inspection of services for children and young people in Aberdeen has highlighted areas of good performance and also made recommendations where further improvement can be made.
The report, published today, follows a joint inspection led by the Care Inspectorate. It notes that progress has been made after previous inspections, and points out a number of key strengths in service provision.
The inspection was carried out by specialist teams of inspectors from the Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland.
They looked at services across the city between August and October 2014.
Across nine quality indicators, six were found to be ‘good’ and three ‘adequate.’
The report notes: “Inspectors are confident that the lives of many children and young people growing up in Aberdeen City are improving as a result of the services delivered to them by Community Planning Aberdeen.
“For some vulnerable young people, we found improvements in their life chances to be more variable with some experiencing more positive outcomes than others. Many families, including very vulnerable families, were benefitting from early support and were able to move easily from specialised and targeted support back through to mainstream and community support.
“Some had to wait until the support they needed became available.
“Children and young people in need of protection were helped to keep safe and response to immediate concerns about their safety was now prompt and effective, with notable improvements from the last joint inspection of services to protect children.”
The report also noted a number of particular strengths which were making a positive difference for children and young people in the Aberdeen City Community Partnership area.
These included supporting pregnant women, including those who were vulnerable, and ensuring that new born and young babies get the best possible start in life; and empowering children and their families to understand what services were available and would best meet their needs through the provision of easily accessible, up to date, high quality information.
Inspectors also noted strengths in recognising and responding promptly and effectively to immediate concerns that a child or young person may be at risk of harm or abuse; and ensuring there are sufficient opportunities for children and young people to express their views about service developments and important issues in their lives.
Annette Bruton, the Care Inspectorate’s Chief Executive, said: “Protecting young people and ensuring that the services they and their families access are of the very highest standard is a crucial part of the work we do as Scotland’s care regulator.
“By working with our partners we can ensure we build up an accurate picture of how services are performing.
“We want to answer the key question ‘how well are these services improving the lives of children, young people and their families?’
“Where there is room for improvement we do not hesitate to report on this and expect partnerships take the necessary action so that everyone in Scotland can access services which meet their needs and respect their rights.”
The full report is available here: http://cinsp.in/1M6hJwL
