Positive progress made by Social Work and Social Care Services

A report on the positive work done by the Social Work and Social Care Services will be considered at a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council tomorrow.

The Chief Social Work Office Annual Report for 2011/12 provides an assessment of the key issues faced by the services over the last year, and how well these have been dealt with.

The report by the Council’s Chief Social Work Officer, Bill Atkinson, also considers the changes that individual service areas have achieved over the last 12 months, including:

* The roll-out of initiatives under the Change Fund for Reshaping Services for Older People; the social care integration agenda

* Continued improvements in public protection arrangements, including child protection, adult support and protection and multi-agency public protection arrangements.

Mr Atkinson’s report highlights some of the key pressures that services face in the coming year, brought about by rising demand in many areas, as well as new legislation and national policy demands.

Councillor Ian Miller, leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said: “This is a very comprehensive report on the positive progress that has been made by our Social Care and Social Work Services during 2011/12.

“These are very demanding times for the services. They are experiencing rising demand from the public, higher expectations from service users and the need to adapt and change in line with national policy. All this is happening at a time of resource constraints.

“However, our staff have reacted to these demands. The reshaping of our services for older people, for example, is a huge piece of work that will take some years. Some of the new initiatives that have been have developed alongside our community planning partners are excellent, and will ensure that our older residents can live independently, with community services tailored to suit their needs.

“As this report highlights, the future will continue to be very challenging for the social services, but I am confident that we have a committed workforce that can rise to meet those challenges.

“I would like to congratulate all of our Social Work and Social Care staff for the excellent work they have done over the last 12 months.”

The meeting of the council on December 19 will also consider the biennial report from the Perth and Kinross Adult Protection Committee, outlining the adult protection and support activities carried out over the last two years.

It also highlights the work to be done during the coming two years, set out in the Adult Support and Protection Committee Improvement Plan.