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Despite working in some of the most challenging circumstances in terms of poverty and inequality, West Dunbartonshire’s children’s services did well in a recent inspection by the Care Inspectorate. The inspectorate concluded:
‘In the course of our inspection, we identified a number of particular strengths which were making a positive difference for children and young people in the community planning West Dunbartonshire area.
- The strength of strategic approaches to targeting key universal health services had achieved some real gains within a very challenging context of high deprivation.
- Highly committed staff groups across the partnership demonstrated clear ownership of the strategic vision for children, young people and families and felt clearly connected to improvement planning.
- Young people, including the most vulnerable, were meaningfully involved in influencing policy and service development.
- There was an evident commitment to early intervention and prevention with very effective early help and support processes.
- A coherent shared vision was in place and modelled by a mature partnership.’
As always in inspections of any system involving people, that system is infinitely improvable and staff working within it are constrained in the extent to which they can change human behaviour such as smoking in pregnancy. Deep in the report there are examples of real progress such as 77% of children assessed at 27-30 months were meeting developmental milestones compared to a national figure of 71.6% (5). Also schools were reporting significant improvements in smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use (6). There was, regrettably, continuing bad news with regard to increased reporting of domestic abuse. However, with regard to the latter, there are those who argue that the recent massive increases reported across the UK represent a broadening definition of the concept and greater willingness to report especially amongst male victims. See the controversial spiked-online article below. I am, of course, not attempting to minimise the horrors of cases of domestic abuse in any way.
Returning to the report, the inspection, rated the quality indicators as below:
How well are the lives of children and young people improving?
- Improvements in the wellbeing of children and young people Good
- Impact on children and young people Very Good
- Impact on families Good
- Providing help and support at an early stage Very Good
- Assessing and responding to risks and needs Adequate
- Planning for individual children and young people Adequate
- Planning and improving services Good
- Participation of children, young people, families and other stakeholders Very Good
- Leadership of improvement and change Good
Could always do better but, reading on and between some of these lines, I think the staff should be commended.
http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/domestic-violence-is-not-on-the-rise/17733#.WLftalXyj3g
Talking-up Scotland 