'Mixed picture' for stretched care services

RISING demand for care of children and the elderly in Scotland is leading to patchy service provision, according to a report.

The Improving Social Work in Scotland report found that large increases in the number of young children needing care meant that the quality of the services "varied widely".

The four-year study of Scotland's 32 local authorities also raised fears over a lack of forward planning in provision for the elderly, which makes up almost half of social work spending.

Support was said to be inconsistent for unpaid carers, with almost one in eight people in Scotland estimated to be looking after one or more people.

Welcoming the report, Children's Minister Adam Ingram said overall feedback from the report was positive but there was "further work to be done".

The study of children's services found there were inconsistent approaches to risk assessment and the threshold for intervention across authorities.

Users of the services, which cost 705 million to run in 2007-08, said they were mostly happy with their care

Elderly care services, which account for almost half of social work spending, were also varied.

Resources are "under pressure" at a time of rising need and "progress was slow" in shifting care from hospitals to homes.

The number of over-85s is expected to increase by 45% in the next eight years, further straining services and leading to more demand in care for dementia and mental illness.

"Excellent examples" of home-care services were found but the report warned that some are "not working well".

Alexis Jay, chief social work inspector, said: "Whilst our findings provide a mixed picture of how social work services are performing, it is important to stress that the vast majority of recommendations we made throughout our four-year programme have been addressed and the overall quality of services has improved.

"Social work services are now faced with rising demands against a background of severe constraints on resources. This makes it all the more important that resources are used in the most effective and efficient ways possible."

Children's Minister Adam Ingram said: "This report shows that the majority of people using social services and their carers value this support and the difference it makes to their lives, and that our robust inspection regime is helping to drive forward improvements.

"Clearly, however, there is further work to be done to ensure that wherever people live they get the highest possible standard of care and support."