26 March 2004
Council social services are better managed than they were seven years ago, but there remains a big gap between the best and worst, according to a 'hand-over' report on the sector published by the Audit Commission.
A study of the impact of the past seven years of joint reviews by the Audit Commission and the Social Services Inspectorate outlines across-the-board improvements. The inspectorate will shortly be handing over responsibility as the sector's watchdog to the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
Around a third of authorities are now judged to be serving most people well, although 10% are not achieving suitable standards.
Old virtues, new virtues suggests that social services are now delivered through much stronger partnerships across the health, education and housing sectors – but adds that money should not necessarily be viewed as the solution to problems.
'There is no link between how much a council spends on social care and how good its services are,' the authors claim.
The best councils, they add, 'concentrate more on arranging services and less on directly providing them, using skills in commissioning, market management and procurement.'
Key successes during the inspection era include reductions in the number of elderly people entering residential care and in delayed discharges from hospital, as more people get the services they require at home.
However, the commission warns the new watchdog that investment in services designed to prevent family breakdown and promote children's wellbeing have not yet led to a reduction in the number of children being looked after.
Commenting on the sector's improvements, the commission's director of joint reviews, Sue Mead, said: 'What works best is a business-like approach underpinned by the values of social care and an understanding of why it matters to communities.'
Meanwhile, a report by the National Care Standards Commission, published on March 24, indicates that standards of care for older people in homes is improving.
The report states that over 50% of national standards are now met by two-thirds of registered care homes, while the number meeting 100% of standards has reached 48% – up from 25% in 2002/03.
PFmar2004
