By Keith Aitken in Edinburgh | 16 May 2012
The Scottish Care Inspectorate is to spearhead a strategic assessment of care services for children over the coming year, under plans published today in the latest local government inspection timetable.
Driven by ministerial demands for more outcome-based measures, the inspections will assess the overall difference made to the lives of vulnerable children. They will examine the work of all agencies providing children’s care services in the 32 Scottish local authority areas. Reports are expected from the autumn.
The inspectorate is also developing a parallel approach for inspections of adult care services. It will be added later to this year’s National Scrutiny Plan for Local Government, which is issued by the Accounts Commission on behalf of the inspection agencies.
Also included in the plan is a change to the assessment of community planning partnerships. Ministers have asked Audit Scotland to design a way to audit the effectiveness of the partnerships and that too will be tested in the coming year.
The plan reflects Scottish Government drives to break down institutional demarcations – including merging social care with health provision – and further develop community planning partnerships.
Publication of the annual plan follows a 2007 report by Professor Lorne Crerar, which sought to streamline, simplify and co-ordinate the work of the various scrutiny bodies, working through a system of risk assessments for each council. The focus for inspections increasingly reflects policy priorities agreed between ministers and the local authorities.
The Accounts Commission plays a ‘gate-keeping’ role, and the plan provides authorities with a single timetable of strategic inspections for the year ahead.
‘Better targeting has reduced the overall level of scrutiny of each council following the streamlining of the system and better co-ordination and sharing of information across the scrutiny bodies,’ Accounts Commission chair John Baillie said
‘The overall aim is to get a sharper focus on potential risks that lie ahead, so that issues can be addressed sooner and more effectively.’
The Scottish Care Inspectorate is to spearhead a strategic assessment of care services for children over the coming year, under plans published today in the latest local government inspection timetable.
Driven by ministerial demands for more outcome-based measures, the inspections will assess the overall difference made to the lives of vulnerable children. They will examine the work of all agencies providing children’s care services in the 32 Scottish local authority areas. Reports are expected from the autumn.
The inspectorate is also developing a parallel approach for inspections of adult care services. It will be added later to this year’s National Scrutiny Plan for Local Government, which is issued by the Accounts Commission on behalf of the inspection agencies.
Also included in the plan is a change to the assessment of community planning partnerships. Ministers have asked Audit Scotland to design a way to audit the effectiveness of the partnerships and that too will be tested in the coming year.
The plan reflects Scottish Government drives to break down institutional demarcations – including merging social care with health provision – and further develop community planning partnerships.
Publication of the annual plan follows a 2007 report by Professor Lorne Crerar, which sought to streamline, simplify and co-ordinate the work of the various scrutiny bodies, working through a system of risk assessments for each council. The focus for inspections increasingly reflects policy priorities agreed between ministers and the local authorities.
The Accounts Commission plays a ‘gate-keeping’ role, and the plan provides authorities with a single timetable of strategic inspections for the year ahead.
‘Better targeting has reduced the overall level of scrutiny of each council following the streamlining of the system and better co-ordination and sharing of information across the scrutiny bodies,’ Accounts Commission chair John Baillie said
‘The overall aim is to get a sharper focus on potential risks that lie ahead, so that issues can be addressed sooner and more effectively.’
