Swindon joins others on intensive care list

A fifth zero-rated social services department has had a performance
action team sent in by the Department of Health to help raise
standards.

Swindon social services has joined zero-star departments at
Walsall, Coventry, Birmingham and North East Lincolnshire, which
have been working with performance action teams since August.

The troubled council has already seen the departure of its chief
executive Paul Doherty this year following a number of critical
inspections of its departments. It also lost its social services
director Marie Seaton, who had been on stress-related sick leave
and was replaced two months ago by acting director Jerry
Oliver.

Meanwhile, Haringey Council, another of the 12 local authorities
with no stars, has requested the help of private consultants KPMG
to improve its performance.

The company, which will work specifically to make improvements in
children’s services, began work last week and will stay at the
council until March next year.

While the number of zero-star social services departments has now
risen from 10 to 12, the number of one-star social services
departments has fallen from 82 to 75. The number of two-star
departments has risen from 50 to 52, and the number of three-stars
has risen from eight to 11.