Squeeze on older people’s services

Social services departments in Wales have overspent by £13m in
this financial year, a figure three times higher than last year, a
report from the Association of Directors of Social Services
reveals.

Children’s services are the main budgetary pressure and only two of
the 22 Welsh councils are projecting an underspend for 2003-4,
according to the report.

To offset the overspend in children’s services, eligibility
criteria for services to older people have been tightened in many
Welsh councils to the point where the threshold is now high, the
report warns.

Nonetheless, it says services for older people is still the second
most significant area of spending.

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