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The chief inspector of social services in Wales has warned of increasing difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff in the country.

In his third annual report Graham Williams calls for renewed efforts to maintain staff morale and says that staff recruitment and retention can only be improved through strong partnerships involving employers, staff, trainers, local government and the National Assembly of Wales.

The report says that good service and professional leadership is more vital than ever, and stresses that directors play a pivotal role.

"The director must champion the cause of social services, and those who need them, and bring the perspective of social services into corporate strategies," it says.

The document also identifies a number of key trends in social services. It shows that the overall level of staff in the social care workforce with qualifications has risen from 19.1 per cent to 23.6 per cent.

The report highlights the growing tendency for authorities to "spot purchase" residential placements where children have complex needs. Councils were also using the private sector to purchase foster care placements on a similar basis where they were experiencing a shortfall in their own provision.

"These arrangements while expedient often do not represent best value or good practice. Being placed outside their home area can limit children's opportunities for them to have contact with their families, friends and even their social workers," says the report. It goes on to highlight the need for authorities to make placements part of a comprehensive placement strategy.

In the section on adult services the report notes that joint working requires close collaboration. It warns that the demands of one agency should not overwhelm the objectives of another.

"The added value of jointly organised service delivery should be improved service delivery and bringing together a range of skills and experience," it says.

- Social Services in Wales 2000-1 Report of the Chief Inspector from www.wales.gov.uk/subisocialpolicy/