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Swindon social services department has been warned in a joint review report that it will need to improve significantly because it is only serving some service users well, writes Anabel Unity Sale.

A joint review by the Audit Commission and the Social Services Inspectorate found that the council’s prospects for improvement were poor without concerted change. This comes just a few weeks after the council was given a zero star rating in the first round of the new performance rating system.

The authority has high aspirations and ambition, the joint review report says, but it has not yet "got to grips with some key aspects of corporate management and with the complexity of social care issues".
The report says Swindon’s corporate objectives are not well defined, there is a lack of vision for social services, and no overall leadership and direction within the council. It adds: "Adults’ services have suffered because of lack focus on the core arrangement for assessing people’s needs and organising services to help."

Sue Mead, assistant review director, said: "Strong leadership will be needed to formulate and drive through improvements at Swindon social services. Councillors and officers need to understand their roles and take their respective responsibility for putting things right."

Marie Seaton, Swindon council director of housing and social services, said: "I regret some areas haven’t been successful as they might have been, but we’ve improved a great deal in the year since this inspection."