News

Swindon Council social services department has been warned in a joint review report that it will need to significantly change because it is only serving some service users well.

The joint review by the Audit Commission and the Department of Health found that the council's prospects for improvement were poor without concerted change. This comes just weeks after Swindon Council was awarded a zero star rating in the first round of the new performance rating system (News, page 6, 30 May).

Although the authority has high aspirations and ambition, the joint review report says 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, and there is a lack of vision for social services and no overall leadership and direction within the council.

"Adults' services have suffered because of lack of focus on the core arrangement for assessing people's needs and organising services to help," it says.

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."