News

A new report warns that social services in Wales face a £9m shortfall.

The report by the Association of Directors of Social Services (Wales) says that social services budgets are over-committed as councils struggle to fund services for an increasing number of looked-after children and older people.

Children's services are facing the greatest financial crisis, accounting for 75 per cent of the total overspend predicted for Wales.

The report says that a number of UK-wide programmes such as Children First and Sure Start have been effective in identifying previously unmet need and as a result the number of children requiring some form of social care has risen by 6.7 per cent between 1997 and 2000.

Other extra pressures identified for children's services include providing more children with social care because of earlier diagnosis of conditions for those with disabilities and rising expectations of parents. There is also the issue of children remaining in care longer, increasing use of more expensive private sector services because of shortage of foster carers plus meeting new burdens created by the introduction of assessment frameworks as well as government legislation such as the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000.

With community care services the report identified extra pressures arising from an increase in the size of the 18 to 65 population with special needs, and with the over-65s in general - both as a result of improvements in health.

The report also highlights problems in meeting the increased charges made by private sector providers for services such as places in care homes, organising care packages for those affected by winter bed pressures in the NHS and meeting increased expectations following the report of the Royal Commission on the Long-Term Care of the Elderly.

Across all service areas, says the report, there is increased pressure on budgets because of the need to meet new standards in regulating and training staff as laid down by the Care Standards Inspectorate.

ADSS (Wales) resources group chairperson Colin Berg said: "There has been great emphasis recently on the value of joint working in meeting the health and social care needs of the people of Wales. We must begin to see health and social services as one system and realise that improving funding in one part without addressing the needs of the other part will only create new pressures and reduce the overall effectiveness of the whole system."

- For more on the report go to www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/council/news/