News

Pembrokeshire council has become the latest Welsh local authority to receive a poor rating for its social services department from the joint review team, writes Anabel Unity Sale.

The report by the Audit Commission in Wales and the Social Services Inspectorate in Wales found that Pembrokeshire’s social services served some people well, but its prospects for future improvements were uncertain.

It says the council’s day care services were not well targeted at those most in need and many assessments and plans seen by the team were of poor quality and lacked user focus.

The joint reviewers said they were most concerned about Pembrokeshire’s adult assessment and care management team that deals with older and disabled people, which had 54 unallocated cases. The team also found referrals were not being screened effectively; there were 76 outstanding care reviews and 240 overdue reviews of people in residential care.

Pembrokeshire’s children’s services also had 94 children with disabilities who had never had their needs assessed, but were receiving respite care or help from a childcare support worker. Despite this, the service recognised it had problems and action was being pursued to tackle them.

Joint reviews assistant director Sue Mead said: "There are some good social services in Pembrokeshire that support service users well, but also problems in people getting access to that help in a timely, organised way." She added that the review should help the local authority shape its priorities for social care.

Maurice Hughes, leader of Pembrokeshire council, said the authority had used the report's recommendations to develop an action plan to improve services.