Directors to lobby government over cash

The Association of Directors of Social Services was expected to
pass a motion to lobby the government for more funding at its
spring seminar in Oxford this week. The motion calls for more cash
for social services departments in this year’s local government
finance white paper.

Hounslow Council social services director Susanna White, who was
due to propose the motion at the spring seminar, told Community
Care: “We want the government to look carefully at costs and
pressures on social services and to develop realistic funding
structures. Money coming into the system is just not
sufficient.”

Directors were also due to debate the need for the Department of
Health to work with the ADSS to develop joint initiatives to ease
the pressure on child care services in the capital.

The ADSS is concerned about the pressure London councils are
under when dealing with the increased number of looked-after
children and unaccompanied young asylum seekers.

A motion calling for the government to work with the ADSS to
look at ways of meeting demand for nursing and residential home
places in the South East was also due to be debated.