East Riding`s children services are effective

East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s children’s
services are effective, according to a Social Services Inspectorate
report.

The report concludes the council has responded well to a joint
review of social services in 1999 which found that while many
people were well served, family support centres were
under-developed and services for children with a disability were
fragmented.

However, services for children with a disability still required
“further attention”, says the report, pointing to the limited
availability of respite care and under-developed co-ordination
between the different agencies involved.

The inspection also points to the over-representation of ethnic
minority families on the child protection register, although this
could be explained by the small numbers involved, and the support
provided to a significant number of temporary refugees.

In a list of 19 recommendations, the report highlights the need
for an “urgent review” of the council’s emergency
out-of-hours service, which it describes as a “potentially
vulnerable part of the service”.