Inspectors call on councils to self-audit

Social services departments are to begin work on an audit of
their children’s services following the publication of
Victoria Climbié Report.

David Behan, president of the Association of Directors of Social
Services, said the Social Services Inspectorate had written to him
stating all councils would be expected to do a self-audit, which
would involve comparing their services against the recommendations
for best practice in the report.

The information would be submitted to the SSI by April and then
passed to the Department of Health.

The Commission for Health Improvement will ask health bodies to
carry out similar work on their services in response to
Laming’s recommendations.

Behan said that the ADSS welcomed the report but added that the
green paper on children at risk, which will be published in the
spring, would have to include information on how councils could
implement the proposed management board for children and families.
The report says the board would be overseen by a committee but it
does not mention the cabinet system introduced in most councils
following the Local Government Act 2000.

“We will be looking for the green paper to acknowledge that
there are new political structures and it will have to look at how
the recommendations fit into that,” said Behan.