Halton criticised for slow assessments

Poor services at Halton Council in Cheshire are placing vulnerable
children and older people at risk, according to a new joint review
by the Audit Commission and Social Services Inspectorate.

The council’s social services department is criticised for taking
too long to assess children, for its high re-registration rates on
the at-risk register and low compliance with six-weekly visits to
children on the register. In March 2001, 88 per cent of child
protection reviews were held on time.

High numbers of looked-after children were also being placed with
foster carers outside the borough, and placements were increasingly
breaking down.

Older people endured delays in discharge from hospital, long waits
for aids and adaptations in the home and received limited home
support, the report says.