Social services in Wales suffers overspend

Social services departments across Wales have overspent by
£13 million in the current financial year, a figure three
times higher than at the same time last year, a new report from the
Association of Directors of Social Services reveals,
writes Alex Dobson.

The report said that the main budget pressure is in
children’s services and that only two authorities out of a
total of 22 are projecting an under-spend for the current financial
year.

While the main pressure is in children’s services, the
second most significant area is spending on services for older
people.

The report warned that in order to offset the overspend in
children’s services, eligibility criteria for services to
older people have been tightened and the threshold is now high in
many authorities across Wales.

But it said that the effects of demographic changes, with the
latest census figures showing an increase in the 80 plus population
by up to 25 per cent over the next 10 years, will mean that for the
first time many authorities will not be able to create under-spends
in their budgets for older people.