Services for children and young people in need of care and protection in Orkney have made key improvements in the last two years.
An earlier joint inspection carried out by the Care Inspectorate and partner organisations between August and October 2019 identified weaknesses in the way services were led and delivered.
Joint inspections focus on how well services are working together to improve the lives of children and young people who have experienced or are at risk of abuse and neglect, and those who are, or have been, looked after by the local authority.
Inspectors looked at how staff worked together across a range of services in the Orkney Community Planning Partnership area, including social work, health and education staff, police officers, and children’s reporters.
The regulator has today published a second progress report, following up on two remaining priority areas for improvement needed across services. These were the ability to evidence the difference changes were making to children and that children’s lives were improving, and also the involvement of children and families in decisions about their lives.
Edith Macintosh, interim Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: “We are confident that, with the strengthened approach to self-evaluation and willingness to be outward looking, partners are determined to maintain the momentum that they have built over the last two years. Their significant effort since the original inspection has seen the introduction of many of the key components to achieving the cultural change they aspire to. There is compelling evidence of increased safety for children and early signs of increasing confidence amongst families.
“Given the challenges that partners continue to face, progress remains finely balanced. They are likely to need the continued support and innovative thinking from scrutiny partners and other stakeholders to find medium and longer-term solutions to the challenges. Such support will also help them to test, validate and evidence progress and identify areas in need of further improvement, maintain engagement and build the confidence of staff and children and families.”
With this support and monitoring over the next year, the regulator anticipates seeing continued improvement in the partnership’s strategic approach to achieving their goals, as well as in outcomes for children and families.
Given the progress made and the commitment of leaders to continued improvement, there will be no further formal reviews specifically related to the 2019 inspection. However, the partnership will be asked to report and provide evidence on their progress by March 2023.
The full report can be read here.
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