The Care Inspectorate Wales spent two weeks inspecting Social Services, Children’s Services, earlier this year and reported back on the many positive aspects and good work within the service. These included that Blaenau Gwent:
• Has a committed workforce
• Has responded to the challenge of lack of placements for Looked After Children by employing a recruitment officer and developing professional foster carers and child and parent placements
• Promotes stability, safety and the wellbeing of Looked After Children and care leavers
• Has a stable management group which staff see as approachable and supportive
• Has high aspirations for Looked After Children
• Value young people and make sure their voices are heard
• Ensures that children & young people are benefitting from safe stable placements
• Ensures children & young people leaving care have effective support to transition to adulthood
• Ensures that children & young people are protected through effective application of multiagency safeguarding and child protection thresholds
Care Inspectorate Wales also identified areas for improvement and an action plan has been drawn up, which the Executive Committee also supported today.
As part of the inspection CIW interviewed children; parents and relatives; employees, councillors, senior officers, the Director of Social Services and the Managing Director of the Council. They also spoke to partner organisations and reviewed files.
Councillor John Mason, the Council’s Executive Member for Social Services said:
“We welcome this report into Children’s Services which contains so many positives in how we work to protect and nurture children & young people in the care of the county borough. I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to our dedicated social services employees who are committed to caring for and supporting the vulnerable children & young people in our county borough.
“There are some areas earmarked for improvement and we see this as a real opportunity to take a close look at the way in which Children’s Services are delivered, and will work hard to make the necessary improvements.”