Scottish Government

Short Reviews of Social Work Services in Scottish Local Authorities

East Ayrshire Council

Overview

East Ayrshire spend for each person on social work each year at 228 is significantly below the national average of 267. East Ayrshire's community care budget has increased since
2000-2001, fewer people in every care group are receiving a community care service because the Council is targeting its resources on those service users with the most intensive needs. There are some excellent examples of good practice and joined-up working on the ground but also gaps in planning future services. The Council has to deliver a service to a population which is unevenly spread and which contain pockets of real deprivation.

The Council's achievements include:

• increases in the number of older people receiving more than 10 hours home care each week;
• a thorough and cost-effective rapid response service;
• an intermediate care initiative to provide intensive and effective rehabilitation;
• an Ayrshire-wide Healthy Living Initiative to support people with learning disabilities;
• growing uptake of Direct Payments;
• new approaches to give more control to carers to design their own services;
• an active approach to tackling absences; and
• successfully introducing Free Personal Care.

The Council needs to give urgent attention to:

• raise educational attainment for looked after children, making sure that all children and young people looked after receive full-time education and have care plans; and
• improve low performance in relation to Standard 3 to make sure that 75% of reports are sent in on time, and improve information on Standard 2 so they can monitor performance to meet the targets set as soon as possible.

The Council should also give priority to:

• making sure that it gathers and uses information on employment, education and accommodation status of all young people who receive throughcare and aftercare services;
• upgrading existing campaigns to recruit more foster carers to meet local needs;
• preparing a strategy for developing services for people with sensory impairment and plan for its introduction;
• with NHS Ayrshire and Arran, preparing a joint plan for putting the new Mental Health Act into practice, based on local needs; and
• speeding up the pace of its joint working arrangements with health.

At the moment, the Council is in the middle of introducing a new social work information management system. This process will not be finished until August 2005, and the Council has identified some under-reporting of activity, as the new arrangements were becoming part of operational practice. This is shown in apparent reductions in the number of people reported to be receiving a service in 2001-2002, compared with previous years. The Council is tackling this issue as part of the continuing process of introducing the new system.

Community Care

Services for older people

The number of older people receiving a community care service has decreased since 2000-2001, possibly a reflection of the under reporting associated with the implementation of the new information management system. The numbers receiving 20 hours or more home care each week stayed roughly the same. However, there has been a steady increase in the number of people receiving 10 hours or more of home care support. This increased by 14% from
2000-2001 and then by a further 19%. This meant that 111 more people received the service than two years ago. This rise has been made possible by reviewing home care services which resulted in improved personal care services, evening service and overnight provision. The Council expects to continue to increase the service in 2003-2004.

East Ayrshire has developed a comprehensive rapid response service with three strands.

• There is a multi-disciplinary and Ayrshire-wide service to support people who are discharged from hospital.
• A preventative service works jointly with GPs in 14 of the 17 practices. Home care, social work and occupational therapists are attached to each practice, with dedicated budgets. Packages of care are devised by joint working.
• An out-of-hours service is in place with Ayrshire and Arran NHS.

Services for people with learning disabilities

The number of people receiving a service for learning disabilities has reduced since 2000-2001, possibly a reflection of the under-reporting associated with introducing the new management information system. The rate of people receiving a service is now low compared with other authorities.

27 people have been resettled from hospital into the community - mainly to individual tenancies and to shared living or supported accommodation. The Council uses planning techniques to decide on the care and accommodation arrangements for people coming out of hospital. 20 people with learning disabilities have still to come out of hospital. However, recently the three Ayrshire local authorities and NHS Ayrshire and Arran reached agreement on the recurring costs of the retraction and it is anticipated that the 2005 deadline for closure will be met in East Ayrshire.

In partnership with Health and Housing, the councils want to develop a locality-based structure for people being resettled which fits well with the Joint Future agenda. The aim is to move people to individual tenancies, if this is what they want. The Council is changing day services to make them more person-centred and some young people now have a personalised service that allows them to do things they want to do during the day.

East Ayrshire has developed a joint approach to services, supported by Single Shared Assessment (SSA). The three Ayrshire councils, in partnership with the NHS, have set up a Healthy Living Initiative for people with learning disabilities. This has been positively evaluated. Both the NHS and the Council have databases on adults and children but are currently not able to share them electronically. Work on an all-Ayrshire basis to develop an electronic SSA for older people should provide a platform to develop electronic sharing of information for the benefit of people with learning disabilities.

Services for people with physical disabilities

Since 2000-2001, there has been a decrease in the number of people with physical disabilities receiving a community care service, possibly a reflection again of the under-reporting associated with introducing the new management information system.

The Council is reviewing procedures and guidance for equipment and adaptation services and a joint community nursing and social services equipment store is being implemented on a pan-Ayrshire basis. At present, there is no waiting list for funding, only delays relating to delivery times. Budgets are devolved to Team Leaders. Health staff can access equipment and there is some joint funding of specialist equipment.

East Ayrshire are working hard to develop the use of Direct Payments. It expects this to continue increasing. The Council will offer Direct Payments as part of Single Shared Assessment from 1 June and it has trained staff to support the process. Service users have access to Ayrshire Independent Living Network for support with employing carers. The Council also offers a five-day induction and training programme for personal assistants. This covers areas such as health and safety.

People with sensory impairment

The Council acknowledges the need for a more focused approach to developing services for sensory impairment. However, work has been going on for some time and the Council has consulted service users, who highlighted what they want out of services - improved communication, a single contact in social work and shorter waiting times (especially response time for rehabilitation staff).

No deaf-blind people are known to services. In the past year, 231 people who are deaf and hearing impaired received or are receiving a service and there were 716 instances of using sign-language interpreters.

Services for people with mental health difficulties

The number of people receiving a service for mental health difficulties has reduced since 2000-2001, possibly a reflection of the under-reporting associated with introducing the new management information system.

The Council has made progress since the last Social Work Services Inspectorate Annual Report to 'formulate, with partners, plans for progressive improvement of mental health services across the area'. However, the Joint Mental Health three-year strategy has only been funded in the first year, 2000-2001. The Council acknowledges it still has work to do to prepare for putting the Mental Health Act into practice. Earlier analysis identified the need to increase the number of Mental Health Officers and to restructure services.

Operationally, there are good relations between social work and health with care plans being funded. They are putting into practice the Single Shared Assessment (SSA). It will be compatible with the Care Programme Approach (CPA) policy and paperwork. There is joint training for SSA as well as in assessing and managing risk. Mentally disordered offenders come within CPA arrangements and the Care Programme Steering Group covers all of Ayrshire.

Tackling substance misuse

The number of people reported to be receiving a service for substance misuse problems fell between 2000-2001 and 2001-2002, possibly a reflection of the under-reporting associated with introducing the new management information system.

There are five substance misuse workers in the children and families teams, drawn from health, education and social work backgrounds. The Council has also used Changing Children's Service Fund money to fund the following:

• a parental substance misuse officer, who works across the authority with individual young people and families, supporting both other social work staff and professionals in other departments and agencies;
• a drugs officer, who works with the most vulnerable group of young people who are accommodated by the local authority or outside mainstream education (or both); and
• a drugs education adviser, who makes sure a structured educational programme is available to all young people within the authority as well as to teaching staff and care-givers.

The early years service has taken on two drugs workers who work with colleagues in Bridge addiction service, which, for the first time, has a waiting list for other than high priority groups - 100 people waiting three to six months. There has recently been a limit put on access to services, including methadone, other than for high priority groups -such as pregnant drug users, people with mental illness and where there is a child protection case.

Social work will chair a new multi-agency group. By the end of the year, a service review will be finished with a shared framework for monitoring outcomes. Health, East Ayrshire Council and the Bridge are setting up a drugs client database to make sure the service can continue.

Joining up community care services with health

Progress in improved joint working is measured through the Joint Performance Information and Assessment Framework (JPIAF), which has been agreed by SWSI, Audit Scotland and NHS Scotland. Recent evaluation of the partnership's progress in the 5 areas of joint management, joint governance, human resources, joint resourcing and Single Shared Assessment suggest that the joint arrangements are still progressing. The local partners were recommended to:

• clarify the linkages between the JFIG and locality arrangements;
• clarify the joint management of frontline services;
• clarify more fully how the joint services will work at the local level;
• clarify the time-scales for the appointment of the single managers for equipment services and rapid response services;
• state explicitly the powers of the Partnership Group;
• establish a scheme of delegation describing what decisions will be taken at each level of joint management from the Partnership Group to frontline services;
• develop a service/clinical governance policy for services aligned to GP practices;
• set out a remit and membership list for the Joint Staff Forum;
• develop a Joint OD/training plan;
• develop further the financial management arrangements (both strategic and operational) and financial protocols (both strategic and operational);
• agree a statement of a joint resourcing operational budget for older people's services;
• provide joint training to all appropriate staff in social work, housing, and health; and
• arrange for assessors to access services across social work, health and housing.

The Joint Future agenda is being taken forward through partners agreeing the full Local Partnership Agreement for Older People and the continuing commitment to extend the agreement to the other community care service user groups by April 2004.

A shared approach is integral to introducing the Joint Future agenda, along with a commitment to:

• developing seamless services across agencies through the development of integrated operational arrangements;
• taking a co-ordinated approach to both operational and strategic planning activity, including the development of care group strategies for all community care service user groups; and
• developing a Performance Management Framework to allow partners to know how effectively they are achieving their aims and priorities.

On the ground, the Council is moving the Joint Future agenda forward by integrating services on a locality basis. Joint co-ordination rather than single management is the favoured approach. Two all-Ayrshire management posts are jointly funded - in the rapid response and the joint equipment services. A dedicated finance post is helping joint resourcing. Since the NHS Board faces significant financial deficits, only the first year of the Mental Health Strategy was funded. Single Shared Assessment, developed on an all-Ayrshire basis, has been put into practice for older people and people with learning disabilities. It is extending to people with mental health problems. A performance framework is being developed to cover all client groups.

Developments such as the rapid response service for older people reflect the strength of joint working on the ground and there are other examples of good joint working across other care groups. These include:

• an out-of-hours service for people with dementia and their carers;
• a joint equipment service; and
• a joint project for people experiencing low-level mental health problems.

The Healthy Living Initiative is a good example of joint working with Ayrshire and Arran NHS and two other Ayrshire councils.

Working with carers

The number of older people and disabled children and young people reported to be receiving respite care increased between 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. The number of adults aged between 18 and 64 reported to be receiving respite care stayed about the same over the period. Improved respite services have been set up, including two respite nursing care places for older people, eight respite places for people with learning disabilities, and a respite house for adults with physical disabilities. No figures are available for carers' assessments, possibly a reflection again of the under-reporting associated with introducing the new management information system.

The Council is involved in a pilot with local carers' groups, Carers Scotland and the Scottish Executive to build the capacity of carers to be involved in planning and delivering services. There is a Carers' Strategy Group and carers and service users are represented on the Joint Future Implementation Group. East Ayrshire is committed to putting carers and service users at the heart of social work services, trying to change the culture of things done for people rather than with them. In an innovative move reflecting its commitment to working with carers as equal partners the Council has given them some control of the money for carers' services. It is looking at direct access for carers to some services. In addition, a young carer's project provides support and assistance to children and young people with caring responsibilities.

Children and Young People

Looked after children

The number of children and young people looked after increased slightly between 2000-2001 and 2001-2002. There are now 338 children and young people looked after - an increase due to:

• a rise in referrals due to domestic abuse;
• more referrals related to substance misuse; and
• a long period of high social worker vacancies which led to lack of confidence by panel members and more children being subject to compulsory measures of care.

Statistics show that the number of children and young people looked after living with friends, relatives or others in the community increased sharply in 2002-2003 but the Council does not think this is a true picture. Most of these children always lived with friends or relatives but on a voluntary basis and are now on supervision.

Fostering and adoption

At the time of the review meeting, seven children were waiting for a foster place - all aged between 10 and 14. The Council advertises widely for carers twice a year and once a year for respite carers. It has recruited eight new carers but has lost existing carers, so total numbers have stood still. There is a continuing shortage of carers. Several carers have more children than they were approved to take. The payment structure is based on enhancements and carers are entitled to six weeks' respite a year.

Five children are waiting for adoption, all aged under eight. The Council is part of the West of Scotland consortium and a lot of children are placed out of the area. The Council advertises once a year for adopters but find that there are not many adopters for older children.

Educational attainment

Fewer than five 16 to 17 year olds left care in 2001-2002 having attained standard grade English and Maths so figures on their educational attainment cannot be published. The Council has introduced the following initiatives to improve educational attainment:

• it has reduced exclusion levels by 25%;
• it monitors children and young people who are looked after;
• it holds sessions to help make up work missed and homework clubs in residential units;
• the home-school link teacher goes to all placement meetings in residential units;
• it has introduced learning partnerships based on the Glasgow learning communities;
• it has set up a Learning with Care monitoring group;
• a school links project introduces young people to colleges;
• 40 accommodated young people and their friends attended drama sessions; and
• Community assessment teams visited all schools.

Seven young people are not in full-time education. Children and young people looked after are still registered in a mainline school and the aim is to reintegrate them. If a young person is looked after at home, the Council is not aware as quickly if they are not attending as it would be if they were looked after away from home. The Council pays foster carers extra to provide social skills if young people are not in full-time education.

All children and young people looked after and accommodated have a care plan which looks at their educational needs and the plan is reviewed regularly at childcare reviews. Young people who live at home do not have care plans.

Throughcare and aftercare

The Council monitors aftercare plans for young people from the age of 15 and a half. The Council needs to improve their throughcare and aftercare information. It has accommodation information on young people who were looked after away from home; it does not hold equivalent information on employment. They only work with young people at home where there are specific difficulties and most young people who are looked after at home are not tracked by the throughcare team.

A local training organisation provides a number of supported employment places.

Most young people move to their own tenancies. The Council can provide furnished accommodation, and there are 24 tenancy support workers.

Mental health

The Council identifies mental health needs through reviews for children and young people who are looked after and through the school assessment team and community assessment team multi-disciplinary forum.

The CAMHS service is hampered by staff shortages - the number of consultant psychiatrists has dropped from four to two and social work provision within CAMHS has dropped to 20 hours. There is a nine-month waiting list for accessing CAMHS and a nine-month waiting list to see the one child and adolescent psychotherapist for the health board area. The health board are reviewing the CAMHS service. Social workers within CAMHS have been involved in seminars to raise awareness, for example, with school heads.

The NHS has set up the Leap project for children looked after away from home. There have been 30 referrals so far from East Ayrshire. The service is for young people who have identified needs around mental health issues such as attachment, separation and loss.

Child protection

The number of referrals, case conferences and registrations increased substantially between 2001 and 2002. This reflects a change in how children on the register were recorded and the increasing number of parents who misuse drugs. The increase has not continued. The Council reported that latest figures are almost back to the 2001 level, but the number of registrations has shown a slight increase.

The Council is putting in place a number of child protection initiatives.

• In a new quality monitoring system, CPR 'core details' are sent to team leaders on a two-weekly basis for accuracy checks, a weekly 'contact record' form has been introduced, a range of standardised forms and sections have been introduced to child protection case files, and all case files are audited within six months.
• The child protection co-ordinator is developing inter-agency training plans.
• An independent reviewing officer reports to the Child Protection Committee on areas for developing services.
• A seconded health visitor advises health staff on child protection.
• A child protection library is being set up.
• An increase in the number of staff undertaking the Dundee University Certificate in Child Protection.
• Additional resources available to vulnerable families.

Children with disabilities

The children with disabilities team works with 95 children and young people and fieldwork teams work with 59 children. Five children with complex needs are accommodated and living away from home. The Council provides a wide range of services.

• Social work and education run and jointly fund a summer playscheme. Occupational therapists see children at the playscheme rather than having to make home visits and a nurse is employed.
• A young carers' project works with young carers as young as six.
• 50 young people use residential respite provided by NCH and the health board. 26 get outreach services (12 young people are waiting for residential respite).
• Fewer than five children get a shared care service and 12 get shared care plus. The Council is also assessing two extra shared carers.
• Nine children get outreach services from Hansel supports.
• 20 families get care at home.
• Nine young people get a befriending service.
• Families have identified a need for leisure activities and as a result, two after-school groups are being piloted for 18 children where they pick activities they want to do.

At the time of the review meeting, there were 30 unallocated cases for children with disabilities. The Council is carrying out a service review of social care services for children with disabilities. A service officer and co-ordinator links back to health to provide co-ordinated packages of care. The co-ordinator will also work on Single Shared Assessment and information systems and produce proposals for an integrated service. A joint transition protocol is in place and young people are being picked up at an early stage and are receiving packages of care. Children and families workers complete the community care assessment.

Working of children's hearings

In 2001-2002, while all the Council's supervision requirements met Standard 15 (the local authority to give effect to supervision requirements with no condition of residence within 15 working days of issue by the children's hearings), only 19% of reports met Standard 3 (submitted with 20 working days of the date of request). No information is available in relation to Standard 2 (referrals to be made within five working days of the case conference) in 2001-2002. The Reporter does not regard attendance at initial child protection case conferences (where the decision is made to refer to the Reporter) as sufficient to meet the standard. Decisions of the case conferences are now circulated within five days, followed by the minutes. Matters should be resolved by 2003-2004. It is encouraging that the Council has introduced measures to improve the situation with staff in children and families, criminal justice and youth justice paid overtime over the last year to deal with the backlog. The Council has also introduced a monthly monitoring report. If reports are more than eight weeks late, a summary visit is carried out and the Reporter is provided with a page of information.

Youth Justice

The youth justice team, including fast track staff, and the CYST team are trained in the assessment tool YLS/CMI to help in deciding on the risk and needs presented by the young person. The team leader for youth justice fast-track monitors the use of YLS. The youth justice team also uses the Scottish Executive risk assessment framework to provide an understanding of the possible harm a young person may cause to others. The framework is usually used only with the older age group where there has been serious offending. The team delivers individual programmes to the young person.

The Council also provides a pilot area for fast-track children's hearings. Two dedicated social workers are based in the youth justice team and there is an extra worker within the Change project to work with sexually aggressive young people. The fast-track pilot covers all of Ayrshire and the three authorities meet with the Reporter and police to monitor the processes and track re-referral data to evaluate the effect of the service.

There is a partnership between South and East Ayrshire with NCH to deliver intensive community support - befriending, mentoring, outreach, and so on. A service-level agreement with NCH provides for an intensive support unit for four young people who would otherwise be in secure accommodation or residential school. In addition, East Ayrshire Council also made a successful bid to develop an intensive support service within East Ayrshire.

SACRO also provides a restorative conferencing project. YLS assessment is carried out at different points and when young people finish a module to see if there are changes in attitude and behaviour. The Council pays SACRO for a reparation and mediation service which is aimed at diverting first-time offenders from the criminal justice and children's hearings systems. Most referrals come from the Reporter but a small number are received from the Procurator Fiscal and from social work. The scheme has been extended to include more serious and persistent offenders and to introduce the restorative conferencing approach.

Criminal Justice

Structure

North, South and East Ayrshire operate as a partnership for delivery of criminal justice social work services. Strategic direction for the partnership is provided by a partnership management group, comprising elected members from each authority, Directors/Chief social work officers and criminal justice managers.

Workload

Demand for core services has risen in 2002-2003 with a 7% increase in social enquiry reports, a 22% increase in probation orders, and a 14% increase in Community Service Orders. There are variations between constituent authorities with East Ayrshire experiencing a 13% rise in social enquiry reports, South Ayrshire a 69% rise in community service orders and North Ayrshire a 30% increase in probation orders. Whilst the overall trend is upward, particularly in probation, there has been some fluctuation in the demand for services over the past four years with some significant dips. Managers report staff to be working under considerable pressure to meet current demands, a situation not helped by some long term sickness and staff vacancies. This has, in particular, led to the "stacking" of community service orders in North Ayrshire Council, with delayed starts, and to an acknowledgement that other national standards are not always being met. The three authorities have performed well in relation to prompt submission of social enquiry reports.

Effective practice

The partnership uses the tool LSI-R to assess risk of re-offending and criminogenic need. The YLS/CMI version is used for 16-18 year olds. Other risk assessment tools used include the Scottish Executive risk assessment framework, the 'Change' domestic violence assessment, the Dunscore risk of custody scale and TayPrep 30 and Matrix 2000 for sex offenders.

The partnership recently reviewed aspects of its core services. Probation is well targeted though there are inconsistencies in service provision and in the way orders are enforced and performance monitored. Similar inconsistencies were uncovered in respect of Supervised Attendance Orders. The review recommends a 'pan Ayrshire' approach to the development of core services. In addition, a review of Court services addresses the current anomaly of two local authorities providing a service at one sheriff court. A review of Community Service is not yet complete.

There are a number of new initiatives. Already up and running are an intensive probation project for young offenders and an Ayrshire wide bail service. An Ayrshire wide Drug Treatment and Testing Order scheme will be introduced later in the year. Criminal Justice and Children and Family teams are co-operating in developing youth justice services, including implementing the Fast Track Children's hearing pilot project and introducing the Intensive Probation Project for young offenders. The 'Change' domestic violence programme is scheduled to commence early next year within South Ayrshire Council with a view to subsequent roll out across the partnership. A post has been funded to help create a pathway for a joint health/social work forensic team. The Progress 2 Work service (for those with drug problems) is now in place across Ayrshire, complementing the existing employment initiative commissioned from Apex.

All these initiatives show that the partnership is putting significant effort into service development. The evidence suggests, however, that that there is still some way to go in developing both a consistent and comprehensive set of services across the partnership and a consistent approach to monitoring standards and effectiveness. There have been some difficulties with staff sickness and recruitment but it is concerning that there have been delays in allocating offenders to community service and problems in meeting other national standards.

Public protection

The partnership is developing a service for sex offenders. The so-called Ayrshire 'Change' initiative (not to be confused with the domestic violence initiative) has commissioned a State Hospital psychologist to develop a 2-1 programme for use with sex offenders. The programme is intended to meet the particular needs of staff working with sex offenders in rural areas and the plan is to submit it for accreditation during 2004.

Quality assurance

Some work has begun across the partnership in developing systems to evaluate outcomes. The introduction of practitioner-based management information systems will assist in this.

Human Resource

Structure of the workforce

Merging social services with education has caused a discrepancy in the staffing returns and made analysis difficult. The main features of change are:

• since 2000-2001, the number of staff working in home care almost doubled, although some of the increase reflects re-classification of existing staff; and
• numbers of middle management have been reduced and front-line staff increased, while the overall numbers of social workers has stayed fairly constant. Resource constraints on the department are likely to limit the amount to which the workforce can increase.

The overall vacancy rate is around 25% with particular problems in recruiting qualified social workers - particularly within Children and Families - occupational therapists and residential staff. The turnover each year is around 12% while 170 of the workforce are over 55. Latest figures provided by the Council but not yet confirmed suggest that, at the end of June 2003, there were 94.2 social workers (whole time equivalent including vacancies) compared with 92 in October 2002 and that the number of social work vacancies was 15 as compared with 22 in October 2002.

In terms of recruiting and keeping staff, the Council has focused on rolling out a staff development scheme and encouraging its current non-qualified workforce to study for qualifications and creating a career path into senior practitioner posts for experienced basic grade staff.

Support for staff

The Council has introduced policies on managing workload, supervision and employment review. The employment review, being rolled out across the Council including home care staff, will explore the skills needed for the job and jobholder and encourages longer-term development.

The Council also offers:

• training on stress management;
• an independent counselling service; and
• corporate occupational health packages.

The Council is also planning to introduce family-friendly and work-life balance policies. It is also preparing a more structured approach to delivering training on working alone and personal safety.

Overall, absence rates in the Council are 4% for APT&C staff and 5% for manual staff. Within social work, the absence rate is around 8%, with highest levels found in home care. The Council is currently reviewing how and when it takes action on absences which become long-term, with occupational health staff taking a more pro-active role earlier in the process.

Working towards a more highly qualified workforce

The Council produces a training plan each year and is in the process of reviewing its three-year training strategy. The Council is currently supporting seven staff on the Open University diploma course and a further two staff are attending Glasgow Caledonian University. A further three staff members will begin secondments in January. The Council pays staff extra for taking practice placements and achieving Mental Health Officer qualification.

Preparing for Registration

East Ayrshire is due to register its social workers in summer 2004 and wants to learn from other authorities' experience. In the meantime, it is reviewing all staffing policies and procedures and identifying gaps in qualifications. The Council already expects residential child care staff to have SVQ3 and is confident its staff will be qualified to register. To support this process, it has an SVQ assessment centre.

Race Equality

A Race Equality Scheme is supported by a local action plan which sets out how individual areas have been prioritised for carrying out an assessment against the general duty in the Act. All functions within the social work service are due to be assessed by April 2004.

Use of Information Communications Technology (ICT)

Social Services Department

There are about two staff to each PC. All PCs are linked to the Intranet, but a senior officer must approve Internet access. ICT developments have been driven from within the Council as a whole but with little social work involvement. Social work now has a more proactive role. The Council is phasing in a new Anite SWIM system to provide a fully integrated system across social work services, allowing on-line recording by practitioners. The systems should also support the sharing of electronic information in due course.

Partnerships

The three Ayrshire councils and NHS partners have agreed a protocol for Single Shared Assessment. They have issued staff guidance and developed a training programme. An information leaflet is available for service users.

The Ayrshire partnership is part of the MGF2 eCare programme and expects to have an electronic system in place by 2005 - to be applied at first to services for older people. In the meantime, information sharing for Single Shared Assessment is paper-based. The Council is assessing two options involving shared information through email as a temporary solution or using existing electronic systems of sharing information from mental health.

Background Profile

Over the last 10 years, the population of East Ayrshire has reduced faster than the national rate and is expected to fall still further. The population is unevenly spread out. Two-thirds live in the smaller districts of Kilmarnock and Loudoun to the north and one third in the larger ex-mining districts of Cumnock and Doon Valley.

The Council's area is made up of a mix of urban, small town and rural communities, each with strong identities. Particular features of the area are the pockets of extreme disadvantage, particularly in and around Kilmarnock and in the more rural south. Drug misuse rates and recorded crimes are below the national average

Spend for every person on social work in 2001-2002 was 228, whereas for Scotland it was 267.

Expected population change

Community Care

G32

Expenditure on community care services rose initially in 2000-2001, then fell back to just above earlier levels in 2001-2002.

Children and Young People

Expenditure on children's services rose steadily in the period 1999-2002.

Criminal Justice

Human Resources