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SOCIAL SERVICES NORTH WEST (NWASSA)
MEETING TO BE HELD AT ROCHDALE ON 17 MARCH 2000
REPORT OF THE CO-ORDINATOR
FUTURE DIRECTION FOR SOCIAL SERVICES NORTH WEST (NWASSA)
1. Matter for Consideration
To review the options for the future direction of Social Services North West (NWASSA) and to invite members' comments
in advance of a definitive report to the June 2000 meeting.
2. Introduction
Following decisions taken by NWASSA on 17 September 1999 at Bolton, the agreed post of Co-ordinator has been filled
by Peter Hewitt, former Director of Community and Social Services at Salford, for a period of one year. From the
same date, Peter Viggers, Professional Assistant, transferred to the employment of Lancashire Social Services and
the post of part-time Clerical Assistant is in the process of recruitment. A Social Services North West office
has been established in Room 223 at East Cliff County Offices, Preston. Social Services North West (NWASSA) is
therefore poised for a period of rapid development, in accordance with members' wishes. This report raises a series
of issues for consultation with members about the future direction of the organisation. Following this, a definitive
report will be submitted to the June meeting for firm decisions to be taken.
3. Information
3.1 Past history and achievements of NWASSA
NWASSA was formed in the early 1980's as the successor to the statutory North West Children's Regional Planning
Committee, which was abolished by the Conservative Government. Members and officers with social services responsibilities
had experienced the value of co-operation on issues of regional significance, and decided to continue working together
through NWASSA. The agenda was broadened to include the whole range of social services responsibilities, and down
the years NWASSA has made a major impact in many areas, including the following:
· Development of a regional strategy for secure accommodation for children. The aim was to ensure, through adapting existing resources and developing new ones, a mix of units which reflected the needs of the region's children based on gender, age and presenting problem. The aim was to ensure that secure accommodation was only used as a last resort and in the best interests of the child. As a result, new capital resources of over £10 million were attracted to develop The Dales in Lancashire and Barton Moss in Salford.
· Major Incidents - the Social Services Role. NWASSA had already begun to work on updating the role of SSDs in major incidents when the Hillsborough football stadium disaster struck in 1989. An emergency meeting of NWASSA was convened, and massive support from across the region was supplied in Liverpool and the surrounding areas which were most affected. For the longer-term, NWASSA appointed a Crisis Psychology Adviser/Trainer to assist in developing the social services response in the aftermath of disasters. A Civil Emergencies Planning Manual was produced in 1993 and an ongoing programme of conferences, staff training and networking has continued, with NWASSA's work in this field attracting international interest.
· Directory of Children's Residential Facilities. This was established in 1993 to fulfil a need within member authorities for reliable information about facilities which are registered and used by authorities in the region. Information is held on over 100 establishments and regularly updated.
· Regional Liaison with the National Health Service. From its formation, NWASSA worked closely with the North Western and Mersey Regional Health Authorities, and this has continued with their various successor bodies. The Model District Service document agreed with NWRHA led to a ten year strategy (1988-98) for the resettlement of over 2000 people from long stay hospitals for people with a learning disability to ordinary homes right across the region. NWASSA played a crucial role in sustaining this process through many difficulties, with the result that by the end of the strategy, not only were all the hospitals closed, but some £80 million had been transferred and reinvested in high-quality community facilities in Greater Manchester and Lancashire. A parallel process had led to closure of the hospitals in the former Mersey region. Similar liaison has taken place with the NHS over Mental Health matters, the necessary joint working following the implementation of the Community Care reforms in 1993, coping with winter pressures, and a variety of other issues.
· Foster Care. NWASSA continued the role of the former Children's Regional Planning Committee in determining a basic regional pattern of Boarding Out Allowances, to try and avoid competition and confusion amongst the many authorities in a densely populated region. This approach has recently proved more difficult to sustain, as some authorities seek to move towards the rates recommended by the National Foster Care Association, whilst others feel financially constrained from doing so. However, a working group continues to look at wider issues in the light of the new National Standards and the Quality Protects initiative, and future regional events are planned.
3.2 Review of current work programme
NWASSA's work programme over recent months has comprised the following main issues:
· Major incidents - see above. A successful event last year on planning for Year 2000 issues has led to proposals for a further conference, jointly with the Emergency Planning Society on issues of mutual concern.
· Liaison with the NHS Executive North West - see above. A joint meeting last November was reported on at the December meeting, and a further one is planned shortly.
· Foster Care. Plans are being made for a consultation event on foster care to demonstrate examples of good practice across the region and involving foster carers, councillors and officers. A further event is being planned on recruitment issues.
· Delayed discharges. Quarterly monitoring of the position across the region is maintained through a trawl of information which is then reported at each meeting. There has been a general downward trend, though it remains a significant issue for some authorities, especially when winter pressures are at their height.
· Monitoring the Community Care market. The North West Business Management Group, comprising representatives from SSDs, the NHS and the Social Services Inspectorate, has since 1993 been conducting detailed surveys of the patterns of care for elderly people in the North West, and this is now being extended from residential and nursing care to include domiciliary care.
· Quality Protects. This Government initiative to improve standards in children's services will, from time to time, generate issues of regional significance, and links are being established with the Department of Health's Regional Development Officer.
· Asylum seekers. This issue has gained significance recently as concerns grow about the planned dispersal of asylum seekers across the country. A trawl of information from across the region is being presented to this meeting in a separate report.
3.3 Options for development
Now that Social Services North West has invested in increased operational capacity, it is both possible and necessary
to consider how that increased capacity is best used to further the aims and objectives of the organisation. It
is suggested that this report should be the beginning of a three-month consultation period amongst the members
of Social Services North West and the officers who support them. The results of this consultation will be presented
for the consideration of members at their June 2000 meeting as the basis of the organisation's work programme for
the forthcoming year. It is suggested that the future work programme could be built up from the following components:
· Existing work to be continued/developed. Many of the areas of work outlined in sections 3.1 and 3.2 continue to be relevant to current concerns and should continue. It is suggested however that the opportunity is taken to review whether all these topics should remain centre-stage, or whether space should be made to allow more new issues to be addressed.
· Possible new areas of work to be undertaken. The agenda for the personal social services is bristling with new initiatives, mostly from national government, and members and officers in authorities are already under pressure in terms of how they can all be adequately responded to. It would be both impossible and inappropriate for Social Services North West to seek to address them all, but there will be some capacity for additional work, where a regional perspective would be useful.
It is proposed that the consultation be undertaken in two main ways: firstly, by visits by the Co-ordinator
to each member authority to hear direct the comments and concerns of Chairs/Lead Members and their Directors; and
secondly through the North West Branch of the Association of Directors of Social Services. There has always been
a close working relationship between NWASSA and ADSS NW, and they cover the same area except for Cumbria (for whom
special arrangements will need to be made). Officers of NWASSA have always depended heavily on the contributions
of Directors and their staff, and this will need to continue. It is hoped that the working relationship can be
developed appropriately to ensure that members' concerns and priorities are effectively supported and worked on
by officers, both of Social Services North West and of individual member authorities.
3.4 Restating the aims and objectives of Social Services North West
It is suggested that the June 2000 meeting would be an appropriate opportunity not only to set the framework of
the work programme for the forthcoming year, but to restate the aims and objectives of the organisation in terms
which are relevant to the current context in which we operate. They were last revised some 12 years ago, but with
little alteration in meaning might usefully be restated in terms such as those set out in the Appendix. Comments
on this draft will be most welcome, with a view to a final version being adopted at the next meeting.
3.5 Raising the profile of Social Services North West
It is understood that members are also seeking a raised public profile for the organisation, in which it will become
an effective voice for raising standards of social services provision in the region and 'telling it how it is'
in terms of the realities of delivering effective services in the face of increasing expectations and tight constraints.
Possible means of achieving a higher profile could include:
· A newsletter for member authorities, produced quarterly (shortly after each meeting) to highlight key decisions and to invite input where appropriate.
· A conference programme in which issues of concern to members could be addressed in greater depth than is possible in a business meeting. NWASSA has a successful record of occasional conferences and this could be developed more systematically. Often it will be opportune (as in two instances mentioned above) to co-operate with other regional bodies on issues of mutual concern.
· A website with information about Social Services North West, its work and its members, with effective links to the many other sites with relevant material about social services issues. The website would be both an effective and important source of information for our members, but also bring the organisation to much wider attention. Because of the work involved to build an effective site, however, this should be seen as a medium-term rather than an immediate objective.
· Liaison with other regional and national bodies can be further developed so that the potential of Social Services North West to represent its members, and develop collaborative links on their behalf, is fully realised. Specifically, it is hoped to develop closer links with the Local Government Association (LGA), to support and inform their representation of social services issues nationally.
· A media strategy, so that the voice of those engaged in delivering personal social services across the North West is effectively heard by local and regional media. It should be stressed however that NWASSA has never commented on issues within individual member authorities, and it is suggested that this practice continue. The development of a media strategy also needs to be seen as a medium to long-term objective.
4. Recommendations
4.1 That the report be noted
4.2 That consultation now begin on the revised aims and objectives and future work programme for Social Services
North West, and that members contribute to this process.
4.3 That a further report be prepared for the June 2000 meeting setting out proposals for revised aims and objectives,
a work programme for the forthcoming year, and a more detailed strategy for raising the profile of the organisation.
APPENDIX
SOCIAL SERVICES NORTH WEST (NWASSA)
PROPOSED STATEMENT OF AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Social Services North West (NWASSA*) is the member-level body which represents the local authorities in the
North West of England which have responsibility for the personal social services.
Social Services North West works with its members and others to promote high quality local authority services in
the North West of England by
-considering issues relating to the personal social services which are of regional or sub-regional significance, and making recommendations to member authorities.
-promoting good practice in the personal social services amongst member authorities.
-making representations to Government on behalf of member authorities on the implications for the North West of Government policies for the personal social services and related matters.
-working with other regional and national bodies on behalf of member authorities to promote high quality public services.
Social Services North West (NWASSA) is governed by quarterly meetings attended by the Chairs and Directors of each member authority, or their representatives. There is a small staff team based at Preston.
* NWASSA stands for the North West Association of Social Services Authorities.
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