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SSNW eNews
The newsletter of Social Services North West (NWASSA)
Number 1 March 2000
For the new century, it’s Social Services North West
A new image for NWASSA for the year 2000: it will be known as Social Services North West. The quarterly meeting held at Rochdale on Friday 17 March, confirmed a new Future Direction for Social Services North West. The ‘new-look’ Social Services North West will have the following elements:
-a brand new annual Work Programme for Social Services North West from June 2000, based on the priorities of member authorities identified through consultation
-a new Social Services North West Office and staff team, based at Lancashire Social Services HQ at East Cliff, Preston
-a pro-active approach to liaison with other bodies with whom we share interests, including the Local Government Association (LGA), the NHS Executive North West, the Social Care Group of the Department of Health
-a programme of conferences on key issues concerning members
-a raised public profile for SSNW, including a quarterly newsletter SSNW News (you are reading its first edition), a comprehensive website SSNWeb to be launched in the Autumn, and a new strategy for engaging the media on social services issues in the region
More later about the Future Direction
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS: SSNW sends a strong message
NWASSA has in the past strongly supported the establishment of a post of Children's Rights Commissioner in England.
Now Social Services North West is determined to urge the Government for full implementation of the role, in accordance
with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Waterhouse Inquiry report "Lost in Care", on the
abuse of children in care in North Wales, had as its first recommendation the appointment of an independent Children's
Commissioner for Wales. The Secretary of State for Health has confirmed his intention to appoint a national Children's
Rights Director, as part of the National Care Commission. Social Services North West was concerned, however that
the Government would restrict the remit to children in care and residential schools, negating the wider brief envisaged
by NWASSA and adopted by the LGA and many other bodies. From the chair, Cllr Alan Stephenson (Wigan) stressed the
need to reaffirm our commitment to the full wide-ranging concept of a Children’s Rights Commissioner.
Hot news on the hot issues: Social Services North West Meeting 17 March
ASYLUM SEEKERS
The rapidly changing picture regarding the dispersal of asylum seekers was appraised by SSNW members. A full report
from SSNW Professional Assistant Peter Viggers was supplemented by a ‘latest news’ briefing from Eustace de Sousa
(Manchester Social Services) on behalf of the North West Consortium . The Home Office had postponed the full implementation
of the dispersal scheme until the autumn. However, the substantial contribution already made by the North West
(particularly Manchester and Liverpool) has led to the Home Office offering the prospect of a formal contract to
the Consortium for the care of 6000 asylum seekers, with greater clarity and certainty over financial support arrangements.
Home Office Minister Barbara Roche had recognised the North West’s positive contribution in developing the dispersal
programme, and there will be continuing discussions with the Home Office about any pressures on community care
and children’s services budgets. The huge continuing pressures on authorities in London and Kent were recognised.
SSNW will continue to monitor the situation closely.
OTHER ITEMS IN BRIEF
Children’s Agency Budgets
SSNW noted the reply from LGA Chair of Social Affairs and Health Rita Stringfellow. She recognised the rapidly
escalating costs of these, but that this was partly due to welcome increases in service quality. She felt the issue
of sharing of costs with Education should be resolved locally. Members resolved to invite Rita to a future meeting.
Delayed Discharges
The latest monitoring report showed an increase due to winter pressures on the NHS and Social Services. It was
agreed to reduce the frequency of monitoring to six-monthly. Concerns from Liverpool and elsewhere about pressures
on the NHS, and the consequences for social services, will be raised at a forthcoming meeting with regional representatives
of the NHS Executive and the Social Services Inspectorate.
CHILDRENS RIGHTS: SSNW’s Campaign
This is the full brief SSNW wants to see assigned to a Children’s Rights Commissioner for England:
-promoting the awareness of the rights of children and highlighting the ways that current law, policy and practice fail to respect those rights;
-ensuring that they have an effective means of redress when their rights are disregarded;
-conducting formal investigations where breaches are considered to have occurred;
-analysing and commenting on proposed new legislation or policy;
-undertaking, commissioning and/or publishing research and information relevant to the pursuit of children's rights and interests.
The Commissioner’s powers could include:
-investigation of breaches of rights and undertaking public enquiries;
-taking legal action as appropriate should a child not be able to do so on their own behalf:
-issuing regular reports on their work and the state of children's rights;
-requiring that the office is consulted by Government and other bodies, with Child Impact Statements accompanying proposed changes in policy and legislation.
SSNW will seek to ensure that the Government’s detailed proposals protect the interests and enhance the rights of our nation’s children.
The Future of Social Services North West:
Strong political drive for a new direction
NWASSA Chair Paul Cummins (Sefton) and Vice Chair Alan Stephenson (Wigan) have been driving the change agenda towards
the new identity of Social Services North West. Working with Professional Adviser Pauline Oliver (Director of Social
Services for Lancashire) and long-serving Professional Assistant Peter Viggers, they have laid the foundations
for the future direction of Social Services North West.
A key step was the recognition that, to get the officer support it needed, it was necessary for SSNW to appoint
a part-time Co-ordinator with senior management experience. The task was to assist SSNW to maintain and develop
its strategic contribution to the formulation and implementation of social care policy in the North West and nationally.
Following advertisement and competitive interview, Peter Hewitt was appointed Co-ordinator (15 hours per week)
for one year from 31 January 2000. Peter was Director of Social Services for five years at Bury before moving to
the same post in the City of Salford in 1992, from which he retired last year. He has been actively involved with
NWASSA for most of its life, and looks forward to working with Professional Assistant Peter Viggers and a Clerical
Assistant to be appointed, to support Social Services North West in meeting the challenges of the new century.
The urgent task: setting the Future Direction
Peter’s prime responsibility in the next few months is to enable and facilitate the fullest consultation with SSNW’s
members about the future direction of the organisation. This process was begun with a key report to the 19 March
meeting at Rochdale. Many of the issues in that report are set out in this newsletter. The future programme is
bound to include elements of continuity and elements of innovation and change. The recent work programme has included
the following issues:
-Major incidents - 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 - a further meeting in the regular series is planned shortly, possibly also involving the Social Care Group Region of SSI.
-Foster Care - plans are being made for a consultation event on foster care to demonstrate examples of good practice across the region.
-Monitoring the Community Care market - the North West Business Management Group, comprising representatives from SSDs, the NHS and the SSI, conducts detailed surveys of the patterns of care for older people in the North West.
-Quality Protects - this Government initiative to improve standards in children's services is generating issues of regional significance.
-Asylum seekers - as concerns grow about the planned dispersal of asylum seekers across the country, close monitoring of its impact in the North West is seen by members as a priority.
How many of these tasks are continued is one of the issues for consultation.
New Tasks for SSNW for the year 2000
The agenda for the personal social services is bristling with new initiatives, mostly from national government.
Members and officers in authorities are already under pressure in terms of how they can all be adequately responded
to. SSNW will have some spare capacity for new tasks, and Chair and Vice Chair Paul Cummins and Alan Stephenson
are keen that these are identified only through the widest consultation with SSNW member authorities. Co-ordinator
Peter Hewitt will be visiting each authority to consult with members and officers locally. YOU can send your views
to the NWASSA office - see below for contact details.
Proud Past to Fascinating Future:
From NWASSA to Social Services North West
The history of NWASSA, as the member-level body representing the local social services authorities in the North West, can be traced back over 30 years. Its origins lay in the Children’s Regional Planning Committee set up in 1970. After this was abolished by the Conservative Government, its members and officers, who had experienced the value of co-operation on issues of regional significance, 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. As a result, new capital resources of over £10 million were attracted to develop The Dales in Lancashire and Barton Moss in Salford.
-The Social Services role 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. NWASSA appointed a Crisis Psychology Adviser/Trainer, and produced a Civil Emergencies Planning Manual and an ongoing programme of conferences, attracting international interest.
-A Directory of Children's Residential Facilities was first produced in 1993 and is regularly updated.
-Regional liaison with the National Health Service has been a constant priority throughout NWASSA’s life. It played a crucial role in the 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. When it was successfully completed in 1998, some £80 million had been transferred and reinvested in
high-quality community facilities. 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 has continued the role of the former CRPC in determining a basic regional pattern of Boarding Out Allowances. Also, 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.
Social Services North West is determined to build on this proud tradition, and is embarking on a three-month consultation
with its members and others to develop a Work Programme relevant to current and future concerns. Key to this process
is a restatement of what SSNW is all about:
PROPOSED AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
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.
What do YOU think? Let us know!
The future direction of Social Services North West is in the hands of YOU, its members. Please send your views
to:
SSNW Office: Room 223, Social Services Headquarters, PO Box 162, East Cliff County Offices,Preston, Lancashire
PR1 3EA
Telephone: 01772 262451 Fax: 01772 262453 E-mail: peter.j.hewitt@btinternet.com
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