Child protection services in East Renfrewshire have been praised by the care watchdog.
A joint inspection by the Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland took place between February 28 and July 13 this year, with the report published this month.
The purpose of the inspection was to explore the effectiveness of services for children and young people up to the age of 18 at risk of harm.
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
The inspectors found strengths in ensuring children and young people at risk of harm are safe, protected and supported, with no significant areas for improvement identified.
Among those strengths recorded were “early collaborative interventions which prevented risk from escalating,” “high-quality assessments, plans and support from a wide range of services which had a positive impact on safety and wellbeing of young people at risk of harm,” and “caring relationships between children and young people, and key members of staff within the service”.
The report also praises “the way that children and young people were listened to and respected,” “how children and young people and their families could actively participate in and influence service planning, delivery and improvement,” “data and quality assurance information being used successfully to identify emerging risks and inform future priorities,” and “strong and effective leadership, and a strong, shared vision for children and young people, which continued throughout the Covid-19 pandemic ensuring appropriate support reached the families who were in most need”.
Edith Macintosh, interim chief executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: “We are confident that the lives of children and young people at risk of harm in East Renfrewshire are improving as a result of services delivered by the partnership. We are confident that partners have the capacity to build on their achievements and strengthen service delivery. We did not identify any notable gaps in services. Nor did we identify any significant areas for improvement during the inspection.”
Responding to the report, Julie Murray, chief officer of East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Creating effective partnerships across East Renfrewshire to ensure children and young people at risk are given the support and help they need, in a way that ensures they are respected and listened to, is key to the service we provide.
“It is testament to that hard work and commitment of all our teams that this report gives such universal praise, and I would like to thank all those involved.”
Angela Wallace, Executive Nurse Director for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, who has executive responsibility for child protection services across the NHSGGC area, said: “Being able to improve the life chances of the most vulnerable in our society is a key priority of the services we provide, and it is particularly gratifying when these efforts are recognised in this way.”
Inspectors listened to the views and experiences of 32 children and young people and 35 parents and carers in order to compile the report. There were 308 staff working in child protection services who responded to surveys for it too and inspectors met with approximately 100 staff who work directly with children, young people and families as well as members of senior leadership teams, committees and boards.
Download the FREE Renfrewshire Live app now for all the latest news, features and sport in your area. Available on both Android and Apple. Download here: smarturl.it/RenfrewLiveSocial
