PASSIONS were running high at a recent meeting of Clackmannanshire Council where challenges in social services were discussed.
The chief social work officer’s annual report was delivered to a meeting of the full council and said there were financial and social problems that needed to be addressed including a lack of jobs leading to increased dependency on welfare, lower incomes and a tight social work budget.
Councillor Craig Holden was particularly scathing saying he “couldn’t bring himself to find anything positive in this report”.
Councillor Holden, who has been a councillor since 1999, said he had never had so many people coming to him with difficulties relating to children’s services and was “horrified” at the way some people were being treated.
There was cross-party agreement that better understanding of the issues was needed in order for progress to be made and councillors are awaiting a review into social services which they hope will give them better knowledge and allow this to happen.
Councillor Janet Cadenhead said: “We don’t know why these problems persist in a small corner of Scotland that has a good environment. We’re above average in things like alcohol abuse and we need to understand why.” She also warned against these issues being “a political football”.
There was some positivity in the report as the Care Inspectorate recognised improvements in all five areas it had identified as needing work.
Woodside Children’s Unit was generally ranked very good or excellent and there has been consultation on developing a new child care residential unit in Clackmannanshire.
The council social work department has got the views of young people accommodated outside the local authority through advocacy workers from Who Cares? on what they would like from the unit.
Councillors also heard the social work department is “very much contributing to social work education” by taking on 13 student placements.