Departmental performance report for Community Services                    

Period  January to March 2012

Key Successes 

1. 3 representatives from Argyll and Bute have become finalists in the Young Scot Awards for unsung heroes under the following categories; Volunteering, Environment and the Reader’s Award.
   
   
2. Increase in the number of participants in activities that improve literacy and numeracy from 209 to 249 this quarter.
   
   
3. Work has begun on Campbeltown’s all-weather pitch. The project is funded in conjunction with Sports Scotland and will produce a flood light, 3G, multi-use synthetic turf pitch on Kinloch Green in Campbeltown.
   
   
4. No person waited for Free Personal Care within their own homes for longer than 4 weeks. 
   
   
5. Maintained a zero delayed discharge figure for 23 of the last 24 months.
   
   
6. 100% of adult Carers assessments completed within 28 days across Argyll and Bute.
   
   
7. Positive evaluation of the Council’s 16+ Learning Choices programme – now regarded as low risk by Scottish Government.
   
   
8. Excellent HMIE inspection report for Rhu Primary School, with the school being rated as ‘Very Good’ in four categories and ‘Good’ in one other.
9. 100% Primary pupils experiencing different teachers and other learning specialists as part of Curriculum for Excellence.
   
   
10. 100% of schools provided vocationally orientated curricular experiences for pupils as part of Curriculum for Excellence.
    
    
11. Increase in the % of Looked After and Accommodated Children (LAAC) in family placements from 75% in 2010/11 to 83% at the end of 2011/12.
    
    
12. 94% of LAAC in care over 12 months have a plan for permanence.
    
    
13. 13. 0 children on Child Protection Register who are repeat registrations from the preceding 12 months.

Key Challenges

1. Implementation of options identified in Housing Service Review and respond to challenges from limited housing development funding and new legislative targets for homelessness.
   
   
2. Maintain affordability in leisure facilities due to substantial increase in energy costs, general inflation and customers’ reduced disposable income.
   
   
3. Ongoing re-design of Adult Care services in order to meet the proposed Self Directed Care legislation that will emphasise choice for the service user both in terms of the detail of the care package but also who the service is commissioned from.
   
   
4. Integration of Adult Care services with NHS / CHP which creates significant challenge to both partners in re-designing both organisational structure and budgetary management in order to support operational change.
   
   
5. Delivering continuous improvement within the Education Service with reducing resources.
   
   
6. Implementing Curriculum for Excellence, focusing on themes of assessment, broad general education, the senior phase, developing learners’ literacy and numeracy skills, professional development, leadership and communication and engagement.
   
   
7. Ensure an appropriate system for 16+ learning choices is in place in all our secondary schools.
   
   
8. To deliver improvements in specific areas of Children and Families identified through inspection and self evaluation. 
   
   
9. To further develop the service capacity for early intervention and community support.

Action points to address the challenges

1. Apply Service Review guidance to ensure smooth implementation of Housing Service Review.
   
   
2. Review the way we deliver our Leisure services, focusing resource on the most important areas.
   
   
3. Adult Care will continue to focus on the redesign of the service to fit future needs of service users.
   
   
4. Ongoing discussions with NHS Highland to progress the integration of services with NHS / CHP.
   
   
5.  Ensuring consistency and quality of self-evaluation leading to service improvement in Education.
   
   
6. Share the good practice already developed within the learning communities and schools, through cluster working, to review and develop further their approach to interdisciplinary learning.
   
   
7. Ensure 16+ Learning Choices Strategy Group is effective in securing positive destinations for young people leaving school. Liaison with Skills Development Scotland and other partners to improve quality of careers advice given to pupils.
   
   
8. Children and Families will address the findings of the multi agency child protection inspection.
   
   
9. Children and Families will seek to improve its throughcare and aftercare processes to facilitate redirection towards early intervention and community based placements for LAAC.