The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Fife’s social work budget faces overspend of £14m
THIS INCREASE has been at a cost of between £50,000 and £200,000 per child per year, depending on the child’s needs and age.
More than 2,000 older people are also being supported to live in their own homes. The cost of care packages can range from £50 to £1,000 per week, depending on a person’s assessed needs.
As a result of these increasing numbers, the social work budget is now facing an overspend of £14 million — an increase of £3.47m since October and an increase of £6.935m since last May.
Concerns were raised by Labour councillor Judy Hamilton, executive spokeswoman for social work and health, at the council’s education, social and communities scrutiny committee as members discussed the financial pressures on social work services.
Yesterday, as an SNP opposition councillor accused the Labour administration of a “lack of political leadership” by allowing this crisis, Mrs Hamilton said: “First and foremost our priority must be to protect the most vulnerable in our societies. This includes children, vulnerable adults and older people.
“However, we cannot continue to just deal with the problems, we need to focus on the cause of those problems and work with families to provide the support they need, when they need it, before problems arise.
“By continuing to invest in Early Years services, Family Nurture centres, teenage pregnancy programmes and other projects, we can help to slow down the rise in demand for services at a later date.”
Fife Council says the numbers of lookedafter children have been increasing year on year, placing a huge strain on social work budgets. By changing the focus to early intervention, supporting families before problems arise, the council hopes to be able to curb these increases.
The challenges facing Fife Council Social Work Services include:
The continuing rise in the number of children being looked after by the council, which has increased from 628 in 2006 to 900 currently.
The number of children on the council’s child protection register, which has increased from 168 in 2006 to 240.
These rises come at a time when Fife Council is facing around £100m shortfall in its budget over the next four years.
The Big Change Challenge has been engaging with the public, service users, families and staff on how Fife Council should spend the money and discussing how it meets increasing needs within the resources available.
Last night, Fife Council SNP opposition councillorAlistair Hunter said: “I have deep concerns about the lack of political leadership that has let this massive black hole appear in our social work service.
“It is an abject failure to address urgent service reform and preventative approaches to policy.”