Report praises children's services in Carmarthenshire

A pilot children's services inspection has showed the council has committed and effective leadership, management and governance arrangements in place in Carmarthenshire.
The report, carried out by Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW), recognises that children, who were or were likely to be, at risk of harm were identified and child protection enquiries were thorough and timely.
During the inspection last July, inspectors read case files and interviewed staff, managers and professionals from partner agencies. They also spoke to children, young people and their families.
The report, which will be discussed at Thursday’s education and children scrutiny committee meeting, went on to say: “We found an authority committed to supporting children and their families to stay together whenever it was safe to do so and their approach to delivering family support services underpinned this commitment.”
During the inspection the council were going through a period of significant change implementing the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014.
The council’s executive board member for children’s services, Cllr Gareth Jones said: “We’re delighted with the report findings that confirm our commitment to supporting children and families in Carmarthenshire. In providing excellent services there is always room for improvement and we are continually looking at best practice to strengthen the support we provide.”
The report recommends multi-agency arrangements be strengthened and improvements in the consistence and quality of social work and risk analysis.

The recommendations will be prioritised by the department.