Care services for children at risk are improving in Dumfries and Galloway – but council chiefs admit there is still a long way to go.
The local authority has implemented numerous changes over the past year to meet the care system overhaul demanded by the Scottish Government.
In October, 2016, the First Minister made a commitment that Scotland would “come together and love its most vulnerable children to give them a childhood they deserve.”
An independent review of the care system was commissioned before a plan labelled ‘The Promise’ was published, setting out transformational change required by 2030.
At the council’s social work services committee tomorrow, councillors will be given an update on progress made towards fulfilling The Promise.
Stephen Morgan is senior manager with the children and families section of the council’s social work department.
He produced a progress report for the committee, which reads: “The rapid changes that have taken place across Dumfries and Galloway over the last year demonstrate that change can happen at pace.
“However, given the ambition for change set out in the 10-year plan life to #KeepThePromise there is concern that the scale of ambition and change required may not be fully acknowledged.
“We recognise the demonstrable progress we have made and acknowledge we still have a way to go.”
The council report states that there has been a significant decrease in the number of children on the child protection register due to “building better, more trusting relationships with children and families” and identifying support networks for them. The number of children subject to compulsory supervision orders has also decreased and this is also being attributed to better relationships being built between social work services and children and families.
The report states: “We are now getting more cooperation from children and families which means compulsion is not required.
“This does not mean we are doing less work but that we are working differently.
