The Social Services Improvement Agency

1
The Social Services Improvement Agency
Mike Thomas
2
Purpose

• Support local government increase the pace of
  improvement and pursuit of excellence in social
  services by working with councils on a voluntary
  and collaborative basis
• Endorsed by Wales Assembly Government in March
  2006 with a grant of 1.1m for three years

3
Governance plus

• Management Board approves spend and priorities
• Members
• WLGA, WAG, ADSS, IDeA, SOLACE,
• Partners/advisory
• SSIW, WAO, CSIW, CCW, NLIAH
• Professional reference group

4
Key points

• the work of the Agency should seek to build
  capacity for the continuous improvement of
  services

5
People

• Martyn Palfreman, Business Manager
• Chris Davies, Lead Specialist Adviser
• Andrew Bell, Knowledge Manager
• Meinir Williams, Administrative Support
• William Spurrier, Administrative Support
• Vicky McCourt, Joanne Betteridge, Mike Thomas,
  Regional Improvement Co-ordinators

6
Work Strands All Wales Regional

• Improvement set to support better commissioning
  for children in need including LAC. First set
  should start early 2007.
• Joint Review Network
• Member Challenge
• Strategic leadership development, peer experts

7
Work Strands All Wales Regional

• Fast tracking the development of a PQ in child
  care extra capacity to support CCW lead
• Research in Practice All Wales College and Link
  officers Network
• Implementation of Unified Assessment Learning
  Event
• Social Services Direction Paper facilitated
  discussion

8
Work Strands Individual Support

• 3 councils approached Agency because of specific
  performance difficulties
• Work to promote excellence within individual
  councils

9
Regional Co-ordinators

• Improvement
• Collaboration
• Examples from SE Wales
• Direct Payments
• Commissioning Childrens placements
• Shared Foster Care initiatives
• Staffing Agency