Joint Inspection Report praises services for children and young people in Aberdeen

03 September 2019

Multi-agency services for children and young people across Aberdeen have been praised in a new report published by the Care Inspectorate today (Tuesday 3 September).

The joint report, prepared in partnership with Education Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) - following an intensive eight month inspection process - highlighted a number of strengths in the services provided by the Aberdeen Community Partnership which includes Aberdeen City Council, NHS Grampian, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Services and the voluntary sector.

The report highlighted five key strengths:

the quality and stability of the care provided staff for children and young people with an emphasis on building on strengths in families The robustness of multi-agency pre-birth assessment and planning processes and the early stage help these provide to vulnerable women and their unborn babies Staff recognition of signs of risk, effective information-sharing processes and responses to threats of significant harm The wide range of universal and targeted support services helping, children, young people and their families to recover from cases of abuse and neglect The effectiveness of joint working and the collaborative approach, vision, values and aims promoted by leaders

Using a grading system from 1 (unsatisfactory) to 6 (excellent) the report summary the Partnership’s performance in the key quality indicators of Leadership, Outcomes and Meeting the Needs of Children, Young People and Families were all rated at 4 (good) with specific examples of good practice highlighted throughout.

A statement on behalf of the partnership, said: “We are delighted that the work of the organisations comprising Aberdeen Community Partnership has received such positive feedback in the Joint Inspection Report. This is a testimony to the dedication and hard work of staff across all the organisations in doing all they can to ensure the safety and well-being of our children, young people and families.

“We are particularly pleased that the report comments on our current work towards becoming a Unicef Child Friendly City which underlines our commitment to supporting children and young people in taking decisions that affect their lives.

“The partnership’s ambition is to ensure the best possible outcomes for all our young people, regardless of their circumstances, through innovation and partnership working and so this report is a welcome boost.

“Thanks to all the staff who worked so hard at the latter part of last year and in the earlier part of the year in ensuring that the inspectors had everything they needed for the process to go smoothly.”

The inspection process included: face-to-face meetings and surveys involving children, young people, parents and carers; document and record reviews; self-evaluation; staff surveys and face-to-face interactions with staff.

The partnership statement added: “We’d also like to thank the children, young people and parents who participated in the inspection and provided invaluable feedback”.