We have published our joint inspection report on the protection of children and young people in the Moray Council area.
The inspection included services provided by health agencies, the police, the local authority and Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, as well as those provided by voluntary and independent organisations. Joint inspection reports give an evaluation of the effectiveness of services using a published quality indicator framework focusing on 6 key areas:
- how well children and young people are listened to, understood and respected;
- how children and young people benefit from strategies to minimize harm;
- how children and young people are helped by the actions taken in immediate response to concerns;
- how well children’s and young people’s needs are met;
- service improvements through self-evaluation; and
- improvements in performance.
Services in the Moray Council area were given, 1 evaluation of very good, 2 evaluations of good and 3 evaluations of satisfactory. Inspectors found the following key strengths in how well children were protected and their needs met in the Moray Council area.
- Prompt and effective response by staff to immediate concerns about children.
- Helpful communication and trusting relationships with staff.
- Effective leadership and team working taking forward improvements. Inspectors agreed with services in the council area the following points for improvement.
- Develop joint initial assessments to support effective early help to children and families.
- Continue to improve the quality of assessments with a particular focus on identifying and meeting children’s longer-term needs.
- Strengthen approaches to joint self-evaluation, ensuring a clearer focus on improved outcomes for children
We are confident that the service will be able to make the necessary improvements in light of the inspection findings. As a result, we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Our link inspector will maintain contact with services to support improvements.