Inspection of services: Southampton

Social Services Inspectorate

Department of Health

Inspection of services to support disabled adults in their parenting role: Southampton, November 1998

'At the time of the inspection the barriers to providing a comprehensive, coordinated, outcome focussed service included:

• no system for deciding who was the "correct person" to do the work

• no system for nominating a "coordinator" to take forward any work

• no commonly agreed eligibility criteria

• no common recording systems

• no common system of managing the work flow, eg closed/inactive/active

• no module within care management which looked at parenting issues

• no agreed practice guidance for children and families staff working with "children in need" and their parents

• care plans which were predominantly service led not outcome focussed

• no common review processes

• staff who were insufficiently knowledgeable about the work of other agencies and specialists within their own Directorate.'

(para. 7.7, p. 30-31)