An intensive six-month long inspection process has found that children and young people in East Lothian who are at risk of harm are safer due to the work of partnership services in the county.
A joint inspection of services for Children and Young People at Risk of Harm was carried out by the Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, Health Improvement Scotland and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland. It considered the effectiveness of the East Lothian Partnership’s work with children and young people aged 18 and under at risk of harm. The Partnership is a multi-agency body comprising East Lothian Council, East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Lothian, Police Scotland, Volunteer Centre East Lothian and Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration.
'Very good'
The published report rates the joint services on a six-point scale. Inspectors evaluated the impact of services on children and young people as ‘5: very good’. This means that they found important strengths that had significant positive impacts on children and young people’s experiences.
The joint inspection took place between 31 October 2023 and 3 April 2024. The final report was published today (7 May). Inspectors, including volunteer young inspectors with care experience, met directly with children and young people, parents and carers, staff and senior leadership teams, committees and boards. They reviewed practices through file reading and evidence reports and considered responses to surveys shared with staff, children, young people and families. The final report provides a thorough assessment of the work in this vital area highlighting life-changing practice while offering recommendations for future development.
Inspectors concluded that children and young people in East Lothian were safer as a result of staff’s effective recognition and response to risks and concerns. They highlighted positive working relationships between partners using inter-agency referral discussions to plan responses if children and young people were at risk of harm, as well as positive relationships between staff and children and young people that helped to keep them safe. Children and young people felt that staff listened to them and respected their views, while staff had confidence in leadership who, in turn, worked well together with clear governance and reporting structures.
Effective support for mental health and wellbeing
The Single Point of Access (SPA) for Mental Health Support was highlighted for offering a way for children and young people to receive effective support for their mental health and wellbeing. The SPA offers a streamlined way to request help from a number of services that support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people such as counselling, bereavement support, art therapy and mental health youth work.
The report found that there was scope for partners to develop a greater understanding of ways to collect, analyse and report on the difference services were making and to consistently seek the views of children and young people and their families to inform service improvements. The East Lothian Partnership will now prepare on a joint action plan which will detail how it will take forward recommendations identified by inspectors.
Strong and trusting relationships
Chair of the Children’s Strategic Partnership, part of the East Lothian Partnership, and East Lothian Council’s Executive Director for Education and Children’s Services Lesley Brown said: “This is a fantastic report and a testament to all the hard work across our partnership to keep children and young people safe from harm. It is the most important task that we have and we, and the people who rely on our services, can take confidence from the robust nature of this inspection and the subsequent findings.
“Over six months staff have had every aspect of their practice examined, our policies and how well they work have been tested, and our processes have been subject to intense scrutiny. Most importantly, the children, young people and families we work with have had an opportunity to meet with inspectors and share their own experiences and the outcomes of the work of our partnership services. They pointed to strong and trusting relationships with workers and feeling included in the decisions about them. I am very proud of all of the achievements of staff from across the partnership.
“All inspections contain recommendations for improvement and we were pleased that the Inspectors’ recommendations mirrored our own self-evaluation, particularly in the area of involving children, young people and families in developing our services further. Including the voice of the people who use our services is vital to our work and we will be taking this forward in our future planning.
“Following the Independent Care Review, Scotland made a commitment that all children should grow up loved, safe and respected. We believe the results of the Joint Inspection clearly show the vital steps the Partnership is taking to Keep the Promise and keep children and young people safe in East Lothian.”
Final report
The final report is available to read online at the Care Inspectorate’s website.